Unit 1 Text 1 The Shadowland of DreamsI.About the authorAlex Haley(1925-1992)American biographer,scriptwriter,author who became famous with the publication of the novelRoots,which traces his ancestry back to Africa and covers sevenAmerican generations as they are taken slaves to the UnitedStates.The book was adapted to television series,and woke up aninterest in genealogy,particularly among African-Americans.Alex Haley was born in Ithaca,New York.His father was ateacher of agriculture.The family moved to the small town ofHenning,Tennessee,when Alex Haley was an infant.In HenningHaley heard stories from maternal grandmother,Cynthia Palmer,who traced the family genealogy to Haleysgreat-great-great-great-grandfather,who was an African,calledKin-Tay and brought by slave-ship to America.Haley did notexcel at school or university.During World War Two Haleyenlisted in the Coast Guard and started to write adventure stories.After twenty years of service,Haley left the Coast Guard in 1959to become a full-time writer.II.Language notes1.When I left a 20-year-career in the Coast Guard to become afreelance writer,I had no prospect at all.当我放弃在海岸警卫队做了二十年的工作而成为一名自由撰稿人时，我的前途渺茫。
A freelance writer is a writer who earns his money without beingin the regular employment of any particular organization.2.It didnt even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom.房子里冷嗖嗖的，也没有卫生间，就连这也没有什么关系The that-clause is the real subject standing for the first it.3.On the phone was an old acquaintance from the Coast Guard,now stationed in San Francisco.打来的是一位海岸警卫队供过职的老熟人，现在在旧金山The sentence structure is inverted for the subject is too long.4.He had once lent me a few bucks and liked to egg me about it.他曾经借给我几美元，总喜欢喋喋不休地要我还给他。
Egg here means to encourage strongly or to urge persistently.e.g.I didnt want to accept her offer but Peter kept egging me on.5.From deep inside a bull-headed resolution welled up.我的内心深处升起一个坚强的信念Well up means to flow or start to flow,and here well is used as averb.e.g.Anger was welling up in him.Blood was welling out from the wound.6.Rumor had it that if a customer ordered steak the singer woulddash to a supermarket across the street to buy one.据传，如果有客人在餐馆里点了牛排，这位歌手会火速跑去街对面的超市为他买一个Rumor has it that is a common sentence pattern meaning thatpeople are saying.7.Id be hard pressed to say which means the most to me.我很难说哪一个对我最重要。
Be hard pressed means to feel it very difficult.Unit 1 Text 2 Isambard Kingdom BrunelI.About the authorMiles Kington is an English humorist and a regular columnist.II.About Isambard Kingdom BrunelIsambard Kingdom Brunel was born in Portsea on 9th April1806 to an English mother and a French father.His father,MarcBrunel,was a French monarchist whose continuing residence inrevolutionary France had made life there somewhatuncomfortable.When working in New York,Marc conceived andpatented machines to produce wooden pulley-blocks for theworlds navies.This tackle block technology was adopted by theBritish Admiralty.Isambard had a French and English education.The technicalside included mathematics and apprenticeship with Breguet,aprecision-instrument maker.Further practical experience camefrom working in the family engineering office and at theMaudsley engineering works.Throughout his life Isambard,theengineering star,never stopped working on projects which calledfor complex organizational ability.In 1859 he died fromoverwork.His life was a hectic sequence of ambitious,high-risk,leading-edge projects involving complex tasks,new technology,people,politics,investors and funding.In order to commemoratehim Brunel University is named after him.III.Language notes1.Looking back through my career,I can see that everythingfortunate that has happened to me has come about through amisfortune in some other undertaking.回顾我的事业，我发现，凡在我身上发生的幸运之事皆出于其他某个背运之事。
Come about means to happen,esp.in a way that seemsimpossible to prevent.e.g.How did it come about that he knew where we were.2.He was a Frenchman by birth and was destined for thepriesthood.他出生时是法国人，而且已经决定要他当牧师Be destined(for)means intended,esp.by fate,for some specialpurpose.e.g.Coming from a theatrical family,I was destined for a careeron the stage.It was destined that they would marry.3.He would no doubt have prospered well in France were it notfor a little event called the Revolution,which caused him to fleeFrance to the USA with a price on his head.毫无疑问，倘若不是因为那次名为法国大革命的小事件，有人悬赏父亲头颅，以致他从法国逃至美国，他在法国肯定会发展很好。
Note the sentence is in the subjunctive mood and before wereit if is omitted.4.But I was resolved to make the best of a bad job.但是我下定决心要尽量利用这个不利境遇Make the best of a bad job means to accept in a cheerful way bador unsatisfactory conditions and do the best one can in thesituation.5.All would have been well had not the money run out.如果不是经费耗尽的话，一切会进展得很顺利Note that the subjunctive mood is used in the sentence and theword if is omitted.6.I was,you will recall,in Bristol on account of an illness andhad stayed there on account of a botched bridge.你还记得，我是因为生病才来到了布里斯托尔，呆在那儿是因为一座。