Unit 11 The Transactionby William Zinsser

Useful phrases to learn in the listening and speaking part• I don’t like the idea of…• Don’t get upset• Do you mind if …?• How are things going?• To tell the truth• Don’t bother• Is it right if…?• Go ahead• Be sure to give me a call.

Discussion Questions

• Do you like writing? Do you like English writing? How often do you write in English?

• What do you think of writing as a career?

• Do you wish to be a writer? Will you give the reasons for your answer.

• What is your writing process?

• What is the correct writing process?

Different Genres of Writing• Personal experience narratives• Book reports• Reviews on books, movies or plays• Poetry• Jokes • Announcements• Diary• Letters • E-mails• web blogs, etc

Writing process

• Invention

• Collection

• Organization

• Drafting

• Revising

• Proofreading

Invention: coming up with your topic

• Brainstorming

• Free writing

• Listing

• Clustering

Collection

• Gathering ideas• Locating and

evaluating research• Conducting

interviews

Organizing: putting information in an outline

OUTLINE

I. IntroductionA. Grab attentionB. State thesis

II. BodyA. Build pointsB. Develop ideasC. Support main claim

III. ConclusionA. Reemphasize main idea

Drafting

• Give yourself ample time to work on your project.

• Find a comfortable place to do your writing.

• Avoid distractions.• Take breaks.

Revising: reviewing ideas

• Review higher-order concerns:– Clear communication of

ideas – Organization of paper– Paragraph structure– Strong introduction and

conclusion

Proofreading

• Review later-order concerns:– Spelling– Punctuation– Sentence structure– Manuscript form

Proofreading tips

• Do not revise or proofread immediately after drafting.

• Slowly read your paper aloud or backwards.

• Exchange papers with a friend.

• NOTE: Spell check will not catch everything, and grammar checks are often wrong!

Key Points in the Text

1. devote If you devote yourself, your time, or your energy to

something, you spend all or most of your time or energy on it. = dedicate

e.g. He decided to devote the rest of his life to scientific investigation...

Considerable resources have been devoted to proving him a liar...

She gladly gave up her part-time job to devote herself entirely to her art.

If you devote a particular proportion of a piece of writing or a speech to a particular subject, you deal with the subject in that amount of space or time.

e.g. He devoted a major section of his massive report to an analysis of US aircraft design...

adj. devotedn. devotion

2. vocation If you have a vocation, you have a strong feeling

that you are especially suited to do a particular job or to fulfil a particular role in life, especially one which involves helping other people.

e.g. It could well be that he has a real vocation... Diana was a young mission school teacher convinced

of her vocation to provide support for her schoolgirl pupils. If you refer to your job or profession as your vocation, you feel that you are particularly suited to it.

e.g. Her vocation is her work as an actress...

exercises

• A. vocation B. profession C. job

“We need teachers who regard their ______ as a ______________, not a _________.” said the Minister.

KEY: BAC

vocational adj.

• 职业教育 vocational education• 职业学校 a vocational school• 职业训练 vocational training• 业务知识 vocational knowledge• 就业指导 vocational guidance

3. avocation Your avocation is a job or activity that you do

because you are interested in it, rather than to earn your living. (FORMAL)

e.g. He was a printer by trade and naturalist by avocation.

4. panel

A panel is a small group of people who are chosen to do something, for example to discuss something in public or to make a decision.

e.g. He assembled a panel of scholars to advise him... The advisory panel disagreed with the decision. A panel is a flat rectangular piece of wood or other

material that forms part of a larger object such as a door.

e.g. ...the frosted glass panel set in the centre of the door.A control panel or instrument panel is a board or surface

which contains switches and controls to operate a machine or piece of equipment.

e.g. The equipment was extremely sophisticated and was monitored from a central control-panel…

panelist 小组成员

5.bohemiann. (informal boho) a person who is

interested in art, music and/or literature and lives in a very informal manner, ignoring the usually accepted ways of behaving.

<syn> unconventional, nonconforming

e.g. a bohemian lifestye

6. vaguely If something written or spoken is vague, it does not explain or express

things clearly. <ANT> precisee.g. The description was pretty vague. They issued a vaguely worded statement. If you have a vague memory or idea of something, the memory or idea

is not clear.<syn> fainte.g. They have only a vague idea of the amount of water available... Judith could vaguely remember her mother lying on the sofa. If you are vague about something, you deliberately do not tell people

much about it.e.g. Democratic leaders under election pressure tend to respond with vague

promises of action. If you describe someone as vague, you mean that they do not seem to

be thinking clearly.e.g. She had married a charming but rather vague Englishman...If something such as a feeling is vague, you experience it only slightly.e.g. He was conscious of that vague feeling of irritation again... A vague shape or outline is not clear and is therefore not easy to see.e.g. The bus was a vague shape in the distance.

7.tension

Tension is the feeling that is produced in a situation when people are anxious and do not trust each other, and when there is a possibility of sudden violence or conflict.

e. g. The tension between the two countries is likely to remain...Tension is a feeling of worry and anxiety which makes it

difficult for you to relax.e.g. Smiling and laughing has actually been shown to relieve

tension and stress.If there is a tension between forces, arguments, or

influences, there are differences between them that cause difficulties.

e.g. The film explored the tension between public duty and personal affections.

The tension in something such as a rope or wire is the extent to which it is stretched tight.

8. put sth. aside

to save sth. usu. time or money, for a special purpose

e.g. He tries to put some time aside every evening to read to the kids.

If you put a disagreement or problem aside, you ignore it temporarily so that it does not prevent you doing what you want to do.

e.g. Let’s put our differences aside and make a fresh start.

Can we put that question aside for now, and come back to it later.

<Compare>put sth. away

to put sth. in the place or container where it is usually kept

e.g. `Yes, Mum,' replied Cheryl as she slowly put away her doll...

Her bed was crisply made, her clothes put away.

9. Stick to

If you stick to something or someone when you are travelling, you stay close to them.

e.g. There are interesting hikes inland, but most ramblers stick to the clifftops...

If you stick to something, you continue doing, using, saying, or talking about it, rather than changing to something else.

e.g. Perhaps he should have stuck to writing...

If you stick to a promise, agreement, decision, or principle, you do what you said you would do, or do not change your mind.

e.g. Immigrant support groups are waiting to see if he sticks to his word...

But one problem is that few people can stick to a diet for long. = stick by

to stick to your guns: see gun: If you stick to your guns, you continue to have your own opinion about something even though other people are trying to tell you that you are wrong. (INFORMAL)

e.g. He should have stuck to his guns and refused to meet her.

If you stick to rules, you do what they say you must do.

e.g. Obviously we are disappointed but the committee could do nothing less than stick to the rules...

Police must stick to the highest standards if they are to win back public confidence.

10. craft

You can refer to a boat, a spacecraft, or an aircraft as a craft.

e.g. With great difficulty, the fisherman manoeuvred his small craft close to the reef...

A craft is an activity such as weaving, carving, or pottery that involves making things skilfully with your hands.

e.g. All kinds of traditional craft industries are preserved here.You can use craft to refer to any activity or job that

involves doing something skillfully.e.g. Maurice Murphy, one of the country's leading classical

trumpeters, learnt his craft with the Black Dyke Mills band.If something is crafted, it is made skilfully.e.g. The windows would probably have been crafted in the latter

part of the Middle Ages... Many delegates were willing to craft a compromise... ...original, hand-crafted bags at affordable prices.

• craftsman n. 工匠• craftsmanship n. （工匠等的）技术、技艺• crafty adj. 诡计多端的，狡猾的 = cunning

...a crafty, lying character who enjoys plotting against others...

A crafty look came to his eyes..

11. run away If you run away from a place, you leave it because

you are unhappy there.e.g. I ran away from home when I was sixteen... After his beating Colin ran away and hasn't been heard of

since... Three years ago I ran away to Mexico to live with a

circus. If you run away with someone, you secretly go away

with them in order to live with them or marry them. = run off

e.g. She ran away with a man called McTavish last year... He and I were always planning to run away together. If you run away from something unpleasant or new,

you try to avoid dealing with it or thinking about it.e.g. They run away from the problem, hoping it will

disappear of its own accord... You can't run away for ever.

Translate

• I said that writing is a craft, not an art, and that the man who runs away from his craft because he lacks inspiration is fooling himself.

• 写作是一门手艺并非一门艺术，说缺少灵感而将这门手艺割弃了，那是在自欺欺人。

12. get about If you get about, you go to different places and

visit different people.e.g. So you're getting about a bit again? Not shutting yourself

away?

The way that someone gets about is the way that they walk or go from one place to another.

e.g. She was finding it increasingly difficult to get about. If news gets about, it becomes well known as a

result of being told to lots of people. (mainly BRIT) = get around

e.g. The story had soon got about that he had been suspended.

13. symbol

Something that is a symbol of a society or an aspect of life seems to represent it because it is very typical of it.

e.g. To them, the monarchy is the special symbol of nationhood...

She was put under house arrest two years ago but remained a powerful symbol in last year's election.

A symbol of something such as an idea is a shape or design that is used to represent it.

e.g. I frequently use sunflowers as symbols of strength.A symbol for an item in a calculation or

scientific formula is a number, letter, or shape that represents that item.

e.g. What's the chemical symbol for mercury?

symbolic adj.

symbolism n.

symbolize v.

e.g.

The skull at the bottom of the picture is symbolic of death.

Religious symbolism is very characteristic of the paintings of this period.

The lighting of the Olympic torch symbolizes peace and friendship among the nation of the world.

14. remote Remote areas are far away from cities and places where

most people live, and are therefore difficult to get to.e.g. Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas.The remote past or remote future is a time that is many

years distant from the present. = distant e.g. Slabs of rock had slipped sideways in the remote past, and formed

this hole.If something is remote from a particular subject or area of

experience, it is not relevant to it because it is very different.

e.g. This government depends on the wishes of a few who are remote from the people...

If you say that there is a remote possibility or chance that something will happen, you are emphasizing that there is only a very small chance that it will happen.

e.g. I use a sunscreen whenever there is even a remote possibility that I will be in the sun...

If you describe someone as remote, you mean that they behave as if they do not want to be friendly or closely involved with other people.

e.g. She looked so beautiful, and at the same time so remote.

15. convey

To convey information or feelings means to cause them to be known or understood by someone. = communicate

e.g. In every one of her pictures she conveys a sense of immediacy...

He also conveyed his views and the views of the bureaucracy. To convey someone or something to a place means to

carry or transport them there. (FORMAL) = transport

e.g. The railway company extended a branch line to Brightlingsea to convey fish direct to Billingsgate.

Translation

• I have an unbroken record of missing the deeper meaning in any story, play or movie, and as for dance I have never had even a remote notion of what is being conveyed.

• 迄今为止，我从来理解不了故事、戏剧或电影的深层含义。至于舞蹈，我也从来不能理解它所表达的意思，哪怕一丝一毫。

16. reveal

To reveal something means to make people aware of it.

e.g. She has refused to reveal the whereabouts of her daughter...

A survey of the British diet has revealed that a growing number of people are overweight...

No test will reveal how much of the drug was taken.If you reveal something that has been out of sight,

you uncover it so that people can see it. = showe.g. A grey carpet was removed to reveal the original pine floor.

n. revelation

revelation

A revelation is a surprising or interesting fact that is made known to people.

e.g. ...the seemingly everlasting revelations about his private life.

The revelation of something is the act of making it known.

e.g. ...following the revelation of his affair with a former secretary...

If you say that something you experienced was a revelation, you are saying that it was very surprising or very good.

e.g. Degas's work had been a revelation to her.

17. occur When something occurs, it happens.e.g. If headaches only occur at night, lack of fresh air and oxygen is often

the cause... The crash occurred when the crew shut down the wrong engine... In March 1770, there occurred what became known as the Boston

Massacre.When something occurs in a particular place, it exists or is

present there. = exist The cattle disease occurs more or less anywhere in Africa where the fly

occurs... These snails do not occur on low-lying coral islands or atolls.If a thought or idea occurs to you, you suddenly think of it or

realize it.e.g. It did not occur to me to check my insurance policy... The same idea had occurred to Elizabeth.

18. take up

If you take up an activity or a subject, you become interested in it and spend time doing it, either as a hobby or as a career.

e.g. He did not particularly want to take up a competitive sport.

Angela used to be a model and has decided to take it up again.

19. on the side

If someone does something on the side, they do it in addition to their main work.

e.g. He makes a little money on the side by cleaning windows in his spare time.

If something is on your side or if you have it on your side, it helps you when you are trying to achieve something.

e.g. The law is not on their side.

20. glimpse v.

1) get a quick look at (sb/sth) (=catch sight of)

e.g. I glimpsed him between the half-drawn curtains.

I glimpsed a figure at the window.2) to begin to understand something for a moment For the first time she glimpsed the truth about her

sister.

glimpse n.

• 1) a quick look at sb. or sth.e.g. He had a brief/fleeting/quick glimpse at the

newspaper headline.They caught a glimpse of a dark green car.2) a short experience of something that helps you

begin to understand ite.g. From this book we can get a glimpse of what

life might be like in the future.

a glimpse of

If you get a glimpse of someone or something, you see them very briefly and not very well.

e.g. Some of the fans had waited 24 hours outside the Hyde Park Hotel to catch a glimpse of their heroine.

If you glimpse someone or something, you see them very briefly and not very well.

e.g. She glimpsed a group of people standing on the bank of a river.

A glimpse of something is a brief experience of it or an idea about it that helps you understand or appreciate it better.

e.g. As university campuses become increasingly multi-ethnic, they offer a glimpse of the conflicts society will face tomorrow.

translation

• There are all kinds of writers and all kinds of methods, and any method that helps somebody say what he wants to say is the right method for him.

• 作家各有不同，写作方法也千奇百怪，任何一种使作家有效表达自己的写作手法就是最适合的写作手法。

Part 3: Dictation

• Like a landscape photographer, a writer is

confronted with a huge chunk of scenery; like the

photographer, the writer chooses what she will

focus on, which piece she will narrow down to

and depict with care and grace. Once that

selection is made, the

photographer begins to explore the details of the

new scene he has framed and the writer begins

to explore the specifics of the narrowed topic.

The end result is a highly detailed view of one

aspect of a landscape or, for the writer, one

area of knowledge of one special experience.

Part 4: Translation1. Most people like summer. As for me, I like

winter better.

2. He wants to take up photography when he grows up.

3. It suddenly occurred to him that he had taken the wrong bus.

4. She devoted her life to teaching.

5. If you have made a plan, you must stick to it.

6. I can’t help it if he doesn’t come to the meeting.

7. The author skillfully wove those incidents into a story.

8. The students are all eager to know the results of the exam.

Thank you!