Detailed Reading

1. Difficult Sentences

For my own part I find … the more they puzzle me.

  1.What does “for my own part” mean?

  (=It means as far as I am concerned.)

  2.Translate this sentence into Chinese.

  (=拿我自己来说，我发现，认识一个人的时间越长，我就越感到困惑。)

Unless I had heard the story from his own lips, … capable of such an action.

  Paraphrase this sentence.

  (=If I hadn’t heard the story told by himself, I should never have believed that he could do such a thing. This is a subjunctive mood.)

Here if ever was a man all of a piece.

   1. Paraphrase this sentence.

   (=Here if there ever was a man who is the same as he looks like.)

   2. Translate the sentence into Chinese.

   (=要说真有表里如一的人的话，那就是此公了。)

He played a good game and a generous one.

   Paraphrase the sentence.

   (=He played well and did it in a graceful way.)

5… he could tell with point a good … something of an athlete.

   1. What can we infer from this part?

   (=We know this guy was quite humorous and easy-going. The second sentence implies he looked healthy. Short and small as he is, he does not look morbid. All his things depict a good and kind elderly man.)

   2. Translate this part into Chinese.

   (=他能绘声绘色地讲个来劲儿的段子什么的，他年轻时多少还是个运动员呢。)

He stroked his shaven chin with his thin hand; … almost transparent.

    1. What can we infer from this sentence?

    (=He was very frail. His appearance suggests no hurt. This description of his hand is a proof of what has been mentioned in LL.34-36 that he was very frail and could easily arouse others’ instincts of protection and seemed to be a man who would not bear to hurt a fly.)

2. Translate this sentence into Chinese.

(=他用瘦小的手摸了摸剃得光光的下巴；手上青筋鼓起，手白得几乎透明。)

I suppose that is why he came to me when … a namesake of mine.

   1. Analyze the structure of this sentence.

   (=I suppose 后接宾语从句;从句中的主语为that; that and the fact 为前一个that 的同位语，用来进行补充说明。也就是说,他来找我的原因有二：一是that(两个that 指代的是相同的事件)， 二是the fact that.)

   2. Translate this sentence into Chinese.

    (=大概就是因为这个，当他落得一文不名的时候，就来找我了，再说他和我同姓。)

I got some glimmering of what … at their university to be impressed by it.

  Translate this sentence into Chinese.

(=我听出了一点他话里的意思。上大学时自以为了不起的人我见得多了，我才不吃这套呢。)

But I needn’t have hurried; he never turned up.

    What does the sentence imply?

   (=He (Burton) was evil-minded and cold-blooded, had no sympathy at all.)

Well, I hadn’t got a vacancy in my office at the moment.

    What does the sentence imply?

    (=He’d never taken seriously the friend’s need for help, or actually he had never thought of giving his poor friend a hand.)

2. Words and Expressions

definite: adj. clear; that can’t be doubted

我们要求给一个确切的答复。

（=We demand a definite answer.）

* It’s definite that he’ll come.

 Collocation：

 a definite success          绝对的成功

 definite period of time       确切的时间

CF: definite & definitive

    这两个词均有“明确的”、“确定的”的意思。

definite 表示某事界限分明,以至于就其意义或范围不会产生任何疑问、误解。例如：

        * The doctor is quite definite about the patient having developed a lung cancer. 医生非常肯定病人是患了肺癌。

         * The chairman asked the speaker to be more definite in his statements. 主席让发言的人把话说得更明确些。

definitive 表示某事确定、明确无误，常含“决定性的”、“最后的意思”。例如：

          * This is a definitive judicial decision by the Supreme Court.                 这是最高法院的最终判决。

          * She has written a definitive biography of Byron.                她写了一本很具权威性的拜伦传。

wrinkle: vt. tighten the skin of the face into lines or folds

* The woman was fifty, but looked sixty. Her cheeks were sunken and her skin was wrinkled and yellow.

他闻到怪味儿皱起了鼻子。

(=He wrinkled (up) his nose at the bad smell.)

in accordance with: in agreement or harmony with

    (=Students will be criticized or punished if their behavior is not in accordance with school regulations.)

    根据你的命令，我把房子卖掉了。

（=I sold the house, in accordance with your orders.）

Collocation：

in accordance with the principle of consultation on an equal footing          根据平等协商的原则

spicy: adj. exciting, esp. because of being slightly indecent;      

containing or tasting like spice

在一些地方报纸上你可以读到有关电影明星的下流故事。

(=You can often read spicy stories about film stars in the local newspapers.)

   * People from Sichuan province like to eat spicy food.

instinct: n. a tendency that one is born with to behave in a certain way without reasoning or training 

   *Some animals hunt by instinct.

   相信你的直觉，你认为对的就去做。

   （=Trust your instincts and do what you think is right.）

clap: v. strike (the inner surface of one’s hands) together

 * The teacher clapped her hands to attract the class’s attention.

    * The audience clapped enthusiastically as the singer stepped on to the stage.

sip: v. drink (sth.), taking a very small amount each time

*She sipped politely at her drink.

他把玻璃杯内饮料呷干。

（=He sipped the glass dry.）

   Pattern: sip (at/from) sth.

in a way: to a certain extent but not entirely

 (=I agree with you in a way, but there are still some areas on which I can’t see eye to eye with you.)

   * The work is well done in a way.

stroke: vt. pass the hand gently over (a surface), usu. several times

* At the sight of her husband getting off the train, the woman walked forward and embraced him and gently stroked his white hair.

* I reached out and stroked the baby’s cheek tenderly.

shave: vt. cut or scrape thin slices from the surface of;

vi. cut (hair) off one’s face, etc. with a razor

* In the Qing dynasty men shaved the front of the head and wore the hair at the back tied in a queue or pigtail.

   * He washed and shaved, then hurried out of the house.

transparent: adj. allowing light to pass through so that objects behind can be seen clearly

 (=The cup is made of transparent colored plastic.)

* Her silk dress was almost transparent.

go broke: have no money; go bankrupt

许多跨国公司在经济危机期间都破产了，更不用说小企业了。

(=Many multinational companies went broke during the financial crisis, not to speak of small businesses.)

   * He invested all his money in stocks; unfortunately he made one wrong choice after another and finally went broke.

 stick to: refuse to abandon or change (sth.)

* The mother asked her son just to tell the cops what he saw and stick to his story.

* The old man stuck to jogging every morning although he was eighty years old.

Collocation：

stick to one’s word      遵守诺言

stick to the point      紧扣要点

commit: vt. do (sth. illegal or wrong)

（=*It is illegal to commit violations of the copyright.）

     *The man was suspected of committing murder.

drive at: be trying to say

我不知道你到底什么意思。

(=I have no idea what you’re driving at.)

* The teacher didn’t mention the word “cheating” but I knew what he was driving at.

NB: 用ing形式表示非正式

current:

1. n. continuous flow of water or air in a particular direction

 (=Under normal conditions, the ocean currents of the tropical Pacific travel from east to west.)

*Swimming against the current is energy-consuming.         

2. adj. of the present time; happening now

* The current situation in this area is quite different from that in the 1990s.

    他不喜欢现在的工作正打算辞职。

(=He doesn’t like the current job, and is planning to quit it.)

Collocation:

current fashions             时装

current events               时事

current prices                      现价

be taken aback: be shocked or surprised

* He was taken aback when a woman answered the phone.

    当我发现电脑不见了时我大吃一惊。

   (=I was taken aback when I found my computer was gone.)

in bad/good condition: in bad/good health

 (=In spite of the surgery he is still in bad condition.)

* The car is in very good condition.

turn up: arrive; make one’s appearance

* He didn’t turn up until the end of the examination.

   她干什么都迟到。

   (=She turns up late for everything.)

funk: vt. (infml) avoid because of fear

* He was given a chance of taking part in the speech contest, but funked it.

* He promised to climb the mountain with us, but he funked it at the last moment.

Collocation：

funk water          怕水

funk riding a horse  怕骑马

constitution: n. condition of a person’s body with regard to health, strength, etc.

*A boxer must have a strong constitution.

*Having been ill for several years, he has a particularly fragile constitution.

Collocation：

an old man with a weak constitution           一位体弱的老人

build up a strong (tough) constitution          练出强健的体格

trifle: n. a thing, a matter or an activity that has little value or               importance

 我女儿总是把钱浪费在小玩意儿上。

 (=My daughter always wastes her money on trifles.)

   (=The couple often quarreled about some petty trifle connected with the housework.)

Phrase：a trifle：slightly 

 * George was a trifle awkward with girls but fond of dancing.

* She was a trifle breathless after the run.

candid: adj. not hiding one’s thoughts; frank and honest

 老实同你说，你的工作做得不够好。

 (=Let me be absolutely candid with you: your work is not good enough.)

    * Nancy is candid about the problems she is having with Steve.

Pattern: be candid about/with

Collocation：

a candid opinion              直言

CF: candid, frank & open

    这三个词均有“直率的”、“坦白的”之意。

candid既指言辞坦白直接，也指态度坦率真诚的，直抒胸臆的。例如：

* To be candid with you, your son is not trustworthy. 不瞒你说，你儿子是靠不住的。

* The politician promised to be candid, but we wondered. 那位政治家曾答应要做到坦率公正，但我们对此感到怀疑。

frank较常用，一般指人在言辞或供述方面的坦白。例如：

* He gave a very frank reply. 他坦率地作了答复。

* To be frank with you, I don’t know what you are talking about. 老实讲，我不知道你们在谈些什么。

open强调事物的公开性，指不加遮掩的、公开的。例如：

* She is a very friendly, open person. 她是个非常友好、坦率的人。

* She told her troubles with an open heart. 她坦率地说出了自己的困难。

rub: vt. move one’s hand, an object, etc. backwards and forwards repeatedly on a surface while pressing

 她弯身去揉疼痛的脚踝。

(=She bent over and rubbed her sore ankle.)

    * He looked tired and sat rubbing his eyes.

vacancy: n. unfilled position or post

这家公司的财务部有一个空额。

(=The company has a vacancy in the accounts department.)

 (=There are three vacancies in this apartment house.)