新概念英语85年上外美音版第四册 第29课

 　　Lesson 29 Pieces of Mind 思想片断
A young man sees a sunset and, unable to understand or to express the emotion that it rouses in him, concludes that it must be the gateway¹ to a world that lies beyond. It is difficult for any of us in moments of intense aesthetic² experience to resist the suggestion that we are catching³ a glimpse of a light that shines down to us from a different realm of existence, different and, because the experience is intensely moving, in some way higher. And, though the gleams blind and dazzle, yet do they convey a hint of beauty and serenity⁴ greater than we have known or imagined. Greater too than we can describe, for language, which was invented to convey the meanings of this world, cannot readily be fitted to the uses of another.
That all great art has this power of suggesting a world beyond is undeniable. In some moods Nature shares it. There is no sky in June so blue that it does not point forward to a bluer, no sunset so beautiful that it does not waken the vision of a greater beauty, a vision which passes before it is fully⁵ glimpsed, and in passing leaves an indefinable longing⁶ and regret.
But, if this world is not merely a bad joke, life a vulgar flare⁷ amid the cool radiance of the stars, and existence an empty laugh braying⁸ across the mysteries; if these intimations of a something behind and beyond are not evil humour born of indigestion, or whimsies⁹ sent by the devil to mock and madden us, if, in a word, beauty means something, yet we must not seek to interpret the meaning. If we glimpse the unutterable, it is unwise to try to utter it, nor should we seek to invest with significance that whichwe cannot grasp. Beauty in terms of our human meanings is meaningless.
rouse  vt.激起(情感词）  \emotion\excitement激动\anger仇恨\love爱
同义词 arouse激发,flame\inflame火焰,stir搅拌
This film is really rousing.这片子真是让人激动。
▲intense  a强烈的 love/passion热情/hatred/heat酷暑/coldness严寒/light/rays强光
intensive reading精读/extensive reading范读
intensive farming精耕细作/intensified training强化训练
同义词：violent/ferment/fierce/vehement
aesthetic  a审美的 aesthetics审美学（a＋s－名词，如logic—logics）esthete爱美者，唯美主义者
realm n世界 见19课
gleam  n光芒  见10课
dazzle vt 使眼花缭乱，头晕目眩
The fireworks dazzle me.那绽放的烟花使我头晕目眩
dazzling achivemeng令人瞩目的成就
convey  vt 传达，表达information/meaning/knowledge
Teacher conveys knowledge to students.
同义词：transfer/transplant移植/transmit/transpacific横跨大西洋/pass over
pass!传
serenity  n 静谧 adj serene¹⁰
同义词：poetic/quice/peaceful（O）/placid/tranquil（w）/serene life
serene lake/face（安祥的脸）
readily   ad 轻易地
The work is readily done.
The problem is readily solved.这个难题迎刃而解
同义词：smoothly/ painless
undeniable a  不可否认的
词源：否认deny/可否认的deniable
①deny sb.……sth.
He denies me admission.他不准我进去。
②deny oneself in sth.
I deny myself in drinking.我戒酒了
deny oneself毫无疑问/question－questionable－unqusetionable
mistakable-unmistakble
▲indefinable a 不可名状的，无法下定义的（表程度高）
define下定义
His kindness/hospitality is indefinable.他的热情真是难以表述。
难以描述的undesctibable/express－expressible-inexpressible/biyond words
▲longing   n  渴望,热望
long for a villa/long to have a ville渴望一栋别墅
同义词：yearn－yearning for……/thirst/thirsty/hunger
※名词或动词类似，则其同义词用法类似
my hunger for books
vulgar    a  平庸的（来源于宗教，与God所住之heaven相对应）
vulgar place/vulgar world/vugar language(nasty)言语粗俗
同义词：earthly  反义词：heavenly/godly/celestial星空的，高雅的
radiance   n  发光
来源于radio adj－radiant smile/radioactive表辐射
wear a radiant face红光满面
※：wear 可用于表穿、戴、涂抹、留(胡子、头发等）如wear lipstick/whitening lotion增白蜜/beard
mysteries  n  神秘的事物 /mystic见19课
intimation n  暗示
intimate v.告知，暗示 同义词：hint/suggestion/imlication
whimsy     n 怪念头
whimsical adj.怪诞的见27课
▲in a word    总而言之
同义词：in short/in brief（见）26课/in a nutshell
▲interpret  vt 阐明
I am an interpreter.(oral)/translator(written)
inter:between
如：international/interschool/interclass/interpersonal
trans- 表示“横过，贯穿”之义
interpret a role/play a role 扮演角色
▲unutterable a  不可言传的  同义词：indefinable
uttervt  说出，表达 adj 完全的
in utter exhaustion完全疲劳状态（见28课）/utterance(oral)/sentence(written)
invest   vt    赋予 m.investment   同义词endow v.
invest in投资: He investen in china.
invest with给予/invest sb. with courage
invest sb. with loving heart
The novel is invested with mystery.这部小说极具神秘色彩！
grasp    vt    理解
beyong/within my grasp无法/能理解
Grasp all and lose all. 贪多必失
He is very grasping.他太贪婪了。
A young man sees（与concludes并列） a sunset and, unable（做原因状语） to understand or to express the emotion that it(sunset) rouses in him①, concludes that it must be the gateway to ②（通往……的门） a world that lies beyond（省略了 this world).（下一句从特殊引至一般,from a individual to the general） It is difficult for any of us( 后边跟 to do sth. )in moments of intense aesthetic experience ③to resist the suggestion（暗示） that（同位语从句） we are catching a glimpse（一瞥） of a light that shines down to④ us from a different realm of existence（=world), different（different 修饰 existence） and, because the experience is intensely moving（双关语，touching/quickly), in some way higher( 更加壮丽). And, though the gleams blind(v.使……一片茫然), and dazzle, yet do(do 起强调作用) they convey a hint of beauty and serenity greater than we have known or imagined. Greater too than we can describe⑤, for language, which was invented to convey the meanings of this world（this world:our worle）, cannot readily be fitted to the uses of another.
That all great art has this power of suggesting a world beyond is undeniable. In some moods Nature shares it. There is no sky in June so blue that it does not point forward to a bluer⑥, no sunset so beautiful that it does not waken the vision（幻觉） of a greater beauty, a vision which passes before it is fully glimpsed, and in passing（in passing  在流逝的过程中） leaves an indefinable longing and regret. But, if this world is not merely a bad joke⑦, life（省略了is not ）a vulgar flare ⑧amid the cool（冷，冷漠） radiance  of the stars（宇宙间，意为上天）, and existence（＝life）（省略了is not） an empty laugh braying（donkey） across the mysteries（意为上天）; if these intimations（暗示，联想） of a something（a something 指前边所联想的东西，日落、蓝天） behind（inside/inside my heart,见文章第二句‘to express the emotion that it rouses in him’) and beyond（higher universe） are not evil humour born of indigestion（born of indigestion:come from misunderstangding，误解）, or whimsies sent by the devil（与hell相对，意指邪恶） to mock（joke，嘲笑） and madden us, if, in a word, beauty means something, yet we must not seek to（try to） interpret the meaning⑨. If we glimpse the unutterable, it is unwise to try to utter it, nor should we seek to invest with significance that which we cannot grasp⑩. Beauty in terms of（in terms of 就……而言） our human meanings is meaningless.
①What's your emotion when you see the sun is rising radianly from the Mount Tai?
it is great!/beautifu!/it is really glamorous¹¹!
it is really beyond my words!
a glorious future behind him/ a glorious future in front of him（见6课）
②gateway to 通往……的门To master English is a gateway to a rosy¹² future.（非常灿烂的未来）
③in moments of intense aesthetic experience 插入语＝when we have the moments of intense aesthetic experience
④shines down to/above/high above
⑤Greater too than we can describe.无谓语句(exclamation)，表达一种惊叹.即美得语言难以描述。
如：How nice!
⑥此句暗示更好的未来。结构上双重否定等于肯定There is sky in June so blur¹³ than it does point forward to a bluer .六月总有一种蓝天能使你联想到更湛蓝的天空。
如：There is no man in the world so nice that he does not deserve any praise.
There is no man in the worle so vicious that he dose not deserve any abuse.
He is rotten to the core,so I hate him to death.他坏到心肠了，我恨死他了。to death 表一种状态。
I love him to death.我爱死他了
I am hungry to death./I am angry to death.
⑦a bad joke 一个拙劣的玩笑，此句意为人生充满不幸（misfortune/happiness/laughter），西方宗教中上帝认为人是罪恶的，所以要惩罚人类，即理解为文中bad joke。
⑧vulgar flare 平庸的一闪，flare:short in passing；vulgar:fruitless
⑨前面4句分句引出文中主题句－yet we must not seek to interpret the meaning.
⑩invest sth.(that which we cannot grasp) with significance，倒装句，宾语较长放在后，
此文章为哲学家所写，比较难，而科学类文章相对简单。（philosopher/scientist）
作者：C.E.M.JOAD(1891-1953) Britisher/Meaning of Life/God and Evil sculpture
文中图片为著名雕塑家Hogarth的自画像。The Line of Beauty 线条的美，在当时其作品被评为粗暴、低俗（vulgar and inferior）。其最擅长于勾画眼睛。
文章要求背诵，至少读10次，领悟其内涵。

1 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

2 aesthetic   

adj.美学的，审美的，有美感

参考例句：

• My aesthetic standards are quite different from his.我的审美标准与他的大不相同。
• The professor advanced a new aesthetic theory.那位教授提出了新的美学理论。

3 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

4 serenity   

n.宁静，沉着，晴朗

参考例句：

• Her face,though sad,still evoked a feeling of serenity.她的脸色虽然悲伤，但仍使人感觉安详。
• She escaped to the comparative serenity of the kitchen.她逃到相对安静的厨房里。

5 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

6 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

7 flare   

v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发

参考例句：

• The match gave a flare.火柴发出闪光。
• You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work.你大可不必因为我提到你的工作就动怒。

8 braying   

v.发出驴叫似的声音( bray的现在分词 )；发嘟嘟声；粗声粗气地讲话（或大笑）；猛击

参考例句：

• A donkey was braying on the hill behind the house. 房子后面的山上传来驴叫声。 来自互联网
• What's the use of her braying out such words? 她粗声粗气地说这种话有什么用呢？ 来自互联网

9 whimsies   

n.怪念头( whimsy的名词复数 )；异想天开；怪脾气；与众不同的幽默感

参考例句：

10 serene   

adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的

参考例句：

• He has entered the serene autumn of his life.他已进入了美好的中年时期。
• He didn't speak much,he just smiled with that serene smile of his.他话不多，只是脸上露出他招牌式的淡定的微笑。

11 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

12 rosy   

adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的

参考例句：

• She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作，生活看上去很美好。
• She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。

13 blur   

n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚

参考例句：

• The houses appeared as a blur in the mist.房子在薄雾中隐隐约约看不清。
• If you move your eyes and your head,the picture will blur.如果你的眼睛或头动了，图像就会变得模糊不清。