Unit 17~20.docVIP

Unit 17 INTRODUCTION As a well-known English saying goes, “East or west, home is the best.” Indeed, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, home is always on our mind. Busy as we are , we always manage to spare some time to write home. A message from home can bring us joy and comfort, though sometimes sorrow and sadness as well. By contrast, a homeless person often feels lonely and unhappy. Look! We have Helen Brooks here. She is new in a university. For the first time in her life, she is so far away from home. Dose she fell happy? Well, let’s see what she is talking about in her letter home. Words and expressions: essay 文章 in hospital住院 serious 严重的 have pains in the stomach 胃痛 appendicitis阑尾炎 operate on 动手术 The doctors decided to operate on him at once for the appendices. Infection 感染 upset 不安 discover发现 long to 渴望 weak 虚弱的 spick and span极整洁的 When the students arrived at their school, they find their classroom all spick and span. Think talk No more than over a decade ago, letter writing was still one of the most important ways to contact our family, relatives, and friends. Nowadays, with the rapid development of modern communication technology, it has given way, to a great extent, to other modern channels, among which may be mentioned phone calls and e-mails. Two reasons may account for this change. First of all, a telephone call or an e-mail is more rapid and convenient. It saves the time and trouble of going to the post office, getting an envelop and sticking on a stamp as well. Moreover , the message can be delivered within a very short time. Second, by means of a phone call, you can not only deliver a message, but also hear the voice, as if you were having a person-to-person talk, thus, bringing a closer contact with your family members and friends. 译文： 就在十多年前，书信还是我们同家人，亲戚和朋友联系的重要途径。而现在，随着现代通讯技术的迅速发展，它在很大程度上让位于其它现代手段。其中，值得一提的是电话和电子邮件。导致这一变化原因有二，首先，电话和电子邮件更迅速，更方便，不仅省时，还省去跑邮局，买邮票，贴邮票等许多麻烦。可在短时间内实现信息传递。其次，打电话不仅可以传递信息，更可听到声音，仿佛对面