1、usually adv. 通常，一般情况下； 2、once adv. 一旦；

　　3、graduate from 从﹍毕业； 4、high school 中学；

　　5、be true of both males and females 对男、女来讲都是一样的；

　　6、not uncommon 很正常的事； 7、single adj. 独身的；

　　8、live alone 独自生活； 9、prefer vi. 更喜欢，宁愿；

　　10、have sb. stay at home让某人留在家里；

　　11、feel a need for感到有(某种)必要；

　　12、independence n. 自立；13、live apart from home离开家居住；

　　14、move away from从某处搬走； 15、be alike相似的；

　　16、look as if看上去好像； 17、secret n. 秘密，秘诀；

　　18、laugh vi. 大笑； 19、keep busy一直忙碌，一直闲不下来；

　　20、get a lot of exercise很注意锻炼； 21、enjoy vt. 喜欢，享受；

　　22、sports n. 体育运动；

　　23、go horseback riding 骑马；

　　24、regularly adv. 经常地，定期地；

　　25、husband n. 丈夫； 26、remarry v. 再婚；

　　27、unpleasant adj. 令人不愉快的

　　28、rob the cradle字面意思：抢劫了摇篮，即：老牛吃嫩草

　　Part II：极速句法

　　段落1

　　In the US, children usually leave home once they graduate from high school, and find a job or go to college. This is true of both males and females. It is not uncommon, for example, for a young single woman to live alone in an apartment or to share one with one or more others. Many parents would prefer to have their children stay at home until they get married, but once they’ve grown up, young people often feel a need for independence from their parents and go to live apart from home.

　　对话

　　Jessie:Mrs. Lee, have you always lived in Suzhou?

　　Mrs. Lee:All my life. As a matter of fact, I was born in this house. That’s the way it used to be in the old days. People never used to move away from their hometown. You were born in a place, and you lived there until you died.

　　Jessie:Your first husband died ten years ago?

　　Mrs. Lee:Yes, at the age of 92. We had 70 wonderful years together. We were very much alike. Both of us loved to talk to others. People used to talk to each other in the old days. Now they watch TV.

　　Jessie:Mrs. Lee, you’ve already lived a 100 years and you look as if you might live another hundred years. What’s your secret?

　　Mrs. Lee:Well, I laugh a lot. That’s very important. And I keep busy. I get a lot of exercise too. I’ve always enjoyed sports. I went skiing and horseback riding regularly until I was 85. And I’ve always liked swimming. In fact, I still swim every day at the swimming pool, and I’ve started running a little with my second husband.

　　Jessie:When did you remarry?

　　Mrs. Lee:Six years ago. I was 94 and he was a young man of 80. A lot of people say I robbed the cradle!

　　Jessie:Mrs. Lee, you’re a hundred year old now. How do you feel?

　　Mrs. Lee:Great! Not a day over 90!

　　精美语句

　　1.I usually watch TV for an hour in the evening.

　　2.Do you usually get up so late?

　　3.I graduated from college in 1988.

　　4.Animals need a lot of exercise to keep fit; this is also true of human beings.

　　5.It is not uncommon for me to work very late into night.

　　6.I prefer to have our dinner in the courtyard.

　　7.I feel a need for a new lap top. The old one doesn’t work well and runs too slowly.

　　8.Once children grow up, they feel a need for independence.

　　9.When I graduated from college, I got a job in Shanghai, and had to live apart from home.

　　10.I’ve got a job in Shanghai, so I’ll have to move away from home.

　　11.My wife and I are very much alike—we enjoy watching soap operas.

　　12.You look as if you were only 30 years old.

　　13.I always keep myself busy so that I can forget all about those unpleasant things.