Unit 4 Sharing

1. It was wonderful to hear from you.

 hear from sb：收到某人来信

 hear of/about sb /sth：听说…

2. I know you are dying to hear all about my life here, so I’ve included some photos which help you picture the places I talk about.

  1). be dying for sth/to do sth: (spoken)  to want sth very much:

   eg: I'm dying for a cup of tea.

拓展：thirsty for sth

2). picture : to imagine sth by making an image in your mind:

 eg: I can still picture her lovely blue eyes.

Picture what it would be like after a nuclear attack.

 

3. The classrooms are made of bamboo and the roofs of grass.

  be made of …

  be made from…

  be made up of …

eg:   Paper is made from wood.

    The medical team is made up of doctors from many hospitals.

    The bridge is made o   f stone.

 

4. When I reach the school grounds there are lots of “good morning” for me from the boys. Many of them have walked a long way, sometimes up to two hours, to get to school.

5. concept： an idea of how sth is, or how sth should be done  观念, 概念, 想法

concept of (doing)sth

concept that…

eg: I can not understand such an abstract concept.

What's your concept of an ideal society?

share the concept with others that we are citizens of one world

6. The other day I was showing the boys the weekly chemistry experiment when before I know it, the mixture was bubbing over everywhere.

the other day: 前几天,  不久前的一天

eg: I saw your friend the other day

[拓展]

l    someday： at an unknown time in the future,   especially a long time in the future

 eg: He hopes, someday, to have his own business.

     He hoped, someday, to have his own business.

l    one day : a day in the past or in the future

 

7. Sometimes I wonder how relevant chemistry is to these students, most of whom will be going back to villages after Year 8 anyway.

relevant: adj.  相关的

eg: Kids have to understand how school is relevant to their lives.

 The evidence is relevant to the case.

[拓展]relate：relate sth to sth: if you relate two different things, you show how they are connected

eg:  The report seeks to relate the rise in crime to an increase in unemployment.

related：adj things that are related are connected in some way:

 

eg: people suffering from tobacco-related illnesses

Culture is related to art.

Tom is related to Mike.

   relationship:  

8. To be honest, I doubt whether I am making any difference to these boys’ lives at all.

eg: Morning or afternoon. It makes no difference to me.

It makes no difference to me whether he will come or not tomorrow.

It made no difference to me whether he would come or not the next day.

9. It was my first visit to a remote village.

 remote: far from towns or other places where people live [= isolated/lonely]

eg: remote chance/possibility

   remote sensing: the use of satellites  to obtain pictures and information about the Earth

  The bomb is guided by remote control.

 

10. The hut was dark inside so it took time for our

  eyes to adjust.

adjust: ①to gradually become familiar with a new situation [= adapt]:

eg: It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.

② to change or move sth slightly to improve it or make it more suitable for a particular purpose:

 eg: Adjust the heat so that the soup doesn't boil.

  The ambulance man adjusts the flow of oxygen into the mask.

11. dry (…) out: vi/vt to become completely dry or to make sth completely dry, especially after it has been very wet:

eg： In summer, water the plants regularly and never let the soil dry out.

  The kitchen was flooded and it took ages to dry it out

 The kitchen has been flooded and it will take  ages to dry it out

 

otherwise: 

Put your coat on, otherwise you'll get cold.

拓展： say/think/decide etc otherwise: to say, think, or decide sth  different:

eg:  The government claims that the economy is improving, but this survey suggests otherwise.

12. It was such a privilege to have spent a day with Tombe’s family.

privilege: 特权, 荣幸, 特别恩典

eg:  

It was a privilege to work with him