Lesson_4_The_Invisible_Japanese_Gentlemen

Lesson 4 The Invisible Japanese GentlemenWord List1.courteous a. characterized by gracious consideration toward others/ polite 谦恭的，有礼的2.blonde a. & n. having golden or pale-coloured hair白肤金发(女子)3.petite a. small, slender, and trim. (used of a girl or woman) 娇小的4.Regency n. typical of the period 1810-1820 in England 摄政时期(1811-1820年)a person or group selected to govern in place of a monarch or other ruler whois absent, disabled, or still in minority 摄政者5.oval n. & a. resembling an egg in shape卵形的/ resembling an ellipse in shape; elliptical椭圆形的6.miniature n. a copy or model that represents or reproduces something in a greatlyreduced size缩小模型,缩微模型a small painting executed with great detail, often on a surface such as ivory微型画a. being on a small or greatly reduced scale 小型的7.signet-ring n. signet -- seal图章戒指8.aviary n. a large enclosure for holding birds in confinement 大鸟舍cage9.fiancén. a man engaged to be married 未婚夫10.panel n. a flat, usually rectangular piece forming a raised, recessed, or framed part of thesurface in which it is set 镶板11.sensitivity n.sensitive a. easily influenced to the attitudes, feelings, or circumstances of others 敏感的e.g. She is sensitive to what people think of her. 她很敏感人们对她是怎么想的。

12.paperback n. a book having a flexible paper binding 平装本（hardcover精装本）13.crutch n. a device used for assistance or support 支撑物e.g. to walk on crutches 拄着拐杖走路14.rake v. aim heavy gunfire along the length of 扫射search or examine thoroughly 搜索e.g. rake through the files for the misplaced letter为找一封错放的信而搜找那些文件rake the library for new books在图书馆里寻找新书rake the sky with a searchlight用探照灯扫视天空The clouds raked the mountain summits.云朵掠过山峰。

15.champagne n. 香槟酒16.elaborate a. intricate and rich in detail复杂精美的/ complicated/carefully prepared andfinished/ very detailed and complicatedv. express at greater length or in greater detail 详述e.g. an elaborate lace pattern复杂精美的花边图案The chairman just wanted the facts; you don't need to elaborate on them.主席只想了解事实,你不必作详细说明。

17.courtesy n. polite behavior有礼貌的举止行为courteous a.18.enfeeble v. deprive of strength; make feeble使丧失力量；使虚弱feeble a.e.g. I felt feeble when I was ill. 我生病的时候感到很虚弱。

Grandmother has been getting feebler lately.近来祖母愈益衰弱了。

19.snatch v. & n. grasp or seize hastily, eagerly, or suddenly 抢夺e.g. He snatched up his gun and fired. 他突然取出枪来射击。

He snatched the book from my hands. 他从我的手里抢走了书。

A bird had snatched up the snake from the ground and then dropped it on to the wires.一只飞禽从地上抓起了这条蛇,后来把它丢落在电线上。

snatch at the chance of抓住机会20.decorative a. serving to decorate or embellish; ornamental 装饰性的；装饰的decorate v.decoration n.21.submit v. give in to the authority, power, or desires of another 服从offer as a proposition or contention将…作为意见提出submission n.e.g. refuse to submit to an unjust decision拒绝服从不公正的决定I submitted my papers to the examiner. 我把试卷交给主考老师。

I hope you can submit you term papers before the deadline.我希望你们能在最后限期之前交上你们的学期论文。

submit willingly心悦诚服22.simultaneously ad.simultaneous a. happening, existing, or done at the same time 同时的e.g. This event was almost simultaneous with that one.这件事几乎是与那件事同时发生的。

23.counterpart n. one that closely resembles another 相似物24.Naples n. 那不勒斯(意大利港市)25.abrasive a. harsh and rough in manner 生硬粗暴的26.blurb n. a brief publicity notice, as on a book jacket 简介27.evasive a. inclined or intended to evade 逃避的evade v.e.g. take evasive action采取逃避行动evade responsibility回避责任ThemeIn this sort story, Greene creates the favourable image of a girl, who is not only attractive in looks but also firm in spirit. She has just had her first novel published, and now intoxicated by her success and inflated by the publisher’s praise, she wants to stake her future on a writer’s career. For such a girl, Greene expresses great sympathy and deep concern, himself being a veteran author who knows all the problems and sufferings of being a writer. While he seems to be worrying abut the particular girl, he offers all young would-be writers his reflections on being a writer and his advice to them on choosing other careers than writing.Greene seriously believes that writing requires enormous pains and is never an easy job. A writer may put forth “years of effort” but end up in “doing nothing well”. The girl obviously did not realize this when she set out to write. Beside, writing calls for extremely keen observation. The girl is certainly not up to the job, for she fails to notice even those Japanese gentlemen seatedhighly visibly in an English restaurant. The girl is sure to suffer if she really embarks on a career as a novelist. As an old er person of about her mother’s age, Greene cannot bear to see her, whom he has affectionately portrayed in the story, suffer in her future life. He would like to advise her to take up some other job, because in his words, “she deserves better of life” th en toiling as a professional scribbler.The girl’s fiancé and the Japanese gentlemen have respective roles to play in the story. The man is described as weak in personality and as such, serves as a perfect foil for the girl’s strong character. In several places of the story, the author gives meticulously detailed descriptions of the Japanese gentlemen at the fish dinner. Although the girl is also mentioned as having looked at them on a number of occasions, her glances have never come to anything. In this way, the girl’s exaggerated powers of observation are set well apart from a true writer’s watchfulness. The title of the story epitomizes this meaning.Language Points1.deserve better of --- deserve to be treated better bye.g. I thought I had deserved better of the firm than to be dismissed with so little reason.He has deserved well of his country.他有功于国家。