Lesson 41: Illusions of Pastoral peace 宁静田园生活的遐想
Listen to the tape then answer the question below.
听录音,然后回答以下问题。
What particular anxiety spoils the country dweller's visit to the theatre?
The quiet life of the country has never appealed to me. City born and city bred. I have always regarded the country as something you look at through a train window, or something you occasional visit during the weekend. Most of my friends live in the city, yet they always go into raptures at the mere mention of the country. Though they extol the virtues of the peaceful life, only one of them has ever gone to live in the country and he was back in town within six months. Even he still lives under the illusion that country life is somehow superior to town life. He is forever talking about the friendly people, the clean atmosphere, the closeness to nature and the gentle pace of living. Nothing can be compared, he maintains, with the first cockcrow, the twittering of birds at dawn, the sight of the rising sun glinting on the trees and pastures. This idyllic pastoral scene is only part of the picture. My friend fails to mention the long and friendless winter evenings in front of the TV -- virtually the only form of entertainment. He says nothing about the poor selection of goods in the shops, or about those unfortunate people who have to travel from the country to the city every day to get to work. Why people are prepared to tolerate a four-hour journey each day for the dubious privilege of living in the country is beyond me. They could be saved so much misery and expense if they chose to live in the city where they rightly belong.
If you can do without the few pastoral pleasures of the country, you will find the city can provide you with the best that life can offer. You never have to travel miles to see your friends. They invariably live nearby and are always available for an informal chat or an evening's entertainment. Some of my acquaintances in the country come up to town once or twice a year to visit the theatre as a special treat. For them this is a major operation which involves considerable planning. As the play draws to its close, they wonder whether they will ever catch that last train home. The cit dweller never experiences anxieties of this sort. The latest exhibitions, films, or plays are only a short bus ride away. Shopping, too, is always a pleasure. The latest exhibitions, films, or plays are only a short bus ride away. Shopping, too, is always a pleasure. There is so much variety that you never have to make do with second best. Country people run wild when they go shopping in the city and stagger home loaded with as many of the exotic items as they can carry. Nor is the city without its moments of beauty. There is something comforting about the warm glow shed by advertisements on cold wet winter nights. Few things could be more impressive than the peace that descends on deserted city streets at weekends when the thousands that travel to work every day are tucked away in their homes in the country. It has always been a mystery to me who city dwellers, who appreciate all these things, obstinately pretend that they would prefer to live in the country.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
illusion
n. 幻想,错觉
pastoral
adj. 田园的
breed (bred, bred)
v. 培育
rapture
n. 欣喜
extol
v. 赞美,颂扬
superior
adj. 优越的
cockcrow
n. 鸡叫
twitter
v. (鸟)吱吱叫,嘁嘁喳喳叫
glint
v. 闪烁
pasture
n. 牧场
idyllic
adj. 田园诗的
virtually
adv. 几乎,差不多
dubious
adj. 可疑的,怀疑的
privilege
n. 特权
misery
n. 苦难
acquaintance
n. 熟人
treat
n. 难得的乐事,享受
dweller
n. 居住者
stagger
v. 摇晃,蹒跚
exotic
adj. 导乎寻常的,外来的
glow
n. 白炽光
descend
v. 缩进,隐藏
descend
v. 缩进,隐藏
obstinately
adv. 固执地,顽固地
参考译文
宁静的乡村生活从来没有吸引过我。我生在城市,长在城市,总认为乡村是透过火车车窗看到的那个样了,或偶尔周末去游玩一下景象。我的许多朋友都住在城市,但他们只要一提起乡村,马上就会变得欣喜若狂。尽管他们都交口称赞宁静的乡村生活的种种优点,但其中只有一个人真去农村住过,而且不足6个月就回来了。即使他也仍存有幻觉,好像乡村生活就是比城市生活优越。他滔滔不绝地大谈友好的农民,洁净的空气,贴近大自然的环境和悠闲的生活节奏。他坚持认为,凌晨雄鸡第一声啼叫,黎明时分小鸟吱喳欢叫,冉冉升起的朝阳染红树木、牧场,此番美景无与伦比。但这种田园诗般的乡村风光仅仅是一个侧面。我的朋友没有提到在电视机前度过的漫长寂寞的冬夜——电视是唯一的娱乐形式。他也不说商店货物品种单调,以及那些每天不得不从乡下赶到城里工作的不幸的人们。人们为什么情愿每天在路上奔波4个小时去换取值得怀疑的乡间的优点,我是无法理解的。要是他们愿意住在本来属于他们的城市,则可以让他们省去诸多不便与节约大量开支。
如果你愿舍弃乡下生活那一点点乐趣的话,那么你会发出城市可以为你提供生活最美好的东西。你去看朋友根本不用跋涉好几英里,因为他们都住在附近,你随时可以同他们聊天或在晚上一起娱乐。我在乡村有一些熟人,他们每年进城来看一回或几回戏,并把此看作一种特殊的享受。看戏在他们是件大事,需要精心计划。当戏快演完时,他们又为是否能赶上末班火车回家而犯愁。这种焦虑,城里人是从未体验过的。坐公共汽车几站路,就可看到最新的展览、电影、戏剧。买东西也是一种乐趣。物品种繁多,从来不必用二等品来凑合。乡里人进城采购欣喜若狂,每次回家时都买足了外来商品,直到拿不动方才罢休,连走路都摇摇晃晃的。城市也并非没有良辰美景。寒冷潮湿的冬夜里,广告灯箱发出的暖光,会给人某种安慰。周末,当成千上万进城上班的人回到他们的乡间寓所之后,空旷的街市笼罩着一种宁静气氛,没有什么能比此时的宁静更令人难忘了。城里人对这一切心里很明白,却偏要执拗地装出他们喜欢住在乡村的样子,这对我来说一直是个谜。
新概念英语正版图书购买
自学导读
课文详注 Further notes on the text
1.Do you call that a hat? (标题)你把那个叫帽子吗?
Do you call that +(冠词)+名词这个结构可以表达一种轻蔑的含义:
Do you call that a house/a dog?
你把那个叫房子/狗吗?
2.I sat down on one of those modern chairs with holes in it…我坐在一个新式的满是网眼儿的椅子上……
those在此处表示一种看不惯、不满的意味,如果换成the,则没有这种意味。
3.I regretted saying it almost at once. 我马上又后悔说了这话。
regret +动名词/名词/that从句通常表示为做过的某件事感到后悔、懊悔:
I now regret leaving my country/ that I have left my country.
我现在后悔离开了自己的祖国。
He regretted having been rude to her.
他后悔自己对她无礼。
Did he regret his mistake?
他为自己的错误感到后悔了吗?
regret +不定式表示对现在或将来要做的事感到对不起、遗憾,比 be sorry +不定式要正式:
We regret to tell you that you are not welcome.
我们很遗憾地告诉您,您不受欢迎。
4.I find it beautiful. 我觉得它好看。
动词find经常用于动词+宾语+宾语补足语这种结构:
You'll find it difficult/easy to make conversation with her.
你将会发现与她聊天很困难/容易。( it代指后面的不定式短语)
I find this book very interesting.
我觉得这本书很有趣。
5.A man can never have too many ties. 男人有多少领带也不会嫌多。
cannot/can never…too…(固定结构)表示“无论怎么……也不会过分”:
A woman can't have too many hats.
女人有多少帽子也不嫌多。
You can't be too careful in doing your work.
你工作越小心越好。
语法 Grammar in use
must, have(got) to与need
在第17课的语法中,我们学习了情态助动词must和have(got)to 的一些用法,知道它们可以表达“必须”、“不得不”等含义,must还可用于表示推测。在表达“必要”、“不必要”等含义时,除了可用must和have(got)to以外,还可以用need。need只有情态助动词的部分特征,仅用于某些疑问句和否定句。need用于疑问句时,问者往往希望得到否定的回答:
Need you leave so soon?
你有必要这么早就走吗?(希望不必)用need的一般疑问句的肯定形式的回答可以用 must/had to,否定形式的回答可以用 needn't
need一般情况下作完全动词:
I need to go to the dentist this morning.
今天上午我需要去看牙。
表示必要时,must的语气比need要强:
I must go to the dentist this morning.
今天上午我必须去看牙。
用 must的一般疑问句可以用 must/have to或 needn't来回答,而不用 mustn't:
“不必要”可用 needn't, don't have to来表示:
You needn't/don't have to work such long hours.
你不必工作那么长时间。
这种句型可用来表示说话人让对方选择或允许对方可以不做某事的主观意图。它的完成式和过去式分别为 needn't have, didn't have to和 didn't need to:
mustn't表示绝对禁止。在说话人看来,根本没有选择余地
词汇学习 Word study
1.remind vt.
(1)提醒:
Remind me to post that letter.
提醒我把那封信寄了。
I needn't remind you of that terrible tie you bought yesterday.
我不必提醒你昨天买的那条糟糕透了的领带。
He reminded his wife that they needed to buy some coffee and sugar.
他提醒妻子他们需要买些咖啡和糖。
(2)使……想起:
The smell of cabbage reminds me of school.
卷心菜的气味使我想起了学校。
She reminds me of her sister.
她使我想起了她的姐姐/妹妹。
2.remark,observe与 notice
(1)remark与 observe都可以表示“说”、“评论说”,它们比say要正式:
‘You're looking very well!’She remarked/observed.
“您的气色看上去真好!”她说。
He remarked/observed that it was too hot in the room.
他说屋里太热了。
(2)notice和observe都可以表示“注意到”、“察觉到”,但有一定区别。notice 通常指无意中“察觉到”;observe 则可以指有意观察,比notice更正式:
I've noticed/ observed that he telephones her oftener than before.
我发现/注意到他现在给她打电话比以前次数多了。
She observed the picture critically for a moment.
她用挑剔的目光看了一会儿那幅画。
I didn't notice his leaving.
他走的时候我没注意到。
练习答案 Key to written exercises
1.关键句型练习答案
C 1 mustn't 2 mustn't 3 needn't 4 needn't 5 mustn't
2.难点练习答案
1 remarked 2 noticed 3 remarks 4 notice
3.多项选择题答案
1 a 2 a 3 c 4 d 5 c 6 b
7 b 8 a 9 d 10 a 11 c 12 b
课堂笔记
need
call sb sth call that
be rude be rude about sth be rude to sb
don't be rude to me别对我这么粗鲁
needn't:不必on the chair
he has been there
bookstore书店 drugstore药店
must表示必须 mustn't不能、不准
need的否定形式:needn't don't need
regretted doing sth后悔已经做
needn't have done原本不必做,但是做了,强调过去的动作不必做
you needn't have bought it你原本不必买的
remind sb of sth
needn't do:现在的动作也不必做
never=not too无论...也不为过
A man can never have too many ties.再多的领带对一个男人来说也不为过
i can never thank you too much:感激不尽
drinking water can never be too clean饮用水越干净越好
a wife can never complain too much妻子怎么罗嗦也不为过
need:需要
needn't:非实义动词,情态动词,无时态变化,也没有人称
don't need:实义动词有任意一种时态,有人称变化
need i...?(情态)do i need...?实义动词
情态动词后面一定要加动词原形
在实义动词后面再加一个实义动词,就在后面加to do
need i go out?do i need to go out?
情态动词后面不能直接用名词做宾语
实义动词后面可以直接加名词
we don't need things(名词)...
you don't need to be
needn't have done:过去不必做,但是做了
mustn't 不准
can't :不可能
you don't...:事实
key structures
must可能等于have to 表示必须,不等于have to时表示推测
1、对现在和将来加原形
2、对正在be doing
3、对过去have done
4、对过去正在have been doing
be bad for对什么有害
smoking is bad for your health抽烟有害你的健康
observe:仔细地看
multiple choices
3......
do you have to...?yes,i do/no,i don't
have to 必须
do you have to...?no,i don't have to do sth
mustn't不准 don't have to 不必
must=have to必须
英文中要么助动词之后所有地东西都省略,要么省到不定式标志
would you like to do sth?yes,i'd like to
no,i don't/no,i don't need to
do you want to go to school?yes,i do/yes,i want to
would you like to see the menu?yes,i'd like to(后结动词
would you like some bananas?yes,i’d like(后结名词)
do you need the hat?no,i needn't
7......
can never:不可能=can't
unable:不可能,be able(unable) to
impossible
improbable,:不太可能probably很有可能
incapable:没有能力,be capable of
8......
reflect:发射,reflection:反射地东西
idol:偶像
imagination:想象
picture:照片,图象
11......
wear/dress/put on/have on穿
wear(状态)
dress,dress sb:给某人穿衣服,强调动作
put on(动作)
have sth on(状态)
in a green coat
she is in a green coat
be in+衣服(状态)
12......
match:与...相配
lien:与...做比较,compare,liken sth to another thing
we liken the hat to a lighthouse
resemble:像 vt a resemble b appear:显得,similar:与...相似,be similar to
remark/notice
notice:看
remark:说
make rude remark(粗话)
call one's name: 骂人
say F words
fail to do:没有能够,表示强烈地肯定,not fail to
you can not fail to notict it
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