This is a sceptical age, but although our faith in many of the things in which our forefathers fervently believed has weakened, our confidence in the curative properties of the bottle of medicine remains the same as theirs.

sceptical age ^{怀疑的时代(不能翻译成“可疑的...”； suspicious adj. 怀疑的，可疑的...)}

• This is a sceptical age where old beliefs are questioned. ^{这是一个怀疑一切的时代，旧的信仰受到质疑。}
• This is a critical age for challenging traditions. ^{这是一个批判传统的时代。}
• That was a traumatic age marked by war. ^{那是一个留下战争创伤的时代。}

faith ^{信心、信赖、信任...}

• Maybe we put too much faith in doctors and medicine. 
• All her life she had implicit faith in socialism.
• We have faith in modern medicine’s curative powers. ^{我们对现代医学的治疗能力有信心。}
• She had implicit faith in socialism all her life. ^{她一生对社会主义有绝对的信心。}
• Opinion polls show voters lost faith in the administration. ^{民调显示选民对政府失去了信心。}

 Relative Clauses 定语从句 ^{在正式书面语中，若关系代词做介词宾语，需将介词置于关系代词之前，非正式文体无此限制。}

Verrazano, an Italian about whom little is known, sailed into New York Harbour in 1524 and named it Angouleme. They support the cables from which the bridge has been suspended.

• The things in which our forefathers believed. ^{我们的祖先所相信的事物。}
• This is the house in which I lived for 10 years. ^{这是我住了十年的房子。}
• The poem of which she is speaking is famous. ^{她谈到的那首诗很有名。}

It’s a theory to which many economists subscribe, but in practice it often leaves railroads in position of determining which companies will flourish and which will fail.
Many species can communicate an amazing^(A) amount of information via^(B) sound, information which^(C) both the life of an individual and the continued^(D) existence of the species may depend. ^{老托福语法改错题(on which)}

weaken ^{(vi. / vt.)to make sb/sth less strong or powerful; to become less strong or powerful （使）虚弱，衰弱；减弱；削弱}

• Our faith has weakened over time. ^{我们的信仰随着时间减弱了。}
• The storm began to abate by evening. ^{风暴到傍晚开始减弱。}
• Enthusiasm for the project started to ebb. ^{对项目的热情开始衰退。}

In an era of rapid change, while people’s faith in traditional institutions may falter, many still believe in the power of individual effort, and their confidence in technology’s ability to solve any crisis remains unshakable.^{在这个飞速变革的时代，尽管人们对传统制度的信仰可能在动摇，但许多人依然相信个人努力的力量，且他们对技术解决任何危机的信心依然不可撼动。}

property ^{n.[C, usually pl.] (formal) a quality or characteristic that sth has 性质；特性}

• The curative properties of medicine are trusted. ^{药物的治疗特性受到信任。}
• The plant has medicinal properties. ^{这种植物具有药用特性。}
• The material’s properties make it durable. ^{这种材料的特性使其耐用。}

This modern faith in medicines is proved by the fact that the annual drug bill of the Health Services is mounting to astronomical figures and shows no signs at present of ceasing to rise.

annual ^{adj. 每年的；一年一次的；年度的}

• The company's annual income has increased significantly this year. ^{公司今年的年度收入大幅增加。}
• The company holds an annual meeting. ^{公司每年举行一次会议。}
• The tree’s annual rings show its age. ^{树的年轮显示其年龄。}

service ^{n.(政府的)部门、机构}

• The Health Service faces rising costs. ^{卫生服务机构面临成本上升。}
• The Civil Service employs thousands. ^{公务员系统雇佣了数千人。}
• She joined the Diplomatic Service. ^{她加入了外交部门。}

mount to ^{vi.go up; ascend 增加到;(把硬盘)挂载上去}

• He mounted the steps to receive his award. ^上台领奖
• The drug bill is mounting to astronomical figures. ^{药品账单增加到天文数字。}
• The death toll mounted to 100. ^{死亡人数增加到100人。}

signs of  ^{...迹象;...的表现}

• I couldn’t see any signs of improvement.
• No signs of ceasing to rise in drug costs. ^{药品成本没有停止上升的迹象。}
• I saw no signs of improvement. ^{我没有看到改善的迹象。}

Our monthly telephone bill is mounting to astronomical figures and shows no signs at present of ceasing to rise.

The majority of the patients attending the medical out-patients departments of our hospitals feel that they have not received adequate treatment unless they are able to carry home with them some tangible remedy in the shape of a bottle of medicine, a box of pills, or a small jar of ointment, and the doctor in charge of the department is only too ready to provide them with these requirements.

attend ^{v.出席/就诊}

• Patients attending outpatient departments seek remedies. ^{门诊部的就诊患者寻求治疗方法。}
• She attends college part-time. ^{她半工半读上大学(= go to college)。}
• Many attend hospital weekly. ^{许多人每周去医院就诊(强调功能用“零冠词”)。}
• They attend church on Sundays. ^{他们礼拜天上教堂。}

outpatient ^{门诊病人(out + patient)}

• Patients in the outpatient(s) department expect tangible remedies. ^{门诊部(OPD)的患者期待具体的治疗方法。}
• Inpatients stay overnight, unlike outpatients. ^{住院病人需过夜，不同于门诊病人。}
• The emergency room handles urgent cases. ^{急诊室处理紧急病例。}

receive ^{接受(receive + noun 受到…，得到…，遭到…)}

• The exhibition received much attention. ^{展览获得了很多关注。}
• She received a warm welcome at the monastery. ^{她在修道院受到热烈欢迎。}
• No creature has received more praise and abuse than the common garden snail.
• This exhibition received a great deal of attention in the press, for though the pictures were supposed to be the work of famous artists, they had in fact been painted by Dickie.

in the shape of ^以…形式

• A remedy in the shape of a bottle of medicine. ^{以一瓶药形式出现的治疗方法。}
• Help came in the shape of a loan. ^{帮助以贷款的形式到来。}
• No proposals in any shape were received. ^{没有收到任何形式的提议。}
• Help came in the shape of a $10,000 loan from his parents. 
• We haven’t received proposals from him in any shape / form.
• There is no superior 'they' in the shape of managements and hotel hierarchies to darken his holiday days.

too … to … ^{太…而不会}

• The doctor is only too ready to provide remedies. ^{医生非常乐于提供治疗方法。}
• I’m too pleased to help you. ^{我非常高兴帮助你。}
• He was too excited to speak / say a word. ^{他激动得说不出话。}

too … to …^{（包含以下4种类型的形容词的时候，表示）做某事非常... / 太 ...}

(only / all / but) too … to … ^{表示“做某事非常...”时，前面可加语气副词}

• It is all too easy to blame the railway authorities when something does go wrong. 
• I’m only too pleased to help you.
• They're but too glad to do so.
• …, and the doctor in charge of the department is only too ready to provide them with these requirements.

Let it deceive them, then, a little longer; it cannot deceive them too much.  ^双城记
As for the time of attack, Hitler told his reluctant generals, ‘the start  cannot take place too early. It is to take place in all circumstances this autumn.’ ^{第三帝国的兴衰}

There is no quicker method of disposing of patients than by giving them what they are asking for, and since most medical men in the Health Services are overworked and have little time for offering time-consuming and little-appreciated advice on such subjects as diet, right living, and the need for abandoning bad habits etc., the bottle, the box, and the jar are almost always granted them.

method of doing sth. ^{做某事的方法}

• No quicker method of disposing of patients than giving remedies. ^{没有比给药更快的打发患者的方法。}
• The method of solving the issue was simple. ^{解决问题的方法很简单。}
• A new method of teaching was introduced. ^{引入了一种新的教学方法。}

dispose of ^打发走

• Disposing of patients by giving remedies is quick. ^{通过给药打发患者很快。}
• It took hours to get rid of him. ^{花了几个小时才把他打发走。}
• They disposed of the problem swiftly. ^{他们迅速处理了这个问题。}

状语从句省略 ^{Ellipsis in Adverbial Clauses 否定比较表最高级}

• No quicker method than by giving them what they want. ^{没有比给他们想要的东西更快的办法。}
• No quicker method than the method of disposing by giving remedies. ^{没有比通过给药打发更快的办法。}

There is no quicker method of disposing of an unwelcome guest than by repeatedly looking at the watch. ^{再也没有比频频地看表更快的打发一个不受欢迎的客人的方法了。}

medical ^{adj. 医学的；药的；内科的}

• medical staff / expenses / ethics 
• She is a medical student. ^{她是一名医学生。}
• Medical expenses are rising. ^{医疗费用正在上涨。}

over- ^{过分、过度… (复合形容词 Compound Adjectives)}

• Overworked doctors have little time for advice. ^{过度工作的医生几乎没有时间提供建议。}
• Time-consuming advice is rarely offered. ^{耗时的建议很少被提供。}
• The city is overcrowded during festivals. ^{节日期间城市过于拥挤。}

-consuming ^消耗的

• This is an energy-consuming process. ^{这是一个耗能的过程。}
• Manual data entry is a time-consuming process that can be easily automated. ^{手动数据输入是一个费时的过程，其实可以轻松实现自动化。}
• Old appliances are often more energy-consuming than modern, eco-friendly models. ^{旧电器通常比现代环保型号更加耗能。}
• Rice cultivation is a water-consuming agricultural activity.^{水稻种植是一项耗水的农业活动。}
• The large antique piano was beautiful but very space-consuming in the small studio.^{那架大型古董钢琴很漂亮，但在小工作室里非常占地方。}