英语自考本科高级英语笔记-上册-Lesson_One

Lesson One Rock Superstars: What Do They Tell us About Ourselves and Our Society? Words and Expressions

Test Explanation

1By a man's heroes ye shall know him.

You'll find out what kind of a person someone is if you know who his or her heroes are.

2… the Chicago Amphitheater was packed, sweltering, rocking.

The Amphitheater was crowded with listeners, which made the place oppressively hot. It was rocking because the music was played loud and the listeners were rocking to the music.

3onstage

This is an adverb meaning on the stage. In this kind of open-air performances, the stage is a raised platform installed somewhere in the middle of the open place.

4critic Don Heckman

Popular usage in news. Other samples are: fan Chris Singer and sociologist Irving Horowitz

5Jagger, … grabs a half-gallon jug … sprinkling its contents over … sweltering listeners.

sprinkling是现在分词做状语，表示伴随发生的动作，所表示的必须是主语的一个动作或状态。

"its contents" refers to the contents of the jug, same as "water".

"sweltering listeners" means listeners who are sweating because of too much heat.

6They surge to follow him, eager to be touched by a few baptismal drops.

"baptismal drops" means "baptismal water drops".

7Some 14,000 screaming fans were crunching up to the front…

About 14,000 screaming fans were crowding up noisily to the front

8Alice Cooper, America's singing ghoul

A singing ghoul here means a singer who has the habit of making some horrible acts.

9Inside the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, Bob Dylan and The Band were tuning up for a concert.

"Tuning up for the concert" means "adjusting their musical instruments to the same pitch so as to perform in the concert".

10high priest

A chief priest in charge of special acts of religion.

11Do you reject Alice Copper as sick?

Do you refuse to accept Alice Copper because you think his performance is disgusting?

12… because he acts out your wildest fantasies?

… because he expresses by actions your wildest fantasies?

13These aren't idle questions.

These are not worthless questions asked casually.

14Music expresses its times.

Music reflects the characteristics of the times in which it is composed.

15Todd Rundgren, the composer and singer

Todd Rundgren, both a composer and a singer

16Rock music … is really a sociological expression…

Rock music expresses the likes and dislikes of a particular group of people about their society.

17between Elvis and Alice

from Elvis to Alice

18Boy Dylan touched a nerve of disaffection.

This metaphor means that Bob Dylan's songs express what people were most dissatisfied with and what they would respond to impulsively.

19civil rights

The rights of a citizen, especially those guaranteed by the Constitution, regardless of race, color or sex.

20nuclear fallout

The disastrous radio-active particles produced by a nuclear explosion, which spread in the air and finally fall down on the earth

21… do you, Mr. Jones?

Jones is a common name, used to refer to any man. To keep up with the Joneses, for instance, means to keep up with your friends and neighbors in possession of things.

22The Beatles showed there was a range of emotions between love and hate.

The Beatles sang of subtle feelings, not just the two extreme feelings of love and hate.

23… mixing the more traditional ideas…into the more radical "city" ideas of the hard rock.

The Band put the elements of country and western music into the form of hard rock.

24Who never conceived of us billion-dollar babies.

Who never thought we young rock singers could earn over a billion dollars.baby means a loved person.

25Where it is, where it was, where it is heading?

What is our society like today, what was it like in the past, and what will it be like in the future.

26gasped a girl dressed in black

dress in black是过去分词做定语，可以变为定语从句who was dressed in black.

27They think he is sick, sick, sick.

They think his performance is disgusting.

28How can you stand that stuff?

Stand: bear, tolerate

29Or are you drawn somehow to this strange clown, …

draw : attract吸引；somehow是副词，表示“不知是什么原因，不知怎么地”

30It's just that Elvis managed to embody…

manage to means succeed in dealing with a difficult action

31Rock musci is really a sociological expression rather than a musical force.

rather than means more, in a greater degree

32Newpapers editorialized against him.

Newspapers carry the editors' articles attacking him.

33The rock musicians mirror feelings and beliefs.

The rock musicians reflect feelings and outlooks.Here outlooks means point of views

34What do we give them in return?

in return mean in exchange, in payment for

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