1、 Unit 6 Less is moreSection A Door closer, are you?Background information1 Xiang YuXiang Yu (232 BC-202 BC) was a prominent military leader and political figure during the late Qin Dynasty. In 207 BC, Xiang Yu led the Chu rebel forces to victory at the Battle of Julu（巨鹿之戰）against the Qin armies. Aft

2、er the fall of the Qin Dynasty, Xiang Yu proclaimed himself “Hegemon-King of Western Chu”（西楚霸王） and ruled a vast area of land covering parts of present-day Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangsu. He engaged Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, in a long struggle for power, known as th

3、e Chu-Han Contention（楚漢之爭）that concluded with his eventual defeat and suicide at the bank of the Wu River.2 the Battle of JuluThe battle was fought in Julu (in present-day Xingtai, Hebei, 現今的河北邢臺) primarily between forces of the Qin Dynasty and the insurgent（謀叛的）state of Chu. The Battle of Julu mark

4、ed the decline of Qins military power. In 207 BC, Xiang Yus army advanced towards Julu and successfully crossed the Zhang River（漳河）, which separated them from Julu, to attack the Qin forces. After crossing the Zhang River, Xiang Yu ordered his men to sink all their boats and break their cooking pots

5、, leaving only a three-day supply of food for each soldier. He warned them that there was no way to retreat; the only thing they could do to survive was to advance and fight. Xiang Yus boat burning strategy gave his men no choice but to do forward to fight with skill and passion. After nine long fie

6、rce battles, the Qin army was finally defeated. The battle of Julu was of crucial importance in overthrowing the Qin Dynasty, and it has been known as the battle of “Smashing the Cauldrons and Sinking the Boats”（破釜沉舟）. This idiom is now used to indicate ones firm determination to achieve ones goal a

7、t any cost.3 behavioral economicsBehavioral economics is an interdisciplinary school subject of economics and psychology, which studies the effect of social, cognitive and emotional factors on the economic decisions of individuals and institutions, and the consequences for market prices, returns and

8、 resource allocation.Detailed study of the text1 The next time youre deciding between rival options, one which is primary and the other which is primary and the other which is secondary, ask yourself this question: What would Xiang Yu do? (Para.1)Meaning: The next time when you are to make a choice

9、between two competing options , you have to distinguish which is the primary one and which is the minor one. To be enlightened, you ask yourself what option XiangYu would choose.Meaning beyond words: It suggests that XiangYu was a wonderful decision-maker.Note: The phrase rival options means that bo

10、th options seem like good choice , but one choice is somewhat better than the other. In this case, it is the one That XiangYu chose to implement.rival:a.(only before noun) used about a person or group that competes against sb. or sth. else 競爭的；對抗的Fierce fighting broke out between the rival groups. 敵

11、對集團之間爆發了激烈的戰斗。n. C a person ,group, or organization that you compete with sport, business, a fight, etc. 對手；競爭者Having good international contacts gives the company a competitive advantage over its rivals. 良好的國際社會關系使該公司具備了超過其對手的競爭優勢。secondary: a. not as important as sth. else 次要的；從屬的Our fathers healt

12、h is what matters, and the cost of his treatment is if secondary importance. 我們父親的健康是最重要的，他的治療費用是次要的。2 Xiang Yu was a Chinese imperial general in the third century BC who took his troops across the Zhang River on a raid into enemy territory. (Para.2)Meaning: XiangYu was an ancient Chinese general in

13、 the third century BC. He led his troops across the Zhang River to attack the enemy in its territory.imperial: a.(only before noun) relating to an empire or to the person who rules it 帝國的；皇帝的In our World History class today, we studied Britains expansion in the 19th century. 在今天的世界歷史課上，我們學了十九世紀英帝國的擴

14、張。raid:n C. a short attack on place by soldiers, planes, or ships, intended to cause damage but not take control 突襲；襲擊They made (staged/carried out) a daring raid on the enemy. 他們對敵人進行了大膽的襲擊。vt. make a sudden military attack on a place (軍隊)突然襲擊police raided five houses in southeast London and recove

15、red stolen goods. 警方突擊搜查了倫敦東南部的五所房屋，并追回了被盜貨物。territory:C,U land that is owned or controlled by a particular country, ruler, or military force 領土；版圖；領地They have still refusing to withdraw troops from the occupied territories. 他們仍然拒絕從被占領土撤軍。3 To his troops astonishment, he ordered their cooking pots c

16、rushed and their sailing ships burned. (Para.2)Meaning beyond words: To make sure his troops would win the battle quickly, Xiang Yu ordered the soldiers to crush their cooking pots and burn their sailing boats after he led his troops across the Zhang River to attack the enemy. This way, he closed th

17、e door for retreating from the enemys territory and sent out a clear message to his men that they only had two choices: to win the battle or die in the battle. However, his decision was obviously against normal practice, which greatly shocked his troops.4 He explained that he was imposing on them a

18、necessity for attaining victory over their opponents. (Para.3)Meaning beyond words: By having their cooking pots crushed and their sailing ships burned, Xiang Yu put his troops in such a desperate condition that they wouldnt have any hope to escape but fight to survive and eventually win the battle.

19、 In order words, Xiang Yu gave his troops only one option.imposes sth. on sb.: force sb. to have the same ideas, beliefs, etc. as you 將強加于To discourage people from smoking, very high taxes have recently been imposed on cigarettes. 為了阻止人們吸煙，最近已對香煙征收了很高的稅。opponent : n. C1) sb. who you try to defeat in

20、 a competition, game fight, or argument (競爭、比賽等的)敵手，對手He was a tough opponent in debate. 他是個很強硬的辯論對手。2）sb. who disagrees with a plan, idea, or system and tried to stop or change it 反對者Leading opponents of proposed cuts in defense spending will meet later today. 建議削減國防開支的主要反對者會在今天的晚些時候見面。Usage NOTE r

21、ival, opponent rival和opponent都可以用作名詞，都可以表示“對手”，但兩者有區別。1 rival指在同一領域中為相同目標相競爭或相匹敵的對手。例如：The United States biggest rival in technological advancement is Japan.在技術進步方面，美國最大的對手是日本。2 opponent指在某次的競賽或某個場合直接面對的對手。例如：Hes the best opponent Ive come across this season, a great player.他是我本賽季遇到的最出色的對手，一位了不起的運動員

22、。比較：The Los Angeles Lakers biggest rival is the Boston Celtics.洛杉磯湖人隊最大的對手是波士頓凱爾特人隊。（指湖人隊一直與凱爾特人隊在爭高低，其競爭對手多年來一直是凱爾特人隊。）The Los Angeles Lakers opponent in 2010 NBA Finals is the Boston Celtics.洛杉磯湖人隊在2010年NBA總決賽中的對手是波士頓凱爾特人隊。（指在2010 年NBA決賽中湖人隊的競爭對手是凱爾特人隊。）3 opponent不能用作動詞，rival可用作動詞，表示“競爭；與相匹敵”。例如：S

23、hips cant rival aircraft for speed.輪船在速度方面無法與飛機匹敵。5 What he said was surely motivating, but it wasnt really appreciated by many of his loyal soldiers as they wanted their vessels go up in flames. (Para.3)Meaning: Xiang Yus order of crushing the cooking pots and burning the sailing ships was definite

24、ly inspiring to his troops, but it was hardly valued by his faithful soldiers, who watched their boats burning.motivate: vt. make sb. feel determined to do sth. or enthusiastic about doing it 激勵；激發的積極性The companys profit-sharing plan is designed to motivate its staff to work hard. 該公司的利潤分紅計劃旨在激勵員工努力

25、工作。loyal: a. always supporting your friends, principles, country, etc. 忠貞的；忠實的；忠誠的When all her other friends deserted her, Steve still remained loyal. 當其他朋友都拋棄她時，史蒂夫仍對她保持忠誠。go up in flames: suddenly begin burning in a way that is difficult to control 突然著火The factory went up in flames last night. 昨晚工

26、廠突然著火了6 But the genius of General Xiang Yus conviction would be validated both on the battlefield and in modern social science research. (Para.3)Meaning: However, the high level of intelligence expressed in his strong belief would prove to be correct on the battlefield as well as in modern social sc

27、ience research.genius: n.1) U a very high level of intelligence, mental skill, or ability, which only a few people have 天才；天賦During his childhood, the genius of this scientist went unrecognized. 這位科學家的天賦在他童年時代并未被發現。2）U sb. who has an unusually high level of intelligence, mental skill, or ability 有天才

28、的人；天才人物 A real comic genius stimulates not only laughter but also thought. 一個真正的喜劇天才不但能引發笑聲而且會引發思考。conviction: n.C a very strong belief or opinion 堅定的信仰（主張）The foreign minister of this small country is a woman of strong political conviction這個小國家的外交部長是一位有堅定政治信仰的女性。validate: vt. (fml.) prove that sth.

29、 is true or correct, or make a document or agreement officially and legally acceptable 證實；使生效；使合法化Many scientists hesitate to accept the outcome and decide to wait until the results of the study are validated by future research. 許多科學家對接受這個研究結果猶豫不決，決定等待結果被今后的研究證實后再說。Note The word battlefield is a com

30、pound word, which is the combination of two nouns: battle and field. There are more example of this kind of compound words: armchair, bedtime, birdhouse, birthplace, bookstore, etc. The meaning of many words from such a combination is easy to guess: battlefield-a place where a battle is being fought

31、 or has been fought. For example:They carried the wounded soldiers from the battlefield. 他們把傷員從戰場上抬了下來。7 General Xiang Yu was a rare exception to the norm, a veteran leader who has highly respected for his many conquests and who achieved the summit of success. (Para.3)Meaning: What Xiang Yu did was

32、quite different from what was usually practiced. As an experienced leader, he was very much respected by his soldiers for his many amazing accomplishments, and his highest level of success.Note The word norm means ”the usual or normal situation, way of doing sth., etc”. Here it refers to a situation

33、 in which other commanders would surely do: Keep more options.exception: n. C,U sth. or sb. that is different in some way from other people or things and so cannot be included in a general statement 例外；除外I like all kinds of films with the exception of horror films. 我喜歡各種電影，但恐怖片除外。an exception to: st

34、h. or sb. that is not included in a general statement, or does not follow a rule or pattern 對例外Most basketball players are very tall, but hes an exception to that rule; hes relatively short. 大多數籃球運動員都非常高大，但他是一個例外，他比較矮。veteran:a. very experienced and skilled in a particular activity 經驗豐富的；老練的The vete

35、ran actor has said he is ready to direct a film for the first time in his life. 這位經驗豐富的演員說，他已為他人生中首次導演影片做好了準備。n. C sb. who has been a soldier, sailor, etc. in a war 老兵；退伍軍人The veterans of World Warare now old and gradually dying off. 第二次世界大戰的老兵現已年老，并一個個離開了這個世界。conquest: n.1) C,U the act of defeating

36、 an army taking land by fighting 擊敗；征服；攻占Since ancient times, Jerusalem has seen numerous conquests and occupations. 自古以來，耶路撒冷多次被征服和占領。2) U the act of gaining control of or dealing successfully with sth. that is difficult or dangerous (對艱難、危險事物的)攻克，征服The conquest of outer space is one of the greates

37、t triumphs of modern science. 征服太空是現代科學最偉大的勝利之一。summit: n. C1) (fml.)the greatest amount or highest level of sth. 某事物的頂峰；某事物的極點 點物的頂峰：he greatest amount or highest level of est triumphs of modern science.=66666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666I am still young ,and I certainly havent reac

38、hed the summit of my career.我們年 輕，我當然還沒有達到我事業的巔峰。2) an important meeting or set of meetings between the leaders of several governments 首腦會議；最高級會議；峰會World leaders will meet next week for their annual economic summit .世界各國領導人將在下周齊聚年度經濟峰會。8 He is featured in Dan Arielys enlightening new publication, Pr

39、edictably Irrational, a fascinating investigation of seemingly irrational human behavior, such as the tendency for keeping multiple options open. (Para.4)Meaning: General Xiang Yu, together with his boat burning strategy, was introduced in Dan Arielys inspirational new publication, which examines un

40、reasonable human behavior such as the unintentional desire to keep many options open.Note The title of the book Predictably Irrational describes an unreasonable or illogical behavior which is predictable because of the nature of human beings. It has to do with the hidden forces that shape peoples de

41、cisions. People sometimes make decisions based on irrational thought, and thats why we see how certain mistakes are made again and again.be featured in: be include or shown as a special or important part of sth. ,or be included as an important part 在中被專題介紹；被特寫The teacher gave his students the homewo

42、rk assignment to visit some of the websites which were featured in the article. 老師給學生的家庭作業是瀏覽一些在文章中被專題介紹的網站。enlighten: vt. (fml.) give sb. information about sth. so that they understand more about it 啟發；指導；教導The object of his most recent novel is to amuse and enlighten the readers. 他最新的小說旨在娛樂和啟發讀者。e

43、nlightening: a. 具啟發性的The instruction manual that came with my new computer wasnt very enlightening about how to operate it. 附在我新電腦中的說明書對如何操作這個電腦沒啥指導作用。publication: n.1) C a book, magazine, etc. 書；雜志；著作；出版物Our latest publication is a fashion magazine for both young women and men. 我們最新的出版物是專為年輕女子和年輕男子

44、辦的時尚雜志。2) U the process of printing a book, magazine, etc., and offering it for sale 出版 She was in England for the publication for her new book. 她到英國是為了她新書的出版事宜。irrational: a. not based on clear thought or reason 非理性的；不合理的；荒謬的The parents were worried by their sons increasingly irrational behavior. 這

45、對父母對兒子越來越不理性的行為很是擔心。investigate: vt. try to find out the truth about sth. such as crime, accident, or scientific problem 查明，調查，偵查（犯罪、事故或科學問題的真相）After the bridge collapsed, engineers were investigating how a disaster like this could have occurred. 橋梁倒塌后，工程師們在調查怎么會發生這樣的災難。investigation: C an official

46、attempt to find out the truth about or the cause of sth. such as a crime, accident, or scientific problem （對犯罪、事故或科學問題等進行的正式的）調查，偵查An investigation has been under way for several days into the disappearance of a 13-year-old boy. 對一個13歲男孩失蹤案的調查已持續了幾天。9 Most people cant marshal the will for painful ch

47、oices, not even students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where Dr. Ariely teaches behavioral economics. (Para.4)Meaning: Most people, including the students learning behavioral economics with Dr. Ariely at MIT, cant think logically and make rational decisions when facing painful

48、choices.marshal: vt. organize thoughts, ideas. etc. so that they are clear, effective, or easy to understand 整理（思路、想法等）You should marshal your thoughts before speaking. 你說話前應當理清思路。behavioral: a. relating to the way sb. behaves 行為的；行為方式的She studied behavioral psychology at college. 她曾在大學學習心理學。10 In a

49、n experiment that investigated decision-making, hundreds of students couldnt bear to let their options vanish, even though it was clear they would profit from doing so. (Para.4)Meaning: In an experiment about decision-making, hundreds of students couldnt tolerate the pain of seeing their options dis

50、appear, even though they knew that they would benefit in the long run if they let them go.Meaning beyond words: This is a specific example of “predictably irrational” behavior of human beings mentioned fit:v. (fml.) give sb. an advantage 使得到；有利于I think we have reached an agreement which n

51、ot only profits management but also labor. 我想我們達成的協議對勞資雙方都有利。n. C,U money that you gain by selling things or doing business, after your costs have been paid 利潤；收益；盈利Due to the ongoing recession, company profits are down on last years figures. 由于連續的經濟不景氣，公司利潤比去年少。profit from: get an advantage from a

52、situation 從中受益I profited enormously from working with her. 我從與她一起工作中獲益巨大。11 The experiment revolved around a game that eliminated the excuses we usually have for refusing to let go. (Para.5)Meaning: The experiment was focused on a game that rejected the excuses we normally have for not letting optio

53、ns go.revolve: v. move around like a wheel, or make sth. move around like a wheel（使）旋轉The restaurant revolves slowly, giving customers an excellent view of the city. 餐廳慢慢地旋轉，為顧客提供了這個城市絕妙的景觀。revolve around: have sth .as a main subject or purpose 以為主題（目的）；圍繞Some people are very selfish and seem to thi

54、nk that the world revolves around them.有些人很自私，似乎認為整個世界都以他們為中心。12 In the real world, we can always say,” Its good to preserve our options.” (Para.5)Meaning beyond words: In the real world, it is always reasonable for people to keep options for the future, so it seemed its not a mistake to keep doors

55、open in the experiment.preserve: vt. save sth. or sb. from being harmed or destroyed 維護；保護；保存We want to preserve the character of the town while improving its facilities. 我們要在改善設施的同時保留該鎮的特點。13 A teenager is exhausted from soccer, ballet, piano, and Chinese lessons, but her parents wont stop any one

56、of them because they might come in handy some day! (Para. 5)Meaning: A teenage girl is worn out from attending classes of soccer, ballet, piano, and Chinese, but her parents wont allow her to stop any one of them because they might be useful one day.Meaning beyond words: It reflects human beings nat

57、ure: The more, the better, though its not necessarily true in real life.be exhausted from: be extremely tired by 因而筋疲力盡；因而疲憊不堪Today, many people are exhausted from the stress in their life, their jobs, and their social activities. 如今，很多人都因生活、工作和社會活動的壓力而疲憊不堪。come in handy: be useful in a particular s

58、ituation 派的上用場Dont throw that cardboard box away; it may come in handy. 不要把那個紙盒丟掉，以后可能用得著。14 In the experiment sessions, students played a computer game that provided cash behind three doors appearing on the screen. (Para.6)Meaning: During the period of the experiment, students at MIT plated a game on the computer, where the