Text  2  Word  Study

1. argue  argue against …据理反对; 证明……是不能成立的: 1) All the evidence argued against the theory that the disease was transmitted by water. 所有证据都证明这个理论是不能成立的: 这种疾病是由水传播的。  2) Father argued fiercely against any increase in expenditure for the children’s birth-day party. 父亲据理反对增加孩子们生日聚会的花费。 argue about 争论关于某事：I won’t argue about the matter.  argue sb. into doing sth. 通过争论使某人做某事：We argued him into surrendering the control of the chain company. 我们通过争论使他放弃对链锁公司的控制。 同根词 argument n. 辩论，争论；论点，论据。argumentation  n. 立论，论证；辩论，争论。argumentative  adj. 爱争论的，好辩论的。

2. sure adj. 确实，无疑，有把握：I think he’s coming, but I’m not quite sure. You are sure of a warm welcome. 你一定会受到热烈欢迎。You’re sure to fail if you do it that way. You seem very sure of yourself, young man. 小伙子，你未免太自信了吧！  常用成语：for sure肯定： One thing is sure. We’ve won a great victory. I think he lives there but I couldn’t say for sure. 我想他住在那里，但我不能肯定。 make sure 确保： I think the door is locked, but I’d better go and make sure. 我想门已经锁了，但我最好还是去查一下。 to be sure 当然：He’s clever, to be sure, but not very hard-working. 当然，他很聪明，但是不怎么勤奋。

3. critical adj. 决定性的，关键的；危急时刻的。 be critical of 批评的, 爱挑毛病的: 1) Don’t be so critical of everyone else. (不要对别人如此挑剔。)  2) If you really understood the difficulties facing the government, you wouldn’t be so critical of its spending reductions.（如果你真地理解政府面临的困难, 你就不会对其削减开支的做法如此挑剔。）

Text  3  Word  Study

1.press vt./vi. 1) 按，压，踩：Press the button to start the engine. (请按按钮起动发动机。)  I don’t like shoes that press. (我不喜欢紧的鞋。)  2) 熨烫 vt.：Will you press my trousers for me before tomorrow?  3) (人群)挤，涌：The people were pressing so hard against the President’s car that they almost overturned it.  4) 敦促，催逼：His daughters pressed Shelley to join them.  It’s no use pressing him; he doesn’t like to be hurried.  The matter does not press. (这件事不紧迫。)  The police pressed the students back behind the barriers. (警察迫使学生退到路障后面。)
press n. 新闻界，舆论，报章杂志（和the连用）：Defend the freedom of the press. (维护新闻自由。)  The press will give us a great backing. (舆论会大力支持我们的。)  The meeting was reported by the press. 
同根词：pressing  adj. 紧迫的，急待解决的：Is the matter pressing?   Their attention ought to be focused on the more pressing problems.  The professor is returning on account of pressing duties at home.
常用成语：1) be pressed for time (money) 缺乏时间、金钱：We are pressed for time. We must hurry up. (我们时间不够。我们必须赶紧。)  2) press ahead with 加紧（努力）：We must press ahead with our efforts to reach an agreement.   3) press for 急切要求： They are pressing for reforms. (他们急切要求改革。)  Everyone began pressing him for details. (人人都要求他说明细节。)

2.opt v. (=decide to do sth.; choose) 决定做某事，选择：He opted to go Paris rather than London. （他决定去巴黎而不是伦敦。） Fewer students are opting for science courses nowadays. (现在选修理科的学生少了。) 
同根词：option n. 选择余地；选择权：1) You have the option of leaving or staying.   2) Every voter should exercise his option.  optional 可选择的；选修的：You don’t have to have this radio in your new car; it’s an optional extra.

3. imagine vt. 想象。同根词：imaginable(可以想象出的)；imaginary（假想的）； imaginative（有想象力的）：1) He is the most suitable person imaginable. (他是可以想象出的最合适的人。)  2) The story is not real; it is only imaginary. （这个故事不是真实的，只是假想的。）  3) The artist’s imaginative use of color delighted the critics. (这位画家富有想象力的使用色彩使这些评论家兴高采烈。)  image影像，偶像，雕像。imagination n. 想像力：He has plenty of imagination.

4. fund n. 基金，积累的一笔专款：Hard up families receive cash subsidies from the welfare funds. (经济困难的家庭从福利基金中得到现金补贴。)  fund (复数) 资金，存款，现款，钱：Through lack of funds the scheme fell through. (由于缺乏资金，这项计划失败了。)  They ought to be furnished with the necessary funds. (他们应该得到这些必要的资金。)
fund vt. 资助，为…提供资金：1) We are hoping that the government will fund the project. (我们正在盼望政府给这个项目提供资金。)  2) The university scientists’ research for a cure of this disease is being funded by the government. (这座大学的科学家为治疗这种疾病所进行的研究正得到政府的拨款。)
同根词：overfund vt. 为…提供过量资金。underfund vt. 对…提供资金不足。

Text  4   Word Study

1.rule out (=exclude, eliminate; make impossible, prevent, forbid) 把…排除在外，不把…考虑在内；使不可能，禁止。例如：The regulations rule out anyone under the age of eighteen.(这些规章排除了18岁以下的任何人。)  The possibility of suicide was ruled out.（自杀的可能性被排除了。）  I’m sure that the doctor would rule out visits from you as much too exciting for the patient.（我确信，医生会禁止你们去探望，因为这样会使病人过分兴奋。）

2. present adj. 1) 在场，出席：Every member of the class was present.  2) 存在：Carbon is present in many minerals.   3) 现在的：At the present moment he is supposed to be in Paris.
present n. 现在：I live in the present, not in the past.   常用成语： at present 目前：At present we are living in New York.  for the present 暂且：For the present we had better do nothing.
present n. 礼物：I am just going out to get some presents for my sister.
present vt. 1) 赠送：He carried a copy out into the kitchen and presented it to Maria.   2) 颁发，递交：The principal will present the diplomas.   3) 提出 (论点，看法等)：The speaker presented arguments for his side.  4) 呈现出，显露出：Although he may be troubled, he always presents a calm smiling face.   5) present itself (机会等)出现:  A good opportunity has presented itself for doing what you suggested.                                                  

3. thought 思想，思考。
常用成语： give thought to 思考。例如：You will easily solve the problem only if you will give a bit of thought to it.
at the thought of 一想到…。 例如：I was delighted at the thought of seeing you again.
in thought 在沉思中。 例如：A.作表语：He was in deep thought. (=He was deep in thought.)     B.作状语：He walked slowly back towards the site in deep thought.
on second thoughts 经过再三考虑。例如：But on second thoughts I made up my mind to travel without any food with me. 
同根词：thoughtful 深思的，思考的；体贴人的，关切的。       thoughtless 考虑不周的；不体贴别人的。

4. adjust (to) vt./vi. 调整，校正，（使）适应。例如：1) The desks and seats can be adjusted to the height of any child.  2) I must adjust my watch, it’s slow.          3) Astronauts in flight must adjust to weightlessness.
同根词：adjustable 可调节的。例如：An adjustable electric lamp can be placed in various positions.
adjustment  n.  调整，调节，适应。 例如：They have made a most satisfactory adjustment to their environment.

5. 否定副词：barely (=only just; scarcely) 仅够；几乎没有。例如：1) We barely had time to catch the train.   2)He was so weakened by the disease that he could barely stand up.
scarcely (only just; hardly) 仅仅；几乎不。例如：1) I scarcely know him.   2) Scarcely had she entered the room when the phone rang. 
hardly (=only just; scarcely) 仅够；几乎没有。例如：He can hardly arrived yet. (他大概还没有到。)
rarely (not often, seldom) 不常，很少。例如：Only rarely do I eat in restaurants.

6. let down (=disappoint; fall short of the expectation of ) 使…失望；辜负…的期望。例如：Don’t let me down. I need your help.
let in (=allow to enter) 让…进来。例如：Let me in.     
let off 放（枪、炮、烟火等）；宽恕，从宽处理。例如：The mother said she would let off her son washing the dishes if he could finish his assignment before supper. (1995年试题)   
let alone 不干涉，不管；更不用说。例如：1) Since she is angry, we might as well let her alone. (既然她生气了，我们不妨不要管她。) （1981年试题）  2) Countless divorced politicians would have been elected out of office years ago had they even thought of a divorce, let alone gotten one. (无数离婚的政治家，如果那时即使想到要离婚，更不用说真的离婚了，本来就会落选的。)

II. Writing: (提纲式议论作文)   

Directions: In this part, you are to write an essay of 160 -- 200 words within 30--35 minutes entitled“Importance of Confidence”. Your essay should be based on the information given in the outline below:

1.Importance of confidence

2.Reasons for lack of confidence

3.Necessity to build up confidence