3 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.)