21世紀大學英語Unit3讀寫教程

導語：21世紀大學英語教材以《大綱》[修訂版]為基礎，下面YJBYS小編分享一篇新視野大學英語的課文，歡迎學習。

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Have you ever paid tributes to your mother? Have you ever expressed your emotions on the theme of mothers? Here industrialist Ross Perot and Professor Michael DeBakey are eager to salute their own mothers.

Mothers

An old Jewish proverb says, "God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers."

Ann Taylor expressed her emotions on the theme of mothers with the following:

Who ran to help me when I fell,

And would some pretty story tell,

Or kiss the place to make it well?

My mother.

On account of the many tributes paid to mothers from the time of Eve, one might think the subject exhausted. But not so. Here, Industrialist Ross Perot and Professor Michael E. DeBakey are ready, indeed eager, to salute their own cherished mothers.

My mother was an angel.

Our family lived six blocks from the railroad tracks. During the Depression, the freight trains were filled with hoboes wandering from town to town looking for work. Every day they would come by our house asking for food. My kind mother would always share our food with them.

These people were poor and desperate, but we had absolutely no fear of them. When they knocked and asked for food, there was no concern that they might break in and steal things.

One day, a hobo said, "Lady, don't you have a lot of people stopping by here?"

My mother said, "Yes, we do."

"Do you know why?" he asked.

She replied, "Not really."

Then he took her out to the street and showed her a mark on our curb. He said, "Lady, this mark on your curb says that you will feed people. That's why you get so many visitors."

After the man left, I turned to my mother and said, "Do you want me to wash that mark off the curb?"

She replied with words that I will remember for the rest of my life. "No, Son, leave it there. These are good people. They are just like us, but they're down on their luck. We should help them."

Ross Perot

Industrialist

My mother's birthday, Christmas, is symbolic of her human warmth, her giving nature, her noble character, and her high Christian values. She and my father instilled those values in all their children from the earliest age, and she lived to make life better not only for her family, but for everyone she knew, particularly those less fortunate than she.

I recall vividly one incident in my childhood that had a lasting impact on me. Every Sunday after dinner, my parents would pack food, clothing, and books in our car and would drive, with their children, to an orphanage just outside our hometown. One Sunday I saw my mother packing a favorite cap of mine, and I protested. She calmly explained that I had several other caps and could easily get new ones, whereas the orphan who would receive this cap had none at all. She assured me that I would derive a special feeling of happiness when I saw the smile on the boy's face as he put the cap on his head. That lesson made a deep impression on me, and the truth of her words has certainly stood the test of time as other incidents in my life have validated her words. I consider the wonderful parents that God gave me my greatest blessing, for they both believed it was always more blessed to give than to receive.

Michael E. DeBakey, M.D.

Professor

(545 words)

　　New Words

Jewish

a. of the Jews 猶太人的

proverb

n. 諺語，語言

emotion

n. strong feeling of any kind 激情;情感

theme

n. the main subject or idea of a talk, book, movie, etc. (談話、書、電影等的)題目，主題

following

a. 下列的，下述的

account

n. 理由，根據;賬目

* tribute

n. a gift, speech of praise, etc., given as an expression of gratitude toward another(表示敬意的)禮物;頌詞，稱讚

exhaust

vt. 1. use up 用盡，耗盡

2. talk about, write about or study a subject fully 詳盡論述(某事物)

industrialist

n. a person engaged in the management of industry 工業家;實業家

eager

a. full of interest or desire; keen 熱切的;渴望的;熱心的

* salute

vt. honor or acknowledge with praise 頌揚

* cherish

vt. be fond of (sb./sth.); love 珍愛(某人/某事物);愛

railroad

n. (AmE) railway (美)鐵路

freight

n. goods transported by ships, aeroplanes, or trains (水運、空運、陸運的)貨物

hobo

n. (esp. AmE) an unemployed worker wandering from place to place (尤美)流動的失業工人;失業遊民

wander

vi. move about without any special purpose or direction 遊蕩;閒逛;流浪

desperate

a. wild or dangerous because of despair (因絕望而)不顧一切的，拼命的

absolutely

ad. completely; beyond any doubt 完全地;絕對地

concern

n. worry; anxiety 擔心;焦慮

* curb

n. (由路緣石砌成的`街道或人行道的)路緣

symbolic

a. 象徵的，象徵性的

warmth

n. the state or quality of being warm 熱情;温暖

character

n. mental or moral qualities that make a person, group, nation, etc., different from others (個人、集體、民族等特有的)品質，特性

Christian

a. 基督教的;基督教徒的

instill

vt. put (ideas, feelings, etc.) gradually but firmly into sb's mind by a continuous effort 逐漸灌輸

particularly

ad. especially 特別，尤其

fortunate

a. lucky 幸運的

recall

vt. remember; bring (sth.) back to mind 記得;回想起

vividly

ad. in a lively manner 清晰地;生動地

incident

n. event or happening, often of little importance 事情，發生的事;小事

childhood

n. the condition or time of being a child 童年;幼年時代

lasting

a. continuing for a long time 持久的

impact

n. strong effect or influence on sb./sth. 影響;作用

pack

vt. put (items) into a container 把東西裝進(箱子、盒子等)

orphanage

n. a place or institution for the housing and care of orphans 孤兒院

hometown

n. the town where one was born and lived while they were young 故鄉，家鄉

favorite

a. best liked 最喜歡的

protest

v. express strong disagreement or disapproval about (sth) 抗議;對…提出異議

calmly

ad. 平靜地;鎮定地

whereas

ared with the fact that; while 然而，但是;而

orphan

n. a child whose parents are dead 孤兒

assure

vt. promise or tell sth. to (sb.) confidently or firmly 向…保證

derive

vt. get or obtain 取得，得到

happiness

n. 愉快，快樂，高興

impression

n. an effect produced (esp. on the mind or feelings) 印象

validate

vt. 1. make (sth.) logical or justifiable 證實;確證

2. make (sth.) legally effective 使(某事物)具有法律效力

blessing

n. God's favour and protection (上帝的)賜福，保佑

Phrases and Expressions

on account of

because of 因為，由於

pay (a) tribute to sb./sth.

express one's admiration or respect for sb./sth. 對(某事物)表示讚賞或敬意

look for

search for or try to find (sb./sth.) 尋找;尋求

come by

visit a person or place for a short time, often when one is going somewhere else; get, obtain 訪問，看望;得到，獲得

ask for

expect or demand (sth.) 要;要求

share with

have a share of (sth.) with another or others 與別人分享(某物)

break in

get into a building by using force, usu. in order to steal sth. 強行闖入屋內，破門而入

stop by

pay a short visit to a person or place, usu. when one in going somewhere else (順便)過訪

wash sth. off

remove sth. from the surface of a material, etc., by washing 把某物沖洗掉

be down on one's luck

have bad luck, esp. in money matters 不走運;窮困潦倒

at all

(used with negatives or questions) in any way or of any type [用於否定句或疑問句]絲毫，一點;根本

　　Proper Names

Ann Taylor

安·泰勒(人名)

Eve

夏娃(《聖經》故事《創世紀》中上帝造的第一個女人)

Ross Perot

羅斯·佩羅(1930—，美國企業家。1992、1996年兩度競選美國總統)

Michael E. Debakey

邁克爾·E·德巴基(1908—，美國外科醫生)

the Depression

大蕭條(指1929年到20世紀30年代早期的世界性嚴重經濟蕭條)