Module 5 Ethnic Culture

詞匯短語園地

1. minority n. 少數民族，少數群體；少數，少數派，少

數人

The school is 95 per cent minority.

這所學校里95%的學生來自少數族裔。

For a minority， the decision was a disappointment.

這個決定令少數人失望。

辨析：

比較minority和majority

兩者互為反義詞，minority意思是“少數人；少數民族”，而majority意思是“大多數，大部分”。

On the last point， he realized， he was a minority of one.

在上一點上，他意識到自己是孤掌難鳴的少數派。

The majority of people interviewed prefer TV to radio.

大多數接受采訪的人都喜歡看電視而不喜歡聽收音機。

2. native adj. 出生地的，兒時居住地的；土生土長的，本

地的，當地的

n. 出生于某國（或某地）的人；本地人，當地人

It is a long time since he has visited his native Poland.

他很久沒回過他的家鄉波蘭了。

As a native Australian， do you have any suggestions or recommen-dations for our youth？

你在澳大利亞土生土長，對我國年輕人有何建議或勸告？

After all， Carlo is a native of Nevada， and he knows his way around.

畢竟卡羅是土生土長的內華達州人。他在那一帶路熟。

You can always tell the difference between the tourists and the natives.

游客與當地人之間的區別一望即知。

3. run v. 控制，管理，經營；跑，奔跑；（使）運轉，

運行；操作

Stop trying to run my life for me.

別老想操縱我的生活。

He has no idea how to run a business.

他絲毫不懂企業管理。

Our van runs on diesel.

我們的貨車用的是柴油。

Could you run the engine for a moment？

你來操作一會兒發動機好嗎？

（1） run across sb/sth 偶然遇見/看到（某人/某物）

（2） run after 追求；追逐，追趕

（3） run away （from sb/sth） 突然離開，逃離

（4） run out 用完，耗盡；過期，失效

4. custom n. 風俗，習慣，傳統，習俗；個人習慣，習

性，慣常行為

It is the custom in that country for women to marry young.

女子早婚是那個國家的風俗。

As was his custom， he knocked three times.

他敲了三下，這是他的習慣。

辨析：

比較custom，habit和tradition

三者都有“習慣”的意思，其中custom指一個國家、民族、社會的行為方式或風俗習慣；habit則側重于自然養成的、不易改掉的個人習慣；而tradition側重世代相傳的理論、行為規范和生活方式。

Social customs are greatly different from country to country.

國與國之間的社會風俗大不相同。

You need to change your eating habits.

你得改變你的飲食習慣。

They broke with tradition and got married quietly.

他們打破傳統，毫不聲張地結了婚。

customer n. 顧客，主顧，客戶

customs n.（政府部門）海關；關稅，進口稅

5. foolish adj. 愚蠢的，傻的；出丑；顯得尷尬

How could she have been so foolish as to fall in love with him？

她怎么這么傻，竟愛上了他？

Hes afraid of looking foolish in front of his friends.

他怕在朋友前面出丑。

fool n. 蠢人，傻瓜

v. 欺騙，娛樂；說蠢話，干傻事

foolishly adv. 愚蠢地，傻地

foolishness n. 愚蠢

6. firm adj. 牢固的，穩固的；堅固的，堅硬的，結實的；

堅定的，確定的，堅決的；嚴格的

adv. 堅信，堅持

v. 使強壯，使堅固，使堅實

n. 商行，商號，公司

Stand the fish tank on a firm base.

把魚缸放在牢固的基座上。

These peaches are still firm.

這些桃子還很硬。

We have no firm evidence to support the case.

我們沒有確鑿的證據支持這個案件。

She held firm to her principles.

她堅持自己的原則。

This product claims to firm your body in six weeks.

這個產品據稱能在六周內使你身體強壯。

They demanded the divorce of the subsidiary from the parent firm.

他們要求子公司與母公司分離。

7. fasten v.（使兩部分）系牢，縛緊，扎牢，結牢，扣緊；

（使）關緊，蓋好

（1） fasten （sth） （up） 把……系牢/扣緊

Fasten your seatbelts， please.

請系好安全帶。

He fastened up his coat and hurried out.

他扣好大衣就匆匆出去了。

（2） fasten A to B 把A和B系在一起

There were no instructions on how to fasten the carrying strap to the box.

沒有如何把背帶系在箱子上的說明。

（1） fasten ones attention on sth 集中注意力于某事上

（2） fasten ones eyes on sb/sth 注視著（盯著）某人/某物

8. fold v. 折疊，對折（紙、織物等）；折小，疊平；包，裹

n. 褶，褶層，褶疊部分；褶痕，褶縫

搭配：

fold sth up （back/down/over...） 把……折疊/對折起來

He folded the map up and put it in his pocket.

他把地圖折疊起來，然后放進了口袋。

The blankets had been folded down.

毛毯已折疊起來。

（1） fold sb in ones arms 擁抱/摟住某人

（2） fold ones arms 雙臂交叉在胸前

（3） fold ones hands 十指交叉合攏交疊

9. adjust v. 適應，使適應，習慣；調整，調節

搭配：

（1） adjust to sth/doing sth 適應某事/做某事

It took her a while to adjust to living alone after the divorce.

她離婚以后，過了一段時間才適應了單身生活。

（2） adjust oneself to sth 使自己適應某事

Youll quickly adjust yourself to student life.

你將很快適應學生生活。

（3） adjust sth （to sth） 調整；調節

Adjust your language to the age of your audience.

要根據聽眾的年齡使用相應的語言。

adjustment n. 調整，調節；（思想等）調整，適應

adjustable adj. 可調整的，可調節的

10. in use 在使用

From 1900， electric discharge lamps were in use in Europe and the USA.

從1900年以來，歐洲和美國都在使用著實用的放電燈。

The conference room is already in use.

會議室已在使用中。

use n. 用，使用，得到利用；用途，功能，用法

（1） be of use 有用的

（2） make use of sth 利用某物

（3） put sth to use 把……投入使用

（4） be no use doing sth 做……沒有用

（5） out of use 不再被使用

use v. 使用，利用，運用

（1） be/get used to sth/doing sth 習慣了某事/做某事

（2） be used to do sth 被用來做某事

（3） used to be 過去的樣子或狀態

（4） used to do sth 過去常常做某事

11. in the distance 在遠處

The noise of the car died away in the distance.

汽車的聲音消失在遠方。

Sadly they saw the shores of England disappear in the distance.

他們黯然看著英國的海岸在遠處消失。

（1） at a distance 稍遠一點；離一段距離

（2） at a distance of 以……距離

12. set off 出發，動身，啟程

set off = set out，都意為“出發，動身，啟程”。

We set off for London just after ten.

剛過十點，我們就動身去倫敦了。

He bade his wife farewell and set out on his journey.

他辭別了妻子便啟程了。

（1） set about sth/doing sth 開始做/著手做某事

（2） set aside 留出，撥出；不顧，不理會

（3） set down 記下，寫下，登記

（4） set up 豎立，建造；建立，創立

Grandpa Will Pay the Bill

Walking up to a department stores fabric counter， the pretty girl said， “I would like to buy this material for a new dress. How much does it cost？”

“Only one kiss per yard，” replied the male clerk with a smirk.

“Thats fine，” said the girl. “Ill take ten yards.”

With expectation and anticipation written all over his face， the clerk quickly measured out the cloth， wrapped it up， then teasingly held it out.

The girl snapped up the package， pointed to the old geezer standing beside her， and smiled， “Grandpa will pay the bill.”

跟蹤導練（三）

閱讀理解

“Lemons” in Used Car Market

Suppose that you， a college student of limited income， are in the market of a used pickup truck. The following ad in a local used car publication catches your eyes.

1993 Ford Ranger（福特漫游者）， 4WD， a/c.

AM/FM/cass.， showroom condition.

Call 555-1234 after 5pm.

This is exactly the kind of car you want， so you call to ask about the price. The price you are told over the phone is $2，000 lower than the price for this model with this equipment listed in a used car guidebook. Instead of being interested， however， you are suspicious.

For many products， when you must pay less than the going rate， you believe you are getting a great deal. This is not necessarily the case for used cars or other durable goods（耐用消費品）（washing machines and television sets， for example） because with expensive products you must be particularly careful about getting a “lemon”.

In addition to asking the price， the age of a car is a factor when you are trying to determine whether a seller is attempting to sell a lemon. While people have all sorts of reasons for wanting to sell their cars—even relatively new cars—most people hold off until they have put many thousands of miles on a car or until the used car is several years old. You would probably be as suspicious of a car that is “too new” as you would a car that is “too good” a deal. In fact， you are probably willing to pay a high price for a high-quality used car. While this price would certainly be acceptable to the seller， the competitive market might not facilitate（有利于）such trades.

1. How may you feel when the product is unexpectedly cheap according to the text？

A. Very happy. B. Quite surprised.

C. Rather doubtful. D. A little interested.

2. “Lemon” in this passage refers to ___ .

A. a kind of fruit

B. a kind of used car

C. a product of low price

D. a product of poor quality

3. What should you consider to make sure to get a good buy according to the author？

A. The miles the car has run.

B. The price and the age of the car.

C. The trade condition of the car market.

D. The reason of the seller for selling the car.

4. We can infer from the last two sentences of the text that used cars are ___ .

A. relatively new B. generally cheap

C. usually of poor quality D. very attractive to buyers

短文改錯

Today is Sunday. I had been studying all day long. On the morning， I had a dry breakfast. I had no water to drink because the water supply had cut off. The water came back in the evening. I did math exercises then. I didnt stop after 12 oclock. After the short lunch I had a break. Then I went to my Sunday English Class. After a long and tired class for more than two hours， I got home. Some work had been done but some hadnt. I must review all my subject such as the Sciences， the Humanities which they include Chinese， English， Politics and History as well. Thats terribly， especially when there were no water.

單項選擇

1. Its no use ___ the text by heart without understanding it.

A. learned B. to learn

C. learning D. being learned

2. Can you explain how it ___ that you were an hour late？

A. came about B. came over

C. came out D. came up

3. — Have you brought my football？

— Oh no！ I ___ again. That was stupid of me.

A. forget B. have forgotten

C. forgot D. had forgotten

4. I ___ make the dress by myself， but in the end I had to ask for help.

A. set about B. got down to

C. set off D. set out to

5. ___ that her handbag was missing， she went to the police for help.

A. Finding B. Found

C. Having found D. Being found

Mosuo Culture摩梭文化

What would the days be like without fathers？ Maybe not so bad， according to experts on the Mosuo culture.

Men of the Mosuo， who live around Lugu Lake on the border between Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces， do help to raise kids—just not their own， with whom the men typically have only limited relationships. Instead the men help look after all the children born to their own sisters， aunts， and other women of the family.

The women of the Mosuos villages head the households， make business decisions， and own property， which they pass on to their matrilineal heirs. In the unique Mosuo tradition called the walking marriage， women invite men to visit their rooms at night—and to leave in the morning. Women may also change partners as often as they like， and carry no social stigma.

“The lack of live-in fathers shouldnt be taken as evidence that the Mosuo dont value family life，” said Lombard， of the Lugu Lake Mosuo Cultural Development Association. “In fact， they value it above all other relationships.”

沒有父親的日子該怎么過？也許沒那么悲傷——專門研究摩梭文化的專家如是說。

摩梭人生活在云南省和四川省交界處的瀘沽湖一帶，那里的男子在養兒育女問題上事實上也確有幫助——但他們所養育的偏偏不是自己的孩子，沒什么直接血緣關系。相反，這些男子幫助養育的孩子都是自己的姐妹、姨媽、姑媽及家族內的其他女人生的孩子。

在摩梭人生活的農村，婦女自主安排并承擔一切生計，她們擁有財產權，并有權把財產傳給母系繼承人。當地有一個十分獨特的走婚習俗，也就是到了晚上，女子可以把男子請到家里來過夜，第二天一早，男子便可離開。女子是可以隨時隨意更換男子的，完全不會背負不好的社會名聲。

瀘沽湖摩梭文化發展協會的拉姆巴德說：“生活中缺少父親，并不能因此說明摩梭人就不重視家庭生活。相反，他們會把那種家庭關系看得高于其他一切關系。”

1. How may you feel when the product is unexpectedly cheap according to the text？

A. Very happy. B. Quite surprised.

C. Rather doubtful. D. A little interested.

2. “Lemon” in this passage refers to ___ .

A. a kind of fruit

B. a kind of used car

C. a product of low price

D. a product of poor quality

3. What should you consider to make sure to get a good buy according to the author？

A. The miles the car has run.

B. The price and the age of the car.

C. The trade condition of the car market.

D. The reason of the seller for selling the car.

4. We can infer from the last two sentences of the text that used cars are ___ .

A. relatively new B. generally cheap

C. usually of poor quality D. very attractive to buyers

短文改錯

Today is Sunday. I had been studying all day long. On the morning， I had a dry breakfast. I had no water to drink because the water supply had cut off. The water came back in the evening. I did math exercises then. I didnt stop after 12 oclock. After the short lunch I had a break. Then I went to my Sunday English Class. After a long and tired class for more than two hours， I got home. Some work had been done but some hadnt. I must review all my subject such as the Sciences， the Humanities which they include Chinese， English， Politics and History as well. Thats terribly， especially when there were no water.

單項選擇

1. Its no use ___ the text by heart without understanding it.

A. learned B. to learn

C. learning D. being learned

2. Can you explain how it ___ that you were an hour late？

A. came about B. came over

C. came out D. came up

3. — Have you brought my football？

— Oh no！ I ___ again. That was stupid of me.

A. forget B. have forgotten

C. forgot D. had forgotten

4. I ___ make the dress by myself， but in the end I had to ask for help.

A. set about B. got down to

C. set off D. set out to

5. ___ that her handbag was missing， she went to the police for help.

A. Finding B. Found

C. Having found D. Being found

Mosuo Culture摩梭文化

What would the days be like without fathers？ Maybe not so bad， according to experts on the Mosuo culture.

Men of the Mosuo， who live around Lugu Lake on the border between Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces， do help to raise kids—just not their own， with whom the men typically have only limited relationships. Instead the men help look after all the children born to their own sisters， aunts， and other women of the family.

The women of the Mosuos villages head the households， make business decisions， and own property， which they pass on to their matrilineal heirs. In the unique Mosuo tradition called the walking marriage， women invite men to visit their rooms at night—and to leave in the morning. Women may also change partners as often as they like， and carry no social stigma.

“The lack of live-in fathers shouldnt be taken as evidence that the Mosuo dont value family life，” said Lombard， of the Lugu Lake Mosuo Cultural Development Association. “In fact， they value it above all other relationships.”

沒有父親的日子該怎么過？也許沒那么悲傷——專門研究摩梭文化的專家如是說。

摩梭人生活在云南省和四川省交界處的瀘沽湖一帶，那里的男子在養兒育女問題上事實上也確有幫助——但他們所養育的偏偏不是自己的孩子，沒什么直接血緣關系。相反，這些男子幫助養育的孩子都是自己的姐妹、姨媽、姑媽及家族內的其他女人生的孩子。

在摩梭人生活的農村，婦女自主安排并承擔一切生計，她們擁有財產權，并有權把財產傳給母系繼承人。當地有一個十分獨特的走婚習俗，也就是到了晚上，女子可以把男子請到家里來過夜，第二天一早，男子便可離開。女子是可以隨時隨意更換男子的，完全不會背負不好的社會名聲。

瀘沽湖摩梭文化發展協會的拉姆巴德說：“生活中缺少父親，并不能因此說明摩梭人就不重視家庭生活。相反，他們會把那種家庭關系看得高于其他一切關系。”

1. How may you feel when the product is unexpectedly cheap according to the text？

A. Very happy. B. Quite surprised.

C. Rather doubtful. D. A little interested.

2. “Lemon” in this passage refers to ___ .

A. a kind of fruit

B. a kind of used car

C. a product of low price

D. a product of poor quality

3. What should you consider to make sure to get a good buy according to the author？

A. The miles the car has run.

B. The price and the age of the car.

C. The trade condition of the car market.

D. The reason of the seller for selling the car.

4. We can infer from the last two sentences of the text that used cars are ___ .

A. relatively new B. generally cheap

C. usually of poor quality D. very attractive to buyers

短文改錯

Today is Sunday. I had been studying all day long. On the morning， I had a dry breakfast. I had no water to drink because the water supply had cut off. The water came back in the evening. I did math exercises then. I didnt stop after 12 oclock. After the short lunch I had a break. Then I went to my Sunday English Class. After a long and tired class for more than two hours， I got home. Some work had been done but some hadnt. I must review all my subject such as the Sciences， the Humanities which they include Chinese， English， Politics and History as well. Thats terribly， especially when there were no water.

單項選擇

1. Its no use ___ the text by heart without understanding it.

A. learned B. to learn

C. learning D. being learned

2. Can you explain how it ___ that you were an hour late？

A. came about B. came over

C. came out D. came up

3. — Have you brought my football？

— Oh no！ I ___ again. That was stupid of me.

A. forget B. have forgotten

C. forgot D. had forgotten

4. I ___ make the dress by myself， but in the end I had to ask for help.

A. set about B. got down to

C. set off D. set out to

5. ___ that her handbag was missing， she went to the police for help.

A. Finding B. Found

C. Having found D. Being found

Mosuo Culture摩梭文化

What would the days be like without fathers？ Maybe not so bad， according to experts on the Mosuo culture.

Men of the Mosuo， who live around Lugu Lake on the border between Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces， do help to raise kids—just not their own， with whom the men typically have only limited relationships. Instead the men help look after all the children born to their own sisters， aunts， and other women of the family.

The women of the Mosuos villages head the households， make business decisions， and own property， which they pass on to their matrilineal heirs. In the unique Mosuo tradition called the walking marriage， women invite men to visit their rooms at night—and to leave in the morning. Women may also change partners as often as they like， and carry no social stigma.

“The lack of live-in fathers shouldnt be taken as evidence that the Mosuo dont value family life，” said Lombard， of the Lugu Lake Mosuo Cultural Development Association. “In fact， they value it above all other relationships.”

沒有父親的日子該怎么過？也許沒那么悲傷——專門研究摩梭文化的專家如是說。

摩梭人生活在云南省和四川省交界處的瀘沽湖一帶，那里的男子在養兒育女問題上事實上也確有幫助——但他們所養育的偏偏不是自己的孩子，沒什么直接血緣關系。相反，這些男子幫助養育的孩子都是自己的姐妹、姨媽、姑媽及家族內的其他女人生的孩子。

在摩梭人生活的農村，婦女自主安排并承擔一切生計，她們擁有財產權，并有權把財產傳給母系繼承人。當地有一個十分獨特的走婚習俗，也就是到了晚上，女子可以把男子請到家里來過夜，第二天一早，男子便可離開。女子是可以隨時隨意更換男子的，完全不會背負不好的社會名聲。

瀘沽湖摩梭文化發展協會的拉姆巴德說：“生活中缺少父親，并不能因此說明摩梭人就不重視家庭生活。相反，他們會把那種家庭關系看得高于其他一切關系。”