Passage_8-答案

Passage 8 Illusions of the pastoral peace
Part One Words & Expressions
1.illusion
n. 幻觉，错觉
【译】他活在这样的错觉下：乡村生活好于城市生活。

He lives under the illusion that country life is superior to town life.
【译】I have no illusion about my ability. 我有自知之明。

【同】delusion n. 幻觉
【考研真题】
[2014-T2英语二] “I don’t think the findings that we have are any evidence of personal delusion,” says Epley.
Epley说：我不认为我们所获得的这些证据是个人错觉的象征。

[2006-T4] In the author’s opinion, advertising creates an illusion of happiness rather than happiness itself.
在作者看来，广告创造了幸福的幻觉而不是幸福本身。

2.superior
adj. 比…好，比…优越 A be superior to B
n. 上司，上级
【译】章泽天曾是《山楂树之恋》静秋一角的绝佳候选人。

Amy Chua was a superior candidate for the role of Jingqiu in Under the Hawthorn Tree.
【译】我觉得如果章泽天出演《山楂树之恋》中的静秋一角，她应该会比周冬雨演得更好。

(be superior to)
Personally speaking, Amy Chua would have been superior to Zhou Dongyu if she had played Jingqiu in Under the Hawthorn Tree.
be superior to 比…好
be inferior to 比…差
be senior to 比…年长，资历深
be junior to 比…年轻，资历浅
【考研真题】
[2008-翻译] He adds humbly that perhaps he was “superior to the common run of men in noticing things which easily escape attention, and in observing them carefully.”
他谦虚地补充说到：在察觉和仔细观察那些不太容易引起注意力事情上，也许他比大多数的人都逊色。

3.dubious
adj. 怀疑的，可疑的
【译】政策的结果在一段时间内都不能确定。

The result of the policy will be dubious for some time.
【同】uncertain / doubtful / questionable /suspicious / skeptical
4.acquaintance
n. 熟悉，熟人
【译】我们只是泛泛之交、点头之交。

We are only casual/nodding acquaintances.
【译】我不熟悉这本书。

I have no acquaintance with this book.
【考研真题】
[2010-T3英语一] For a social epidemic to occur, however, each person so affected, must then influence his or her own acquaintances, who must in turn influence theirs, and so on.
然而，为了让一种社会流行出现，每一个受到影响的人都要紧接着去影响他或她的熟人，这些人随后再去影响他们的熟人，等等。

5.descend
v. 下降
descend from 起源于
就因为我姓赵，所以别人经常问我是不是赵匡胤的后代，太搞笑了。

It is all too funny that I am frequently asked whether I am descended from Zhao Kuangyin, for the simple reason that we share an identical surname.
descend to 堕落到…的地步；沦为…；向下延伸至…
I'm surprised that he descended to begging for his food.
很惊讶，他竟然沦落到乞讨自己的食物。

The mountain path descends to a small river.
山上的小路向下延伸到一条小河。

【派】descendant n. 后代，子嗣
【反】ascend v. 上升
[2013-T1英语一] Priestly explains how the deep blue color of the assistant's sweater descended over the years from fashion shows to department stores and to the bargain bin in which the poor girl doubtless found her garment.
Priestly解释了她的助理穿的那件深蓝色毛衣是如何在这几年里从时装秀传到百货公司，再到打折区，这个可怜的女孩儿就是在打折区买到了这件衣服。

[2000-T2] But however amazed our descendants may be at how far from Utopia we were, they will look just like us.
但是，无论我们的后代发现我们离乌托邦多么遥远而感到惊讶时，他们看起来都会和我们一样。

6.obstinately
adv. 固执地
As obstinate as a mule. 倔强如牛。

He is obstinate that he still tries to defend his theory which has been proved wrong.
他太固执了，他仍然试图去捍卫已经证实为错的理论。

【同】stubbornly adj. 固执地
[2013-T1英语二] Davidson’s article is one of a number of pieces that have recently appeared making the point that the reason we have such stubbornly high unemployment and declining middle-class incomes today is largely because of the big drop in demand.
Davidson的文章是近期众多文章中的一篇，他的文章强调：我们之所以有如此稳固的高失业率和下滑的中产收入，是因为需求的大幅下滑。

Part Two Textual Analyses
Para. 1
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 occasionally visit during the week-end. 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 cock crow, 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 which are interrupted only by an occasional visit to the local cinema-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.
【句型仿写】A born and A bred, sb. always regard B as C , or D.
在A生长，…时常将B视为C，或者D
在农村土生土长，我一直把高楼大厦当做电视节目里面看到那个样子，或者是偶尔假期去游玩一下的景象。

Country born and country bred, I have always regarded the skyscrapers as something you see from the TV shows, or something you occasionally visit during the vacation.
生在武汉，长在武汉，我们总认为大海是电视剧里面看到的那个样子，或者是偶尔假期去游玩一下的景象。

Wuhan born and Wuhan bred, I have always regarded the sea as something you see on TV, or something you occasionally visit during the holiday.
go into raptures at the mere mention of 一提到…就变得欣喜若狂
有时候一提到放假，我们就会变得欣喜若狂。

There are times when we would go into raptures at the mere mention of the vacation.
be under the illusion that 处在…的幻觉之下
很多女孩子还在幻想着能嫁给富二代，过上奢华的生活。

A great many girls are still under the illusion that they can marry a second-rich generation and lead an extravagant life.
事物正反面---过渡句
It is only part of the picture.
The other side of the picture is quite the opposite.
Yet this is not always the case.
beyond 的用法：
sb. doesn’t know = be beyond sb.
= be beyond sb.’s knowledge
= be beyond sb.'s understanding
sb. cannot reach = be beyond sb’s reach
sb. cannot control = be beyond sb’s control
【改写】I cannot understand why men should be so eager after money.
Why men should be so eager after money is beyond me.
【句型仿写】why….is beyond me. 我无法理解….
我不明白人们为什么情愿放弃更高的薪水，以换取做白领工人的殊荣。

Why people are willing/prepared to sacrifice higher pay for the simple privilege of becoming white-collar workers is beyond me.
【段落仿写】
Most of my friends…, yet they always go into raptures at the mere mention of …(概括)
Nothing can be compared, they maintain /remark, with …. （优势）
Why … is beyond me. （劣势）
我的大多数朋友都痴迷于品牌，但是一提到假冒伪劣商品他们就欣喜若狂。

Most of my friends are crazy about famous brands, yet they always go into raptures at the mere mention of the fake commodities.
他们说没有什么比低廉的价格，几近真品一样精致的外观和强大的功能更重要了。

Nothing can be compared, they remark, with impressively low price, equally decent appearance and amazingly powerful functions.
他们为何宁愿花同样的钱买一件假货，也不愿买普通的同类产品，这一点我一直无法理解。

Why they would rather spend the same amount of money on a fake product than an ordinary one is beyond me.
Para. 2
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 city 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. 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 necessities of life 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 week-ends 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 why city dwellers, who appreciate all these things, obstinately pretend that they would prefer to live in the country.
do without 没….也行
make do with sth. 用…来凑合
run wild 变得不受控制
【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。