自考高级英语上册Lesson_11

masterpieces, if only I had pens, inks and paper.
除了笔、墨和纸，什么也不能阻止我写出半打不朽的杰作。
If it be true that our thoughts and mental images are perfectly tangible things, like our books and pictures, to the inhabitants of the next world, then I am making for myself a better reputation there than I am in this place. Make for: 导致；有助于；走向 He rose from his seat and made for the door. 他起身向门 口走去。 A happy parent makes for a happy child. 幸福的家长造就 幸福的孩子。
Dim: not bright, not clearly to be seen不亮的 dim light of a candle 微弱的烛光 a dim room 光线不好的房间 the dim outline of a building 房屋的模糊轮廓 我瞪着那似乎在谴责我的白纸，直到眼前一片模糊，声音 也难以辨清，只有靠意志力才能勉强坚持。
人真是充满矛盾啊! 毫无疑问，幽默是惟一帮助我 们摆脱矛盾的办法，要是没有它，我们就会死于烦 恼。
I stare at the reproachfully blank paper until sights and sounds become dim and confused, and it is only by an effort of will that I can continue at all.
proceed
Work is proceeding slowly.工作正在慢慢地继续进行着。 If you proceed to do something, you do it, often after doing something else first. (做完某事之后) 接着 (做另一 事) 例： He proceeded to tell me of my birth. 他接着给我讲 了我的出生。 If you proceed with a course of action, you continue with it. 继续进行 (某行动) 例： The group proceeded with a march they knew would lead to bloodshed. 这群人继续进行他们知道会导 致流血事件的一次游行。 (某事件或活动带来的) 收入 例： The proceeds of the concert went to charity. 音乐会 的收入给了慈善机构。
Main idea of the text
This lesson is on sleeplessness.
Adults without exception suffer from sleeplessness. It is well - known that sleep is vital to one's mental and physical health. Sleep and sleeplessness are not medically and scientifically dwelt on.
Oblivion n.被(公众)忘却的状态，湮没,漠视; 无意识的状态; 被彻底

摧毁; 赦免，大赦 He just drank himself jovially into oblivion. 他一味痛饮直到自己神志不清。 It seems that the so-called new theory is likely to sink into oblivion. 那所谓的新理论似乎可能被淡忘。 An entire poor section of town was bombed into oblivion. 城镇的整个贫民区被彻底炸毁了。 adj. oblivious 遗忘的；健忘的；不注意的；不知道的
Lesson 11 On getting off to sleep
By J.B. Priestley
Background Knowledge
J. B. Priestley, British novelist, playwright, and essayist, noted for his varied output and his ability for shrewd characterization, who wrote prolifically in fiction, drama, biography, the essay and literary and social criticism. Most of his early books were poetry, literary biography and literary criticism. His first book was Brief Diversions.
如果，我们的思想和主观意象对于来世的人来说真的就像 我们的书本和图片一样是有形的、摸得着的，那么我在来 世会比在今生获得更高的声誉。
Once in bed, when it is time to close the five ports of knowledge, most folks I know seem to find no difficulty in plunging their earthly parts into oblivion.
一旦到了上床睡觉时间，五个摄取知识的港口就要关闭的 时候，我认识的大多数人似乎都能很容易就忘却了他们在 尘世的作用，很快进入梦乡，而我却不能。
I used to read, with wonder, those sycophantic stories of the warlike supermen, the great troublers of the world's peace, Cromwell, Napoleon, and the like, who, thanks to their "iron wills", could lie down and plunge themselves immediately into deep sleep, to wake up, refreshed, at a given time. 我曾诧异地读过一些大肆吹捧那些好战的超人、世界和平 的巨大威胁者，诸如克伦威尔、拿破仑之类的文章，文章 里说他们“钢铁般的意志”使他们一躺下就能熟睡，并在 某一特定时间醒来，精神抖擞
What a bundle of contradictions is a man! Surely, humor is the saving grace of us, for without it we should die of vexation.
Contradiction :u. 矛盾，对立 c.对立的事物 --I found no contradiction between his publicly expressed ideas and his private actions. --His private actions are in contradiction to/with his publicly expressed ideas. --A round square is a contradiction in terms用词矛盾.
Given:约定的；特定的；指定的 Do it within the given time. At a given time we will all shout “Happy birthday to you”. Given: 假设的，假使的 Given good weather, our ship will reach Shanghai Monday evening. 假如天气好，我们的船将于星期一晚上到达上海。 Given that I have five more minutes, I will finish the exam.

Refresh: (以食物, 睡眠等)使精力(记忆)恢复; 使精神振作 I think I will just refresh myself with a cup of tea. 喝杯茶提神 refresh sb.„s memory 唤起/恢复某人的记忆
refresh oneself 可以提神；清醒头脑 refresh rate 刷新率
来自百度文库
A saving grace is a good quality or feature in a person or thing that prevents them from being completely bad or worthless. 可取之处 例： Aging's one saving grace is you worry less about what people think. 年迈的一个可取之处是你不那么担心他 人的想法了。 Vexation is a feeling of being annoyed, puzzled, and frustrated. 恼火 例： He kicked the broken machine in vexation. 他懊恼得 踢了这台坏机器一脚。
Instead, sleeplessness is used as an example to illustrate the contrariness of things and the contradictions a man is confronted with.
According to the author, a man is a bundle of contradictions and only humour is the saving grace of us. Those who fall asleep as soon as they get into bed are satirized in a humorous tone. In his opinion, those who are equipped with an iron will lack human feelings. He points out that there is no lack of human feelings, sympathy or depth in a man who has difficulty in falling asleep. The author thinks he belongs to the latter.
imperishable
adj. 不会腐烂的，不坏的;不灭的，不朽的；永恒的，永存 的 反义：perishable adj. 易腐坏的；易毁灭的；会枯萎的 n. 容易腐坏的东西 词根：perish v.死亡；毁灭；腐烂；枯萎
I can easily produce half a dozen imperishable
Plunge:使投入, 使插入 ,使陷入 plunge a country into war 使一个国家陷入战争 plunge a room into darkness plunge sb. into deep sorrow. no difficulty in plunging their earthly parts into oblivion No difficulty in forgetting their functions in the world No difficulty in falling sleep