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Pre-readingBackground knowledge

While-readinglanguage points and word usage

grammar

After-readingpractical knowledge

Background information

1.Introductory remarks

This passage briefs us on banks and the services they offer in the Unites States.

The author introduces what people can do or have to do while depositing and withdrawing money, coming to the conclusion that banks make life easier.

2.Background remarks

In the United States, there are many different banks, and they offer many different services. Modern western banks may be classified in several ways with respect to their functioning systems.

Commercial banks truly are at the heart of national financial systems. Other banks include the investment bank, clearing house, trust company, finance company, etc.

Give brief answers to the following questions

1.Why do people need money?

2.Who controls the money in most places?

3.When do people deposit their money in a saving account?

4.What does the bank charge for money?

5.Why do some people like to use a credit card?

6.Are safe deposit boxes expensive to rent?

7.When can customers use the bank’s automatic teller machine?

8.What can customers do with an automatic teller machine?

Services provided by banks

1.Peple can deposit some of their money in a saving account.

2.A safe deposit box is a good place to keep important things.

3.Many people can keep their important papers, such as their birth certificate, marriage certificate and others in their safe deposit boxes.

4.The credit card is another important service that banks provide.

5.Banks in America usually have safe deposit boxes.

6.Another banking service is the automatic teller machine.

7.By using a credit card, people no longer need to carry about large sums of money while travelling.

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Language Points

1. Buying and selling is necessary in modern society.

This sentence begins with the gerund as its subject.

e.g. Using the credit card makes traveling much more convenient.

Seeing is believing.

2. A check is a piece of paper.

Paper is an uncountable noun and may not be used with the infinitive article a.

You have to be very careful in using a unit noun with an uncountable noun.

e.g. a drop of water, a piece of news, a bar of soap, a bit of information

3. The bank must pay the seller from the customer’s account.

The bank will pay the seller out of the customer’s account in the bank. The customer here refers to the person who buys things and asks the bank to pay out of his account opened with the bank.

4. The borrower must repay the loan plus the interest.

The borrower is supposed to pay back the loan as well as the interest.

Plus here is a preposition, meaning with.

5. Because it is very difficult to get into the value of a bank , a safe deposit box is a good place to keep important things .

e.g. It’s a great place for flying kites.

Can you help me locate a good place for playing tennis?

6. In addition, banks try to make using money easier with electronic machines.

What is more, banks resort to such electronic machines as safe deposit boxes and automatic teller machines to make it convenient for people to use money.

7.By using the credit card, people no longer need carry about large sums of money while traveling.

People nowadays do not have to take lots of cash with them while traveling, and they may pay for purchases with a credit card issued by banks.

8. Customers can rent the boxes from the bank for a small fee each year.

Customers do not have to pay a lot in order to use the boxes offered by the bank.

For a small fee here means with a small fee or by paying a small fee.

9.Many banks have machines outside the bank so that customers can get their money any time they want, day or night.

e.g. I had a cup of milk so that I would fall asleep quickly.

I stick to doing morning exercises every day so that I can keep fit.

10. In this way ,they can control the account of money for business and individual loans.

e.g. The account of water ,time, etc.

The account of water consumed every day reaches 10 tons.

I made quite a number of friends while working.

11. They leave the money in the bank and withdraw it when they need it.

e.g. If it is fine tomorrow, we will go to the countryside.

I will contact you when I hear from your friends.

12. The credit card is another important service that the bank provides.

Here that-clause is a post-modifier of service.

e.g. He is the man who lives next to us .

He drives a car that can travel 160 miles an hour.

Word usage

Account: statement of money paid or received.

e.g. Do you have an account with this bank?

I will probably open an account next month.

Automatic : self-acting, self-moving.

e.g. Breathing is automatic.

People can’t depend totally on automatic machines.

Certificate: written or printed statement, made by sb. in authority.

e.g. A health certificate.

A marriage certificate.

Customer :person who buys things.

e.g. We are gaining new customers.

Behave yourself before customers.

Deposit: put or store for safekeeping.

e.g. New students are supposed to deposit their money in the school bank.

In which bank do you deposit your money.

In addition: as well (as).

e.g. I would like to make some comments in addition to what I made yesterday.

You need time and support, in addition, you need diligence.

Individual: specially for one person or thing e.g. Let’s have individual meals. Mike have individual attention from his music

teacher.Interest: money charged or paid for the use of the money

borrowed. e.g. You have to repay the loan plus 15% interest rate. Who is responsible for the high rate of interest?

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Grammar FocusSubject Clause( 主语从句）

1. 主语从句可以分为两类。第一类主语从句都由what, when, where, how, whether 等疑问词引导。在结构上等于一个名词加一个定语从句 .

2. 第二类是由连接代词或副词（或 if, whther) 引起的主语从句，这类从句也可以直接用 it 在句首作形式主语，将主语从句放在句子后部

Examples ：1.What they are after is profit.

他们追求的是利润。2.Whatever was said here must be kept secret.

这里说的话都应当保密。3.Whoever fails to see this will make a big mistake.

谁要是看不到这点就要犯大错误

Examples:

1. When they will come hasn’t been made public.

他们什么时候来还没有宣布。2 Whether he will join us won’t make too muc

h difference.

他来不来对我们影响不大。

Exercise

Translate the following sentences into English.

1. 让我吃惊的是他英语说得这么好。2. 谁来主持会议还未决定。3. 她很侥幸还活着。4. 非常明显，这样的交谈使约翰感到心烦意乱。5. 我们是否需要则是另外一回事。

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Omission （省略法） 省略是指原文中有些词在译文中不译出来。或

者说，省略是删除去一些可由可无的，或者有了反嫌累赘或者违背译文语言习惯的词。但省略不是把原文中的某些内容删去。

Examples:

1.But it is the way I am, and try as I might, I haven’t been able to change it.

译文：但我就是这个脾气，虽然几经努力，却未能改变过来。

（省略了做主语的人称代词“ I” ）2. We live and learn.

译文：活到老，学到老。 （省略了做主语的人称代词 we ）

3.There was no snow, the leaves were gone from the trees, the grass was dead.

译文：天未下雪，但是已经叶落草枯。 （省略了 were gone from the trees, 如果译成

“树叶从树上落下来，草也枯死了”，就远不如译文那样简明洗练。）

4.University applicants who had worked at a job would receive preference over those who had not.

译文：报考大学的人，有工作经验的优先录取。（省略了 over those who had not, 如果译成“报考

大学的人，有工作经验的比没有工作经验的，优先录取。”就显得罗嗦。

6.He studied in the college for two years, and then he went to join the army.

7.I saw a boy and a girl on my way home. The boy had a book and the girl a doll.

8.A boy is always a boy.

Exercise

1.Like his friends he had many wonderful ideas, but he only put a few into practice.

2.I have received your letter and read it with delight.

3.You must excuse me, I shall not speak of the matter again.

4.It is only shadow people who judge by appearances.

5.The door was opened, and they came in.

Exercise

Read the following passage carefully and guess the meaning of the new words “gadget” and “snatch” in the passage.

The new marriage between technologies combines computers and telephones. The devices will let us send and receive messages around the world—not just the name-and-number snatches available on today’s pagers but full documents and, eventually, voice messages and pictures. Forget to bring important documents along on a trip? Use the gadget to call the computer on your desk, and get the files you need—or fax them to your hotel.

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Thanks for your attention.