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1-9_Mark_Twain[1]Lesson 9 Mark Twain -- Mirror of America Noel Grove Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry F...

1-9_Mark_Twain[1]
Lesson 9 Mark Twain -- Mirror of America Noel Grove Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which has since been called the Great American Novel, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He is extensively quoted. During his lifetime, Twain became a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists, and European royalty. Twain enjoyed immense public popularity. William Faulkner called Twain “the father of American literature”. Most Americans remember Mark Twain as the father of Huck Finn’s idyllic cruise through eternal boyhood and Tom Sawyer’s endless summer of freedom and adventure. Indeed, this nation’s best-loved author was every bit as adventurous, patriotic, romantic, and humorous as anyone has ever imagined. I found another Twain as well – one who grew cynical, bitter, saddened by the profound personal tragedies life dealt him, a man who became obsessed with the frailties of the human race, who saw clearly ahead a black wall of night. Tramp printer, river pilot, Confederate guerrilla, prospector, starry-eyed optimist, acid-tongued cynic: The man who became Mark Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens and he ranged across the nation for more than a third of his life, digesting the new American experience before sharing it with the world as writer and lecturer. He adopted his pen name from the cry heard in his steamboat days, signaling two fathoms (12 feet) of water — a navigable depth. His popularity is attested by the fact that more than a score of his books remain in print, and translations are still read around the world. The Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy, the Confederate States) formed as the government set up from 1861 to 1865 by eleven southern slave states of the United States of America, each of which had previously declared their secession (脱离) from the United States. The government of the United States of America (The Union) regarded secession as illegal and refused to recognize the Confederacy. Although British and French commercial interests (利益集团) sold the Confederacy warships and materials, no European nation officially recognized the CSA as an independent country.     States under CSA control      States and territories claimed by CSA without formal secession and/or control The geographic core, in Twain’s early years, was the great valley of the Mississippi River, main artery of transportation in the young nation’s heart. Keelboats, flatboats, and large rafts carried the first major commerce. Lumber, corn, tobacco, wheat, and furs moved downstream to the delta country; sugar, molasses, cotton, and whiskey traveled north. In the 1850’s, before the climax of westward expansion, the vast basin drained three-quarters of the settled United States. A Keelboat is type of usually long narrow cigar-shaped river or sheltered water barge — that is built about a slight keel and is designed as a boat built for the navigation of rivers, shallow lakes, and sometimes canals that were commonly used in America including use in great numbers by settlers making their way west in the century-plus of wide-open western American frontiers. A long cigar shaped keelboat passing a “flatboat” A raft is any structure, with a flat top, that floats on water. It is the most basic of boat design, characterized by the absence of a hull船体. Instead, rafts are kept afloat using any combination of buoyant materials such as wood, sealed barrels圆筒, or inflated air chambers封闭的空间. Traditional raft, from 1884 edition of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Young Mark Twain entered that world in 1857 as a cub pilot on a steamboat. The cast of characters set before him in his new profession was rich and varied -- a cosmos. He participated abundantly in this life, listening to pilothouse talk of feuds, piracies, lynchings, medicine shows, and savage waterside slums. All would resurface in his books, together with the colorful language that he soaked up with a memory that seemed phonographic. A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion推进力is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels桨轮. A slum is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor (肮脏, 悲惨) and lacking in tenure ([’tenjuə] 享有, 使用和占有) security. One billion people worldwide live in slums. Slum in Hong Kong Steamboat decks teemed not only with the main current of pioneering humanity, but its flotsam of hustlers, gamblers, and thugs as well. From them all Mark Twain gained a keen perception of the human race, of the difference between what people claim to be and what they really are. His four and a half years in the steamboat trade marked the real beginning of his education, and the most lasting part of it. In later life Twain acknowledged that the river had acquainted him with every possible type of human nature. Those acquaintanceships strengthened all his writing, but he never wrote better than when he wrote of the people along the great stream. stream A flow of water in a channel or bed, as a brook, rivulet, or small river. 河流,在河道或河床的水流,如小溪,细流或小河 When railroads began drying up the demand for steam-boat pilots and the Civil War halted commerce, Mark Twain left the river country. He tried soldiering for two weeks with a motley band of Confederate guerrillas who diligently avoided contact with the enemy. Twain quit after deciding, “... I knew more about retreating than the man that invented retreating. “ Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat in which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics in the form of ambushes and raids to combat a larger and less mobile formal army. He went west by stagecoach and succumbed to the epidemic of gold and silver fever in Nevada’s Washoe region. For eight months he flirted with the colossal wealth available to the lucky and the persistent, and was rebuffed. Broke and discouraged, he accepted a job as reporter with the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise, to literature’s enduring gratitude. A stagecoach is a type of four-wheeled closed coach for passengers and goods, drawn by four horses. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages (驿站) or stations. From the discouragement of his mining failures, Mark Twain began digging his way to regional fame as a newspaper reporter and humorist. The instant riches of a mining strike would not be his in the reporting trade, but for making money, his pen would prove mightier than his pickax. In the spring of 1864, less than two years after joining the Territorial Enterprise, he boarded the stagecoach for San Francisco, then and now a hotbed of hopeful young writers. Humour the ability to perceive, enjoy, or express what is amusing, comical, or absurd. pickax A pick, especially with one end of the head pointed and the other end with a chisel edge for cutting through roots. 鹤嘴锄,丁字镐,尤指一头尖而另一头有可割断根的凿边 pickax Mark Twain honed and experimented with his new writing muscles, but he had to leave the city for a while because of some scathing columns he wrote. Attacks on the city government, concerning such issues as mistreatment of Chinese, so angered officials that he fled to the goldfields in the Sacramento Valley. His descriptions of the rough-country settlers there ring familiarly in modern world accustomed to trend setting on the West Coast. “It was a splendid population – for all the slow, sleepy, sluggish-brained sloths stayed at home... It was that population that gave to California a name for getting up astounding enterprises and rushing them through with a magnificent dash and daring and a recklessness of cost or consequences, which she bears unto (=to) this day – and when she projects a new surprise, the grave world smiles as usual, and says ‘Well, that is California all over. ’” scathing ['skeiðiŋ] harshly critical 尖刻的:严厉批评的 fled (Past form of flee) v.intr. To run away, as from trouble or danger逃跑:从困难或险境中逃跑 v.tr. To run away from:从…逃跑: flee the scene of an accident.从肇事地点逃跑 The Sacramento Valley is the portion of the California Central Valley that lies to the north of the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta in the U.S. state of California. It encompasses all or parts of ten counties. In the dreary winter of 1864-65 in Angels Camp, he kept a notebook. Scattered among notations about the weather and the tedious mining-camp meals lies an entry noting a story he had heard that day – an entry that would determine his course forever: “Coleman with his jumping frog – bet stranger $50 – stranger had no frog, and C. got him one – in the meantime stranger filled C.’s frog full of shot and he couldn’t jump. The stranger’s frog won.” Shot Tiny lead or steel pellets ['pelit] 小球, especially ones used in a shotgun cartridge. 弹丸:细小的铅或钢弹,尤指那种用于作枪枝的弹药的弹丸 Retold with his descriptive genius, the story was printed in newspapers across the United States and became known as “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.” Mark Twain’s national reputation was now well established as “the wild humorist of the Pacific slope.” Two years later the opportunity came for him to take a distinctly American look at the Old World. In New York City the steamship Quaker City prepared to sail on a pleasure cruise to Europe and the Holy Land. For the first time, a sizable group of United States citizens planned to journey as tourists – a milestone, of sorts, in a country’s development. Twain was assigned to accompany them, as correspondent for a California newspaper. If readers expected the usual glowing travelogue, they were sorely surprised. The Old World consists of those parts of Earth known to Europeans, Asians, and Africans in the 15th century. The Old World (green) as distinguished from the New World (grey). Quaker ['kweikə] n. A member of the Society of Friends. 贵格会教徒,教友协会的成员,教友派信徒 Unimpressed by the Sultan of Turkey, for example, he reported, “... one could set a trap anywhere and catch a dozen abler men in a night.” Casually he debunked revered artists and art treasures, and took unholy verbal shots at the Holy Land. Back home, more newspapers began printing his articles. America laughed with him. Upon his return to the States the book version of his travels, The Innocents Abroad, became an instant best-seller. Debunk To expose or ridicule the falseness, sham, or exaggerated claims of 揭穿,揭露或嘲笑…的虚假、哄骗或吹嘘 Revere [ri'viə] To regard with awe, deference, and devotion, it suggests awe coupled with profound honor带有最深切敬重的敬畏 At the age of 36 Twain settled in Hartford, Connecticut. His best books were published while he lived there. The Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, Connecticut — Once the home of Samuel Clemens, the house is now a museum. As early as 1870 Twain had experimented with a story about the boyhood adventures of a lad he named Billy Rogers. Two years later, he changed the name to Tom, and began shaping his adventures into a stage play(舞台剧本). Not until 1874 did the story begin developing in earnest. After publication in 1876, Tom Sawyer quickly became a classic tale of American boyhood. Tom’s mischievous daring, ingenuity, and the sweet innocence of his affection for Becky Thatcher are almost as sure to be studied in American schools today as is the Declaration of Independence. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, is a popular 1876 novel about a young boy growing up in the antebellum (['ænti'beləm] adj.<美>战前的,尤 指南 验证指南下载验证指南下载验证指南下载星度指南下载审查指南PDF 北战争前的) South on the Mississippi River in the fictional town of Hannibal, Missouri. Tom Sawyer A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring有抱负的state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state. The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were now independent states, and thus no longer a part of the British Empire. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration is a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. The birthday of the United States of America — Independence Day — is celebrated on July 4, the day the wording of the Declaration was approved by Congress. Mark Twain’s own declaration of independence came from another character. Six chapters into Tom Sawyer, he drags in “the juvenile pariah of the village, Huckleberry Finn, son of the town drunkard.” Fleeing a respectable life with the puritanical Widow Douglas, Huck protests to his friend, Tom Sawyer: “I’ve tried it, and it don’t work; it don’t work, Tom. It ain’t for me ... The widder eats by a bell; she goes to bed by a bell; she gits up by a bell – everything’s so awful reg’lar a body can’t stand it.” pariah ['pæriə] A member of a low caste of agricultural and domestic workers in southern India and Burma.贱民,下等人:在南印度和缅甸从事农业和家务劳动的低等阶层的成员 puritanical [,pjuəri'tænikəl] extremely or excessively strict in matters of morals and religion宗教或道德上极端拘谨的 Nine years after Tom Sawyer swept the nation, Huck was given a life of his own, in a book often considered the best ever written about Americans. His raft flight down the Mississippi with a runaway slave presents a moving panorama for exploration of American society. The Mississippi River is the second-longest river in the United States, with a length of 3,730 km from its source in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico. On the river, and especially with Huck Finn, Twain found the ultimate expression of escape from the pace he lived by and often deplored, from life’s regularities and the energy-sapping clamor for success. sap To deplete or weaken gradually; devitalize 使逐渐耗竭或削弱;消耗 clamor A loud outcry; a hubbub大的叫喊声;嘈杂声 Mark Twain suggested that an ingredient was missing in the American ambition when he said: “What a robust people, what a nation of thinkers we might be, if we would only lay ourselves on the shelf occasionally and renew our edges.” Personal tragedy haunted his entire life, in the deaths of loved ones: his father, dying of pneumonia when Sam was 12; his brother Henry, killed by a steamboat explosion; the death of his son, Langdon, at 19 months. His eldest daughter, Susy, died of spinal meningitis [ֽmeninˈdӡaitis]脑膜炎, Mrs. Clemens succumbed to a heart attack in Florence, and youngest daughter, Jean, an epileptic [,epi'leptik]癫痫患者, drowned in an upstairs bathtub. A bath (/ˈbɑːθ/ or /ˈbæθ/), bathtub (AmE), or tub (informal) is a plumbing fixture used for bathing. Bitterness fed on the man who had made the world laugh. The moralizing of his earlier writing had been well padded with humor. Now the gloves came off with biting satire. He pretended to praise the U. S. military for the massacre of 600 Philippine Moros in the bowl of a volcanic crater. In The Mysterious Stranger, he insisted that man drop his religious illusions and depend upon himself, not Providence, to make a better world. Moro [’mɔ:rəu] people refers to a population of Muslims in the Philippines, forming the largest non-Christian group in the country, comprising about 5.25% of the total Philippine population. The Moro people mostly live in Mindanao, and other parts of the southern Philippines. A volcanic crater is a circular depression凹陷处in the ground caused by volcanic activity. It is typically a basin, circular in form. A crater can be of large dimensions, and sometimes of great depth. volcanic crater Providence God. The care, guardianship, and control exercised by a deity; divine direction上帝,天意,由神施与的照顾、保护和控制;神的旨意 The last of his own illusions seemed to have crumbled near the end. Dictating his autobiography late in life, he commented with a crushing sense of despair on men’s final release from earthly struggles: “... they vanish from a world where they were of no consequence; where they achieved nothing; where they were a mistake and a failure and a foolishness; where they have left no sign that they had existed – a world which will lament them a day and forget them forever.” (from National Geographic, Sept., 1975) NOTES 1) Mark Twain: This was the pseudonym of the American humorist and writer, Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910). The phrase, meaning “two fathoms deep”, was employed in making soundings on the Mississippi river boats. Among his well-known works are Innocent. Abroad (1869), Tom Sawyer (1876), and Huckleberry Finn (1884-5.) 2) tramp printer: a person who goes around doing odd jobs of printing 3) Confederate guerrilla: a guerrilla fighter who supported the southern Confederacy (See note below on “Civil War” ) 4) cub pilot: a young inexperienced pilot; a person just learning to become a pilot 5) the Civil War: This refers to the American Civil War (1861-65), also called the War of Secession. This war was fought between the northern states (Federal States or the Union) and the southern states (the Confederacy or confederate States of America) which seceded from the U. S. in opposition to the proposed abolition of slavery. The southern states were defeated. 6) trend setting: taking the lead in starting new trends or new ways of doing things 7) Pacific slope: the west coast of the United States, which slopes down to the Pacific 8) I’ve tried it ... stand it: uneducated English of an American boy:’don’t’ for ‘doesn’t’, ‘ain’t’ for ‘isn’t’, ‘widder’ for ‘widow’,’gits’ for ‘gets’ and ‘body’ for ‘person’ 9) Philippine Moros: Moslems of Malay origin living in S. Philippines 马克•吐温—美国的一面镜子 (节选) 诺埃尔•格罗夫 1  在大多数美国人的心目中,马克•吐温是位伟大作家,他描写了哈克•费恩永恒的童年时代中充满诗情画意的旅程和汤姆•索亚在漫长的夏日里自由自在历险探奇的故事。的确,这位美国最受人喜爱的作家的探索精神、爱国热情、浪漫气质及幽默笔调都达到了登峰造极的程度。但我发现还有另一个不同的马克•吐温—一个由于深受人生悲剧的打击而变得愤世嫉俗、尖酸刻薄的马克•吐温,一个为人类品质上的弱点而忧心忡忡、明显地看到前途是一片黑暗的人。 2  印刷工、领航员、邦联游击队员、淘金者、耽于幻想的乐天派、语言尖刻的讽刺家:马克•吐温原名塞缪尔•朗赫恩•克莱门斯,他一生之中有超过三分之一的时间浪迹美国各地,体验着美国的新生活,尔后便以作家和演说家的身分将他所感受到的这一切介绍给全世界。他的笔名取自他在蒸汽船上做工时听到的 报告 软件系统测试报告下载sgs报告如何下载关于路面塌陷情况报告535n,sgs报告怎么下载竣工报告下载 水深为两口寻(12英尺)——意即可以通航的信号语。他的作品中有二十几部至今仍在印行,其外文译本仍在世界各地拥有读者,由此可见他的享誉程度。 3  在马克•吐温青年时代,美国的地理中心是密西西比河流域,而密西西比河是这个年轻国家中部的交通大动脉。龙骨船、平底船和大木筏载运着最重要的商品。木材、玉米、烟草、小麦和皮货通过这些运载工具顺流而下,运送到河口三角洲地区,而砂糖、糖浆、棉花和威士忌酒等货物则被运送到北方。在19世纪50年代,西部领土开发高潮到来之前,辽阔的密西西比河流域占美国已开发领土的四分之三。 4  1857年,少年马克•吐温作为蒸汽船上的一名小领航员踏人了这片天地。在这个新的工作岗位上,他接触到的是各式各样的人物,看到的是一个多姿多彩的大干世界。他完全地投身到这种生活之中,经常在操舵室里听着人们谈论民间争斗、海盗抢劫、私刑案件、游医卖药以及河边的一些化外民居的故事。所有这一切,连同他那像留声机般准确可靠的记忆所吸收的丰富多彩的语言,后来都有机会在他的作品中得以再现。 5  蒸汽船的甲板上不仅挤满了富有开拓精神的人们,而且也载着一些娼妓、赌棍和歹徒等社会渣滓。从所有这些形形色色的人身上,马克•吐温敏锐地认识了人类,认识了人们的言与行之间的差距。他在蒸汽船上工作的四年半时间是他真正接受教育的开端,而且也是最具有深远意义的教育。到了晚年,马克•吐温还声言是密西西比河使他了解了各种各样的人的本性。这种生活体验对他的全部创作都起了促进作用,然而他描写得最为成功的还是那些密西西比河上的人物。 6  随着铁路运输的发展,社会上对汽船领航员的需求日渐减少,而内战的爆发又阻碍了商业贸易的发展。这时,马克•吐温便离开了密西西比河流域。他在南方邦联游击队的一支杂牌队伍里当了两个星期的兵。那支队伍想方设法避免与敌军交战。在确信“我比发明撤退的人更精通撤退”之后,马克•吐温离开了那支队伍。 7  他乘驿站马车来到西部,在内华达州的华苏地区受到当时正流行的淘金热的诱惑。同那只有既幸运而又锲而不舍的追求者才能取得的巨大财富三心二意地打了八个月交道之后,他遭到了失败。在破产和灰心之余,他接受了为弗吉尼亚市《领土开发报》当记者的工作,这一行动将获得文学界永久的感激。 8  自从他因淘金失败而感到心灰意冷之后,马克•吐温便开始努力博取作为一名报社记者和幽默作家的地区性声望。从事新闻报道工作当然不能使他像淘金成功者一样立成巨富,但在挣钱方面他的笔杆却比他的锄镐要有效得多。1864年春季,在他加盟《领土开发报》还不足两年之时,他又乘驿站马车前往旧金山,那儿在当时和现在都是有前途的年轻作家成长的摇篮。 9  马克•吐温磨炼并试验了他的新笔力,但他却因写了一些尖锐的评论文章而被迫暂时离开这座城市。他围绕着虐待华人等一类问 快递公司问题件快递公司问题件货款处理关于圆的周长面积重点题型关于解方程组的题及答案关于南海问题 对市政府提出的尖锐批评惹得一些官员大为恼火,因之他只好逃到萨克拉门托山谷的金矿区暂避风头。他对那儿的拓荒者们的描写使西海岸地区富有创新精神的现代人倍感亲切。“这儿的人们真是了不起—因为那些笨手笨脚、无精打彩、呆头呆脑的懒汉都呆在家里……正是那些人们为加利福尼亚赢得了这样的声誉:当他们着手进行一项宏伟的事业时,他们会不计代价或风险而以一种豪迈的气概和闯劲勇往直前,一千到底。加利福尼亚人至今仍保持着这样的声誉,因而,每当他们发起一项新的惊天动地的壮举时,那些素来稳重的人便会像往常一样微笑着说:’看吧,这完全是加利福尼亚的风格’。” 10  1864年与1865年之交的那个冬天,马克•吐温是在安吉尔斯矿区度过的。在这段沉闷的日子里,他记了一本笔记。在杂乱无章的有关天气情况和乏味无趣的有关矿区饭食情况的记录条目中夹着一条叙述当天听到的一则故事的记录—这条记录决定了他一生事业的发展方向:“科尔曼用他的跳蛙—与陌生人赌50美元—陌生人没有跳蛙,科尔曼去给他弄来一只—陌生人利用这段时间将科的跳蛙肚子塞满铅弹,这样,科的跳蛙跳不起来,陌生人的跳蛙便得以获胜。” 11   经过马克•吐温的生花妙笔改写之后,这个故事登在美国各地的报纸上,成了家喻户晓的“卡拉韦拉斯县有名的跳蛙”。至此,马克•吐温作为“太平洋海岸狂放的幽默大师”的声望已在全国范围内牢固地确立起来了。 12  两年之后,他得到了一个以美国人特有的眼光去观察欧洲旧大陆的机会。在纽约市,“费城号”蒸汽船准备进行一次到欧洲和圣地的观光航行。这是美国人第一次组织较大规模的团体观光旅行—也可以看作是一个国家发展史上的某种里程碑。马克•吐温作为加利福尼亚一家报纸的记者被委派随同观光团采访。如果读者们期望能读到有关这次旅行见闻的神采飞扬的描写的话,那他们是要倍感意外的。 13  举例来说,他对于那没有给他留下什么好印象的土耳其君主苏丹是这样报道的,“人们可以任意选择一个地方设一个陷阱,一夜之间准可捕捉到十几个更有能耐的人。”他信口开河地对一些受人景仰的艺术家和艺术珍品加以鄙薄,甚至对宗教圣地也敢于以亵渎性的言辞加以侮蔑。回国以后,越来越多的报纸开始刊登他的文章,整个美国都同他一齐欢笑。他一回到美国,他的旅行杂记《傻子出国旅行记》立即成为畅销 关于书的成语关于读书的排比句社区图书漂流公约怎么写关于读书的小报汉书pdf 。 14  三十六岁时,马克•吐温开始定居于康涅狄格州哈特福德镇,他的最优秀的作品全是在那段时间里问世的。 15  早在1870年,马克•吐温就试着写了一篇关于一个他名之为比利•罗杰斯的男孩子的童年历险故事。两年后,他又将主人公的名字改为汤姆,并着手将故事改编成剧本。直到1874年他才开始认真地扩展故事情节。《汤姆•索亚》于1876年出版后,很快成为美国儿童故事的经典之作。这部描写汤姆的顽皮、勇敢、机智以及他对贝琪•莎切尔的天真纯洁的感情的故事几乎像《独立宣言》一样成了今天美国学校里的必读书本。 16  马克•吐温本人的独立宣言却是由另一个人物表达出来的。在《汤姆•索亚》117第六章里,他引出了“村里的流浪少年,镇上酒鬼的儿子哈克贝利•费恩”。哈克不愿在清教徒道格拉斯寡妇家过上等人的体面生活,从那里逃出来后对他的朋友汤姆•索亚发牢骚说:“我试过了,还是不行;不行啊,汤姆。那不是我过的日子……那寡妇家吃饭要听钟声,睡觉要听钟声,起床也要听钟声,什么事情都得规规矩矩,简直叫人受不了。” 17 《汤姆•索亚》风靡美国九年之后,哈克被赋予独立的生命,成为一本被许多人认为是最成功的描写美国人的作品的书中的主人公。他同一个逃跑出来的奴隶一起乘坐木筏沿着密西西比河顺流而下的漂流航程展现了一幅幅揭示美国社会生活全貌的生动画面。 18  通过对密西西比河,尤其是对哈克•费恩这一人物的描写,马克•吐温将自己想从那束缚着自己并常常令自己苦恼的生活步调中摆脱出来,从生活中的各种清规戒律以及为了事业成功而进行的艰苦挣扎中解放出来的愿望表达得淋漓尽致。 19  马克•吐温认为,美国人的理想中缺少了一种成分。他说:“我们只消偶尔地躺下来好好放松休息一下,保持锋棱利角,我们将有可能成为一个多么朝气蓬勃的民族,一个多么富有思想的民族啊!” 20  马克•吐温的一生都笼罩在悲剧的阴影之中,自己的亲人一个接一个地去世:他的父亲在他十二岁那年死于肺炎,他的兄弟亨利在一次汽船爆炸事故中遇难;他的儿子朗顿才满十九个月即离开人世。他的大女儿苏茜死于脊膜炎;克莱门斯夫人在佛罗伦萨死于心脏病;而他的小女儿也因癫痫病的发作淹死在楼上的浴盆里。 21  这位曾令全世界欢笑的人自己却饱尝了人世的辛酸。他早期作品中的道德说教厚厚地包着一层幽默的外衣,现在幽默换成了辛辣的讽刺。对于美国军队在一个火山口上屠杀六百名菲律宾摩洛人的行为,他没有直接进行抨击,而是假装为之高唱赞歌。在《神秘的陌生人》中,他指出人类应该抛弃宗教幻想,依靠自己而不是上帝的力量去创造一个更加美好的世界。 22  他自己的最后一个幻想到后来似乎也破灭了。在晚年口述自传的时候,他以极端绝望的心情谈到人从尘世的苦难中的最终解脱:“……他们从世界上消失了,在这个世界上他们无足轻重,无所成就;甚至他们的存在本身就是个错误,是个失败,是种愚蠢。这个世界上也没有留下丝毫能表明他们存在过的痕迹。这个世界赠给他们的只是一日的哀伤和永久的遗忘。” (摘自《国家地理》,1975年9月) Vocabulary idyllic [ai'dilik, i'dilik] ( adj. ) :pastoral or picturesque;pleasing and simple田园诗的;田园风光的;生动逼真的;质朴宜人的 cynical ( adj.) :believing that people are motivated in all their actions only by selfishness;denying the sincerity of people’s motives and actions,denying the value of living玩世不恭的;愤世嫉俗的 obsess (v.) :haunt or trouble in mind,esp. to an abnormal degree;preoccupy greatly使分心;使心神困扰(尤指精神反常、着迷) frailty ( n.) :the quality or condition of being frail;weakness (esp. moral weakness)脆弱性;虚弱性(尤指意志薄弱) tramp ( n.) :the act of tramping;a journey on foot;hike步行;徒步旅行 prospector ( n.) :a person who prospects for valuable ores,oil,etc.(矿藏等的)勘探者;探矿者 starry-eyed ( adj.) :with the eyes sparkling in a glow of wonder,romance,visionary dreams,etc.过于理想的;不切实际的;盲目乐观的 acid-tongued ( adj.) :sharp,sarcastic in speech说话尖刻的 cynic ( n.) :a cynical person玩世不恭的人;愤世嫉俗的人 navigable ( n.) :wide and deep enough,or free enough from obstructions,to be traveled on by vessels可行船的;可通航的;可航行的 attest ( n.) :serve as proof of;demonstrate;make clear作为……的证据,为……作证;论证;表明 artery ( n.) :a main road or channel干线,干道,大路;干渠 keelboat ( n.) :a large,shallow freight boat with a keel,formerly used on the Mississippi,Missouri,etc.(旧时密西西比河、密苏西河上用的)龙骨船 flatboat ( n.) :a boat with a flat bottom,for carrying freight in shallow waters or on rivers平底船 molasses ( n.) :a thick,usually dark brown syrup produced during the refining of sugar糖蜜,糖浆 cub ( n.) :an inexperienced,awkward youth阅历浅的年轻人 cosmos ( n.) :the universe considered as a harmonious and orderly system宇宙 feud ( n.) :a bitter,long-continued,and deadly quarrel,esp. between clans of families (尤指部落或家族间的)世仇,长期不和 lynch (v.) : [Am.] murder (an accused person) by mob action and without lawful trial,as by hanging [美]私刑处死 phonographic ( adj.) :[Am.]of a phonograph or the sounds made by sb. [美]留声机的,唱机的 teem ( v.) :be full,as though ready to bring forth young;abound;swarm充满;富于;大量地出现;涌现 flotsam ( n.) :transient,unemployed people;vagrants流离失所者,流浪者,游民;失业者 hustler ( n.) :[Am.slang]a prostitute[美俚]妓女 thug ( n.) :a rough,brutal hoodlum,gangster,robber,etc.恶棍;暴徒;强盗 motley ( adj. ) :having or composed of many different or clashing elements 混乱的;杂乱的 succumb ( v.) :①give way (to);yield;submit ②die ①屈服,屈从(常与to连用)②死 epidemic ( n.) :the rapid,widespread occurrence of a fad,fashion,etc.(风尚、风气、爱好等的)一时流行,风行 flirt ( v.) :trifle or toy (with)玩弄,戏耍;不认真地对待,不认真地考虑(常与with连用) colossal ( adj.) :1ike a colossus in size;huge;gigantic;enormous巨大的,庞大的 rebuff ( v.) :check or repulse挫败;阻止 broke (adj.) :[colloq.]having little or no money;bankrupt[口]无钱的,身无分文的;破了产的 hone (v.) :sharpen with or as with a hone把……放在磨石上磨 scathing ( adj. ) : searing;withering;injurious;harsh or caustic严厉的,尖刻的 sluggish ( adj. ) :slow or slow-moving;not active;dull(行动)缓慢的;迟钝的 sloth ( n.) :a lazy person懒汉 astound ( v.) :bewilder with sudden surprise;astonish greatly;amaze使震惊,使惊愕,使大吃一惊 tedious ( adj.) :long or verbose and wearisome;tiresome;boring冗长乏味的;使人厌倦的;沉闷的 travelogue ( n.) :a lecture on travels, usually accompanied by the showing of pictures旅行见闻讲座 Sultan ( n.) :a Moslem ruler苏丹(一些伊斯兰教国家统治者的称号) debunk ( v.) :[Am.colloq.]expose the false or exaggerated claims,pretensions,glamour,etc.[美口]揭露,揭发,揭穿 revere ( v.) :regard with deep respect,love,and awe;venerate尊敬,崇敬;敬畏 ingenuity ( n.) :the quality of being ingenious;cleverness,originality,skill,etc.机灵,机智,足智多谋;创造力;熟练 juvenile ( adj.) :young and youthful年轻的;青年的 pariah ( n.) :any person despised or rejected by others;outcast被社会遗弃者;流浪者 puritanical ( adj.) :extremely or excessively strict in matters of morals and religion宗教或道德上极端拘谨的 panorama ( n.) :an unlimited view in all directions全景;全图 deplore ( v.) :be regretful or sorry about懊悔,悔恨,对……深感遗憾 sap ( v.) :undermine in any way;weaken;exhaust削弱;耗竭 clamor ( n.) :a loud outcry;uproar大声呼喊,喧嚷,喧嚣,吵闹 robust ( adj. ) :strong and healthy;full of vigor;hardy健壮的;精力充沛的 haunt ( v.) :appear or recur repeatedly to,often to the point of obsession(思想、回忆等)萦绕;(疾病等)缠住 pneumonia ( n.) :inflammation or infection of the alveoli气泡of the lungs of varying degrees of severity and caused by any of a number of agents媒介,such as bacteria or viruses 肺炎 meningitis ( n.) :inflammation of the meninges.esp. as the result of infection by bacteria or viruses 脑脊膜炎 epileptic ( n.) :a person who has epilepsy癫痫患者 pad ( v.) :stuff,cover,or line with a pad or padding填塞;衬填 crater ( n.) :a bowl-shaped cavity,as at the mouth of a volcano or on the surface of the moon碗形洞(如火山口、环形山、月亮表面的坑状地方) crumble ( v. ) :fall to pieces;disintegrate;decay破碎,破裂;使溃散,使瓦解,消灭 lament ( v.) :feel or express deep sorrow for;mourn or grieve for为……而悲痛;哀悼;为……而伤心 Expressions every bit: (infml) equally;entirely完全,同样地 例: He is every bit as mean as she is.他与她同样平庸。 in print: (of a book) available for sale from the publisher;(of a person’s work)printed in a book,etc.(指书)可买到,已出版 例: It was the first time he had seen his work in print.这是他第一次看见自己的作品出版。 soak up: to receive and absorb sth.接受并吸收 例: That child soaks up new facts like a sponge!那孩子吸收新知识像海绵似的! succumb to: stop resisting;yield to,submit to屈服,屈从 例: Several children have measles,and the others are bound to succumb to it.有几个孩子患了麻疹,其他孩子也必然会被传染。 flirt with: to deal playfully or superficially with不认真考虑、对待 例: I am flirting with the idea of getting a job.我胡思乱想着要去找份工作。 of sorts: (derogative) of a poor or inferior type (贬义)差劲的,劣等 例: It was a meal of sorts,but nobody enjoyed it.这勉强算是一顿饭,谁都没有吃好。 all over: In all respects在各方面 例: That sounds like my sister all over.听起来跟我姐姐一模一样。 in earnest: seriously,not jokingly严肃地,认真地 例: Both sides are deeply in earnest,with passions that approximate those of civil war。双方都很坚决认真,像是鼓足劲要打一场内战似的。 Aims of teaching 1. the comprehension of the text and the mastery of the important language points 2. the paraphrase of certain complicated or difficult sentences 3. the enlargement of the students’ vocabulary 4. the familiarization with the styles of composition and devices of figuration Background information National Geographic Magazine, with a circulation of more than 10 million copies annually, is the third biggest only next to TV Guide and Reader’s Digest (more than 16 million ). It is a monthly journal run by the National Geographic Society based in Washington DC, a non-profit scientific and educational organization Detailed Study of the Text 1. Mirror of America: Metaphor. A mirror reflects or reveals the truth of something or somebody. 2. Most Americans remember Mark Twain as the father... Father: metaphor. Endless: hyperbole. The whole sentence: parallelism. Mark Twain is famous to most Americans as the creator of Hack Finn and Tom Sawyer. Hack’s sailing / voyage / journey / travel on the river was so pleasant, lighthearted, carefree, simple and peaceful that it made his boyhood seem to be infinite, while Tom’s independent mind and his exciting and dangerous activities made the summer seem everlasting. 3. idyllic: [i / ai] adj. having a simple, unspoiled, and especially rural charm idyll [‘idil, / aidl] n. short piece of poetry or prose that describes a happy and peaceful scene or event, esp of country life an idyllic setting, holiday, marriage 4. cruise: A cruise is a holiday during which you travel on a ship and visit lots of places. When it is used as a verb, it means to move at a constant speed that is comfortable and unhurried. He was on a world cruise. cruise missile: a missile which carries a nuclear warhead and which is guided by a computer as it flies. It can be launched from the land, sea or air. They spend the summer cruising in the Greek islands. The taxi cruised off down the Chang’an Avenue. cruiser: a large fast warship. cf: aircraft carrier, helicopter carrier, battleship, flagship, destroyer, speedboat, torpedo boat, etc. 5. every bit as: infml, just as, quite as He is every bit as clever as you are. I’m every bit as sorry about it as you.6. cynical: A cynical person believes that all men are selfish. He sees little or no good in anything and shows this by making unkind and unfair remarks about people and things. cynic: n a. person who believes that people do not do things for good, sincere or noble reasons, but only for their own advantage b. Cynic: member of a school of ancient Greek philosophy that despised ease and comfort a cynical remark, attitude, smile They’ve grown rather cynical about democracy, ie no longer believe that it is an honest system. 7. deal, dealt: to give, to give out, to strike, to distribute Who deals the cards next? to deal sb. a blow Pay attention to the sentence structure of this part: Saddened by the profound personal tragedies life dealt him, he grew cynical, bitter. 8. obsess: fill the mind continuously, AmE, to worry continuously and unnecessarily. If sth obsesses you or if you are obsessed with it or by it, you keep thinking about it over a long period of time, and find it difficult to think about anything else. He became absolutely obsessed with a girl reporter on television. She is obsessed by the desire to become a great scientist. cf: preoccupy: to fill the thoughts or hold the interest of sb. almost completely, esp. so that not enough attention is given to other (present) matters. 9. frailty: a weakness of character or behaviour. One of the frailties of human nature is laziness. That chair looks too frail to take a man’s weight. There is only a frail chance that he will pass the examination. 10. tramp: a person who has no home or permanent job and very little money. Tramps go from place to place getting food and money by taking occasional job or begging. A woman who is thought to have sex with a lot of men is cursed to be a tramp. When used as a verb, tramp means to walk heavily in a particular direction or along roads or streets. There’s a tramp at the door begging for food. We tramped for hours through the snow. Don’t tramp about so noisily, you’ll wake everyone up. 11. pilot: a person who with special knowledge of a particular stretch of water, esp. the entrance of a harbour, and who is trained and specially employed to go on board and guide ships that use it. A pilot is also a person who is trained to fly an aircraft. 12. Confederate States of America (1861-65), also Confederacy. the government established by the southern states of the US after their secession / official separation from the union. When president Lincoln was elected (Nov. 1860), seven states - South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, and Texas, seceded /si’si:d/. A provisional government was set up at Montgomery, Ala, and a constitution was drafted. Later four more states- Arkansas, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee- joined. Richmond, Va., became the capital, and Jefferson Davis and A.H. Stephens were elected president and vice president. The story of the Confederacy is the story of the loss of the Civil War. The Confederacy fell after Gen. Robert Edward Lee’s surrender in Apr. 1865 to Gen. Grant at Appomattox (town in cent. Va) Courthouse. 13. guerrilla (guerilla): a member of an unofficial fight group which attacks the enemy in small groups unexpectedly. Song of the Guerrillas 14. prospector: a person who examines the land in order to find gold, oil, etc. 15. starry: full of stars in the sky, indicating sparkling, glowing, and flashing. starry-eyed: full of unreasonable or silly hopes. If you are starry-eyed, you are so full of dreams or hopes or idealistic thoughts that you do not see how things really are. We were all starry-eyed about visiting London. 16. acid-tongued: If sb. is acid-tongued, he makes unkind or critical remarks. Notice that the first four expressions refer to the job he did and the last two expressions imply the characteristic feature of his personality. 17. range: to travel without any definite plan or destination, a fairly literary use. cf: wander, range, saunter, stroll Wander implies the absence of a fixed course or more or less indifference to a course that has been fixed or otherwise indicated. The term may imply the movement of a walker whether human or animal, but it may be used of anything capable of direction. His eyes wandered over the landscape. His mind wandered and he was unsure of himself. Range may be preferred when literal wandering is not implied or when the stress is on the sweep of territory covered rather than on the form of locomotion involved. He spent the summer ranging the world. Animals range through the forests. Saunter stresses a leisurely pace and in idle and carefree mind. Stroll differs from saunter chiefly in the implications of an objective, (as sight-seeing or exercise) pursued without haste and sometimes with wandering from one place to another. strolling (around) in the park 18. digest: a. When you digest food, the food passes through your stomach and is broken down so that your body can use it. Don’t give the baby meat to eat, because he cannot digest it. b. If you digest information, you think about it, understand it, and remember it. The report contains too much to digest at one reading. He reads rapidly but does not digest very much. c. A digest is a collection of things that have been written, which are put together and published again in a more concise form. The leading magazines in the U.S. include Golf Digest, Reader’s Digest, and Soap Opera Digest. 19. adopt: to take and use as one’s own The US government decided to adopt a hard line towards terrorists. Congress has adopted the new measures. I adopted their method of making the machine. adopt a name, a custom, an idea, a style of dress Having no children of their own they decided to adopt an orphan / dog. Paul’s mother had him adopted because she couldn’t look after him herself. her adopted country, i.e. not her native country but the one in which she has chosen to live adept: ~ (in sth); ~ (at/in doing sth) She’s adept at growing roses. He’s an adept in carpentry. adapt ~ sth (for sth) make sth suitable for a new use, situation, etc; modify sth This machine has been specially adapted for use underwater. This novel has been adapted for TV from the Russian original. Our eyes slowly adapted to the dark. 20. navigable: deep and wide enough to allow ships to travel. 21. popularity: the quality of being well liked, favoured, or admired 22. attest: to show to be true, to give proof of, to declare solemnly Historic documents and ancient tombstones all attest to this. 23. main artery of transportation in the young nation’s heart artery and heart: metaphors artery: blood vessel (a tube in your body) that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. vein: 静脉any of the tubes carrying blood from all parts of the body to the heart Royal blood ran in his veins. blood vessel Geographically, the great valley of the Mississippi River was the centre of the country which had a very short history. And most of the transportation was conducted on the river. 24. keel: a long bar along the bottom of a boat or ship from which the whole frame of the boat or ship is built up. 25. raft: floating platform made from large pieces of wood, oil-drums, etc, that are tied together. Also rubber raft. 26. commerce: the buying and selling of goods, trade. Here commodities. This is a synecdoche since it involves the substitution of the genus for kind or whole for part. Keelboat, flatboats and large rafts conducted the transportation of commodities in the early years of the country. 27. lumber: tree trunks, logs or planks (a long, usu. heavy piece of board, esp. one that is 2 to 6 inches thick and at least 8 inches wide) of wood that have been cut for use, but only roughly, AmE. In BrE, it is the same as timber. 28. delta country: Delta is the 4th letter of the Greek alphabet, (with 1st: alpha, 2nd: beta, 3rd: gamma, 16th: pi, last or 24th: omega ) which is shaped like a triangle. Therefore anything in the shape of a delta, esp. a deposit of sand and soil formed at the mouth of some rivers is called a delta. 29. molasses (uncountable) a thick dark to light brown syrup that is separated from raw sugar in sugar manufacture. cf: syrup: a thick sticky solution of sugar and water, often flavoured 30. westward expansion: The massacre of the native Indians: The 1803 Louisiana Purchase (which extended from the Mississippi R. to the Rocky Mts. and from the Gulf of Mexico to British North America, doubled the area of the US) from Napoleon’s France. The 1845 Texas Annexation (which provoked the Mexican War and resulted in the acquiring of California and most of the present Southwest). The push into Oregon in 1846 after a peaceful settlement with Britain. Also the California Gold Rush in 1848. The discovery of gold brought more than 40,000 prospectors and adventurers there within two years. (Other gold rushes took place in Australia, 1851-53; South Africa, 1884; and the Klondike Canada 1897-98). 31. basin: A basin of a large river is the area of land around it. From the basin water and streams run down into the river. the Yellow River Basin. The basin made up 3/4 of the populated area of the US of that time. 32. drain: to flow off gradually or completely, to cause to become gradually dry or empty. Here, metaphor, to concentrate. 33. cub: the young of various types of meat-eating wild animals, such as lion, bear 34. cast of characters: the cast of a play or a film consists of all the people who act in it 35. cosmos: the whole universe considered as an ordered system. 36. feud: long-lasting and bitter quarrel or dispute between two people or groups the feud between Romeo’s family and Juliet’s 37. piracy: robbery of ships on the high seas, robbery carried out by pirates, persons who sail the seas stopping and robbing ships. copy right piracy pirate: a robber on the high seas To pirate video compact disk, video tapes, cassettes or books is to copy, publish and sell them without the right to do so. 38. lynch: (esp. of a crowd of people) to attack and put to death, esp. by hanging, (a person thought to be guilty of a crime), without a lawful trial. 39. slum: an area of a city where living conditions are very bad and where all the houses are overcrowded and need to be repaired. 40. ...with the language that he soaked up with ... soak up: to draw in by or as if by suction or absorption. If sth soaks up a liquid, it absorbs it. The soil soaked up a huge volume of water very rapidly. He absorbed and digested the colourful language with an astonishing good memory which seemed to be able to record things like a phonographic (gramophone). 41. Steamboat decks teemed with the main current of ... (teem with...the main current, not very suitable) teem with: If a place is teeming with animals or people, it is very crowded and the animals or people are moving around a lot. The water teems with fish / thousands of organisms. His mind teems with plans. main current of pioneering humanity: metaphor, people with pioneering spirit who forms the majority, the main part of them were people with devotion/ dedication to open up new areas and prepare ways for others. 42. humanity: human beings in general 43. flotsam: metaphor. rubbish, wreckage such as bits of wood, plastic, and other waste materials that is floating on the sea, parts of a wrecked ship or its cargo found floating in the sea 44. hustler: a person who tries to earn money or gain an advantage from any situation they are in, often by using dishonest or illegal method. infml AmE. (US sl) prostitute hustle: push (sb) roughly and hurriedly; jostle; shove The police hustled the thief out of the house and into their van. I was hustled into (making) a hasty decision. (US sl) work as a prostitute 45. thug: a person who is very violent and rough, esp. a criminal violent criminal or hooligan, villain 46. keen: a. sharp He handed me a spear with a keen point. b. (with the 5 senses, the mind, the feelings) good, strong, quick at understanding My hearing is not as keen as it used to be. He has a keen brain. He is a keen observer. c. (AmE) wanting to do sth. very much or wanting sth. to happen very much; having a great deal of enthusiasm for sth. He takes a keen interest in his work. They are keen on art. I am not very much keen on detective stories. 47. perception: natural understanding extra sensory perception perceive: realize, notice, see or hear sth. esp. when it is not obvious to other people He now perceived his error. Only an artist can perceive the fine shades of colour in the painting. Just as a good artist must have good perception of colour, a good musician must have good perception of sound. 48. trade: job, esp. one needing special skill with the hands. What is your trade? Several different trades are taught in this school. They work in the cotton / tourist / shoemaking / jewellery trade. trade union 49. acknowledge: recognize the fact, agree to the truth. If you acknowledge a fact or situation, you accept or admit that it is true or that it exists. He acknowledge his fault. This is a fact even our enemies abroad have to acknowledge. Lu Xun is acknowledge as China’s best writer. He is an acknowledged expert on antique-examination. The president stood up to acknowledge the cheers of the crowd. Acknowledge implies making known sth. which has been concealed or kept back acknowledge a secret marriage / one’s complete ignorance of maths Admit stresses reluctance in agreeing to the fact but not necessarily the view point Confess implies that one feels sth. to be wrong confess a crime / one’s sin 50. acquaint: know, cause to know personally, make familiar with, be acquainted with the mayor You must acquainted yourself with your new duties. I have heard about your friend but I am not acquainted with him. I have few acquaintances there. make acquaintance of sb. / make sb’s acquaintance Where did you make his acquaintance? Very pleased to have made your acquaintance. nodding acquaintance / bowing acquaintance cf: to make friends with 51. motley: of many different types of people or things, having or composed of many different or clashing elements, varied. suggesting odd and capricious arrangement motley coat, eg one worn by a joker wearing a motley collection of old clothes a motley crowd / crew, ie a group of many different types of people a motley coat, eg one worn by a jester (formerly man whose job was to make jokes to amuse a court or noble household, the court/king’s/queen’s jester in former times) 52. band: a group of people joined together for a common purpose (derog.) 52. succumb: (fml) stop resisting (temptation, illness, attack, etc); yield a. yield. If you succumb to sth. such as persuasion or desire, you are unable to stop yourself being influenced by it. He finally succumbed to the temptation to have another drink. The city succumbed after only a short offense. Several children have measles(麻疹), and the others are bound to succumb to it. b. to die (because of) He succumbed to the disease / illness. 53. epidemic: the occurrence of a disease which affects a very large number of people living in an area and which spreads quickly to other people. an influenza epidemic Football hooliganism is now reaching epidemic proportions. 54. flirt: make love without serious intention. a. If you flirt with someone, you behave as if you are sexually attracted to them, in a not very serious way. Don’t take her seriously, she is only flirting with you. She flirts with every man in the office. b. If you flirt with the idea of doing or having sth., you consider doing or having it, without making any definite plans. We flirted with the idea of going abroad but decided against it. 55. rebuff: If you rebuff sb. or sb’s suggestion, you refuse to listen to them or take any notice of what they are trying to say to you, even though they are trying to be helpful. cf: refuse The friendly dog was rebuffed by a kick He refused / rebuffed the suggestion. He can’t refuse (vi.) / *rebuff (vt.) if you ask politely. 56. broke: adj. sl. complete without money, penniless. bankrupt. 57. to literature’s enduring gratitude: If you say that sth. happens to one’s surprise, relief,. horror, etc. you mean that feelings of surprise, relief, horror, etc are caused by what happens. endure: continue to exist without any loss in quality or importance. Certain relationships endure longer than others. His fame will endure for ever. Mining Strike: sudden discovery of mine Strike: sudden discovery 58. hone: n. a stone used to sharpen knives and tools. v. to sharpen, to hone one’s wit 59. scathing: (of speech or writing) bitterly cruel in judgement, harsh, sharp and hurtful; cutting, scornful. She could be...scathing in her criticism. His scathing rejection of violence. 60. column: a. tall pillar, usu. round and made of stone, either supporting part of the roof of a building or standing alone as a monument b. one of two or more vertical sections of printed material on a page Each page of this dictionary has two columns of text. c. an article by a particular writer, that regularly appears in a newspaper or magazine the fashion / motoring / financial, etc column columnist: journalist who regularly writes an article commenting on politics, current events, etc for a newspaper or magazine a political columnist 61. ring familiarly in modern world accustomed to trend setting on the West Coast: produced a familiar impression on people in modern world. People in the modern world (people in the settled United States, people on the East coast and along the Mississippi River) are now used to following the ways of doing things of the West Coast. be accustomed to: be in the habit of, be used to, be familiar with He is accustomed to working hard. You will soon get accustomed to that kind of thing. He was not accustomed to LEAVE home during the winter. cf: be (get, become, grow) accustomed to = be used to + n., pron., But a. be accustomed to + v: He was not accustomed to leave home during the winter. He is not accustomed to work under such noisy condition. b. accustomed can be used as an attribute: He sat in his accustomed chair. her accustomed smile, his accustomed attitude of optimism c. accustom oneself He has to accustom himself to the cold weather. 62. trend: a general direction or course of development movement attitudes fashion etc. tendency. Today’s trend is toward less formal clothing. Young women are always interested in the trends of fashion. If someone sets a trend, they do something that becomes accepted or fashionable, and that is copied by a lot of other people. trendy: very fashionable and modern He was into jazz long before it became trendy. 63. It was that population that gave to California a name for getting up... get up: arrange, or perform. If you get something up, you organize something such as a public event, esp. with very little preparation. a rather old-fashioned expression. Who is going to get up the concert? The students got up a countrywide campaign in support of the nuclear disarmament. 64. astound: to shock with surprise 65. enterprise: a plan, business, task, something daring and difficult, undertaking 66. rush through: to complete (a job) hastily. We will try to rush the contract / your order through before Saturday. 67. dash: a combination of bravery and style, a mixture of stylishness, enthusiasm and courage, vigorous and spirited She conducted the orchestra with a great deal of fire and dash. Other meanings: 100-meter dash The dash is longer than the hyphen. 68. recklessness reck: (negative or interrogative only) care or mind They recked little of the danger. reckless: Someone who is reckless shows a complete lack of care about danger or about the results of their actions. A reckless person is one who does things without thinking about what the results might be. Some of the young motorcyclists are very reckless. 69. consequence: result, outcome CONSEQUENCE suggests a direct but looser or more remote connection with a cause than RESULT, sometimes implying an adverse or calamitous effect and often suggesting a chain of intermediate causes or a complexity of effect. The consequence was that he caught a bad cold. The rise in lung cancers is a consequence of cigarette smoking. CONSEQUENCE may mean后果: The consequence of the flood is still under estimation. Some films may have / produce bad consequences. Do you know what consequence of your decision will be? Someone or sth. that is of consequence is important or valuable. cf: RESULT implies a direct relationship with an antecedent action or condition, usu. suggests an effect that terminates the operation of a cause, and applies to concrete objects. His limp was the result of an automobile accident. The results of the research are to be published soon. The fire was the result of carelessness. The result of the match was 1 - 0. OUTCOME, though often interchangeable with result, may put less stress on the notion of finality than result. These were a direct outcome of the strike. The outcome of the war was doubtful. This book was the outcome of a tremendous amount of scientific work. What was the outcome of your interview? Five minutes from the end, the outcome of the match was still in doubt. When meaning something that happens or exists because of sth. else that has happened, result is equal to consequence. The result / consequence was … Twice he followed his own advice, with disastrous results / consequences. When meaning the final situation that exists after a public event, result is equal to outcome. Compare: The consequence of the war is doubtful.(后果) The outcome of the war is doubtful. (结局) Consequence: (fml) importance He may be a man of consequence in his own country, but he’s nobody here. 70. all over: in every respect, thoroughly, what one would expect of the person specified She is her mother all over. That sounds like my sister all over. It was these pioneers that brought California a reputation. California was made famous for organizing / starting / establishing surprising businesses / undertakings and developing / completing them with magnificent / great bravery and courage, without caring cost or outcome / effect / result. And California keeps this fame until now. When she makes plans for a new surprise, the dull, solemn, dignified people in other parts of the States smile as usual and say: “Well, That’s typical of California, That’s just like California.” 71. notations: a brief note jotted down, as to remind one of something The Duchess found the notation left by the Duke. In this text notation and entry, are used synonymously.72. genius: (pl. geniuses) exceptionally great mental or creative ability a man of genius Einstein was a mathematical genius. He is hard-working and able, but no genius. 73. celebrated: well-known, famous, stresses reception of public notice or attention and frequent mention a celebrated actress, writer, pianist, etc Burgundy is celebrated for its fine wines. celebrate: a. mark (a happy or important day, event, etc) with festivities and rejoicing celebrate Christmas, sb’s birthday, a wedding anniversary, a victory, success, etc b. enjoy oneself in some way on such an occasion It’s my birthday, let’s celebrate! eg with alcoholic drink. c. (fml) to praise (sb/sth); honour Odysseus’s heroic exploits are celebrated in ‘The Odyssey’. celebrity: famous person celebrities of stage and screen 74. slope: surface that is at an angle of less than 90 to the earth’s surface or a flat surface, an area of rising or falling ground mountain slopes the slope of a roof a slight / steep slope ski slopes The field slopes (away) to the east. Does your handwriting slope forwards or backwards? 75. distinct: easily heard, seen, felt or understood; definite The footprints are quite distinct; they must be fresh. ~ (from sth) different in kind; separate Although they look similar, these plants are actually quite distinct. Mozart’s style is quite distinct from Haydn’s. 76. sort: group or class of people or things (which are alike in some way); type He’s the sort of person I really dislike. What sort of paint are you using?  We can’t approve of this sort of thing / these sorts of things/things of this sort. of a sort / of sorts: (infml. derog.) of a poor or inferior type They served coffee of a sort. It was a meal of sorts, but nobody enjoyed it. a sort of sth: (infml) vague, unexplained or unusual type of sth I had a sort of feeling he wouldn’t come. sort of (infml) to some extent; in some way or other I sort of thought this might happen. You sort of twist the ends together. 77. -logue: (also) -log. a. Forming nouns with the senses “talk, kind of discourse” as dialogue, monologue, etc., and (occas.) compilation? as catalogue etc. b. = -LOGIST, as ideologue (ideologist) 思想家, Sinologue Sinologist, 汉学家etc. 78. sore: (of a part of the body) hurting when touched or used; tender and painful; aching, hurting, irritated, serious, severe a sore knee, throat, etc My leg is still very sore. She feels sore about not being invited to the party. Your financial help is sorely needed. She was sorely missed at the reunion.  79. unimpressed: If you are unimpressed by sb. or sth, you do not think they are very good, or worth your attention. impress: ~ sb (with sth) have a favourable effect on sb; make sb feel admiration and respect The sights of the city never fail to impress foreign tourists. The girl impressed her fiancé’s family with her liveliness and sense of humour. We were most impressed with / by your efficiency. 80. debunk: (infml) to point out the truth about (over-praised people, things, ideas, etc). You debunk an idea or belief, you show that it is false or not important. debunk fashionable opinions bunk: sl. nonsense Don’t talk bunk! de: to remove from debunk: to remove the nonsense bunk: narrow bed built into a wall like a shelf, eg on a ship; also bunk bed, one of a pair of single beds, fixed one above the other, esp for children 81. revered: (fml) to give great respect and admiration to He was a revered figure with a great national reputation. They revered him. cf: reverend: (only used before the noun it modifies) the Very / Right / Most Reverend John Morris (respectful address to a catholic father, bishop or archbishop) reverie: jolting me out of my sad reverie (dreamy thinking) 82. version: a form of sth in which certain details are different of have been changed from the previous forms. Did you read the short or full version of the book? There have been several translations of the Bible, including the Authorized Version and the Revised Version. 83. innocent: simple, not able to recognize evil. An innocent is a person who is inexperienced and ignorant about the more complex, evil or unpleasant aspects of life. He was a financial genius but a political innocent. One is innocent before found guilty. a trusting innocent child 84. earnest: determined and serious, perhaps too serious. Someone who is earnest is very sincere and serious in what they say or do, believing that their actions are important and often unable to see when something is funny or ridiculous. She was an earnest but clumsy nurse. Are you joking or in earnest? It soon began to snow in real earnest. (very hard) 85. classic: n / adj. having the highest quality; of the first or highest class or rank; serving as a standard, model, or guide, well know, esp as the best example cf: classical: being in accordance with ancient Greek or Roman models in literature or art, simple but good. classical music as opposed to popular, jazz, or folk music. 86. shape: outer form or appearance; outline of an area, a figure, etc. a dress that hasn’t got much shape He’s a devil in human shape. She’s in good shape after months of training. What shape is the team in after its defeat? I’ve been jogging a lot to get myself into shape. You’ll never be in shape until you eat less and take more exercise. 87. mischievous: irresponsibly playful, eager to have fun, esp. by embarrassing people or by playing harmless tricks (sometimes appreciative) cf: naughty: behaving badly and disobediently cheeky: (infml) rude and disrespectful cunning: showing or having cleverness in deceiving A mischievous child is often naughty but does not do any real harm. He was continually being called in before the principal for his mischievous deeds. 88. ingenuity: skill and cleverness in making or arranging things The boy showed ingenuity when solving the difficult maths problem. ingenious: clever at finding new or simple solutions for complex problems: ingenious at solving difficult crossword puzzles an ingenious device, gadget, etc. such as a pencil sharpener, a can opener, a water melon seeds cracker, etc. 89. puritan: (ad. / n. usu. derog) a person who has rather hard fixed standards of behaviour and self-control and thinks any kind of pleasure is unnecessary or wrong. member of the party of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who wanted simpler forms of church ceremony (usu derog.) person who is extremely strict in morals and who tends to regard pleasure as sinful 90. flight: action or process of flying through the air; ability to fly the age of supersonic flight movement or path of a thing through the air the flight of an arrow, a dart, a missile, etc ~ (of sth) number of birds, insects, etc flying together or of arrows released together a flight of geese / a flight of arrows series of stairs between two floors or landings There was no lift and we had to climb six flights of stairs. 91. panorama: a. a complete view of a wide stretch of land b. continuously changing view or scene c. a thorough representation in words or picture This book gives a panorama of life in Shenzhen. 92. pace: speed, esp. of walking or running at a good, fast, slow, walking, etc paceShe slowed down her pace so I could keep up with her. He gave up his job in advertising because he couldn’t stand the pace, ie found the pressure of work too great. rate of progress or development, esp of an activity, rhythm the pace of change in the electronics industry. This novel lacks pace, ie Its plot develops too slowly. Are wages keeping pace with inflation? 93. energy-sapping sap: gradually weaken sb/sth by taking away (strength, vitality, etc) I was sapped by months of hospital treatment. She’s been sapped of her optimism.  Stop sapping her confidence! Lack of planning is sapping the company’s efficiency. 94. clamour: a continuous loud strong demand or complaint, din. It stresses the psychological effect of noises. It usu. implies disturbance and is applicable to a combination of sounds or a scene that is excessively noisy. The government made that decision in defiance of the public clamour. a clamour for revenge The public are clamouring for a change of government. The baby clamoured to be fed. 95. edge: sharp cutting part of a blade, knife, sword, or some other tool or weapon a knife with a sharp edge (line marking the) outside limit or boundary of a solid (flat) object, surface or area the edge of a coin, plate, record He fell off the edge of the cliff. Don’t put that glass on the edge of the table. give sb / get the (rough) edge of one’s / sb’s tongue: (infml) speak to sb / be spoken to by sb angrily, rudely, critically, etc Her pupils often got the rough edge of her tongue when they disobeyed her. renew our edges: to remodeling, resharpening our edges, or to recharge the battery 96. haunt: to visit, appearing in a strange form, be always in the thought of. A ghost or spirit haunts a place or a people. it appears in the place or is seen by the person and frightens them. The old house is said to be haunted by a headless ghost. A spirit haunts the castle. This is one of the cafes I used to haunt. The memory still haunts me. This pub is a favourite haunt of artists. 97. -itis: disease or inflammation bronchitis, appendicitis, hepatitis (of liver), gastritis (of stomach), nephritis (of kidney) 98. ‘epilepsy: a disease of the brain which causes sudden attacks of uncontrolled violent movement and loss of consciousness 99. Bitterness fed on the man who… Bitterness consumed the man, exhausted, used up all the energy of the man… Here a personification or metaphor is involved. feed on sth: be nourished or strengthened by sth Hatred feeds on envy. 因妒生恨 100. pad: to protect or make sth more comfortable by covering or filling with soft material a jacket with padded shoulders He padded the seat of the chair with some foamed plastics. n. anything made or filled with a soft material used to protect sth. or make it more comfortable, or to fill out a shape Get a pad to sit / lie on. The football player wore a pad on his knee. a shoulder pad a writing pad 101. Now the gloves came off with biting satire. glove / mitten the gloves are off: sb is ready for a fight (be) hand in glove: working in close association He was found to be hand in glove with the enemy. an iron fist/hand in a velvet glove: an appearance of gentleness concealing severity, determination, etc If you describe sb. as having an iron fist in a velvet glove, you mean that they hide a firm and determined personality behind a gentle and quiet manner. glove puppet: kind of puppet worn on the hand and worked by the fingers bite: a. cut into with the teeth That dog just bit me in the leg. Stop biting your nails! badly bitten by mosquitoes / a snake Once bitten, twice shy. I tried to sell him my old car, but he wouldn’t bite, ie he b. criticize sb angrily (and often unfairly) I was only five minutes late but she really bit my head off. biting: causing a smarting pain a biting wind (of remarks) sharply critical; cutting biting sarcasm satire: Satire is ridicule or irony or sarcasm that is used, esp. in plays and novels, to show how foolish or wicked some people’s behaviour or ideas are. Now Mark Twain threw away the pretended softness and gentleness he used to adopt and became very candid, frank, outspoken, ruthless, merciless, bitter and sarcastic. 102. illusion: the condition of seeing things wrongly An illusion is an idea or belief which you think is true but is in fact false. The magician made us think he cut a woman in half, but it was an illusion. Perfect happiness is an illusion. Love is a big illusion. 103. vanish: to disappear, go out of sight, cease to exist Vanish implies a complete, often mysterious, and usually sudden passing. It commonly suggests absence of all trace or of any clue The thin mysterious woman passenger vanished. The ship vanished over the horizon. As soon as you put the dog-skin plaster on, your pain will vanish. Our hope vanished suddenly. Disappear stresses only the passing from sight or thought. I watched him until he disappeared from sight. Fade, often with out or away, implies a gradual diminution in clearness and distinctness until the thing becomes invisible. The blue rug has faded over the years. As evening came the coastline faded into darkness. His hopes faded. 104. crumble: be broken or rubbed into very small pieces crumble one’s bread, The bricks slowly crumbled in the long frost. The great empire began to crumble. Their marriage is crumbling. 105. lament: If you lament sth., you express your sadness, regret or disappointment about it. They lamented the death of their mother. We could hear her laments through the closed door. His examination results were lamentable. a lamentable performance 106. vary: differ People vary very much in their ideas. Opinions vary on this point. These apples vary in size from small to medium Vary and differ Interchangeable People vary / differ very much in their ideas. Differ stresses the fact of unlikeness in kind or nature or in opinion, but does not indicate (except through the context) the extent or degree of divergence. Vary, though often interchangeable with differ, may call attention to readily apparent differences and sometimes suggests a range of differences. Un-interchangeable Wisdom differs from cunning. They differ from us, they stand for capitalism. It varies from the original. This marigold(金盏花)varies from the norm in being giant-sized. (Vary is not often found to be followed by from except in the above cases.) Compare: A varies with B: A changes when B changes. Our style will vary with our changes in mood. The colour of the fruit varies with age. I differ with you in this matter. He differs with the other members of his party on this issue. The two parties differ very sharply from each other over the correct remedies to apply. Differences: Vary: If one varies sth., he deliberately makes changes in them. You can vary the pressure at will. You should vary your diet. vary between …and / vary from …to Consumption of domestic fuel oil varies between / from 150 gallons a month at the height of winter and / to practically nothing in July-August. Differ: If people differ about sth., they don’t agree with each other about it. We differ about moral standards. This is basically where we differ. If people agree to differ, they agree to accept the fact that they will never have the same opinion about it. You say “I beg to differ” when you want to say politely that you disagree with someone. variant: different form, as of a word, phrase, or part of a story or piece of writing The plant is a variant of the common type. The song is just a variant of an old folk tune. “Favor” is the American variant of the British “favour”. variable: a. changeable, not steady, not staying the same (connotation: uncertainty, unpredictability) His mood / temper is variable. The winds today will be light and variable. b. able to be changed deliberately, that can be intentionally varied The amount of heat produced by this electrical apparatus is variable at will by turning a small handle. a variable standard variation: an example of change There are many variations of this story. It was a variation from my usual work. variety: a. difference of condition or quality We demand more variety for our food. b. type There are several varieties of red roses. varied: when meaning different, the stress is on laid on “full of change” He had had a varied training, had held many offices. There is a dining-room that will seat 200 persons, and the menu is varied and cheap. various: when meaning different, the stress is on “difference” His reasons for leaving were many and various. We have various types of radios. Structural and stylistic analysis Part 1: (the first para.) Introduction The first paragraph serves as an introduction of the whole text. It provides an general appraisal of Mark Twain, the father of Hack and Tom, the nation’s best-loved author, and the good news and bad news. The author adopted some rhetorical devices to illustrate the picture, and also some very emphatic adjectives, adverbs, such as eternal, endless, every bit, profound, etc. The first paragraph is highly conclusive. Part 2: (Tramp printer...renew our edges) Section 1. (Tramp printer... the settled United States) the setting, background knowledge Section 2. (Young Mark...that invented retreating) early years of life on the Mississippi and as a Confederate guerrilla Section 3. (He went west...best-seller.) On his way to success. Section 4. (At the age...renew our edges.) Comment on his best works. Part 3: (Personal tragedy...forget them forever.) Personal tragedy and conclusion. Devices of figuration Metaphor: Mark Twain - Mirror of America saw clearly ahead a black wall of night... main artery of transportation in the young nation’s heart the vast basin drained three-quarters of the settled United States All would resurface in his books...that he soaked up... Steamboat decks teemed...main current of...but its flotsam When railroads began drying up the demand... ...the epidemic of gold and silver fever... Twain began digging his way to regional fame... Mark Twain honed and experimented with his new writing muscles... ...took unholy verbal shots... Simile: Most American remember M. T. as the father of... ...a memory that seemed phonographic Hyperbole: ...cruise through eternal boyhood and ...endless summer of freedom... The cast of characters... - a cosmos. Parallelism: Most Americans remember ... the father of Huck Finn’s idyllic cruise through eternal boyhood and Tom Sawyer’s endless summer of freedom and adventure. Personification: life dealt him profound personal tragedies... the river had acquainted him with ... ...to literature’s enduring gratitude... ...an entry that will determine his course forever... the grave world smiles as usual... Bitterness fed on the man... America laughed with him. Personal tragedy haunted his entire life. Antithesis: ...between what people claim to be and what they really are... ...took unholy verbal shots at the Holy Land... ...a world which will lament them a day and forget them forever Euphemism: ...men’s final release from earthly struggle Alliteration: ...the slow, sleepy, sluggish-brained sloths stayed at home ...with a dash and daring... ...a recklessness of cost or consequences... Metonymy: ...his pen would prove mightier than his pickaxe Synecdoche Keelboats,...carried the first major commerce EXERCISES I. Give brief answers to the following questions, using your own words as much as possible:   1) Why is Mark Twain one of America’s best-loved authors?   2) Give a brief account of Mark Twain’s experience before he became a writer.   3) Why did the author adopt ‘Mark Twain’ as his pen name?   4) When did Mark Twain become a pilot on a steamboat? How long did he stay there? What did he learn there? What effect did this experience have on his writing?   5) Why did Twain leave the river country? What did he do then?   6) What story did he write that made him known as “the wild humorist of the Pacific slope”?   7) Why did the book, the Innocents Abroad, become an instant best-seller?   8) Why is Tom Sawyer as sure to be studied in American schools today as is the Declaration of Independence?   9) Why did Twain become bitter late in life? Ⅱ. Paraphrase:   1) A man who became obsessed with the frailties of the human race   2) Mark Twain digested the new American experience before sharing it with the world as writer and lecturer.   3) The cast of characters set before him in his new profession was rich and varied — a cosmos.   4) Broke and discouraged, he accepted a job as reporter with the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise   5) Mark Twain began digging his way to regional fame as a newspaper reporter and humorist.   6)”and when she projects a new surprise, the grave world smiles as usual, and says ‘Well, that is California all over’’”   7) Bitterness fed on the man who had made the world laugh. Ⅲ. Translate the following into Chinese:   1) From them all Mark Twain gained a keen perception of the human race, of the difference between what people claim to be and what they really are.   2) Tom’s mischievous daring, ingenuity, and the sweet innocence of his affection for Becky Thatcher are almost as sure to be studied in American schools today as is the Declaration of Independence.   3) Mark Twain suggested that an ingredient was missing in the American ambition when he said: “What a robust people, what a nation of thinkers we might be, if we would only lay ourselves on the shelf occasionally and renew our edges.”   4) In The Mysterious Stranger, he insisted that man drop his religious illusions and depend upon himself, not Providence, to make a better world.   5) “... they vanish from a world where they were of no consequence; where they achieved nothing; where they were a mistake and a failure and foolishness; where they have left no sign that they had existed—a world which will lament them a day and forget them forever. “ Ⅳ. Pick out the compound nouns and compound adjectives fry the text and explain their formation. Ⅴ. Give the antonyms of the words listed below:   1) optimist 2) savage   3) keen 4) to rebuff   5) diligently 6) sluggish   7) to acknowledge 8) colossal   9) tedious 10) dreary Ⅵ. Pick out all the words and phrases connected with boats and rivers. VII. In this text, a lot of nouns are used as attributes. Pick them out.   Models: 1) tramp printer       2) steamboat days VIII. Explain how the meaning of the following sentences is affected when the italicized words are replaced with the words in brackets. Pay attention to the shades of meaning of the words.   1) Indeed, this nation’s best-loved author was every bit as adventurous, patriotic, romantic, and humorous as anyone has ever imagined. (sentimental) (witty)   2 ) Tramp printer, river pilot, Confederate guerrilla, prospector, starry-eyed optimist, acid-tongued cynic(critic)   3) Lumber, corn, tobacco, wheat, and furs moved dove stream to the delta country (timber)   4) From them all Mark Twain gained a keen perception of the human race, of the difference between what people claim to be and what they really are. (proclaim oneself)   5) When railroads began drying up the demand for steamboat pilos and the Civil War halted commerce (need) (stop)   6) Attacks on the city government, concerning such issues as mistreatment of Chinese, so angered officials that he fled to the gold-fields (ill-treatment)   7) It was that population that gave to California a name for getting up astounding enterprises... and a recklessness of cost or consequences. (results)   8) In the dreary winter of 1864-65 in Angels Camp, he kept a notebook. ( tedious)   9) In New York City the steamship Quaker City prepared to sail on a pleasure cruise to Europe and the Holy Land. (pleasant)   10) Twain was assigned to accompany them, as correspondent for a California newspaper. (reporter)   11) What a robust people, what a nation of thinkers we might be (healthy)   12) he commented with a crushing sense of despair on man’s final release from earthly struggles (desperation) IX. The italicized words are used metaphorically. Explain their meanings in your own words and comment on t he suitability of the metaphors in each case.   1)Most Americans remember Mark Twain as the father of Huck Finn’s idyllic cruise through eternal boyhood and Tom Sawyer’s endless summer of freedom and adventure.   2) The geographic core, in Twain’s early years was the great valley of the Mississippi River, main artery of transportation in the young nation’s heart.   3) The cast of characters set before him in his new profession was rich and varied—a cosmos   4) Steamboat decks teemed not only with the main current of pioneering humanity, but its flotsam of hustlers, gamblers, and thugs as well.   5) He went west by stagecoach and succumbed to the epidemic of gold and silver fever in Nevada’s Washoe region.   6) For eight months he flirted with the colossal wealth available to the lucky and the persistent, and was rebuffed.   7 ) From the discouragement of his mining failures, Mark Twain began digging his way to regional fame as a newspaper reporter and humorist.   8) Mark Twain honed and experimented with his new writing muscles. X. Besides metaphors and hyperboles, the writer used many other figures of speech to make his writing more vivid and powerful. Point out the figures used in the following sentences:   1) From them all Mark Twain gained a keen perception of the human race, of the difference between what people claim to be and what they really are.   2) He tried soldiering for two weeks with a motley band of Confederate guerrillas who diligently avoided contact with the enemy.   3) but for making money, his pen would prove mightier than his pickax.( )   4) “It was a splendid population – for all the slow, sleepy, sluggish-brained sloths stayed at home” ( )   5) “It was that population... and rushing them through with a magnificent dash and daring and a recklessness of cost or consequences” ( )   6) Bitterness fed on the man who had made the world laugh.( )   7) he commented with a crushing sense of despair on man’s fi-nal release from earthly struggles ( )   8) a world which will lament them a day and forget them for-ever ( ) XI. Make sentences using the following words in a figurative sense:   1) heart     2 ) artery     3) current   4) hotbed      5) to dry up      6) to hone XII. In some places the author uses hyperboles (exaggerations for effect) to emphasize his meaning. Try to pick them out.   Models: 1) eternal boyhood       2) America laughed with him. XIII. Replace the italicized words and phrases with more formal words or expressions:   1) Indeed, this nation’s best-loved author was every bit as adventurous... as anyone had ever imagined. ( )   2) Broke and discouraged, he accepted a job as reporter ( )   3) that gave to California a name for getting up astounding enterprises ( )   4) and rushing them through with a magnificent dash and daring ( )   5) “Well, that is California all over.” ( )   6) “Coleman with his jumping frog—bet stranger $50.”( )   7) Casually he debunked revered artists and art treasures. ( )   8) He insisted that man drop his religious illusions ( ) ⅩⅣ. Translate the following into English (using the following words or expressions: to find expression in, to shape ... into, to have no choice but, to succumb, not until, to acquaint ... with, that’s ... all over, to be obsessed with, to teem with, every bit as ... as, acquaintance, to sb. ‘s horror, to sb. ‘s satisfaction):   1)对贫困的担心使他忧虑重重。   2)洞庭湖盛产鱼虾。   3)汤姆的聪明丝毫不亚于班上的第一名学生。   4)我认识他,但我们说不上是朋友。   5)在压力下,他别无办法,只好离职。   6)最后他被她说服了,决定改变原计划。   7)那时许多儿童死于天花。   8)他发现船舱里进了很多水,十分惊恐。   9)孩子们考试成绩优异,家长和教师都很满意。   10)彼得的特点真是如此。   11)直到半夜医生才做完手术。   12)历史课使我对古代文明有所了解。   13)老作家根据这个民间故事写成了一个电影剧本。   14)新上演的那出话剧充分表现了中国人民大无畏的革命精神。 XV. Topic for oral work   Why does the writer consider Mark Twain a mirror of America? XVI. Write a summary of the life to Mark Twain within 200 words. Key I .   1)Because his literary works such as two novels about Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer are loved by Americans, who imagine he was adventurous, patriotic, romantic, and humorous.   2)Before he became a writer, he worked as a tramp printer, river pilot, Confederate guerrilla, prospector, and reporter. He had done varied jobs.   3)He adopted his pen name from the cry heard in his steamboat days, signaling two fathoms of water.   4)He became a pilot on a steamboat in 1857 and stayed there for four and a half years. There he learned a lot about human nature and gained a keen perception of the human race. This experience immensely enriched his writing.   5)He left the river country because the development of railroad, rendered steamboat pilots less necessary and the Civil War began, stopping commerce. Then he became a Confederate guerrilla.   6)The celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.   7)Because it was a book centered on satirizing Europe and the Holy Land, arousing intense interest among Americans.   8)Because it is a classic tale of American boyhood describing Tom’s mischievous daring, ingenuity, and the sweet innocence of his affection for Becky Thatcher.   9)Personal tragedy made him become bitter late in life. Ⅱ.   1)a man who became constantly preoccupied by the moral weaknesses of mankind   2)Mark Twain first observed and absorbed the new American experience, and then introduce it to the world in his books or lectures.   3)In his new profession he could meet people of all kinds.   4)With no money and a frustrated feeling, he accepted a job as reporter with Territorial Enterprise in Virginia City, ...   5)Mark Twain began working hard to became well known locally as a newspaper reporter and humorist.   6)and when California makes a plan for a new surprise, the solemn people in other states of the U.S. smile as usual, making a comment “that’s typical of California”   7)The man who had made the world laugh was himself consumed by bitterness. Ⅲ. See the translation of the text. IV.   1)compound nouns    a) n. + n. : steamboat, pilothouse, keelboat, waterside, railroad, stagecoach, pickax, gold-fields, notebook, milestone, newspaper, bathtub, etc.     b)adj. (adv., prep. ) + n. : flatboat, hotbed, best-seller, rough-country, everything, downstream, etc.     c)gerund +n. : mining-camp   2)compound adjectives    a)adj. +n. (-ed) :starry-eyed, acid-tongued, etc.    b)adv. +past participle: best-loved    c)n. +present participle: energy-sapping    d)v. +adv. :runaway V.  1)pessimist     2)civilized    3)dull    4)to accept    5)lazily 6)energetic, alert    7)to deny    8)small, tiny    9)interesting    10)cheerful VI.   river pilot, valley of the Mississippi River, main artery of transportation, keelboat, flatboat, large raft, downstream, steamboat, steamboat deck, stream. Ⅶ.  1)tramp printer     2)river pilot    3)pen name    4)steamboat days    5)Mississippi River    6)delta country    7)cub pilot    8) pilothouse talk    9)medicine shows    lO)waterside slums    ll)steamboat decks    12)steamboat trade    13)river country    14)gold and silver fever    15)Virginia city    16)newspaper reporter    17) city government    18) Sacramento Valley    19) rough-country settlers    20) mining-camp meals    21) Calaveras County    22) pleasure cruise    23) United States citizens    24)California newspaper    25)art treasures    26) book version    27)boyhood adventures    28)stage play    29) town drunkard    30)raft flight    31)steamboat explosion32)heart attack Ⅷ.   1)romantic意为“浪漫的”;sentimental意为“伤感的”或“易感伤的”;humorous意为“幽默的”或“风趣的”;witty意为“机智的”或“聪颖的”。   2)cynic意为“愤世嫉俗者”;critic意为“批评家”或“评论家”。   3)lumber指已加工成条、块、板等的木料;timber往往指未经加工的木头。在美语里,timber指适用于建房造船等的木头,无论是加过工的还是未加过工的树都包括在内;而在英国 英语 关于好奇心的名言警句英语高中英语词汇下载高中英语词汇 下载英语衡水体下载小学英语关于形容词和副词的题 里,这两个词意思相同。   4)proclaim指正式宣布或宣称;claim表示对一项权利的要求和维护。   5)demand本为经济术语,与supply相对,即常说的“供需”;need为通用词,意为“需要”。 halt比stop更具体,暗指短暂的停止。   6)mistreatment指错误地对待;ill-treatment指虐待。   7)consequence常指不良后果或结果;result为常用词。   8)dreary指使人情绪低落,精神萎靡不振;tedious指单调,持续时间长,从而使人厌倦。   9)a pleasure cruise指旅游者乘船观光游览,不一定船上的人都玩得高兴;a pleasant cruise指乘船玩得很高兴,不一定是旅游。   10)correspondent指某报纸杂志电台等驻外地甚至外国的记者(reporter)。注意,correspond本指通信联系。   11)robust指身强体壮、精力充沛的;healthy仅指健康无病。   12)desperation指因失望(despair)而表现出气急败坏的状态。 Ⅸ.   1)father:author,creator cruise through eternal boyhood:journey through lasting boyhood endless summer of freedom and adventure:long summer full of free and adventurous activities   2)artery:main route or channel   3)cast of characters:people of various sorts cosmos:a place where one can find all sorts of characters   4)current: stream (here not a good choice for the verb team)   5)succumbed to the epidemic of gold and silver fever: gave way to (yielded to, submitted to) the gold and silver rush prevailing in that area   6)flirted with the colossal wealth “” and was rebuffed: did not try hard or persistently enough to get the colossal wealth “” failed   7)digging his way to regional fame: working hard to gain regional fame   8)honed: sharpened (It is not suitable to say “to sharpen one’s muscles”. ) X.  1)antithesis    2)euphemism    3)metonymy    4)alliteration 5)alliteration    6)personification    7)euphemism    8)antithesis XI.   1)The article does not touch the heart of the subject under discussion.   2)The newly completed railway is the main artery for traffic in the southwest of that country.   3)That problem produced two different currents of opinion among the Congressmen.   4)The overcrowded slum areas were a hotbed of diseases and vices.   5)Twain’s source of inspiration never dried up.   6)Living in the enemy camp honed his wits. Ⅻ.   1)eternal boyhood   2)endless summer   3)a cosmos   4)a memory that seemed phonographic   5)the epidemic of gold and silver fever   6)a milestone in a country’s development   7)America laughed with him.   8)… almost as sure to be studied in American schools today as is the Declaration of Independence.   9)… a moving panorama for exploration of American society   10)Twain found the ultimate expression of escape from…   ll)Personal tragedy haunted his entire life ...   12)Bitterness fed on the man who had made the world laugh. XIII.   l)completely, entirely   2)bankrupt, penniless   3)organizing   4)developing, carrying them out at high speed   5)as its characteristic is   6)wagered $ 50 with a stranger   7)exposed the falsehood of   8)cast away XIV.   1)He was obsessed with fear of poverty.   2)Dongting Lake teems with fish and shrimps.   3)Tom was every bit as intelligent as the top boy in his class.   4)He is an acquaintance of mine, but not a friend.   5)Under pressure, he had no other choice but quit office.   6)In the end he succumbed to her persuasion and decided to change his original plan.   7)Many children succumbed to small pox then.   8)Much to his horror, he found the cabin flooded.   9)The kids did extremely well in their exam, to the great satisfaction of both parents and teachers.   10)That’s Peter all over.   11)Not until midnight did the surgeon finish the operation.   12)The history course has acquainted me with ancient civilizations.   13)The old writer shaped the folktale into a film scenario.   14)The dauntless revolutionary spirit of the Chinese people finds full expression in the new play. XV. Omitted. XVI.   Mark Twain Mark Twain was the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens. He was born in the small village of Florida, Missouri on November 30, 1835. His family moved to Hannibal when Samuel was 4, where he spent his boyhood, fascinated by the romance and impressed by the violence of river life. Sam had relatively little schooling. He left school at 13, and became a full-time apprentice to a printer. At 18, he became a tramp printer and went to New York, then to Philadelphia and Washington, and finally to Iowa to set type for his brother’s local paper. At22, he became a steamboat pilot’s apprentice. About two years later, he became a pilot himself. He worked on the Mississippi River till 1861, learning a lot about human nature. In 1861,when the Civil War broke out, he became a Confederate guerrilla but retired after two weeks. Then he went to the West, and worked as a prospector, miner, and speculator, but failed. And then he did reporting for local papers. In February, 1863, he began to use the pen name Mark Twain, a river man’s term for water that was just barely safe for navigation. In 1865, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County was published and he became famous. He married in 1870, and moved to Hartford, Conn.,where he lived his most productive years (till 1891), during which he wrote Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Besides these two children’s classics, he wrote many other important works in his life, among which were Roughing It, The Gilded Age, The Prince and Pauper, The One Million Bank-Note and Other Stories, The Man that Corrupted Hadleybury and Other Stories and Sketches. He died in 1910.
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