passageWord

　　Unit Two

　　Passage IAre You Really Being Invited

　　Practical English for Communication

　　Passage I

　　Related Information

　　Intensive Study Practice

　　Practical English for Communication

　　Text-related information

　　The customs of inviting friends vary from country to country. Generally speaking, on formal occasions, the invitation is usually made well in advance. But as for some informal cases, the invitation is usually made orally. To either of these two invitations, the person being invited should give a clear reply whether the invitation is accepted or not.

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　　Intensive Study

　　TextDifficult Sentences Important Words

　　Practical English for Communication

　　Intensive Study

　　Are You Really Being Invited? Para. 1 If someone asks if you are free at a certaintime and invites you to an event, you are not required to commit yourself until you know what the invitation

　　is for.

　　For example, if you say that you’re free and

　　the invitation turns out to be something you’d hate to do (a trip to a local sight you’ve seen ten times), then

　　you will be in a position to take back your acceptanceor invent an excuse later.

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　　Important Wordshttp://www.wendangwang.commit v. entrust, hand over, make oneself responsible 使承担(保证),使作出保证；把…交托给FOR EXAMPLE I think I can come tonight but I won’t commit myself till I know for sure.

　　If you want to be an actor you have to really commit yourself to it.The government claimed to commit itself to improving health care卫生保健 The president said that once he had committed to this course of action(做法) there was no going back.Practical English for Communication

　　2. invent v. discover and create something new

　　发明，设计 ，编造FOR EXAMPLE The first safety razor(安全剃刀) was invented by the company founder King C. Gillette (吉列)in 1903. The fax is arguably(可论证地) the most useful machine to have been invented since the telephone. Over the past quarter century (四分之一)our advertising company has invented thousands of catchphrases. I didn't invent the story . Everything I told you is true.Practical English for Communication

　　3. appropriate a. proper, suitable 合适的，恰当的 FOR EXAMPLE I didn’t think his comments were very appropriate at the time. I’ve been invited to her wedding but I haven’t got anything appropriate to wear. Her thin shoes weren't appropriate for such muddy paths.

　　Her remarks were considerate and very appropriate to the situation.This isn’t an appropriate occasion to discuss finance.Practical English for Communication

　　Difficult Sentences1. (Para. 1) ..., you are not required to commit yourself until you know what the invitation is for.the sentence pattern not... until... means not before a particular time or event.

　　Example:

　　Once he starts a job he won’t stop until it’s fi

　　nished.

　　Don’t move until I tell you.

　　在你尚未弄清楚邀请的具体内容之前，你没有必要 答应一定参加。Practical English for Communication

　　a relative clause used to modify something

　　2. For example, if you say that you’re free and the invitation turns out to be something you’d hate to do, then you’ll be in a position to take back your acceptance or invent an excuse later.Be in a position can take either an infinitive clause or an of-Ving phrase, thus be in a position of having to take back... can be also rewritten as be in a position to take back ...

　　Example: If you list a few priorities, then you will be in a position to do things in the right order of priority.

　　比如说，如果你说有空，而邀请参加的却是你不愿意 做的事 ( 到你已经去过 10 次的当地景点旅游 ), 那么 你就可以回绝邀请，或者以后再编一个借口。Practical English for Communication

　　If this happens, tell the person who invites you that you have to check and

　　that you’ll tell him or her later. If aninvitation sequence must would be refused, be most

　　people expect a reason. The followingappropriate:

　　apology, reason for refusal, thanks forthe invitation.Practical English for Communication

　　Para. 2 When someone asks you to his or her home, it is very clear who is the guest and who is the host, but

　　invitations to restaurants for lunch,dinner, coffee, a drink, etc., sometimes

　　present problems, and the customs varyin different parts of the United States.Practical English for Communication

　　Para. 3 In many instances it is the inviter who

　　pays,

　　as one would expect, but in some

　　instances each one pays his or her own check: You “go Dutch.” This is often the case with friends in informal situations, such as “Let’s go and get a beer” or “Want a cup of

　　coffee?”

　　In some parts of the country,

　　however, some people like to entertain friends by taking them to a restaurant for dinner instead of having dinner at home. Practical English for Communication

　　4. instance

　　n. certain situation, circumstance or occasion, case or example 情况，情形，事例

　　FOR EXAMPLE There have been several recent instances of planes taking off without adequate safety checks. I don’t usually side with(支持) the management, but in this instance I agree with what they’re saying.

　　In the local industry, for instance, 5 000 jobs are beinglost.Practical English for Communication

　　(Para. 3) In many instances it is the inviter who pays.This emphatic sentence takes structure of “it is...who/that…” the

　　Example:It was my uncle who sent me the parcel.

　　在许多情况下，应由邀请人付账单。

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　　In this case the host expects to pay and theguest may offer to leave the tip, which may be

　　declined by the host. (If so, just let the matterdrop.) If the invitation is expressed in fairly casual terms, such as “Let’s go to (name of a

　　restaurant) for dinner,” it may be more of a suggestion than an invitation, bill.Practical English for Communication

　　so you

　　should be prepared to pay your part of the

　　5. casual a. informal, not very serious 随便的，随意的， 非正式的 FOR EXAMPLE It was just a casual comment, I didn’t mean it to be taken so seriously. The new law is intended to deter(制止) the casual user of drugs. For some people casual clothes mean a shapeless(不像 样的) T-shirt and old jeans. Security around the conference hotel seemed almost casual.

　　Are you employed permanently(永久) or on a casual basis?Practical English for Communication

　　4. (Para. 3) ...it may be more of a suggestion than an invitation...

　　the pattern, it is more of ...than ... (与其 说…不如说…). Example:She’s more of a poet than a musician.

　　这样说更像是建议，而不是邀请…

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　　Para. 4 If you want to invite someone for ameal at a restaurant, be explicit: “I’d like to

　　take you to…”Americans should be explicitalso, but they often assume you know the local customs in the matter. Ask a friend’s advice if you are not sure.

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　　6. explicit a. clear, definite 清楚的，直率的 FOR EXAMPLE Sheila shouldn't get lost because I gave her very explicit directions how to get there. She was very explicit about what she thought was wrong with the plans.

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　　Para. 5 There are also phrases that sound like invitations but in fact are not. People may say t hi n g s like : “ We’ll hav e t o ge t t o g e t h e r sometime”or “You’ll have to come over and visit us sometime. ” You can identify such noninvitations by their generality —— there is no specific time mentioned, and the word “sometime” is often used. They are often ritual expressions of parting. On these occasions you could respond: “Yes, that would be nice,” or “I’d love to”, or something similar, and then let the subject drop. If they do not call you, you could Practical English for Communication always invite them for some occasion.

　　7. drop v. fall down, give up, lower 滴，落，下降，变弱，中断

　　FOR EXAMPLE The book dropped from the shelf.

　　She dropped the tray (托盘)with a crash.Drop your voices ——she’s in the next room! The temperature drops at night. Prices have dropped since there has been more competition between suppliers. Can you drop what you’re doing and help me with this report? I don’t want to talk about it any more ——let’s drop the subject.

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　　Practice

　　Read and Think

　　Read and Complete Read and Simulate

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　　Read and Think 1 Answer the following questions according to the text. 1 What should you do if someone only invites you, but doesn’t say what the invitation is for?

　　You

　　should not feel committed until you know what the invitation is for.

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　　2 What is the invitation?

　　proper

　　sequence

　　for

　　refusing

　　an

　　It is: apology, reason for refusal, thanks for the invitation.3 What does “go Dutch”mean?

　　It means each pays one’s own check when eating in a restaurant.

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　　4 What is the key word in the expressions that sounds like invitations but actually is not?

　　The word “sometime”.

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　　Read and Complete2. Fill in the blanks without referring to the passage.

　　In many instances it is the inviter who pays, as oneinstances each one would expect, but in some 1 __________ pays his or her own check: You “go Dutch”. This is informal situations, often the case with friends in 2 ________ such as “Let’s go and get a beer”or “Want a cup of coffee?” In some parts of the United States, however, entertain friends by taking them some people like to 3 ________ to a restaurant for dinner instead of having dinner at

　　home.Practical English for Communication

　　In this case the 4 _________ expects to pay and the host

　　guest may offer to leave the tip, which may bedeclined by the host. (If so, just let the matter drop.) If the invitation is expressed in fairly 5 ________ casual terms, such as “Let’s go to (name of a restaurant) for dinner,” it may be more of a 6 ____________ suggestion than an invitation, so you should be prepared to pay your part of the bill.

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　　Read and Complete 3. Complete each of the following statements according to the passage.

　　1 If you say that you’re free and the invitation turnsout to be something you’d hate to do, then you are in a position to take back your acceptance and _____________________. invent an excuse later 2 Invitations to restaurants for lunch, dinner, coffee, a

　　present problems with drink, etc., sometimes _____________________who will pay. 3 If you want to invite someone for a meal at a

　　explicit restaurant, be _________.Practical English for Communication

　　4 You can identify non-invitations by their generality—

　　specific time mentioned —there is no _____________________.5 If you can recognize phrases that are not actualinvitations, you could respond: “Yes, _________________ that would be ________. nice.”

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　　Read and Complete4. Fill in the blanks with the proper words and expressions given below, changing the form if necessary.

　　appropriate instance entertain explicit

　　invent present

　　hostess

　　identify

　　1 I don’t usually side with the management, but instance I agree with what they’re in this _________ saying.

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　　appropriate instance entertain explicit

　　inventhostess present

　　identify

　　2 Traffic jams often _________ present problems that are difficult to solve. 3 We thanked our _________ hostess for the lovely party she gave.

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　　al English for Communication

　　appropriate instance entertain explicit

　　inventhostess present

　　identify

　　appropriate 4 I didn’t think his comments were _____________.5 But I didn’t _________ invent the story — everything I told you was true.

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　　appropriate instance entertain explicit

　　inventhostess present

　　identify

　　6 We have to _________ entertain a lot of people, mainly business associates(生意伙伴) of ours. 7 Sheila shouldn’t have got lost because I gave her very _________ explicit directions.

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　　appropriate instance entertain explicit

　　inventhostess present

　　identify

　　identify their mother by her 8 Most children can _________ voice.

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　　6 Pay attention to the italicized parts in the English Sentences and translate the Chinese sentences by simulating the structure of the English sentences.

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　　Read and Simulate

　　1 You are not required to commit yourself until you know what the invitation is for. Once he starts a job he won’t stop until it’s finished.

　　Now you try他直到30岁才找到女朋友。 我不告诉你，你不要离开。

　　He didn’t have a girlfriend until he was thirty. Don’t leave until I tell you to.Practical English for Communication

　　2 The invitation turns out to be something you’d hate to do. It turns out that he is the person you’d have to deal with.

　　Now you try真实情况原来比我们想象得更为离奇。 原来他们还是孩子的时候，她就认识他了。

　　The truth turned out to be stranger than we had expected. It turns out that she had known him when they were children.Practical English for Communication

　　3

　　You will be in a position to take back your acceptance or invent an excuse later. I’m not in a position to reveal(显示) any of the details of the project at present.

　　Now you try很抱歉，我现在不能帮你的忙。 我敢肯定他们想在经济上帮助她，但是却无能为力。

　　I’m sorry I’m not in a position to help you right now. I’m sure they’d like to help her out financially but they’re not in a position to do so.Practical English for Communication