Unit Two Text I The Fine Art of Putting Things Off.docx

Unit Two Text I The Fine Art of Putting Things Off.docx

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UnitTwoTextITheFineArtofPuttingThingsOff

UnitTwoTextITheFineArtofPuttingThingsOff

MichaelDemarest

TheAuthor

•MichaelDemarest（1924-）,USjournalist,wasborninLongIsland,NewYork,U.S.A.,butwaseducatedInEnglandatRugbyandOxford.（SeenotesonP18）

Pre-classWork

I.Pre-readingQuestions

1.“Procrastinationisthethiefoftime.”拖延就是浪费时间。

“Neverputofftomorrowwhatmaybedonetoday.”今日事，今日毕。

Doyoupersonallybelieveinthesetwoproverbsandactaccordingly?

Areyouado-it-nowerorapostponer/delayer?

2.Whydoyousupposetheauthorcalls“puttingthingsoff”afineart?

Doyouthinkheisserious,orishejustbeingironical?

Pre-ClassWork

II.DictionaryWork

1.coolone’sheels:

beforcedtowait;bekeptwaiting

2.attestto:

（v.）testifyto;serveasanevidencetoaffirm/tobeproofof证实,证明

3.apocalyptic:

（adj.）forebodingimminentdisasterorfinaldoom预示灾难或最后毁灭的

4.proconsul:

（n.）anadministratorinacolonyusuallywithwidepowers地方总督

5.ruminate:

（v.）gooverinthemindrepeatedlyandoftenslowly反刍,沉思

6.nattering:

（adj.）chattering;hence,noisy

rel.natter:

chatter;totalkforalongtime,especiallyaboutunimportantthings唠叨；闲聊

7.echelon:

（n.）rank,level等级，阶层

e.g.ajobinthelowerechelonofthecorporation一份公司底层工作

8.fortify:

（v.）encourage;support鼓励；支持

e.g.Faithfortifiedusduringourcrisis.

在关键时刻信念使我们变得坚强。

fortifycouldalsomeantostrengthen,toreinforce,etc.

9.reappraisal:

（n.）re-evaluation

10.academe:

（n.）theacademiccommunity;academics学术界；学术

11.shrink:

（slang）（n.）psychoanalystorpsychiatrist

心理分析学者或神经科医生

12.subliminal:

（adj.）existingorfunctioningoutsidetheareaofconsciousawareness潜意识的

13.truism:

（n.）anundoubtedorself-evidenttruth不言而喻的道理；自明之理

14.mellowandmarinate:

（v.）tomellowistobecomeripeorfullydeveloped,andthemarinateistosteep（浸,泡）（meat,fish）inasavorysaucetoenrichitsflavor;here,ripenandmature成熟及完善

III.LibraryWork

1.Chesterfield

PhilipDormerStanhope,4thEarl（伯爵）ofChesterfield,（1694-1773）,Englishstatesman,oratorandauthor.Hisliteraryreputationrestsuponhisletterstohisillegitimateson（私生子）,PhilipStanhope,whowasborninHollandin1732.Theletters,filledwithwitandworldlywisdom,werepublishedunderthetitleLetterstoHisSonandLetterstoHisGodson（1774）.Chesterfield'sfameasamanoflettersrestsuponaseriesofletters,publishedafterhisdeath,thatgiveafaithfulaccountofthemannersandcustomsofaristocraticsocietyin18th-centuryEngland,writteninagracefulandwittystyle.

‘Myobjectistohaveyoufittolife;which,ifyouarenot,Idonotdesirethatyoushouldliveatall.’SowroteLordChesterfieldinoneofthemostcelebratedandcontroversialcorrespondencesbetweenafatherandhisson.Chesterfieldwrotealmostdailytohisnaturalson,Philip,from1737onwards,providinghimwithinstructioninetiquetteandtheworldlyarts.Praisedintheirdayasacompletemanualofeducation,anddespisedbySamuelJohnsonforteaching‘themoralsofawhoreandthemannersofadancingmaster’,theselettersreflectthepoliticalcraftofaleadingstatesman,andtheurbanewitofamanwhoassociatedwithPope,Addison,andSwift.ThelettersrevealChesterfield’spoliticalcynicismandhisbeliefthathiscountryhad‘alwaysbeengovernedbytheonlytwoorthreepeople,outoftwoorthreemillions,totallyincapableofgoverning’,aswellashisviewsongoodbreeding.Notoriginallyintendedforpublication,thisentertainingcorrespondenceilluminatesfascinatingaspectsofeighteenth-centurylifeandmanners.

2.SamuelJohnson

（1709-1784）,Englishwriterandlexicographer,amajorfigurein18th-centuryliteratureasanarbiteroftaste,renownedfortheforceandbalanceofhisprosestyle.

NicknamedbothDictionaryJohnsonandtheGreatChamofLiterature（ChamisanarchaicwordmeaningKhan可汗）,JohnsoncompiledandwrotetheDictionaryoftheEnglishLanguage,publishedin1755.HewasusuallyreferredtoasDr.Johnsonbyhiscontemporariesandlatergenerations.

Hewasequallycelebratedforhisbrilliantandwittyconversation.Hisrathergrossappearanceandmannerswereviewedtolerantly,ifnotwithacertainadmiration.

Thesonofabookseller,Johnsonexcelledatschoolinspiteofillnessandpoverty.HeenteredOxfordin1728butwasforcedtoleaveafterayearforlackoffunds.Hesustainedhimselfasabooksellerandschoolmasterforthenextsixyears,duringwhichhecontinuedhiswidereadingandpublishedsometranslations.JohnsonsettledinLondonin1737andbeganhisliterarycareerinearnest.Hispoem“London,”publishedanonymouslyin1738,waspraisedbyPopeandwonJohnsonrecognitioninliterarycircles.Johnson’sfirstworkoflastingimportance,andtheonethatpermanentlyestablishedhisreputationinhisowntime,washisDictionaryoftheEnglishLanguage（1755）,thefirstcomprehensivelexicographicalworkonEnglisheverundertaken.Dr.Johnson,asheisuniversallyknown,wasEngland’sfirstfull-dressmanofletters（学者）,andhismindandpersonalityhelpedtocreatethetraditionsthathaveguidedEnglishtasteandcriticism.

OtherBackgroundInformation

QuintusFabiusMaximus（275?

-203BC）,Romanstatesmanandgeneral.DuringtheSecondPunicWar,hebecamedictatorofRome,hethenputintooperationthetacticsthatwonhimthesurnameCunctator（“Delayer”）,bywhichheisbestknown.Heconstantlyharassedtheflanks侧翼ofthearmyoftheCarthaginian迦太基的generalHannibal,and,byavoidingadecisiveencounterwiththeCarthaginianinvaders,gaveRometimetobuilditsstrength.

PunicWars:

thethreewarsbetweenRomeandCarthage迦太基inthe3rdand2ndcenturiesBC.

CarthaginianGeneralHannibal

CarthageandRomewererivalsforcontrolofSicilyinthe3rdcenturyBC.TherivalryledtothePunicWars.Hannibal,commanderoftheCarthaginianarmy,marchedalargearmyonthebacksofelephantsacrosstheRhoneRiverandovertheAlpstoattacktheRomansinItaly.

Hannibal’sMarchintoItaly

Moses:

HebrewprophetandlawgiverandfounderofIsrael,ortheJewishpeople.ThestoryofhislifeissetforthprincipallyintheOldTestamentbooksofExodus出埃及记andDeuteronomy申命记.Accordingtothisaccount,MoseshadtheexperienceofseeingGod,whocommandedhimtoleadtheHebrewsoutofEgypttothelandCannan.MoseswastogivethismessagetoPharaoh,rulerofancientEgypt

Languagepoints

delay→delayer;postpone→postponer;procrastinate→procrastinator;putoff

SectionI:

Procrastinationisnotalwaysanon-recommendablepractice.

1.exhort（Line1）=entreat;≈advise：

（fml.）tourgeoradvisestrongly

Ifyouexhortsomeonetodosomething,youtryhardtopersuadethemtodoit.

e.g.Thegeneralexhortedhismentofightwell.

Weareexhortednottowasteourtimeonthechatroomonline.

Iexhortmyfriendnottodrinktoomuch.

2.Thetitleofnobility:

（Line2）

duke公爵,duchess公爵夫人

marquis侯爵,marchioness侯爵夫人

earl伯爵,countess伯爵夫人

viscount子爵viscountess子爵夫人

baron男爵,baroness男爵夫人

3.getaroundtosth./doingsth.（Line2）

Ifyougetaroundtosomething,youeventuallydosomethingthatyouwouldhavelikedtoavoiddoingorthatyouwereunabletodobeforebecauseyouweretoobusy.抽出时间（做某事）

e.g.Ionlygotaroundtodoingthisafewdaysago.

Hefinallygotaroundtosortingoutthosebooksandmagazinesyesterday.

4.worthy:

n.Aneminentordistinguishedperson.（Plural:

worthies）杰出人物

adj.Havingworth,merit,orvalue;usefulorvaluable值得的

5.coolone’sheels:

≈wait（Line3）

Ifyouarekickingyourheelsorcoolingyourheels,someoneisdeliberatelykeepingyouwaiting,sothatyougetboredorimpatient（aninformalexpression）.

e.g.Thetwoyoungermenwerecoolingtheirheelsintheouteroffice.

“Lethimcoolhisheelsinthemeetingroomforawhile,”saidthedean.

6.MosespleadedaspeechdefecttorationalizehisreluctancetodeliverJehovah’sedicttoPharaoh.（Line6-7）

plead:

toappealearnestly;toofferasdefenseorexcuse恳求;为...辩护,借口（SeeNote6,P19formore）

e.g.pleadformoretime恳求更多的时间

pleadillness以生病作为理由

defect:

n.deficiency

e.g.birthdefect出生缺陷avisualdefect视觉缺陷speechdefect语言缺陷

v.aChinesecitizenwhodefectedtoJapan一个叛逃到日本的中国公民

defectedfromthepartyovertheissueoffreetrade在自由贸易的问题上背叛了自己的政党

rationalize:

tomakerational;attempttoexplainorjustifyone’sactionwithplausiblereasons,eveniftheyarenottrueorappropriate理性化;阐释：

从理性角度出发进行解释;自圆其说

e.g.Don’trationalizeyourincompetencebyfindingfaultwiththemethod.

Paraphrase:

MosesjustifiedhisunwillingnesstopassJehovah’sordertoPharaoh,sayingthathewas“slowofspeech”./MosesexplainedhisunwillingnesstopassJehovah’sordertoPharaohasbecauseofhisspeechdeficiency.

（TheauthorbeginswiththefamoussayingofChesterfield’sandexamplesoftheprocrastinationofsomehistoricallywell-knownfigures.Thiseffectivelyremindspeoplethatsometimespeopledohaveagoodreasontodelay.）

7.mortgage（Line10）抵押

Cf.installment:

oneofanumberofsuccessivepaymentsinsettlementofadebt分期付款

ungodly（Line10）:

impious;here,unpleasant,unreasonable

8.leftovers（Line11）

Leftoversarethefoodthatremainsuneatenafterameal.

e.g.Theleftoverswerethrowntothevillagedogs.

Don’tworry.I’llwarmuptheleftoversandtheyareenoughforme.

filefor:

toformallyapplyfor申请

e.g.filefordivorce/bankruptcy申请离婚/破产

9.apocalyptic（Line13）

apocalypticmeans（A）（≈catastrophic）relatingtothetotaldestructionofsomething,especiallyoftheworld.;（B）（≈prophetic）relatingtoorinvolvingprophecyaboutfuturedisastersandthe