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The facts

Editors of newspapers and magazines often go to extremes to provide their readers with unimportant facts and statistics. Last year a journalist had been instructed by a well-known magazine to write an article on the president’s palace in a new African republic. When the article arrived, the editor read the first sentence and then refused to publish it. The article began: ‘Hundreds of steps lead to the high wall which surrounds the president’s palace. ’The editor at once sent the journalist a fax instructing him to find out the exact number of steps and the height of the wall.

The journalist immediately set out to obtain these important facts, but he took a long time to send them. two more faxes, but received no reply. He sent yet another fax informing the journalist that if he did not reply soon he would be fired. When the journalist again failed to reply, the editor reluctantly published the only had the poor man been arrested, but he had been sent to prison as well. However, he had at last been allowed to send a fax in which he informed the editor that he had been arrested while counting the 1, 084 steps leading to the fifteen-foot wall which surrounded the president’s palace.

单词

editor n. 编辑
editor of …

the editor of the Washington Post

chief editor = editor in chief 主编

edit

Janet edited books fo a variety of publishers.

edition
a paperback（平装） / hard-cover（精装） / de luxe（豪华的） edition

the first edition 初版
a revised edition 修订版
in its sixth edition

editorial a. 编辑的; n. 社论，社评

M: Mary is in charge of the art and music section; and Charles the sports page. What are you?
W: I’m responsible for the editorials.

extreme n. 极端
go to extremes 走极端

This is a rare occurrence as our climate seldom goes to extremes.

Extreme poverty still exists in many rural areas.
Force is only justified in extreme circumstances.

be extremely difficult / important / useful / complicated / pleased / grateful …

(27课) Though it may be possible to measure the value of material goods in terms of money, it is extremely difficult to estimate the true value of the services which people perform for us.
(46课) But I was extremely pleased with myself. I had traced the cause of the trouble.

journalist n. 记者
reporter columnist correspondent（当名词表示驻外的记者，或专门写某题材的）

our Middle East correspondent
Our correspondent in South Africa sent this report.
a war / sports / education / political correspondent

journalism n. 新闻学/新闻工作

a career in journalism
I plan to study journalism at college.

| see under "activities” that you’ve been writing for the school paper.
Yes, sir.
What kinds of articles have you written?
All kinds——sports, editorials, theater reviews. You name it, I’ve written it.
Hmm. Well, have you ever thought of becoming a journalist?
A professional writer? Not until recently.
Michigan has a fine School of Journalism.
Yes, | know that.
You seem to have some reservations. 你看上去有所保留（有些犹豫）
I’m a little uncertain.

publish v. 出版

publisher n. 出版商
publishing n. 出版业

She chose publishing as a career.

the press 新闻界
the freedom of the press

(45课) In democratic countries any efforts to restrict the freedom of the press are rightly condemned.

go to press 出版

pirate v. 非法出版；盗版；n. 海盗
pirated CDs / books / software

fire v. 解雇
fire / dismiss sb. (from …)

I’ve just been fired from my job, and I don’t know what to do.
Sh claims shw was unfairly dismissed from her post.
(49课) The poor girl was dismissed instantly.

lose one’s job

Many people won’t complain about pay and conditions because they’re terrified of losing their jobs.

lay off 短期解聘

Millions of people have been laid off in the steel industry.

laid-off workers 下岗工人

suspend v. 停职

The two police officers have been suspended until an enquiry is carried out.

depose 罢官，免职（重要的岗位）

King Charles I was deposed from the English throne in 1646.

课文

go to extremes

provide sb. with sth.
offer sb. sth
offer sth. to sb.

They offered him a very good job, but he turned it down.
The drama school offers places to students who can show talent.

facts and statistics
fruit and vegetables 蔬菜水果
fur and feather / birds and beasts 飞禽走兽
bed and board / food and shelter 食宿
food, shelter, clothing and transportation 衣食住行

(38课) Films, videos, CDs and CD-ROMS are just some of the bewildering amount of information they will have.

Some websites often go to extremes to provide their visitors with a bewildering amount of information.

instruct sb. in sth. 交给 … 知识

I instruct a class in history.
instructor 教师

instruct / direct sb. to do

I have been instructed by the company to offer you a refund.
They judge directed the defendant（被告） to remain silent.

(3课) Some time ago, an interesting discovery was made by archaeologists on the Aegean island of Kea.
(10课) Four days after setting out, while the Titanic was sailing across the icy waters of the North Atlantic, a huge iceberg was suddenly spotted by a look-out.
(32课) A radio message from the mainland had been received by the ship’s captain instructing him to give up the search.

article on / about sth. (by sb.)

an article on / about education by Mr. Smith

The card arrived on my birthday.
A letter came for you the morning.
(1课) When reports came into London Zoo that a wild puma had been spotted forty-five miles south of London, they were not taken seriously.

When the letter came / arrived, Jane read the first sentence and then cried.

dozens of / scores of / hundreds of / thousands of / millions of + 复数名词
tens of thousands of / hundreds of thousands of + 复数名词
thousands upon thousands of + 复数名词

(48课) The path led to a tiny village perched on the steep sides of a mountain.

(33课) This led to yet another angry argument.

surround 包围、环绕

(46课) Needless to say our house is now surrounded by a jungle.
(48课) Looking up I saw that we were surrounded by children in rags who were looking at us silently as we ate.

surrounding

(2-62) Winter was coming on and the hills threatened the surrounding villages with destruction, for heavy rain would not only wash away the soil but would cause serious floods as well.

send sb. a fax / a letter / an email / a card

get / receive a fax / a letter / an email / a card from …

find out: get information，找抽象的信息，情报等

(13课) She wanted to find out whether it would be comfortable to wear.
(22课) One night, the gaoler decided to play a joke on his colleague to find out if, after so many performances, he had managed to learn the contents of the letter by heart.

find 找到（具体的东西）

(15课) He could not find his fifty pence piece anywhere, and what is more, he could not get his arm out.

The manager at once sent his secretary an email instructing her to find out the exact number of the people who will attend the meeting.

set out: 出发. to start a journey, especially a long journey.

(25课) Both these ships set out from Shanghai on June 18th, 1872 on an exciting race to England.
(10课) Four days after setting out, while the Titanic was sailing across the icy waters of the North Atlantic, a huge iceberg was suddenly spotted by a look-out.

set out to do 着手做. begin a job, task, etc with a particular aim or goal

(16课) Dimitri at once set out to find the thief.
(31课) True eccentrics never deliberately set out to draw attention to themselves.

take a long time to …

take 可以用人、物或 it 形式主语作为主语.
(2-50课) I went on an excursion recently, but my trip took me longer than I expected.
(44课) Even if you travel in ideal weather, sea journeys take a long time.
(28课) It took me over half an hour to get rid of him.

I took just ten minutes to solve that problem.
He always takes so long to eat his breakfast.

spend … on sth. / (in) doing sth. 一般人作为主语.

(50课) I argued that if I spent less time exhausting my self at exercises in the morning I would keep my mind fresh for reading when I got home from work.
(4-39课) One, to my certain knowledge, spent nine months on a novel about Kashmir, then reset the whole thing in the Scottish Highlands.

The secretary immediately set out to verify these important facts, but she took a long time to finish it.

I continued working. Meantime, he went out shopping.
(33课) It took the police nearly an hour to get the traffic on the move again. In the meantime, the lorry-driver had to sweep up hundreds of broken bottles.

one more … = another …
two more … = another two …

In another two weeks it’ll be finished.
= In two more weeks it’ll be finished.

yet 又，加强语气. another、比较级前面
yet / still one more / another / bigger

(33课) This led to yet another angry argument.

M: They said the train won’t arrive until nine.
W: Well, what that boils down to is yet another delay in our schedule.

yet / still one more example

He’s given us yet / still more work to do.
Inflation had risen to a yet / still higher level.

inform sb. of sth.
inform sb. that …

in that … 因为 … （不放在句首）
but / except that …

The kidnapper sent yet another anonymous letter informing the old lady that if she called the police she would never see her son again.

reluctantly = unwillingly

When we again failed to get visas, we reluctantly went on a domestic journey as it had originally been planned.

not only … but also
not only … but …
not only … but … as well

(59课) This hobby educated one not only in the chosen subject, but also in general matters which have some bearing on it.
(10课) At that time, however, she was not only the largest ship that had ever been built, but was regarded as unsinkable, for she had sixteen water-tight compartments.

1. 否定词位于句首（如：not only, not until, neither, nor, never, hardly, barely, scarcely, few, little, rarely, seldom, under on circumstances, in no way, …)

(41课) Nor is the city without its moments of beauty.
(37课) Neither was I surprised when the train stopped at Widely, a tiny station a few miles along the line.
Never have I seen such a good movie.
Not until yesterday did little John change his mind.
Under no circumstances should you lend Paul any money.

2. “only + 状语” 位于句首
时间状语，通常翻译成 “直到 … 才”
其他状语，翻译成 “只有 …”

Only then did he realize that he was mistaken.
Only by working hard can we succeed in doing anything.
Only after a baby seal is pushed into the sea by its mother will it learn how to swim.
(40课) Only when he saw that the man was actually telephoning the police did he realize that they had all been the victims of a hoax.

3. such, so, well, often, many a time 等表示程度、频率的词位于句首

Such is human nature, that a great many people are often willing to sacrifice higher pay for the privilege of becoming white-collar workers.
(46课) So great is our passion for doing things for ourselves, that we are becoming increasingly less dependent on specialized labour.
Well did I know him and well did he know me.
often did it snow there.
Many a time has he given me good advice.

Not only did serval people complain of ‘cat-like noises’ at night, but a businessman on a fishing trip saw the puma up a tree as well.

1. 状语从句的主语与主句主语一致。
2. 状语从句的谓语包含 be 动词。
则可以同时省略状语从句的主语和其后的 be 动词。

Metals expand when they are heated and contract when they are cooled.
=> Metal expand when heated and contract when cooled.
Francis Preston Blair Jr., although he was born in Kentucky, lived and practiced in Missouri. （practice 这里是工作的意思）
=> Francis Preston Blair Jr., although born in Kentucky, lived and practiced in Missouri.