Active reading (1)
Catching crabs Language points
1 „ and we all started to get our heads down „ (Para 1)
To get one’s head down means to concentrate and focus on studying. In other British informal contexts,
it can mean to sleep. Note also, to keep one’s head down means to continue to do something quietly,
especially when there is trouble happening around you.
Unit 1 Discovering yourself
2 Most important of course were the final exams in April and May in the following year. (Para 1)
This is a conversational elliptical sentence. A standard way of saying this is: The most important things, of course, were the final exams in April and May in the following year. 3 No one wanted the humiliation of finishing last in class, so the peer group pressure to work hard was strong. (Para 1)
Peer group pressure is the pressure to conform that people, especially children and young
people, often
feel from the immediate group of those around them who are of the same age or status.
4 Libraries ... were standing room only until the early hours of the morning, and guys wore the bags
under their eyes and their pale, sleepy faces with pride, like medals proving their diligence. (Para 1)
The expression standing room only means there are no more seats available because the place
is crowded.
This expression is often used in public performances, for sports events and on public transport to mean
that you have to stand because the place is packed with people.
Bags under their eyes refer to loose dark areas of skin that you get when you have not had
enough sleep.
The expression guys wore the bags under their eyes with pride means that the students were proud that
their tired appearance showed how hard they had been studying, and the bags under their eyes were like medals.
5 It wasn’t always the high flyers with the top grades who knew what they were going to do. (Para 2)
A high flyer refers to someone who has achieved a lot and has the ability and determination to continue to
be successful in their studies or job. In university, a high flyer is a top student.
6 Quite often it was the quieter, less impressive students who had the next stages of their life mapped out. (Para 2)
To have something mapped out means to have something that will happen planned in detail. 7 One had landed a job in his brother’s advertising firm in Madison Avenue, another had got a script
under provisional acceptance in Hollywood. (Para 2) To land a job means to get a job that you wanted.
Provisional acceptance refers to an acceptance which is arranged (in principle), but is not yet
definite. It
is temporary and could be changed.
8 The most ambitious student among us was going to work as a party activist at a local level. (Para 2)
A party activist is someone who takes part in activities that are intended to achieve political change,
someone who is a member of a political organization.
9 We all saw him ending up in the Senate or in Congress one day. (Para 2) To end up somewhere means to be in a particular place or state after doing something or because of it.
Here, a party activist might end up in Congress, as a result of making career progress.
10 But most people were either looking to continue their studies „ and then settle down with a family,
a mortgage and some hope of promotion. (Para 2)
To look to continue their studies here means to hope or expect to continue their studies – whether they
can do so would probably depend on their exam results and grades. You can also look to someone for help, advice or support. Discovering yourself Unit 1
A mortgage is a legal agreement in which you borrow money from a bank or financial organization in
order to buy a house. You pay back your mortgage by making monthly payments, plus interest. Thus,
getting a mortgage for many young people means getting a flat or house of their own.
11 I braced myself for some resistance to the idea. (Para 10)
A brace is a piece of wood or metal which supports an object so that it does not fall down. So to brace oneself means to hold oneself together in readiness for something difficult or unpleasant.
12 You don’t need to go into a career which pays well just at the moment. (Para 16)
To go into a career means to start working in a particular job, business or career.
13 Several times the crab tried to defy his fellow captives, without luck. (Para 25)
The crab tried to defy the others as it resisted others or refused to obey them when it tried to escape.
The expression without luck means without success, being unable to do what you want.
Reading and understanding
3 Choose the best summary of what happened in the crab cage.
3 The cage was full of crabs. One of them was trying to escape, but each time it reached the top the other
crabs pulled it back. In the end it gave up trying and started to prevent other crabs from escaping.
4 Choose the best answer to the questions. 1 What happened to the students in the fall of the final year? (a) They became more relaxed. (b) They became more serious. (c) They spent more time outside. (d) They stopped going to lessons.
2 Why did some people have bags under their eyes in the morning? (a) They’d been to an all-night party. (b) They’d started worrying about their future. (c) They’d spent all night in the library. (d) They wanted to impress their teachers. 3 Which students had already planned their future? (a) The ones who had the best grades. (b) The ones who came from wealthy families. (c) The quieter ones who didn’t have the best grades. (d) The ones who wanted to get married and start a family. 4 Why did the writer go home? (a) He wanted to speak to his father.
(b) He could study better at home than at college. (c) He had to attend a job interview. (d) It was a national holiday.
Unit 1 Discovering yourself
5 Why did his father take him out to catch crabs? (a) They needed to get something to eat for dinner. (b) He wanted to show him how to catch crabs. (c) He wanted to tell him something about life. (d) They both wanted to enjoy the coastline and the sea. 6 What advice did his father give him? (a) Get to know yourself better.
(b) Watch what others do carefully. (c) Always listen to your father. (d) You can’t always do what you want.
Dealing with unfamiliar words
5 Match the words in the box with their definitions. 1 achieving good results (productive)
2 the fact of being present at an event, or of going regularly to school, church etc (attendance) 3 the refusal to accept something new, such as a plan, idea, or change (resistance) 4 determined to be successful, rich, famous etc (ambitious) 5 agreement to a plan, offer, or suggestion (acceptance)
6 the written words of a play, film, television programme, speech etc (script) 7 very good, large, or showing great skill (impressive)
6 Complete the paragraph with the correct form of the words in Activity 5. To be a successful film scriptwriter takes more than training although (1) attendance on a screenwriting
course will definitely help you learn the skills. You also need to be very (2) ambitious – the film business
is very competitive. You have to be prepared to work hard and be very (3) productive because it takes
more than just one good idea to make it big. No matter how (4) impressive your idea is, there will always be (5) resistance from producers because it’s too expensive. So make sure you have plenty of
others to show them. What are you waiting for? Get on with writing that brilliant (6) script and
plan your
(7) acceptance speech for when you win your first Oscar!
7 Replace the underlined words with the correct form of the words in the box. 1 We’ve seen a place we like and we’re applying for a loan to buy a house. (mortgage) 2 We stood on the top floor of the boat and watched the coast disappear into the horizon. (deck) 3 I love to walk along the beach and watch the waves breaking, and the white water hitting the shore. (surf)
4 In seaside areas in the north-east of the country, life is hard and fishermen have to go against the forces
of nature every time they go to work. (coastal; defy)
5 Agreement was finally reached after a long and heated discussion. (lengthy) 8 Answer the questions about the words and expressions.
1 If you watch an impromptu performance of something, has it (a) been prepared, or (b) not been prepared?
2 When you map out your future, do you (a) plan it carefully, or (b) draw a sketch of it on paper?
Discovering yourself Unit 1
3 If you brace yourself for something unpleasant, do you (a) try not to think about it, or (b) prepare
yourself for it mentally and physically?
4 Do you moor a boat by (a) turning the steering wheel, or (b) tying it to a post with a rope? 5 Is a rusty piece of metal something that (a) is bright and shiny, or (b) might have been left out in the rain
and is covered with brown substance?
6 If a bowl is brimming with soup, is it (a) very full, or (b) half empty?
7 If someone is being held captive, are they (a) free to do as they please, or (b) being kept as a prisoner?
8 If you have figured out something, have you (a) added numbers together, or (b) understood it?
Active reading (2)
2 Work in pairs. Look at the title of the passage and choose the best way to complete the sentences. 1 The passage will be (c) .
(a) a newspaper article about life expectancy (b) a sad story about death
(c) advice about how to make the most of your life (d) a warning that modern lifestyles are bad for health
Unit 1 Discovering yourself 12
2 The passage is likely to be (d) . (a) serious (b) funny (c) depressing
(d) a mixture of all three 3 The passage is likely to say (b) .
(a) young people don’t think enough about death (b) life is short
(c) people are dying unnecessarily
(d) people don’t enjoy life enough
We are all dying Background information
The passage is taken from Everything That Happens to Me Is Good, a book of thoughts, experiences and
insights from the life of Geoff Thompson. The writer worked in many different jobs, including nine years
as a “bouncer” in a nightclub in London (a bouncer has the tough job of making sure that no one causes
trouble, eg if they are rude, drunk or violent). He then trained full-time in karate, judo and other martial arts
and became well-known as a martial arts instructor. He lived out his dream to become a writer, authoring
over 30 books on self-defence and self-improvement and has recently been making films and writing for the
screen. Asked what he had learnt from his years in martial arts, he said, “The main thing I’ve learned is that
wherever there is discomfort there is growth, but what people do is to look for growth in areas of comfort –
and there’s no growth in comfort. So look for areas of growth that are uncomfortable but allow you to grow,
and learn to become comfortable in those areas.”
Language points
1 I have some good news and some bad news for you (as the joke goes). The bad news – and I’m very
sorry to be the bearer – is that we are all dying. It’s true. I’ve checked it out. (Para 1)
Good news and bad news are often paired together in jokes and in comments on new
information or recent
events where there is a mixture of positive and negative aspects, eg The good news is „ But the bad news is „ To check something out means to examine something or someone in order to be certain that everything is
correct, true, satisfactory or acceptable. Check this out! is an attention-getting exclamation which means
here’s something interesting to have a look at.
2 „ we are all going to be either coffin dwellers or trampled ash in the rose garden of some local cemetery. (Para 1)
Coffin is a long box in which a dead person is buried. The expression coffin dweller is a
humorous way to refer to dead people.
The expression trampled ash in the rose garden of some local cemetery refers jokingly to the ashes of a
dead person placed in a cemetery garden where people walk on the buried ashes.
Discovering yourself Unit 1 13
3 After all, we never quite know when the hooded, scythe-carrying,
bringer-of-the-last-breath might come-a-calling. (Para 1)
The expression the hooded, scythe-carrying, bringer-of-the-last breath refers to
the reaper, a person who
reaps or cuts corn for the harvest and is a symbol of death from medieval times of the West. A reaper is
personified as a tall figure dressed in a black cloak with a hood covering his face and carrying a scythe,
a cutting tool with a long curved metal blade used for cutting, or reaping long grass or corn. The reaper
brings death or brings your last breath. The expression when the reaper arrives means when death comes to you.
4 „ and nothing underlines the uncertainty and absolute frailty of humanity like the untimely exit of a friend. (Para 1)
The word exit here means leaving this world or death. The word untimely means happening at a time that
is not suitable because it causes problems. An untimely death is too soon or when a person is young.
5 Knowing that we are all budding crypt-kickers takes away all the uncertainty of life. (Para 3)
That we are all budding crypt-kickers is a humorous way of saying that we are all potentially soon to be buried, ie dead.
6 The prologue and epilogue are already typed in. All that’s left is the middle bit ... choose the meat of the story. (Para 3)
A prologue is a piece of writing at the start of a book, or the beginning of a play, film or TV programme
that introduces a story. An epilogue is at the end of a novel, play or piece of writing, which carries an extra
comment or extra information about what happens after the main story. Here, the writer’s point is that the
prologue (birth) and epilogue (end, death) of your life are already written, but we all choose to write the middle bit – the meat of the story.
7 So, all those plans that you have on the back burner, you know, the great things you’re going to do
with your life “when the time is right”? (Para 4)
A back burner is literally one of the back parts of a cooker which is used for heating or cooking food.
Metaphorically, if you put something on the back burner, it means you have decided not to do it until
later. It is at the back of the cooker, just simmering or cooking slowly, so you don’t give it priority because
it doesn’t need your full attention. The expression this back-burner stuff (Para 10) thus refers to things
which have low priority and get little attention.
8 There’s only a promissory note that we are often not in a position to cash. (Para 5)
A promissory note is a document giving details of your promise to pay someone a particular amount of
money by a particular date. The writer means that tomorrow, or the future, is like a promissory note for
which you never get the cash, because the future never comes unless you act now and use time wisely, as
if tomorrow is today.
9 „ but regret and a rear-view mirror full of “could haves”, “should haves” and “would haves”. (Para 5)
A rear-view mirror is a mirror fixed to the front window of a car that lets the driver see what is happening
behind. Here, the mirror refers to the past, which is behind us. We don’t want such a mirror full of regrets
about things we could / should / would have done, but did not do.
Unit 1 Discovering yourself 14
10 I love watching people ingeniously stack the cucumber around the side of the bowl – like they’re
filling a skip – and then cramming it so high that they have to hire a forklift truck to get it back to
the table „ They just know that they only have one shot at it. (Para 6) A skip is a large metal container used in the building industry for waste; it is carried away by a truck when it is full.
A forklift truck is a vehicle that uses two long metal bars at the front for lifting and moving heavy objects.
The writer is using the images of a skip and a truck to emphasize how people use the opportunity to serve
themselves, because they only have one shot – they only have one chance or attempt, they can’t return for
more salad in this type of buffet, so they make the most of this opportunity.
11 So what I’m thinking is (and this is not molecular science) „ (Para 10) It means this is not specialized knowledge. It’s not rocket science; it’s simple and straightforward.
12 The right time is the cheque that’s permanently in the post, it never arrives. (Para 10)
That the cheque is in the post means money has been sent, its on its way. This is often said as an excuse
for late payment, so if the cheque’s permanently in the post, it means the money never comes.
13 It’s the girl who keeps us standing at the corner of the Co-op looking like a spanner „ She’s stood us up. (Para 10)
The expression looking like a spanner on the street corner means he looks awkward and out of place,
waiting for a girl who is late and never arrives.
To stand someone up means not to come to meet them when you have arranged to meet them, especially
someone with whom you are having or starting a romantic relationship. The word us is an informal and
personal way to include others who will recognize that this is a typical experience.
14 Act now or your time will elapse and you’ll end up as a sepia-coloured relative that no one can put
a name to in a dusty photo album. (Para 13)
The expression you’ll end up as a sepia-coloured relative means that in the end you will be only an
old half-forgotten photograph in a photo album. I can’t put a name to someone is said when you halfrecognize
a person but you can’t quite remember his name.
15 Better to leave a biography as thick as a whale omelette than an epitaph. (Para 14)
An omelette is flat round food made by mixing eggs together and cooking them. The expression as thick as a whale means extremely thick. The writer means it is better to leave a very large biography
than an
epitaph, or, in other words, live a full life which is worth writing about.
Reading and understanding
3 Choose the best summary of the passage.
3 Life is short. So there’s no point in planning for a future which may never come. Now is the time to do
what we want to do. There’s no time to lose.
Dealing with unfamiliar words
4 Match the words in the box with their definitions. 1 involving three things of the same kind (triple)
2 an area of ground where dead people are buried (cemetery)
Discovering yourself Unit 1 15
3 the part of a place or thing that is at the back (rear)
4 a book that someone writes about someone else’s life (biography) 5 to put people or things into a space that is too small (cram)
6 at the very beginning of a career and likely to be successful at it (budding) 7 continuing only for a limited time or distance (finite) 8 to pass (elapse)
5 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words in Activity 4. 1 About two hours elapsed before we reached the cemetery where the war dead were buried. 2 I sat in the rear seat behind the driver. My three sisters were all crammed in the front. 3 The entrance to the car park was blocked, so the road was full of cars which had been triple-parked one
against another, making it almost impossible to get past.
4 We have a number of budding authors in our class this year, one of whom has written a fascinating
biography of his grandmother.
5 The time we have on this earth may be finite, but there are no limits to the human imagination. 6 Answer the questions about the words.
1 If you substantiate a claim, do you (a) prove it is true, or (b) persuade someone that it is true?
2 If someone tramples over something, do they (a) pour water over it, or (b) walk all over it?
3 If someone’s arrival is untimely, is it (a) at the wrong moment, or (b) late? 4 If events are described chronologically, do they occur (a) in the order in which they happened, or (b) in no particular order?
5 Is ingeniously likely to mean (a) artistically, or (b) cleverly?
6 Is knackered an informal British word meaning (a) very relaxed, or (b) extremely tired? 7 Is patently likely to mean (a) obviously, or (b) usually?
8 When something is allotted to you, is it (a) given to you, or (b) taken from you? 7 Answer the questions about the phrases.
1 If you check something out, do you (a) find out, or (b) not think about it?
2 If you see something from the sidelines, do you (a) take part in the action, or (b) stay away from it?
3 If something is down to you, is it your (a) bad luck, or (b) responsibility?
4 If you have something on the back burner, (a) will you look at it later, or (b) are you interested in it now?
5 If you are in a position to do something, are you (a) able, or (b) unable to do it? 6 If time is ticking away, does it seem (a) as if it will last forever, or (b) to be passing quickly? 7 If you can have one shot at something, (a) are you allowed to shoot it, or (b) do you have only one chance to do it?
8 If you make the best of something, do you (a) enjoy it while you can, or (b) work hard to make it a
success?
9 If a girl stands you up, does she (a) fail to turn up for a date, or (b) refuse to sit down when you ask her to?
Language in use
word formation: compound words
1 Find more examples of each use of hyphens in the passage We are all dying . • I’ve double- and triple-checked it. (compound verb) • budding crypt-kickers (compound noun) • a rear-view mirror (compound adjective)
• the once-a-year holiday to Florida or Spain (compound adjective) • back-burner stuff (compound adjective)
• standing at the corner of the Co-op (compound noun)
• a sepia-coloured relative that no one can put a name to (compound adjective) 2 Rewrite the phrases using compound adjectives. 1 a party which is held late at night (a late-night party) 2 a library which is well stocked (a well-stocked library) 3 a professor who is world famous (a world-famous professor) 4 some advice which is well timed (some well-timed advice)
5 a population which is growing rapidly (a rapidly-growing population) 6 an economy which is based on free market (a free-market economy) 7 a boat trip which lasts for half an hour (a half-hour boat trip)
It’s what / how … that …
3 Rewrite the sentences using It’s what / how … that … 1 What other people think of us is determined by how we behave. It’s how we behave that determines what other people think of us.
Unit 1 Discovering yourself 20
2 What sort of job we are going to end up doing is usually determined by our character. It’s what our character is that usually determines what sort of job we are going to end up doing. 3 What we do as a career isn’t always determined by the marks we get at university. It isn’t always what marks we get at university that determine what we do as a career. 4 How we react to life’s problems is often determined by our childhood experiences. It is often what we experienced in our childhood that determines how we react to life’s problems.
5 When we die is determined by our genetic clock, and the changes we make to it. It’s what our genetic clock is and what changes we make to it that determine when we die.
It is / was not just that … but …
4 Rewrite the sentences using It is / was not just that … but …
1 Not only were the shops all closed for Thanksgiving, there was also no one in the streets. It wasn’t just that the shops were all closed for Thanksgiving, but there was no one in the streets.
2 Not only did she spend all her time at college going to parties, she also took the time to gain a first-class degree.
It wasn’t just that she spent all her time at college going to parties, but she took the time to gain
a firstclass degree.
3 Not only were they not listening to what he said, it also seemed as if they weren’t at all interested.
It wasn’t just that they weren’t listening to what he said, but it seemed as if they weren’t at all interested.
4 Not only was I upset, I also felt as if I was going to burst out crying. It wasn’t just that I was upset, but I felt as if I was going to burst out crying. 5 Not only was the Grim Reaper intended to frighten people, it was also a figure of fun. It wasn’t just that the Grim Reaper was intended to frighten people, but it was also a figure of fun.
collocations
5 Read the explanations of the words. Answer the questions. 1 settle When you settle somewhere you go there to stay. (a) Where is dust likely to settle in a room?
On the surfaces that aren’t used very often or aren’t cleaned. (b) If you settle an argument, is the conclusion satisfactory?
Yes, it is, because the disagreement is solved and each party is satisfied with the outcome. (c) If you settle the bill, what is there left to pay? Nothing, because you have paid everything that is owed. (d) What do you do when you settle back to watch a film? We relax in a comfortable chair and enjoy it.
2 smooth This word can mean flat or soft, comfortable, easy or confident.
(a) If the sea is smooth, are you likely to feel seasick? No, because the sea is calm. We will feel seasick if it is rough.
Discovering yourself Unit 1 21
(b) If a changeover from one government to the next is smooth, are there lots of problems? No, because the changeover has gone well, without difficulties. (c) Is it a good idea to trust a smooth talker?
Not necessarily, because some people who talk confidently like that do so to trick you, like a confidence trickster or conman.
3 offer This word can refer to something you would like someone to take, something someone gives, or
something that is for sale.
(a) If you decline an offer, do you say “yes” or “no”? We say “no”, because we are refusing it.
(b) If you offer an apology to someone for something you have done, what do you say? We should say, “I apologize” or “I’m sorry”. (c) Where are you likely to see special offer?
In a shop, because the shop is offering a special price or reduction for something. (d) If someone has a lot to offer, what kind of person are they?
They are intelligent, talented, gifted or creative and they will bring these kinds of qualities to their work.
4 bear If you bear something you carry or bring it. If you cannot bear something, you dislike it or cannot
accept it.
(a) If you bear something in mind, do you forget it?
No, we will remember it and consider it for a particular occasion in future. (b) If you bear a resemblance to someone, in what way are you like them? We look similar in certain physical features.
(c) Is there anything you can’t bear to think about?
I can’t bear to think too much about some of the problems in the world, famine, war, poverty etc. In
the modern world, why don’t we just solve them?
5 resistance This word can refer to the refusal to accept something new, the ability not to be harmed by
something, or opposition to someone or something. (a) If there is resistance to an idea, do people accept it?
No, not easily. They refuse to accept the idea maybe because it’s just a bad idea, or they may change
their mind if they understand it better.
(b) If the soldiers met with resistance, what happened? The soldiers met opposition from those they were fighting against. (c) Is there a way to build up your resistance to cold?
Yes, we can keep ourselves as healthy as possible with a good diet and getting enough exercise so that we are less likely to catch a cold, or if we do get one, we won’t suffer so badly. 6 Translate the paragraphs into Chinese.
1 We all sensed we were coming to the end of our stay here, that we would never get a chance
like this again, and we became determined not to waste it. Most important of course were the final exams in April and May in the following year. No one wanted the humiliation of finishing last in class, so the peer group pressure to work hard was strong. Libraries which were once empty after five o’clock in the afternoon were standing room only until the early hours of the morning, and guys wore the bags under their eyes and their pale, sleepy faces with pride, like medals proving their diligence. (☞ and guys wore the bags under their eyes and their pale, sleepy
faces with pride … 这句的动词wear 后面带两个宾语，中文找不到能带这两个宾语的动词，故处理成四个中文短句；翻译 like medals proving their diligence 时，采用“增词法”增加“这些”来概括前面所描写的“眼袋”，“脸色苍白”，“睡眼惺忪”等，使译文含义更加清晰流畅。)
我们都觉得在校时间不多了，以后再也不会有这样的学习机会了，所以都下定决心不再虚度光阴。当然，下一年四五月份的期末考试最为重要。我们谁都不想考全班倒数第一，那也太丢人了，因此同学们之间的竞争压力特别大。以前每天下午五点以后，图书馆就空无一人了，现在却要等到天快亮时才会有空座，小伙子们熬夜熬出了眼袋，他们脸色苍白，睡眼惺忪，却很自豪，好像这些都是表彰他们勤奋好学的奖章。
2 Tomorrow? It’s all a lie; there isn’t a tomorrow. There’s only a promissory note that we are often not in a position to cash. It doesn’t even exist. When you wake up in the morning it’ll be today again and all the same rules will apply. Tomorrow is just another version of now, an empty field that will remain so unless we start planting some seeds. Your time, which is ticking away as we speak (at about 60 seconds a minute chronologically; a bit faster if you don’t invest your time wisely), will be gone and you’ll have nothing to show for it but regret and a rear-view mirror full of “could haves”, “should haves” and
“would haves”. (☞ 本段的难点在于对一些词的理解与翻译，如 an empty field that will
remain so, chronologically, invest your time wisely, have nothing to show for it but 等等。“could haves”, “should haves”,“would haves” 是表达与事实相反的条件句，指自己没有做，但有可能或应该做的事情。)
明天行吗？明天只是个谎言；根本就没有什么明天，只有一张我们常常无法兑现的期票。明天甚至压根儿就不存在。你早上醒来时又是另一个今天了，同样的规则又可以全部套用。明天只是现在的另一种说法，是一块空地，除非我们开始在那里播种，否则它永远都是空地。
你的时间会流逝（时间就在我们说话的当下嘀嗒嘀塔地走着，每分钟顺时针走60 秒，如果你不能很好地利用它，它会走得更快些），而你没有取得任何成就来证明它的存在，唯独留下遗憾，留下一面后视镜，上面写满了“本可以做”、“本应该做”、“本来会做”的事情。
7 Translate the paragraphs into English.
1 对于是否应该在大学期间详细规划自己的未来，学生们意见不一。有的人认为对未来应该
有一个明确的目标和详细的计划，为日后可能遇到的挑战做好充分的准备；有的人则认为不用过多考虑未来，因为未来难以预料。(map out; brace oneself for; uncertainty)
Students differ about whether they should have their future mapped out when they are still at university. Some think they should have a definite goal and detailed plan, so as to brace themselves for any challenges, whereas some others think they don’t have to think much about the future, because future is full of uncertainties.
2 经过仔细检查，这位科学家得知自己患了绝症。虽然知道自己将不久于人世，他并没有抱
怨命运的不公，而是准备好好利用剩下的日子，争取加速推进由他和同事们共同发起的那个研究项目，以提前结项。(tick away; make the best of; have a shot at)
After a very careful check-up, the scientist was told he had got a fatal disease. Although he knew that his life was ticking away, instead of complaining about the fate, the scientist decided to make the best of the remaining days, and speed up the research project he and his colleagues initiated, and have a shot at
completing it ahead of schedule.
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