fall behind（sb）：to go more slowly than other people so that they gradually move further ahead of you；to be less successful than someone else 落伍、落在后面

　　eg：She was leading in the 800-metre race，but fell behind in the last second.

　　在800米比赛中她一直领领先，在最后的一秒里落在了别人的后面。

　　eg：Germany has fallen behind France and Britain in the production of airliners

　　德国在大型客机生产方面不如法国和英国。

　　fall behind with/on sth.to fail to pay for sth.or to do sth.when it is due拖欠；跟不上

　　eg：Don't fall behind with the rent，or you'll be told to leave.　不要拖欠房租，不然的话，房东就会叫你搬走。

　　eg：I've fallen far behind with my maths homework.I don't think I'll ever be ableto catch up .

　　数学作业我已经落下不少，永远也赶不上了。

　　eg：She falls behind with her studies　　她学习跟不上

　　2.This attitude results in a nation of peoplecommitted to

　　commit oneself/be committed to（doing ）sth：v.（1）transport，convey：传送

　　传递消息to say/have said that someone will definitely do sth.or must do sth.决心做；承诺做

　　eg：Think carefully before you commit yourself to working at weekends.好好考虑之后再决定是不是同意周末工作

　　eg：The government is committed to improving housing conditions for low-income people

　　政府承诺要为低收入居民改善居住环境。

　　eg：From then on，he was committed to working hard　从那时起，他就决心要好好学习。

　　3.Time is one of the two elements that Americans save carefully，the other being labor Americans are often thought to be a squandering nation.

　　the other being labor 独立主格结构

　　eg：There are many children singing，each having flouwers in his or her hands.

　　有许多孩子在唱歌，每人手里都拿着花

　　4.Weare slaves to nothing but the clock

　　be slave to/of to 受——的支配或影响；成为——的奴隶

　　eg：A lot of young people nowadays are slaves of/to fashion.　如今有不少年轻人拼命赶时髦。

　　eg：He is slave to drink.　他是个酒鬼

　　5.Time is treated as if it were something almost tangible——Americans treat time as if it were something solid，which you can seize and control

　　treat……as：consider…as： 把——看作/视为

　　eg：Don't treat me as a child，I'm eighteen years old.　不要把我当小孩子看了，我18岁了。

　　eg：You'd better treat his words as a joke.　你最好把他的话当作玩笑。

　　tangible： 能摸得着的；有形的

　　6.We budget it，kill it，cut it ，account for it.

　　budget time： 计划时间steal time： 挤出时间kill time：　消磨时间   cut time： 减少时间

　　account for time 解释时间   account for sth　对——作出解释/说明

　　eg：Jane was upset because her son couldn't account for the three hours between his last class and his arrival home.

　　简因此感到不高兴，因为儿子说不清放学之后到回家之前的三个小时之间他究竟干了什么。

　　eg：She has to acco