Nobel couple wins (P2)
I. Pre-reading
Discuss the following questions with your partner.
 What do you know about Alfred Nobel and Nobel Prizes?
 Can you name some Nobel Prize winners and their stories?
 What do you think it is important to do in order to win a Nobel Prize?

Background:
Alfred Nobel (1833 –1896) was a Swedish chemist, engineer, innovator, and armaments manufacturer and the inventor of dynamite. In his will, he used his enormous fortune to institute the Nobel Prizes to reward other innovators “contributing most materially to the benefit of mankind”.
The Nobel Prize is the first international award for achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace. Each prize consists of a medal, personal diploma, and an amount of prize money. Based on the will of Alfred Nobel, the Nobel Prize has been awarded every year since 1901. The Nobel Prize in economics has been awarded every year since 1968.

II. Reading
Read the article and answer the following questions.
1. Why did the Norwegian couple Edvard Moser and May-Britt Moser receive this year’s Nobel Prize in medicine?
Because they found that the brain has a GPS-like function that allows people to produce mental maps and navigate the world. The findings have unlocked the secrets to how we figure out a shortcut to work when there’s a traffic jam.

2. What qualities are believed to have contributed to the couple’s success?
It is believed that intelligence and hard work are largely behind their success, yet many, including May-Britt Moser, believe spending time with like-minded people may also have propelled (激励) them toward the prize.

3. How does the couple benefit from being friends and family?
They have the same vision, and they maintain it by talking to each other, talking to other people, and then trying to address the questions they are interested in. Being friends and families also allows them to bounce ideas back and forth on the spot. And they can inspire one another inside and outside of the lab.

4. How many couples have won Nobel Prizes so far?
Five.

III. Language study
1. There’s a saying that a mix of Jacks and Jills makes a tough job a breeze (轻而易举的事).
A mix of Jacks and Jills makes a tough job a breeze意为“男女搭配，干活不累”。句中的that引导同位语从句，进一步解释说明saying的内容。

2. Admittedly, intelligence and hard work are largely behind their success, yet many, including May-Britt Moser, believe spending time with like-minded people may have also propelled (激励) them toward the prize, according to AFP.
本句是个并列句，由yet连接。句意为：诚然，他们的成功主要靠自己的聪明和努力，但是包括May-Britt Moser在内的很多人都认为，和志趣相投的人在一起也可能使他们离诺贝尔奖更近。

Unpopular with some (P4)
I. Warming up
Discuss the following questions with your partner.
 You must have heard of the line: “If winter comes, can spring be far behind?” Do you know who wrote it?
 What do you know about the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley?
 What are the characteristics of his poems?

Background:
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets and is regarded by critics as amongst the finest lyric poets in the English language. A radical in his poetry as well as his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition for his poetry grew steadily following his death. Shelley is perhaps best known for such classic poems as Ozymandias, Ode to the West Wind, To a Skylark, Music, When Soft Voices Die, The Cloud, and The Masque of Anarchy.

II. Reading
Read the article and choose the best answer for each of the following questions.
1. Shelley doesn’t appeal to the people in power in Britain because of _____.
A. his wild lifestyle
B. his political radicalism
C. his bad reputation among poets
D. his participation in the demonstration in Manchester in 1819
2. What was Shelley’s attitude toward the workers’ demonstration in Manchester in 1819?
A. He believed the demonstration was doomed to failure.
B. He advised workers to start a second demonstration as soon as possible.
C. He didn’t think the workers should have staged such a demonstration.
D. He encouraged workers to unite to fight against oppression afterwards.
3. Why does the author mention Shelley’s poem Ode to the West Wind in the article?
A. To tell readers about Shelley’s expectations of spring.
B. To tell readers what inspired Shelley to compose this poem.
C. To show what makes it different from his other poems.
D. To show how Shelley involved revolutionary messages in his poems.

Key:
1. B。由第三段的“The simple reason is his political radicalism. It has always made him a suspect figure.”可知雪莱不受当权派的喜欢主要是因为他激进的政治观，所以答案为B。
2. D。由第五段的“The poem ends by recommending that workers in the future rely on togetherness and the strength of their numbers. Remember, says Shelley, ‘Ye are many – they are few!’”可知答案为D。
3. D。文中提及雪莱的诗歌《西风颂》主要是为了说明他的诗歌风格——善用隐喻来传递他的革命思想，故答案为D。

III. Language study
1. Although he has rarely gone out of fashion among poets in the nearly two hundred years since he died at sea, the people in power in Britain have often thought differently of him.
• go out of fashion: 过时了，不再流行
When did this style of dress go out of fashion?
• in power: 当权的，在朝的
The party has been in power since the country achieved independence in 1964.

2. This piece is about a workers’ demonstration in Manchester in 1819 that was broken up by the British government, leading to many deaths.
本句中that引导定语从句，修饰先行词demonstration；leading to… 用作结果状语。
break up: （使）驱散，（使）解散
Troops used tear gas and rifle butts to break up the protests.
The police broke up the fighting crowd.

3. The poem ends by recommending that workers in the future rely on togetherness and the strength of their numbers.
动词recommend后所接的宾语从句要用虚拟语气，即从句的谓语动词要用should+动词原形，should可以省略。

IV. Assignment
Read Shelley’s well-known poem Ode to the West Wind online and explain how he used metaphors to convey revolutionary messages.

A difficult journey (P6)
I. Pre-reading
Discuss the following questions with your partner.
Have you ever experienced a bad journey? What was it like? How did you feel about it at the time?

II. Reading
Read the article and choose the best answer for each of the following questions.
1. The author decided to visit her friend first because _____.
A. there was still a long time left before her engagement
B. she had just received a call from her friend
C. she had a problem with her car and needed to borrow her friend’s car
D. she had broken the speed limit and couldn’t drive on the highway
2. When the author arrived behind some trucks, traffic was blocked because of _____.
A. miles of construction         B. flashing lights
C. three dead deer
D. dark and ominous clouds
3. When it hailed, _____.
A. the author’s windshield was broken
B. the author was very scared
C. the traffic started to sail again
D. the author wanted to go back home
4. What is the main message the author intends to convey with the story?
A. Being late for an engagement is not a serious problem.
B. It can’t be called a good trip if you arrive at the place you are going to in a mess.
C. A trip with unexpected accidents is challenging but thrilling.
D. Being safe and sound is the most important thing about travel.

Key:
1. C。从第三段“Fifteen minutes out of town my vehicle began to shake. The engine light began flashing wildly.”可以看出，由于作者的车出了问题，所以才不得不给朋友打电话借车。
2. C。从第五段“Workers were removing a deer that was no longer with us. And a second. And a third.”可以看出，交通陷入瘫痪是由于有三只鹿死在了路上，工作人员正在将其搬走。
3. B。当开始下冰雹的时候，作者用一些简单的指令动词“Open, eyes! No, close! Open! Close! Open! Close!”描述了自己当时的状态，其害怕程度可见一斑。
4. D。作者在文章的开头和结尾都用同一个短语in one piece和同一个词fine，表示只要人是完好的，旅途就是好的，所以总体要传达的思想是能够安然无恙地到达目的地是最重要的。

III. Language study
Figure of speech：
1. I went straight to my friend’s place and left my vehicle behind, now shaking like a mechanical bull (公牛), then headed back.
释义：我径直奔向朋友家，把车留在原地，当时它抖动得像一头机械公牛，然后又返回来。
分析：shaking like a mechanical bull运用了比喻(metaphor)的修辞手法，将抖动的汽车比作公牛。

2. Workers were removing a deer that was no longer with us.
释义：工作人员正在将一只已经死了的鹿运走。
分析：用no longer with us表示“死亡”的含义，是一种委婉（euphemism）的手法，即用温和的、间接的词语代替生硬的、粗俗的词语，以免直接说出不愉快的事实冒犯别人或造成令人窘迫、沮丧的局面。例如：用to pass away/go to heaven/leave us 代替 to die。

3. The cloud came back and dumped (倾泻) all five Great Lakes on us.
释义：乌云再度密布，雨下得好大，有将五大湖倾泻而下之势。
分析：dumped all five Great Lakes是夸张的修辞手法。

Translate the following sentences into English.
1. 这项工程将比原计划晚几个星期完成。(schedule)
The project will be completed several weeks behind schedule. 

2. 我们进了电梯，很快到了顶层。(sail)
We got into the lift and sailed to the top floor.

3. 我们迟到了，因为车的前胎在路上爆了。(blow out)
We arrived late because the front tire blew out on the way.

4. 她的解释措辞得体。(word)
She worded the explanation well.