ENGLISHPortfolio英语自学笔记

INTRODUCTION

The portfolio include ten exercise, contains different types of exercises, such as listening, reading, vocabulary, grammar. Many of these exercises from the Chinese college entrance examination, because I think that these exams include a lot of knowledge in high school,they are very useful and can help us to learn English.

Exercise 1 ( Essay and Words)

The author finds out that good intentions alone are not enough when his attempt to be kind to an old man leaves them both feeling worse than before.

The Sampler

In a certain store where they sell puddings, a number of these delicious things are laid out in a row during the Christmas season. Here you may select the one which is most to your taste, and you are even allowed to sample them before coming to a decision.

I have often wondered whether some people, who had no intention of making a purchase, would take advantage of this privilege. One day I asked this question of the shop girl, and I learned it was indeed the case.

"Now there's one old gentleman, for instance," she told me, "he comes here almost every week and samples each one of the puddings, though he never buys anything, and I suspect he never will. I remember him from last year before that, too. Well, let him come if he wants it, and welcome to it. And what's more, I hope there are a lot more stores where he can go and get his share. He looks as if he needed it all right, and I suppose they can afford it."

She was still speaking when an elderly gentleman limped up to the counter and began looking closely at the row of puddings with great interest.

"Why, that's the very gentleman I've been telling you about," whispered the shop girl." Just watch him now." And then turning to him:" Would you like to sample them, sir? Here's spoon for you to use."

The elderly gentleman, who was poorly but neatly dressed, accepted the spoon and began eagerly to sample one after another of the puddings, only braking off occasionally to wipe his red eyes with a large torn handkerchief.

"This is quite good."

"This is not bad either, but a little too heavy."

All the time it was quite evident that he sincerely believed that he might eventually buy one of these puddings, and I am positive that he did not for a moment feel that he was in any way cheating the store. Poor old chap! Probably he had come down in the world and this sampling was all that was left him from the time when he could afford to come and select his favorite pudding.

Amidst the crowd of happy, prosperous looking Christmas shoppers, the little black figure of the old man seemed pitiful and out of place, and in a burst of benevolence, I went up to him and said:

"Pardon me, sir, will you do me a favor? Let me purchase you one of these puddings. It would give me such pleasure."

He jumped back as if he had been stung, and the blood rushed into his wrinkled face.

"Excuse me," he said, with more dignity than I would have thought possible considering his appearance, "I do not believe I have the pleasure of knowing you. Undoubtedly you have mistaken me for someone else." And with a quick decision he turned to the shop girl and said in a loud voice, "Kindly pack me up this one here. I will take it with me." He pointed at one of the largest and most expensive of the puddings.

The girl took down the pudding from its stand and started to make a parcel of it, while he pulled out a worn little black pocketbook and began counting out shillings and pennies on to the counter. To save his "honour" he had been forced into a purchase which he could not possibly afford. How I longed for the power to unsay my tactless words! It was too late though, and I felt that the kindest thing I could do now would be walk away.

"You pay at the desk," the shop girl was telling him, but he did not seem to understand and kept trying to put the coins into her hand. And that was the last I saw or the old man. Now he can never go there to sample pudding any more.

NEW WORDS

Intention: n. purpose

Sampler: n. one who finds out the quality of sth. by testing a part of it

Purchase: n. buying vt. buy

Privilege: n. special right given to a person

Suspect: vt. feel doubt about; guess or suppose

Elderly: a. near old age

Limp: n. walk with an uneven step

Eagerly: ad. with strong interest or impatient desire

Heavy: a. (of food, etc.) too rich to digest easily

Positive: a. sure, certain

Cheat: vt. deceive

Chap: n. man; boy; fellow

Amidst: prep. in the middle of; among

Prosperous: a. rich; successful

Long: vi. wish earnestly

Unsay: vt. take back (sth. that has been said)

PHEASES & EXPRESSIONS

lay out: spread out

in a row: side by side in a neat line

to one's taste: in a way that one likes

take advantage of: use (sth.) for one's own benefit

for instance: for example

and what's more: also, and more importantly

all right: certainly

break off: pause

out of place: improper (for one's surroundings)

count out: count (things) one by one

long for: wish very much for

My opinion

Through this story,I think we must learn to respect everyone, because he also has the right to obtain qualifications and respect for others. In contrast, a rich man, it should have a respect for others, kindness, otherwise, no matter how remarkable his achievements, will not get the respect of others. Arthur Schopenhauer said: “To respect everyone, no matter how humble he is and the ridiculous. Remember that each person living with you is the same of my soul.”

Date: 09/01/2015

Skill: reading and new word

Description of the activity: read a article

Number of hours spent: one hour

Exercise 2

Grammar tasks (Preposition)

The following are all prepositions: above, about, across, against, along, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, by, down, during, except, for, from,

in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, on, since, to, toward, through, under, until, up, upon, with and within.

Practice

1. The teacher is writing ____ a piece of chalk on the blackboard while the students are writin

g ____ink in exercise books.

A. with, in

B. in, with

C. in, in

D. with, with

2. The worker can make chairs ____ wood, and also can make paper ____ wood.

A. from, of

B. of, from

C. of. of

D. from, from

3. Mary dropped in ____ Mr Smith, but he wasn' t at home, so she went to drop in ____ Mr S mith's office.

A. on, on

B. at, at

C. on. at

D. at. on

4. The teacher is not only strict ____ his pupils but also strict ____ his own work.

A. with, with

B.in,in

C. in, with

D. with, in

5. His grandfather died ____ the wound that the enemy soldier had given him .and then his g rand-

mother died ____ hungry and cold.

A.from,of

B.of,from

C.from,from

D.of.of

6. If you run ____ two hares you will catch neither.

A.into

B.after

C.off

D. out of

7. This is a common mistake ____ students.

A. between

B.over

C. among

D. about

8. My father began to work ____ a bus driver when he was twenty years old.

A.for

B.to

C.at

D.as

9. _____ hearing the news, I was wild ____ joy.

A. At, in

B. On, with

C. After, by

D. /, over

10.I don' t think Xiao Li is ____ the other students ____ mathematics.

A. after, on

B. after, with

C. behind, in

D. behind, at

11. Nobody knows it ____ me.

A. except for

B. except that

C. besides

D. but

12. The window is never opened ____ in summer.

A. but

B. except

C. except for

D. but for

13. It happened ____ the Long March.

A. during

B.in

C.at

D.for

14. We go to school ____ a bike.

A.in

B.on

C.by

D.ove

15. It's very kind____ you to repair the bike ____ me.

A.for.for

B.of,of

C.of,for

D.for,of

16. Fresh air is good ____ your health.

A.at

B.for

C.of

D.to

17.The boy is waiting ____ his sister and they will go to the hospital to wait ____ their sick m other.

A.for,on

B.on,for

C.for,for

D.on.on

18.The group is made up____five students. And they are studying hard to make up____ the l ost time.

A.of,of

B.for,for

C.of,for

D.for,of

19.The PLA man saved the boy ____ death.

A. of

B.from

C.to

D.on

20. He will come ____ three days.

A.before

B.after

C. in

D. later

Answer kep

1~5 ABCDA 6~10 BCDBC

11~15 DBABC 16~20 BACBC

Date: 16/01/2015

Skill: Grammar

Description of the activity: make a grammar exercises

Number of hours spent: 40 minutes

Exercise 3

This film I watched it two times, it was amazing. The story tells us that Natalie Portman plays Mathilda, a 12-year-old girl. She has a misery life. Her father is involved in handling drugs for a crooked cop called Norman Stansfield. One day, Mathilda encounters Leon, professional hitman, the little girl is out shopping for Leon when Stansfield kills the rest of her family, and fortunately she takes shelter in Leon's house, Mathilda begs Leon to teach her his skills. Soon she has wormed her way into every part of his unusual life. Leon keep her out of trouble, and a father-daughter bond forms between the two of them. Leon however has little experience of be a father or a friend, and is also unable to prevent Mathilda from pursuing her revenge against Stansfield. When Leon rescued Mathilda at the hazard of his own life, thus the film drew to an end because of his dead.

The deeply impression that the film gave me is Leon and his green plant, because his favorite plant can represent his soul and peaceful. It also represent he loved his life. So when Mathilda entered his world, she took care of it as he loved, I'm glad I finally found it, because it's a wonderful film in so many other ways.

Date: 23/01/2015 Skill: listening

Description of the activity: watching a movie in original version

Number of hours spent: 3 hours

Exercise 4

Reading Comprehension

Now and again I have had horrible dreams, but not enough of them to make me lose my delight in dreams. To begin with. I like the idea of dreaming, of going to bed and lying still and then, by some queer magic, wandering into another kind of existence. As a child, I could never understand why grown-ups took dreaming so calmly when they could make such a fuss about any holiday, This still puzzles me. I am puzzled by people who say they never dream and appear to have no interest in the subject. It is much more astonishing than it would be if they said they never went out for a walk. Most people do not seem to accept dreaming as part of their lives. They appear to see it as an irritating little habit, like sneezing or yawning. I can never understand this. My dream life does not seem as important as my waking life because there is far less of it, but to me it is important.

1. What is the author’s attitude toward dreaming?

A. He likes it

B. He thinks it puzzling

C. He hates it

D. He doesn’t accept it as part of his life

2. For the author of the passage, dreaming is .

A. an irritating little habit

B. a horrible but wonderful experience

C. a true reflection of reality

D. another kind of existence

3. The author of the passage suggests that people who say they never go out for a walk are .

A. interesting

B. mysterious

C. foolish

D. lazy

4. The author of the passage enjoys dreaming most .

A. only when he was a child

B. only when he is a grown-up

C. both as a child and as a grown-up

D. only in his old age

5. The author of the passage complains that most people .

A. are overexcited about their dreams

B. have had dreams most of the time

C. are not interested in talking about their dreams

D. consider their dreams of to much importance

Answer kep: 1A 2 D 3 B 4 C 5C

Date: 30/01/2015 Skill: understanding

Description of the activity: read a article and answer the question

Number of hours spent: 30 minutes

Exercise 5(Cloze)

My son Joey was born with club feet. The doctors said that with treatment he would be abl e to walk， but would never run very well. The first three years ofhis life was ___1___ in hos pital. By the time he was eight， you would’t

knowhe has a problem when you saw him ___2___. Children in our neighborhood always r an around ___3___ their play， and Joey would jump and ranandplay， ___4___. We never told him that he probably wouldn’t be ___5___ to run like the other children. So he didn’

t know.

In ___6___ grade he decided to join the school running team. Every day hetrained. He ran more than any of the others， ___7___ only the top seven

runners would be chosen to run for the ___8___. We didn’t tell him he

probably would never make the team， so he didn’t know. He ran four to five mile every day--even when he had a fever. I was ___9___， so I went to ___

10___ him after school. I found him running ___11___. I asked him how he felt. “Okay,” he sa id. He has two more miles to go. Yet he looked straight ahead and kept ___12___.

Two weeks later， the names of the team ___13___ were out. Joey was

number six on the list. Joey had ___14___ the team. He was in seventh grade — the other si x team members were all eighth graders. We never told him he couldn‘t do it … so he didn’t know. He just ___15___ it.

1. A. spent B. taken C. cost D. paid

2. A. talk B. sit C. study D. walk

3. A. after B. before C. during D. till

4. A. either B. too C. though D. yet

5. A. able B. sorry C. glad D. afraid

6. A. sixth B. seventh C. eighth D. ninth

7. A. so B. if C. then D. because

8. A. neighborhood B. family C. school D. grade

9. A. excited B. tired C. pleased D. worried

10. A. think about B. hear from C. agree with D. look for

11. A. alone B. away C. almost D. already

12. A. riding B. walking C. playing D. running

13. A. jumpers B. runners C. doctors D. teachers

14. A. got B. kept C. made D. found

15. A. made B. played C. had D. took

Answer kep: 1-5ADCBA 5-10BDCDD 11-15DDBCD

Date: 06/02/2015 Skill: words

Description of the activity: make a cloze exercises

Number of hours spent: 20 minutes

Exercise 6

The listening exercise is selected from Chinese college entrance examination in English exercises, including a short conversation and a essay exercise.These listening exerises contains a lot of knowledge of high school English.

Listen to the tape then answer these exercises.

Audioscript

Text 1

Woman: Have you got any idea what you’ll buy for Mary’s birthday?

Man: Well, I’ll get her a very new school bag. And I promised to take her to a

film. What about you?

W: Oh, I haven’t decided yet. I probably buy her a new music record as she

likes it so much.

Text 2

W: Don’t forget to write to me, Jason.

M: I won’t. But let me make sure I have the right address. Is it 42 Eastdrive

Birmingham?

W: That’s right. By the way, my office number has changed since I began

to work at Morrison.

M: Has it? And tell me what it is, then.

Text 3

W: Now, can we get the computers before Wednesday?

M: Well, it depends. If it is less than 10 kilometers, We can deliver them on

Thursday. But if it’s farther away, it’ll be on Thursday. Where is your office?

W: Just around the corner.

Text 4

M: Hello, Mary, Why are you standing here in the cold wind?

W: I’m waiting for a bus, but the buses are full at this time of the day.

M: Where are you going? This isn’t your home. You must take a bus from

the other side of the street to go home.

W: I’m not going home now. I’m going for a walk in the park. I always like

going for a walk before lunch.

M: Then aren’t you going there on foot? It isn’t very far.

W: Oh, no, Bill. It isn’t very interesting to walk through the streets. In fact,

it’s very boring. So I always take bus No.3.

Text 5

W: The admission price of the gallery is ten dollars per person. I think that’s expensive fo r a single exhibit.

M: But if we have student cards, we can get in for two.

W: Really? Let’s have a try.

Text 6

W: Hi, Mark. Haven’t seen you for ages. How are you doing?

M: Can’t complain. I’m busy with my experiments in the lab but after work I

often play some sports.

W: Like what?

M: Like tennis, running and golf.

W: Golf? That’s my favorite game. How often do you play it, Mark?

M: I usually play about once a month. What about you, Hingis?

W: I play every Sunday.

M: Even when it rain?

W: yes, even when it rain. I never miss a game on Sunday.

M: Where do you go?

W: The Country Club. Do you know it?

M: Yes, I was there once. You’re going to play next Sunday, I suppose.

W: Certainly. Listen! Why don’t you come with me? We can play together.

M: I’d love to. What time shall we meet?

W: Let’s meet at the clubhouse at 1：30 in the afternoon.

M: Good. See you then.

Text 7

W: Welcome to Youth Hotel, can I help you?

M: I’d like a room for the night.

W: Would you like a single room, a double room, or a room for 3?

M: A single room, please. Can I pay by check?

W: Sure. Fill in this form please.

M: Need my student card number?

W: No, just your address and telephone number.

M: OK, here is the form.

W: Very well, here is your key to Room 212.

M: Thank you.

W: Have a good stay.

Text 8

W:John, do you realize that Christmas is only a month away?We’ve got to

think about Christmas gifts.

M: Yes, and what a lot of realize we have to think about!

W: Shall we decide what to send them all now?

M: All right. Let’s make a list of names and then decide what to give them all.

W: The children first, I think. What about Anne?

M: She’s getting too grown-up for toys. We can let her choose a book.

W: Very well. Now what about Dick？ He thinks about nothing but space travel nowadays. M: Oh, that makes it easy. Shall we give him one of those space travel suits

the toyshop has？ You know what I mean, there is a big round plastic thing

that goes over the head.

W: That’s an excellent idea. He’ll be quite excited.

M: What about your father?

W: He’s fond of music. Perhaps some records?

Text 9

M: Hi, Jeanny. Why have you come to school an hour early?

W: I want to get a front row seat and review one more time before the test

because I failed a course last term. Why are you here so early, Jack?

M: I get out of my car here at this time every day. You seem to be nervous

about your lessons. Have you finished your review?

W: I’ve only been studying night and day for the last week. If I don’t get an A in this class, I w on’t get the support of my country. Why do you seem so calm?

M: This class is really just a review for me. I’ve been learning it for two years. W:

That’s lucky for me.

M: Jeanny, can you guess what the test will be like? Will it be difficult?

W: I hope not. But I’m still worried about it.

M: Well, cheer up. Hope for good luck.

W: Thanks for wishing me luck. I’m going to need it.

Text 10

What happened to me that day is just unbelievable. The first thing to go

wrong was that all the parking spaces were taken, so I had to park on the

grass and hoped that I would not get a parking ticket. When I go to the

Admissions Office, there was already a long line of students waiting. By the time it was my t urn, two of the courses I needed were filled, and I had to go

back to my advisor and make out a whole new timetable. Although I did

sign up for all my courses, I missed lunch. The next thing to go wrong was

that the bookstore had sold out of one of the textbooks required. As I was

leaving I wondered what else could possibly happen, then I saw a policeman standing beside my car and writing out a ticket.

Text 1-5

1. What gift will the woman probably get for Mary?

A. A school bag.

B. A record.

C. A theater ticket.

2. What will the woman tell the man?

A. Her company’s name.

B. Her new address.

C. Her phone number

3. When can the woman get the computer?

A. On Tuesday.

B. On Wednesday.

C. On Thursday.

4. Where is Mary going?

A. Home

B. To the park

C. To the bus stop

5. Where are the man and the woman probably talking?

A. Inside a bookstore.

B. Outside an art museum.

C. Outside a sports center.

Text 6

6. What sports does the man like to play after work?

A. Table tennis, running and golf.

B. Tennis, jogging and golf.

C. Tennis, running and golf.

7. How often does the man play golf?

A. About once seven days.

B. About once thirty days.

C. About once a year

Text 7

8. What kind of room does the man want to take?

A. A single room.

B. A double room.

C. A room for three.

9. What does the man need to put in the form

A. Telephone and student card numbers.

B. Student card number and address.

C. Address and telephone number.

Text 8

10. Where do you think the dialogue takes place?

A. In a shop

B. At home

C. In the street

11. Who do you think Anne and Dick are?

A. Their children

B. Their niece and nephew

C. Their friend’s children

12. What will they buy for Dick？

A. Some records

B. A toy suit

C. A space suit

Text 9

13. Why is the woman here？

A. To meet Jack.

B. To have a test.

C. To see her school once more.

14. How does the woman feel about the test？

A. She is not sure about the test.

B. She is not worried about it.

C. She is sure it will be too hard.

15. Which of the following is not true?

A. This is the woman’s first term of school.

B. She has failed in a test.

C. She has stu died hard all week.

Text 10

16. Which of the following words best describes the day the speaker had?

A. Exciting.

B. Unlucky.

C. Tiring.

Answer kep: 1-5 BCABB 6-10 CBACB 11-15 BBBAA 16C

Date: 13/02/2015 Skill: listening

Description of the activity: make a listening exercises

Number of hours spent: 40 minutes

Exercise 7

Grammar tasks(The Past Perfect)

*The past perfect tense is most often used for the following:

-For actions that happened before a past event

- In reported speech

- In if (conditional) sentences

1) For actions that happened before a past event

When we want to talk about an action that happened before a past event, we often use the past perfect. Look at these examples:

1.When I got home yesterday, my father had already cooked dinner.

2.As soon as she had done her homework, she went to bed.

3.Had you seen the film before?

# Notice how often words like already, just, never etc. are used with the past perfect.

2) In reported speech

The past perfect is common when we report people's words or thoughts .., as in the following examples:

1.John said that he had never eaten sushi before.

2.She told me that she had finished, but I knew she had not.

3.I thought I had sent her a birthday card, but I was wrong.

3) In if (conditional) sentences

The past perfect tense is used in unreal or hypothetical stituations, as in the following sentences:

1.If I had known you were in Frankfurt, I would have called you. (but I didn't know you were here so I didn't call you!)

2.She wouldn't have been able to finish, if you hadn't helped her. (but you did help her and she did finish.)

3.I wish I had studied for my exams. (but I didn't study - and I got bad grades!)

Practice 1

1. When Li Ming hurried home， he found that his mother ____already____to hospital.

A. has； been sent

B. had； sent

C. has； sent

D. had； been sent 2. We ____five English songs by the end of last term.

A. had learned

B. learned

C. have learned

D. will have learned

3. Han Mei told me she _____lunch， so she was very hungry.

A. has had

B. hasn't have

C. have had

D. hadn't had

4. By the end of 1976， many buildings _____built in the city.

A. have been

B. have

C. had been

D. will

5. She _____her keys in the office so she had to wait until her husband ____

home.

A. has left； comes

B. had left； would come

B. had left； came D. left； had come

6. He said that it was at least ten years since I _____a good drink.

A. had enjoyed

B. was enjoying

C. have enjoyed

D. have been enjoying

7. The meeting _____when Mr. Wang _____to school.

A. has begun；get

B. has been on；get

C. had begun；got

D. had been on；got

Practice 2

1. When I returned home， he _____ （leave）。

2. By ten yesterday evening， she ________（finish）writing.

3. He ______ （study） English for five years before he came here.

4. It ____ _____ （stop） raining when I wake up this morning.

5. I _____ （not read） the book because I had read it before.

6. She said she____ （be） born in 1992.

7. When he _____（come） to China two years ago he found people didn't

understand him at all though he _______（learn） some Chinese in his

own country.

8. I saw Han Mei yesterday. We ____（not see） each other since left Beijing.

9. When I got to his home， he_____（go） to bed.

10. She asked if Mr. Liu _____ already _____（come） back.

Answer kep

Practice 1: 1.D 2. A 3. D 4. C 5. C 6. A 7. C

Practice 2: 1. had left 2. had finished 3. had studied 4. had stopped

5. didn't read

6. was

7. came had learned

8. hadn't seen

9. had gone 10. had come

Date: 20/02/2015 Skill: Grammar

Description of the activity: make a grammar exercises

Number of hours spent: one hour

Exercise 8 ( Essay and Words)

What Is Intelligence, Anyway? Isaac Asimor

What is intelligence, anyway? When I was in the army I received a kind of aptitude test that all soldiers took and, against a normal of 100, scored 160. No one at the base had ever seen a

figure like that and for two hours they made a nig fuss over me. (It didn't mean anything. The next day I was still a buck private with KP as my highest duty.)

All my life I've been registering scores like that, so that I have the complacent feeling that I'm highly intelligent, and I expect other people to think so, too. Actually, though, don't such scores simply mean that I am very good at answering the type of academic questions that are considered worthy of answers by the people who make up the intelligence tests - people with intellectual bents similar to mine?

For instance, I had an auto-repair man once, who, on these intelligence tests, could not possibly have scored more than 80, by my estimate. I always took it for granted that I was far more intelligent than he was. Yet, when anything went wrong with my car I hastened to him with it, watched him anxiously as he explored its vitals, and listened to his pronouncements as though they were divine oracles - and he always fixed my car.

Well, then, suppose my auto-repair man devised questions for an intelligence test. Or suppose a carpenter did, or a farmer, or, indeed, almost anyone but an academician. By every one of those tests, I'd prove myself a moron. And I'd be a moron, too. In a world where I could not use my academic training and my verbal talents but had to do something intricate or hard, working with my hands, I would do poorly. My intelligence, then, is not absolute. Its worth is determined by the society I live in. Its numerical evaluation is determined by a small subsection of that society which has managed to foist itself on the rest of us as an arbiter of such matters.

Consider my auto-repair man, again. He had a habit of telling me jokes whenever he saw me. One time he raised his head from under the automobile hood to say: "Doc, a deaf-and-dumb guy went into a hardware store to ask for some nails. He put two fingers together on the counter and made hammering motions with the other hand. The clerk brought him a hammer. He shook his head and pointed to the two fingers he was hammering. The clerk brought him nails. He picked out the sizes he wanted, and left. Well, doc, the next guy who came in was a blind man. He wanted scissors. How do you suppose he asked for them?"

I lifted my right hand and made scissoring motions with my first two fingers. Whereupon my auto-repair man laughed heartily and said, "Why, you dumb fool, he used his voice and asked for them." Then he said, smugly, "I've been trying that on all my customers today." "Did you catch many?" I asked. "Quite a few," he said, "but I knew for sure I'd catch you." "Why is that?"

I asked. "Because you're so goddamned educated, doc, I know you couldn't be very smart."

And I have an uneasy feeling he had something there

NEW WORDS

aptitude: n. natural ability or skill

fuss: n. unnecessary expression of excitement, anger, impatience,etc.

complacent:a. self-satisfactory; pleased with oneself

academic: a. scholarly; of a college or university

bent: n. natural tendency or inclination

estimate: n. judgment or opinion about how much, how many, how good, grant: vt. give or allow

hasten: vi. go fast; be quick

vitals: n. essential parts of anything

pronouncement: n. formal or authoritative statement; opinion

divine: a. coming from God; sacred

devise: vt. think out; plan

academician: n. member of an art

morron: n. stupid person

verbal: a. complicated with words and their use; spoken, not written intricate: a. complicated

absolute: a. not measured by comparison with other things determine: vt. fix or find out exactly

subsection: n. part of a section

foist: vt. force (sth.) on another person by fraud or trickery

arbiter:n. judge

hardware: n. metal goods such as utensils, tools, nails, etc. whereupon: ad. upon, at, or after which

smugly: ad. complacently

goddamned: ad. (sl.) very, extremely

uneasy: a. awkward; not easy in mind or body

PHRAESE & EXPRESSIONS

worthy of: deserving

take sth. for granted: regard it as true or as certain to happen

go wrong: stop working as true or as certain to happen

pick out: select

for sure: for certain; certainly