高中英語課外閱讀練習題2017

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高中英語課外閱讀練習題2017

　　大家知道，英語閱讀在英語考試中占有很大的比重，所以許多同學都想扎扎實實地打好閱讀基礎，迅速有效地提高英語閱讀能力。以下是小編為大家搜索整理的高中英語課外閱讀練習題2017，更多精彩內容請及時關注我們應屆畢業生考試網!

高中英語課外閱讀練習題2017

　　Unit Three：Lesson from Jefferson

　　TEXT

　　Jefferson died long ago, but may of his ideas still of great interest to us.

　　Lessons from Jefferson

　　Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, may be less famous than George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, but most people remember at last one fact about him: he wrote the Declaration of Independence.

　　Although Jefferson lived more than 200 years ago, there is much that we learn from him today. Many of his ideas are especially interesting to modern youth. Here are some of the things he said and wrote:

　　Go and see. Jefferson believed that a free man obtains knowledge from many sources besides books and that personal investigation is important. When still a young man, he was appointed to a committee to find out whether the South Branch of the James River was deep enough to be used by large boats. While the other members of the committee sat in the state capitol and studied papers on the subject, Jefferson got into a canoe and made on-the-spot-observations.

　　You can learn from everyone. By birth and by education Jefferson belonged to the highest social class. Yet, in a day when few noble persons ever spoke to those of humble origins except to give an order, Jefferson went out of his way to talk with gardeners, servants, and waiters. Jefferson once said to the French nobleman, Lafayette, "You must go into the people's homes as I have done, look into their cooking pots and eat their bread. If you will only do this, you may find out why people are dissatisfied and understand the revolution that is threatening France."

　　Judge for yourself. Jefferson refused to accept other people's opinions without careful thought. "Neither believe nor reject anything," he wrote to his nephew, "because any other person has rejected or believed it. Heaved has given you a mind for judging truth and error. Use it."

　　Jefferson felt that the people "may safely be trusted to hear everything true and false, and to form a correct judgment. Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter."

　　Do what you believe is right. In a free country there will always be conflicting ideas, and this is a source of strength. It is conflict and not unquestioning agreement that keeps freedom alive. Though Jefferson was for many years the object of strong criticism, he never answered his critics. He expressed his philosophy in letters to a friend, "There are two sides to every question. If you take one side with decision and on it with effect, those who take the other side will of course resent your actions."

　　Trust the future; trust the young. Jefferson felt that the present should never be chained to customs which have lost their usefulness. "No society," he said, "can make a perpetual constitution, or even a perpetual law. The earth belongs to the living generation." He did not fear new ideas, nor did he fear the future. "How much pain," he remarked, "has been caused by evils which have never happened! I expect the best, not the worst. I steer my ship with hope, leaving fear behind."

　　Jefferson's courage and idealism were based on knowledge. He probably knew more than any other man of his age. He was an expert in agriculture, archeology, and medicine. He practiced crop rotation and soil conservation a century before these became standard practice, and he invented a plow superior to any other in existence. He influenced architecture throughout America, and he was constantly producing devices for making the tasks of ordinary life easier to perform.

　　Of all Jefferson's many talents, one is central. He was above all a good and tireless writer. His complete works, now being published for the first time, will fill more than fifty volumes. His talent as an author was soon discovered, and when the time came to write the Declaration of Independence at Philadelphia in 1776, the task of writing it was his. Millions have thrilled to his words: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…"

　　When Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of American independence, he left his countrymen a rich legacy of ideas and examples. American education owes a great debt to Thomas Jefferson, Who believed that only a nation of educated people could remain free.

　　NEW WORDS

　　declaration

　　n. document containing an open public announcement 宣言

　　independence

　　n. freedom from the control of others 獨立

　　obtain

　　vt. get through effort 獲得

　　source

　　n. place from which sth. comes; place where a river starts (來)源;源頭

　　personal

　　a. done in person; belonging to a person 親自的;個人的

　　investigation

　　n. detailed or careful examination 調查

　　investigate

　　vt.

　　appoint

　　vt. put (sb.) in a position 任命

　　appointment

　　committee

　　n. a group of people chosen for special duties 委員會

　　capitol

　　n. (美國)州議會大廈

　　canoe

　　n. light boat moved by a paddle 獨木舟

　　on-the-spot

　　a. at the place of the action 現場的

　　humble

　　a. low in position 地位低下的

　　origin

　　n. parentage; birth; beginning 血統;出身;起源

　　gardener

　　n. person who works in a garden either for pay or as a hobby 園丁

　　waiter

　　n. person who serves food to the tables in a restaurant (男)侍者

　　nobleman

　　n. 貴族

　　dissatisfy

　　vt. hang over dangerously; utter a threat against 使不滿

　　threaten

　　vt. hang over dangerously; utter a threat against 威脅

　　threat

　　reject

　　vt. refuse to take, believe, use of consider 拒絕

　　rejection

　　nephew

　　n. the son of one's brother or sister

　　error

　　n. mistake; sth. done wrongly

　　false

　　a. not true or correct

　　judgment

　　n. opinion 判斷，看法

　　hesitate

　　vi. feel doubtful; be undecided 猶豫，遲疑不決

　　hesitation

　　prefer

　　vt. like better; choose (one thing) rather than (another) 更喜歡;寧愿

　　preference

　　latter

　　a. nearer to the end 后面的;后半的

　　n. the second of two persons or things just spoken of 后者

　　conflict

　　n. be opposed; clash 沖突

　　n. disagreement; clash; fight

　　unquestioning

　　a. given or done without question or doubt

　　agreement

　　n. having the same opinion(s); thinking in the same way 同意;一致的

　　criticism

　　n. unfavourable remarks of judgments 批評

　　critic

　　n. person who makes judgments about the good and bad qualities of sth.; person who points out mistakes 評論家;批評者

　　criticize

　　vt.

　　philosophy

　　n. 哲學

　　resent

　　vt. feel angry or bitter at 對...忿恨;對...不滿

　　action

　　n. the process of doing things; sth. done 行動過程;行動

　　custom

　　n. 習慣,風俗

　　perpetual

　　a. never-ending; going on for a long time or without stopping 永恒的;連續不斷的

　　constitution

　　n. 憲法;章程

　　living

　　a. alive now 活(著)的

　　remark

　　vt. say; comment 說;評論說

　　n. 話語;評論

　　evil

　　n. sth. bad; sin 邪惡,罪惡

　　a. very bad 邪惡的,壞的

　　idealism

　　n. 理想主義;唯心主義

　　arch(a)eology

　　n. study of ancient things, esp. remains of prehistoric times 考古學

　　rotation

　　n. 輪作;旋轉

　　rotate

　　conservation

　　n. protecting from loss of from being used up 保護;保存

　　conserve

　　vt.

　　superior

　　a. good or better in quality or value 較好的;優的

　　superiority

　　existence

　　n. the state of existing 存在

　　influence

　　vt. have an effect on 影響

　　architecture

　　n. art and science of building 建筑術;建筑學

　　constantly

　　ad. continuously; frequently 不斷地;經常地

　　constant

　　perform

　　vt. do, carry out 做,履行

　　talent

　　n. special natural ability 才能,天資

　　central

　　a. chief; main; most important 主要的

　　tireless

　　a. never or rarely getting tired

　　writer

　　n. a person who writes esp. as a way of earning money 作家

　　publish

　　vt. have (a book, etc.) printed and put on sale 出版

　　volume

　　n. book, esp. one of a set of books 卷;冊

　　thrill

　　vi. have a very exciting feeling 非常激動

　　self-evident

　　a. clear without proof 不言而喻的

　　create

　　vt. make (sth. that has not been made before) 創造

　　creation

　　anniversary

　　n. the yearly return of a special date 周年紀念日

　　countryman

　　n. a person from one's own country 周胞

　　legacy

　　n. sth. that one person leaves to another when he dies 遺產

　　owe

　　vt. 欠(債等);應把...歸功于

　　debt

　　n. something owed to someone else 債(務)

　　educate

　　vt. train; teach how to read, write, think, etc.

　　PHRASES & EXPRESSIONS

　　go out of one's way (to do sth.)

　　take particular trouble; make a special effort 特地

　　leave...to

　　leave sb. in charge of 交托,委托

　　act on

　　act according to 按照...行事

　　leave behind

　　abandon; fall to take or bring 丟棄;留下,忘帶

　　in existence

　　existing 存在

　　above all

　　most important of all 首先,尤其是

　　PROPER NAMES

　　Bruce Bilven

　　布魯斯.布利文

　　Thomas Jefferson

　　托馬斯.杰斐遜

　　George Washington

　　喬治.華盛頓

　　Abraham Lincoln

　　亞伯拉罕.林肯

　　the Declaration of Independence

　　《獨立宣言》

　　the James River

　　詹姆斯河

　　Lafayette

　　拉斐特

　　France

　　法國

　　Heaven

　　上帝;天堂

　　Philadelphia

　　費城(美國港市)

　　Unit Four：My First Job

　　TEXT

　　Trying to make some money before entering university, the author applies for a teaching job. But the interview goes from bad to worse...

　　My First Job

　　While I was waiting to enter university, I saw advertised in a local newspaper a teaching post at a school in a suburb of London about ten miles from where I lived. Being very short money and wanting to do something useful, I applied, fearing as I did so, that without a degree and with no experience in teaching my chances of getting the job were slim.

　　However, three days later a letter arrived, asking me to go to Croydon for an interview. It proved an awkward journey: a train to Croydon station; a ten-minute bus ride and then a walk of at least a quarter to feel nervous.

　　The school was a red brick house with big windows, The front garden was a gravel square; four evergreen shrubs stood at each corner, where they struggled to survive the dust and fumes from a busy main from a busy main road.

　　It was clearly the headmaster himself that opened the door. He was short and fat. He had a sandy-coloured moustache, a wrinkled forehead and hardly any hair.

　　He looked at me with an air of surprised disapproval, as a colonel might look at a private whose bootlaces were undone. 'Ah yes,' he grunted. 'You'd better come inside.' The narrow, sunless hall smelled unpleasantly of stale cabbage; the walls were dirty with ink marks; it was all silent. His study, judging by the crumbs on the carpet, was also his dining-room. 'You'd better sit down,' he said, and proceeded to ask me a number of questions: what subjects I had taken in my General School Certificate; how old I was; what games I played; then fixing me suddenly with his bloodshot eyes, he asked me whether I thought games were a vital part of a boy's education. I mumbled something about not attaching too much importance to them. He grunted. I had said the wrong thing. The headmaster and I obviously had very little in common.

　　The school, he said, consisted of one class of twenty-four boys, ranging in age from seven to thirteen. I should have to teach all subjects except art, which he taught himself. Football and cricket were played in the Park, a mile away on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.

　　The teaching set-up filled me with fear. I should have to divide the class into three groups and teach them in turn at three different levels; and I was dismayed at the thought of teaching algebra and geometry-two subjects at which I had been completely incompetent at school. Worse perhaps was the idea of Saturday afternoon cricket; most of my friends would be enjoying leisure at that time.

　　I said shyly, 'What would my salary be?' 'Twelve pounds a week plus lunch.' Before I could protest, he got to his feet. 'Now', he said, 'you'd better meet my wife. She's the one who really runs this school.'

　　This was the last straw. I was very young: the prospect of working under a woman constituted the ultimate indignity.

　　NEW WORDS

　　apply

　　vi. write to ask for (a job, membership. etc.), esp. officially 申請

　　application

　　interview

　　n. 面試;接見;會見

　　advertise

　　vt. make know to people by printing a notice in a newspaper, etc. or by broadcasting on television, ets. 為...做廣告

　　local

　　of, special to, a place or district 當地的;地方性的

　　post

　　n. job or position 職位

　　suburb

　　n. outer area of a town or city, where people live 郊區

　　slim

　　a. small, slight; slender 微小的;苗條的

　　depress

　　vt. make sad 使沮喪

　　depression

　　brick

　　n. 磚

　　gravel

　　n. 礫石

　　evergreen

　　a. with green leaves throughout the year 常綠的

　　shrub

　　n. low bush with several woody stems 灌木

　　fume

　　n. strong-smelling smoke, gas or vapour 濃烈難聞的煙,氣,汽

　　headmaster

　　n. (中,小學的)校長

　　sandy-coloured

　　a. yellowish-red 沙色的,黃中帶紅的

　　moustache

　　n. hair growing on the upper lip 小胡子

　　disapproval

　　n. unfavorable opinion or feeling; dislike 不贊成;不滿

　　colonel

　　n. 上校

　　private

　　n. soldier of the lowest rank 列兵;士兵

　　bootlace

　　n. shoelace for a high shoe or boot 靴帶

　　undo

　　vt. untie, unfasten 解開;松開

　　interj. (a cry of surprise, pity, pain, joy, dislike, etc.) 啊

　　grunt

　　vt. 咕噥著說出

　　unpleasantly

　　ad. 令人不愉快地

　　stale

　　a. not fresh 不新鮮的

　　cabbage

　　n. 卷心菜

　　crumb

　　n. very small, broken piece of bread or cake 面包屑;糕餅屑

　　carpet

　　n. heavy woven material fir covering floors or stairs 地毯

　　certificate

　　n. 證(明)書

　　bloodshot

　　a. (眼睛)充血的

　　vital

　　a. very necessary; of the greatest importance 必不可少的,極其重要的

　　mumble

　　vt. speak (words) unclearly 含糊地說

　　attach

　　vt. give (to); fasten (to) 把...給予;系,貼

　　importance

　　n. the quality of being important

　　obviously

　　ad. it can be easily seen; plainly 明顯地，顯然

　　obvious

　　consist (of)

　　vi. be made up (of) 組成，構成

　　range

　　vi. vary between certain limits (在一定的范圍內)變動

　　cricket

　　n. 板球

　　set-up

　　n. arrangement

　　dismay

　　vt. make discouraged or afraid 使灰心，使害怕

　　algebra

　　n. 代數學

　　geometry

　　n. 幾何學

　　incompetent

　　a. completely unskillful; not good enough at doing a job, etc. 無能力的;不勝任的

　　competent

　　a. opposite of incompetent

　　leisure

　　n. free time; time which one can spend as one likes 閑暇;悠閑

　　salary

　　n. fixed (usually monthly) pay for regular work 薪水

　　plus

　　prep. with the addition of 加(上)

　　protest

　　vi. express a strong objection 抗議;反對

　　straw

　　n. 稻草;麥桿

　　prospect

　　vi. sth. expected or considered probable; possibility 期望中的事;展望;前景

　　constitute

　　vt. form; make up; be 組成，構成

　　ultimate

　　a. greatest; utmost; last or final 最大的;終極的，最終的

　　indignity

　　n. injury to one's dignity; insult 侮辱

　　PHRASES & EXPRESSIONS

　　be short of

　　not having enough of 缺少

　　smell of

　　have, give out the smell of 有...的氣味

　　judging by

　　forming an opinion based on

　　attach importance to

　　consider important 重視

　　in common

　　shared with someone else 共有的,共同的

　　consist of

　　be made up of

　　in turn

　　one after another 輪流

　　PROPER NAMES

　　London

　　倫敦(英國首都)

　　Croydon

　　克洛伊登(英國地名)

　　Unit Five：The Professor and the Yo-Yo

　　TEXT

　　Seen through the eyes of a young friend Einstein was a simple, modest and ordinary man.

　　The professor and the Yo-yo

　　My father was a close friend of Albert Einstein. As a shy young visitor to Einstein's home, I was made to feel at ease when Einstein said, "I have something to show you." He went to his desk and returned with a Yo-Yo. He tried to show me how it worked but he couldn't make it roll back up the string. When my turn came, I displayed my few tricks and pointed out to him that the incorrectly looped string had thrown the toy off balance. Einstein nodded, properly impressed by my skill and knowledge. Later, I bought a new Yo-Yo and mailed it to the Professor as a Christmas present, and received a poem of thanks.

　　As boy and then as an adult, I never lost my wonder at the personality that was Einstein. He was the only person I knew who had come to terms with himself and the world around him. He knew what he wanted and he wanted only this: to understand within his limits as a human being the nature of the universe and the logic and simplicity in its functioning. He knew there were answers beyond his intellectual reach. But this did not frustrate him. He was content to go as far as he could.

　　In the 23 years of our friendship, I never saw him show jealousy, vanity, bitterness, anger, resentment, or personal ambition. He seemed immune to these emotions. He was beyond any pretension. Although he corresponded with many of the world's most important people, his stationery carried only a watermark - W - for Woolworth's.

　　To do his work he needed only a pencil only a pencil and a pad of paper. Material things meant nothing to him. I never knew him to carry money because he never had any use for it. He believed in simplicity, so much so that he used only a safety razor and water to shave. When I suggested that he try shaving cream, he said, "The razor and water do the job."

　　"But Professor, why don't you try the cream just once?" I argued. "It makes shaving smoother and less painful."

　　He shrugged. Finally, I presented him with a tube of shaving cream. The next morning when he came down to breakfast, he was beaming with the pleasure of a new, great discovery. "You know, that cream really works," he announced. "It doesn't pull the beard. It feels wonderful." Thereafter, he used the shaving cream every morning until the tube was empty. Then he reverted to using plain water.

　　Einstein was purely and exclusively a theorist. He didn't have the slightest interest in the practical application of his ideas and theories. His E=mc2 is probably the most famous equation in history - yet Einstein wouldn't walk down the street to see a reactor create atomic energy. He won the Nobel Prize for his Photoelectric Theory, a series of equations that he considered relatively minor in importance, but he didn't have any curiosity in observing how his theory made TV possible.

　　My brother once gave the Professor a toy, a bird that balanced on the edge of a bowl of water and repeatedly dunked its head in the water. Einstein watched it in delight, trying to deduce the operating principle. But be couldn't.

　　The next morning he announced, "I had thought about that bird for a long time before I went to bed and it must work this way…" He began a ling explanation. Then he stopped, realizing a flaw in his reasoning. "No, I guess that's not it," he said. He pursued various theories for several days until I suggested we take the toy apart to see how it did work. His quick expression of disapproval told me he did not agree with this practical approach. He never did work out the solution.

　　Another puzzle that Einstein could never understand was his own fame. He had developed theories that were profound and capable of exciting relatively few scientists. Yet his name was a household word across the civilized world. "I've had good ideas, and so have other men," he once said. "But it's been my good fortune that my ideas have been accepted." He was bewildered by his fame: people wanted to meet him; strangers stared at him on the street; scientists, statesmen, students, and housewives wrote him letters. He never could understand why he received this attention, why he was singled out as something special.

　　NEW WORDS

　　modest

　　a. having or expressing a not too high opinion of one's merits, abilities, etc. 謙虛的

　　yo-yo

　　n. 游游(一種用線扯動使用權忽上忽來的輪形玩具)

　　ease

　　n. freedom from work, discomfort, trouble, difficulty, worry, etc. 悠閑;舒適;自在;安心

　　display

　　n. show 展示

　　loop

　　vt. 把(繩等)打成環

　　n. 圈;環

　　strong

　　n. 細繩;線;弦

　　balance

　　n. condition of being steady 平衡

　　v. keep in a state of balance

　　properly

　　ad. really; completely 非常;完全地

　　impress

　　vt. have a strong effect on the mind or feelings of 給...深刻的印象

　　mail

　　vt. send by post

　　poem

　　n. piece of writing in verse 詩

　　personality

　　n. character 個性

　　logic

　　n. the science or method of reasoning 邏輯(學);推理(法)

　　simplicity

　　n. the state of being simple; an absence of pretense 簡單;簡樸;單純

　　function

　　vi. work

　　intellectual

　　a. 智力的

　　frustrate

　　n. cause to have feeling of annoyed disappointment; defeat 使沮喪;挫敗

　　frustration

　　jealousy

　　n. envy 妒忌

　　jealous

　　vanity

　　n. state of being too proud of oneself or one's looks, abilities, etc. 虛榮心

　　bitterness

　　n. the quality or state of being bitter 苦;痛苦

　　resentment

　　n. feeling that one has when insulted, ignored, injured, etc. 怨恨

　　ambition

　　n. strong desire for success, power, riches, etc. 野心,抱負

　　ambitious

　　immune

　　a. 有免疫力的;不受影響的

　　immunity

　　emotion

　　n. strong feeling

　　pretension

　　n. 矯飾,做作,不受影響

　　correspond

　　vi. exchange letter regularly 通信

　　stationery

　　n. paper for writing letters, usu. with matching envelopes; writing materials 信箋;文具

　　watermark

　　n. mark made on paper by the maker, seen when it is held against light 水印

　　pad

　　n. a number of sheets of writing paper fixed along one edge 便箋簿

　　razor

　　n. sharp instrument for taking hair off the body 剃刀

　　shave

　　vt. cut off (hair or beard) with a razor

　　cream

　　n. any thick, soft liquid 膏狀物

　　argue

　　vt. give reasons for or against (sth.) 爭辨

　　painful

　　a. causing pain

　　shrug

　　vi. lift (the shoulders) slightly (to show in difference, doubt, etc.) 聳肩

　　finally

　　ad. at last; lastly 最終;最后

　　present

　　vt. give; offer 贈送;提供

　　tube

　　n. 管;軟管

　　beam

　　vi. look or smile happily and cheerfully 面露喜色;高興地微笑

　　beard

　　n. hair of the lower part of the face (excluding the moustache) 胡須

　　thereafter

　　ad. after that; afterwards

　　revert

　　vi return (to a former state, condition, etc.) 回復,回返

　　exclusively

　　ad. only; completely

　　exclusive

　　a. person who forms theories 理論家

　　theorist

　　n. 方程式

　　equation

　　n. small in degree, not considerable or serious 微小的,輕微的

　　application

　　n. using 應用

　　theory

　　n. (explanation of the) general principles of an art or science 理論

　　theoretical

　　reactor

　　n. 反應堆

　　atomic

　　a. of or concerning an atom or atoms 原子的

　　atom

　　photoelectric

　　a. 光電的

　　series

　　n. group of things of the same kind that come one after another 系列;套,組

　　relatively

　　ad. comparatively 相對地;比較地

　　relative

　　relativity

　　curiosity

　　n. the desire to know or learn 好奇心

　　observe

　　v. see and again

　　repeatedly

　　ad. again and again

　　dunk

　　vt. put under water for a limited time 把...浸一浸

　　deduce

　　vt. reach a conclusion by reasoning 演繹,推斷

　　deduction

　　principle

　　n. 原理;原則

　　flaw

　　n. fault 缺點,瑕疵

　　reasoning

　　n. process of reaching conclusions by using one's reason 推理

　　pursue

　　vt. work at, be busy with, go on with 從事;忙于;繼續

　　apart

　　ad. separate(ly) 分離,分開

　　approach

　　n. method of doing sth. 方式,方法

　　solution

　　n. sth. that one cannot understand or explain 謎

　　fame

　　n. (condition of) being famous

　　profound

　　a. needing much thought or study to understand; deep 深奧的;深刻的

　　capable

　　a. able

　　capability

　　household

　　n. all the people living in a house

　　a. familiar and common

　　household word

　　n. word or name known and spoken of by almost everyone 家喻戶曉的詞或名字

　　civilized

　　a. 文明的

　　civilize

　　vt.

　　civilization

　　fortune

　　n. luck

　　bewilder

　　vt. confuse; puzzle 把...弄糊涂;使迷惑

　　statesman

　　n. political or government leader, esp. one who is wise and fair-minded 政治家

　　housewife

　　n. married woman who manages a household

　　PHRASES & EXPRESSIONS

　　at ease

　　free from worry or nervousness; comfortable

　　off balance

　　not in balance; unsteady 失去平衡的

　　come to terms with

　　accept (sth. one does not want to accept) and deal with it in the best way one can 與...達成協議;與...妥協

　　as far as

　　to the degree that 到...程度

　　mean nothing to

　　be of no importance to

　　believe in

　　have confidence in the value of

　　so much so that

　　to such an extent that

　　a series of

　　a number of (thing or events) of the same kind that follow each other 一系列,一連串

　　take apart

　　separate (a small machine, clock, etc.) into pieces 拆開

　　work out

　　solve, find the answer to 解決;算出;想出

　　capable of

　　having the ability, power or inclination (to do)

　　single out

　　choose from a group for special treatment 選出,挑出

　　PROPER NAMES

　　Thomas Lee Bucky

　　托馬斯.李.巴基

　　Joseph Blank

　　約瑟夫.布蘭克

　　Albert Einstein

　　阿伯特.愛因斯坦

　　Woolworth

　　伍爾沃叫(姓氏)

　　Nobel Prize

　　諾貝爾獎金

　　Unit Six：The Making of a Surgeon

　　A famous surgeon tells about the importance of self-confidence from his own experience.

　　The Making of a Surgeon

　　How does a doctor recognize the point in time when he is finally a "surgeon"? As my year as chief resident drew to a close I asked myself this question on more than one occasion.

　　The answer, I concluded, was self-confidence. When you can say to yourself, "There is no surgical patient I cannot treat competently, treat just as well as or better than any other surgeon" - then, and not until then, you are indeed a surgeon. I was nearing that point.

　　Take, for example, the emergency situations that we encountered almost every night. The first few months of the year I had dreaded the ringing of the telephone. I knew it meant another critical decision to be made. Often, after I had told Walt or Larry what to do in a particular situation, I'd have trouble getting back to sleep. I'd review all the facts of the case and, not infrequently, wonder if I hadn't made a poor decision. More than once at two or three in the morning, after lying awake for an hour, I'd get out of bed, dress and drive to the hospital to see the patient myself. It was the only way I could find the peace of mind I needed to relax.

　　Now, in the last month of my residency, sleeping was no longer a problem. There were still situations in which I couldn't be certain my decision had been the right one, but I had learned to accept this as a constant problem for a surgeon, one that could never be completely resolved - and I could live with it. So, once I had made a considered decision, I no longer dwelt on it. Reviewing it wasn't going to help and I knew that with my knowledge and experience, any decision I'd made was bound to be a sound one. It was a nice feeling.

　　In the operating room I was equally confident. I knew I had the knowledge, the skill, the experience to handle any surgical situation I'd ever encounter in practice. There were no more butterflies in my stomach when I opened up an abdomen or a chest. I knew that even if the case was one in which it was impossible to anticipate the problem in advance, I could handle whatever l found. I'd sweated through my share of stab wounds of the belly, of punctured lungs, of compound fractures. I had sweated over them for five years. I didn't need to sweat any more.

　　Nor was I afraid of making mistakes. I knew that when I was out in practice I would inevitably err at one time or another and operate on someone who didn't need surgery or sit on someone who did. Five years earlier - even one year earlier - I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I had had to take sole responsibility for a mistake in judgment. Now I could. I still dreaded errors - would do my best to avoid them -- but I knew they were part of a surgeon's life. I could accept this fact with calmness because I knew that if I wasn't able to avoid a mistake, chances were that no other surgeon could have, either.

　　This all sounds conceited and I guess it is - but a surgeon needs conceit. He needs it to encourage him in trying moments when he's bothered by the doubts and uncertainties that are part of the practice of medicine. He has to feel that he's as good as and probably better than any other surgeon in the world. Call it conceit - call it self-confidence; whatever it was, I had it.

　　NEW WORDS

　　surgeon

　　n. doctor who performs operations 外科醫生

　　self-confidence

　　n. 自信心

　　making

　　n. means of gaining success 成功之道

　　resident

　　n. 住院醫生

　　conclude

　　vt. arrive at a belief or opinion by reasoning 得出結論

　　surgical

　　a. of, by, or for surgery 外科的;手術的

　　competently

　　ad. with the necessary skill 稱職地;勝任地

　　competent

　　near

　　vt. approach; come closer to

　　emergency

　　n. sudden and dangerous happening needing immediate action 緊急情況;急癥

　　encounter

　　vt. be faced with (difficulties, danger, etc.); meet unexpectedly 遭到;意外地遇見

　　dread

　　vt. fear greatly 畏懼

　　critical

　　a. important at a time of danger and difficulty 緊要的;關鍵性的

　　particular

　　a. belonging to some one person, thing, or occasion 特定的

　　case

　　n. instance of disease or injury 病例

　　infrequently

　　ad. seldom; not often

　　relax

　　vi. become less tense 放松

　　relaxation

　　residency

　　n. the last stage of a doctor's training at a hospital 高級專科住院實習(期)

　　constant

　　a. happening all the time; unchanging 不斷的;始終如一的

　　resolve

　　vt. solve 解決

　　resolution

　　considered

　　a. carefully thought out 經過深思熟慮的

　　dwell

　　vi. live (in a place) 居住

　　bound

　　a. very likely; certain 一定的，必然的

　　sound

　　a. correct; based on good judgment 正確的，合理的

　　confident

　　a. sure of oneself and one's abilities 自然的

　　confidence

　　handle

　　vt. manage, deal with 處理

　　butterfly

　　n. 蝴蝶

　　abdomen

　　n. belly 腹(部)

　　anticipate

　　vt. see beforehand 預期

　　anticipation

　　sweat

　　n. 汗

　　vi. 流汗

　　stab

　　n. thrust made with a pointed weapon 刺;戳

　　belly

　　n. 肚，腹部

　　puncture

　　vt. make a small hole in (sth.) with sth. pointed 刺穿

　　compound

　　a. having more than one part 復合的

　　fracture

　　n. break in a bone 骨折

　　compound

　　n. 復合性骨折

　　inevitably

　　ad. unavoidably 不可避免地

　　inevitable

　　err

　　vi. make mistakes; do wrong

　　operate

　　vi. perform a surgical operation 動手術

　　surgery

　　n. 外科;外科手術

　　sole

　　a. unshared; one and only 唯一的

　　responsibility

　　n. 責任;責任心

　　avoid

　　vt. escape; keep or get away from 避免

　　conceited

　　a. having too high an opinion of oneself 自負的

　　conceit

　　n. too high an opinion of oneself

　　trying

　　a. hard to endure or bear; very difficult 難受的;惱人的

　　bother

　　vt. annoy, trouble 煩擾，麻煩

　　uncertainty

　　n. uncertain condition; doubt

　　PHRASES & EXPRESSIONS

　　draw to a close

　　come to an end 結束

　　live with

　　learn to accept (sth. unpleasant); tolerate 學會;適應;容忍

　　dwell on

　　think, write, or speak a lot about 老是想著;詳述;強調

　　(be) bound to (do)

　　(be) certain to (do) 一定..., 必然...

　　in practice

　　(醫師,律師等) 在開業中;在實踐中

　　butterflies in the stomach

　　feelings of nervousness 忐忑不安

　　open up

　　cut open 切開,給...開刀

　　in advance

　　ahead of time 預先,事前

　　at one time or another

　　sometime or other 早晚

　　sit on

　　delay taking action on; do nothing about 拖延;擱置

　　PROPER NAMES

　　Nolen

　　諾蘭(姓氏)

　　Walt

　　沃爾特(男子名 Walter 的昵稱)

　　Larry

　　拉里(男子 Lawrence 的昵稱)

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