Don’t let anyone steal your dreams

Rob sth of sb

Steal sth from sb

1. I have a friend / named Monty Roberts / who owns a horse ranch/ in San Ysidro.

Notes:

1. named是postpositive attributive修饰a friend;

2. who是一个attributive clause，也修饰a friend;

3. ranch:

n. a very large farm in the western U.S. or Canada, where cows, horses, or sheep are kept.

He is dreaming of owning a ranch in Australia.

2. He has let me /use his house /to put on fund-raising events / to raise money for youth / at risk programs.

Meaning: He has allowed me to collect funds to finance social services for those young people who are in danger of going astray / becoming juvenile delinquents.

Notes:

Let sb do sth

Put on:

1) to cover a part of your body with a piece of clothing or jewelry so that you are wearing it

she put on her coat and went away.

2) to organize an event, show, performance

we are trying to put on a concert to raise money for cancer research.

The Eastern College will put on an exhibition this weekend.

3) fund-raising n. the activity of trying to persuade people or organizations to give money for a specific purpose, especially for a charity or politic party.

The fund-raising campaign was kicked off by a millionaire.

Fundraiser n. someone whose job is to persuade people or organizations to give money for a specific purpose, especially for a charity or political party.

4）raise money: collect money 集资，筹资

Our vicar is always raising money for one cause or another, but he has never managed to get enough money to have the church clock repaired.

Raise：

A. to put something in a higher place or position

Rise your hand=in order to show that you want to speak

B. to increase a number, amount, or level

They had raised their prices to unreasonable levels.

C. to take care of children while they are growing up

Raise a family

Born and raised

I was born and raised in a small village.

D. to collect money for particular purpose

We need your help to raise money for urgent medical research.

Raise your glass/ voice

5) at risk=in a situation in which something unpleasant or dangerous could happen to you

put sb/ sth at risk

these measures will put many small businesses at risk.

Run the risk= to be in a situation in which something bad could happen

Take a risk= to do something although you know that something unpleasant or dangerous could happen

Do you think I should take a risk and give her a call?

Para 2

1. The last time I was there he introduced me by saying, “I want to tell you why I let Jack use my house.”

Notes:

The last time I was there为时间状语

2. It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, training horses.

Notes:

1) go back to=to return to an earlier point in time or space

My interest in the subject goes back many years. 

Some of these houses go back to the early 19^th century.

2) a young man为先行词，who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer定语从句;

3) an itinerant horse trainer为先行词，who为定语从句；

4) itinerant=traveling from place to place, esp. to perform work or a duty

I am contemplating to make an itinerant speech all over China.

5) stable=a farm building for housing horses or other livestock

adj.=not changing frequently and not likely to suddenly become worse

People have become accustomed to a stable economic situation.

6) track n&v

a. a piece of ground used for racing

He runs around the track every morning.

b. a line or structure on which something moves along

curtain track

c. a path or road with a rough surface

I walked along a track to the mountain hotel.

v. to follow or find someone or something by looking for evidence that shows where they have gone

The police tracked the criminal to his hiding place.

Track and field 田径

3. As a result, the boy’s high school career was continually interrupted.

Notes:

1) as a result 结果

as a result of=because of something

He died as a result of car crash.

2) primary/ elementary school

middle school

high school

kindergarten

3) continually= happening often, repeatedly

continual connotes an act that is repeated again and again(意味着可能存在间断) while continuous implies lack of interruption in time, substance, or extent.(含有在时间、物质或广度上没有间断的意思).

He lived in continual fear.

We were bothered by the continual banging of the shutter in the wind.

She suffered a continuous bout of illness lasting six months.

The horizon is a continuous line.

4. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.

Notes:

1) senior＝a student who is in the last year of high school

adj. with a high rank or position

senior teacher/ officer

2) about宾语从句, ，

3) grow up长大

4) when为时间状语从句

Para 3

1. That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch.

2. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the track.

Notes:

1) in detail=including many facts or aspects of a situation

She talked in detail about future plans for the school.

This method is discussed in greater detail in Chapter 4.

2) diagram n=a drawing that explains something

3) location n=the place where someone or something is or where something happens

The talks are taking place in a secret location.

4) showing动名词作状语；

3. Then he drew a detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a 200-acre dream ranch.

Notes:

1) detailed adj. =including many small facts or aspects

Words frequently used with detailed

account, analysis, description, discussion, examination, information, investigation, study

Please send a detailed resume to our company.

2) sit here means to be situated or located

The farm sits on the side of the hill.

The house sits on a hill.

 Para 4

1. He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher.

Meaning: he devoted nearly all of his energies to the assignment and the next day he submitted it to his teacher.

Notes:

1) Put one’s heart into: devote oneself to; be absorbed in

He put his whole heart into thinking up ways to improve his work.

You should put your heart into your exams.

2) hand sth in=to give something to a person in authority

Please hand in your keys when you leave the hotel.

Hand in your exam papers please!

2. Two days later he received his paper back.

3. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read: “See me after class.”

Notes:

A large red F was on the front page with a note that read: “See me after class.”

Read写着

Para 5

The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked, “Why did I receive an F?”

Notes:

1) F means a failing grade in schoolwork

A/ B/ C/ D/ F

2) with the dream介词短语作定语

 

Para 6

1. This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you.

Meaning: As you are such a young boy, you should not have this dream because it would be impossible to realize it.

Unrealistic adj.=having a wrong idea of what is likely to happen or of what you can really do; not based on facts

Many people in the workplace are set completely unrealistic targets.

It is unrealistic to do sth.

It is unrealistic to expect children to sit quietly that long.

 

2.You have no money. You come from an itinerant family.

3. You have no resources.

Meaning: you do not have the means to make your dream come true.

Resource:

1) something you can use to help you to achieve something, especially in your work or study

The Internet has become a valuable resource in schools.

Museums are important resources for teaching history.

2) something such as money, workers, or equipment that can be used to help an institution or a business

We are increasing for our emergency services.

3) things such as coal, trees, and oil that exist in nature and can be used by people

Many countries in Middle East are rich in oil.

If I may refer back to the problem we discussed, I think we shall stress the conservation of our natural resources.

4. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money.

Owning a horse ranch动名词短语作主语

5. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you’ll have to pay large stud fees.

Notes：

Original adj.

1) existing at the beginning of a period or process, before any changes have been made

Our original plan was to go Spain, but it was too expensive.

2) new, interesting, and different from anything else

His designs are highly original.

I have to buy a wedding present and I want to find something really original.

Country / state/ place of Origin原产地

6. There’s no way you could ever do it.

Meaning: it is absolutely impossible for you to succeed. You can never achieve your goal.

No way:

1) used for saying that you will definitely not do something or that something will definitely not happen

Are you inviting Phil to your party? No way.

There’s no way…

There’s no way the construction work will be finished by today.

词义辨析：

method=a way of doing something that involves following a detailed plan

He has his own method of making coffee.

Means=a way that makes it possible to do something

Unfortunately, we have no means of storing the information.

System=a way of doing something that involves following an organized set of rules

They’ve been using the American spelling system for many years now.

Procedure=a way of doing something that involves doing specific activities in a particular order

He is familiar with export procedure.

Technique=a way of doing something that involves using particular skills

I’ll show you the technique for opening this lock.

Strategy= a way of achieving a goal that involves detailed planning

A strategy to reduce the deficit

7. Then the teacher added, “If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.”

 

Para 7 notes

1. The boy went home and thought about it long and hard.

Notes:

Went home and thought about为并列谓语

2. He asked his father what he should do.

What he should do做宾语从句

3. His father said, “Look, son, you have to make up you own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.”

Notes:

1) look for drawing attention before saying something, esp. when one is angry or impatient.

Look, why don’t we meet for a drink and talk about it then?

Look, I don’t mind you borrowing my car, but you ought to ask me first.

2) make up one’s mind on sth/ to do sth=to make a decision

I make up my mind to devote my life to English research.

 

Para 8 notes

1. Finally, after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all.

Meaning: The boy spent one whole week, thinking hard about what to do about it, and in the end he handed in the paper without any changes.

After sitting with it for a week=after he sat with it for a week, after引导时间状语从句，主句和从句主语一致，从句可以省略主语，直接after＋v－ing。

Turn in: to give something to the person who has officially asked for it or who is in charge.

Turn in sth to sb

Jackie turned in his resignation to the president.

Turn around/ round/ away/ down/ into/ off/ on/ out/ over/up/ to

2. He stated, “you can keep the F and I’ll keep my dream.”

Meaning: He said to his teacher that he would not give up his dream/ would persevere in his goal in life even though the teacher failed him.

State v to express something in speech or writing, especially in a definite or formal way

The candidates stated their case in a series of meetings.

He stated that the project would be completed by April.

State a fact/ opinion

I’m not making excuses, I’m simply stating a fact.

 

 

Para 9

1. Monty then turned to the assembled group and said, “I tell you this story because you are sitting in my 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace.”

Notes:

1)assemble v

a) to bring a group of things or people together in one place for a particular purpose

How long would it take to assemble a team for a project like this?

The children assembled outside the building.

b) to build something, for example furniture, by putting all its parts together

The shelves are sold in kits that you have to assemble yourself.

2) frame v to put a picture or photograph in a frame

That’s a nice photo---you ought o have it framed.

We must frame up that picture.

2. He added, “The best part of the story is that two summers ago that same schoolteacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week. When the teacher was leaving, he said, ‘Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids’ dreams. Fortunately you had enough gumption not to give up on yours.’”

Notes:

1) the best part of the story is that…that引导表语从句；

2) camp out=to live outside, with or without a tent or other shelter

He planned to camp out in the wild.

3) something of=to some extent

4) gumption=the ability and determination to decide what needs to be done and to do it

It takes gumption to chase a girl.

5) give up on=to stop hoping that someone will improve and stop trying to help or change them

Most of the teachers gave up on her years ago.

Never give up on your dreams.

 

 

Para 10

Don’t let anyone steal your dreams. Follow you heart, no matter what.

Meaning: if you want to do something, you just do it as your heart tells you to. It does not matter what happens.

Your time is limited; so don't waste it living someone else's life. 

Don't be trapped by dogma which is living with the results of other people's thinking. 

Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. 

And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. 

They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.