(完整版)Book6Unit1TwoWordstoAvoid,TwotoRemember

Book 6 Unit 1
Unit One
Text I
Pre-reading Questions
1.You may have kept in your memory some words, phrases or even whole sentences that are
of great wisdom and can serve as guidelines in your life. Share them with your classmates and discuss their value.
2.The two words that, as the author of the text suggests, should be avoided are "if only", and
the two be remembered are "next time". Can you guess, before you read the text, what
message the author intends to convey to the reader with such a suggestion?
General Reading
I. Judge which of the following best states the purpose of the article.
A. To explain how Freud's psychotherapy works.
B. To demonstrate the power of positive thinking.
C. To call attention to the importance of the choice of words.
Key: B
II.Judge whether the following statements are true or false.
1.That wintry afternoon, the author was in a bad mood and he happened to meet an old friend
of his in a French restaurant in Manhattan.
2.The Old Man asked the author to go to his office because he thought that the office was a
better place than the restaurant for their talk.
3.The three speakers on the tape had all been unfavorably affected by what had happened
to them.
4.In the Old Man's opinion, it was a bad way of thinking always to regret what one had done
or had not done.
Key: 1. F 2. F 3. T 4. T
Background Notes
1.Manhattan , an island near the mouth of the Hudson River, is a borough of New York City, in
southeastern New York State, U.S.A. Commercial and cultural heart of the city, Manhattan is the site of the Metropolitan Opera House, Carnegie Hall, the City Center of Music and Drama, and numerous other music institutions.
Book 6 Unit 1
2.Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) is an Austrian physician and the founder of psychoanalysis. Freud
explored the workings of the human mind and developed psychoanalysis as a therapeutic technique to treat neurosis or mental disturbances.
Text Study
Text
Two Words to Avoid, Two to Remember
Arthur Gordon
1Nothing in life is more exciting and rewarding than the sudden flash of insight that leaves you a changed person — not only changed, but changed for the better. Such moments are rare, certainly, but they come to all of us. Sometimes from a book, a sermon, a line of poetry. Sometimes from a friend ...
2That wintry afternoon in Manhattan, waiting in the little French restaurant, I was feeling frustrated and depressed. Because of several miscalculations on my part, a project of considerable importance in my life had fallen through. Even the prospect of seeing a dear friend (the Old Man,
as I privately and affectionately thought of him) failed to cheer me as it usually did. I sat there frowning at the checkered tablecloth, chewing the bitter cud of hindsight.
3 He came across the street, finally, muffled in his ancient overcoat, shapeless felt hat pulled down over his bald head, looking more like an energetic gnome than an eminent psychiatrist. His offices were nearby; I knew he had just left his last patient of the day. He was close to 80, but he
still carried a full case load, still acted as director of a large foundation, still loved to escape to the golf course whenever he could.
4By the time he came over and sat beside me, the waiter had brought his invariable bottle of ale. I had not seen him for several months, but he seemed as indestructible as ever. "Well, young man," he said without preliminary, "what's troubling you?"
5I had long since ceased to be surprised at his perceptiveness. So I proceeded to tell him, at some length, just what was bothering me. With a kind of melancholy pride, I tried to be very honest. I blamed no one else for my disappointment, only myself. I analyzed the whole thing, all
the bad judgments, the false moves. I went on for perhaps 15 minutes, while the Old Man sipped his ale in silence.
6When I finished, he put down his glass. "Come on," he said. "Let's go back to my office." 7"Your office? Did you forget something?"
8"No," he said mildly. "I want your reaction to something. That's all."
9 A chill rain was beginning to fall outside, but his office was warm and comfortable and familiar: book-lined walls, long leather couch, signed photograph of Sigmund Freud, tape recorder by the window. His secretary had gone home. We were alone.
10The Old Man took a tape from a flat cardboard box and fitted it onto the machine. "On this tape," he said, "are three short recordings made by three persons who came to me for help.
They are not identified, of course. I want you to listen to the recordings and see if you can pick
out the two-word phrase that is the common denominator in all three cases." He smiled. "Don't
look so puzzled. I have my reasons."
11What the owners of the voices on the tape had in common, it seemed to me, was unhappiness. The man who spoke first evidently had suffered some kind of business loss or failure; he berated himself for not having worked harder, for not having looked ahead. The woman who spoke next
had never married because of a sense of obligation to her widowed mother; she recalled bitterly all the marital chances she had let go by. The third voice belonged to a mother whose teen-age son was in trouble with the police; she blamed herself endlessly.
12The Old Man switched off the machine and leaned back in his chair. "Six times in those recordings a phrase is used that's full of subtle poison. Did you spot it? No? Well, perhaps that's because you used it three times yourself down in the restaurant a little while ago." He picked up
the box that had held the tape and tossed it over to me. "There they are, right on the label. The two saddest words in any language."
13I looked down. Printed neatly in red ink were the words: If only .
14"You'd be amazed," said the Old Man, "if you knew how many thousands of times I've sat in
this chair and listened to woeful sentences beginning with those two words. 'If only,' they say to me,
'I had done it differently — or not done it at all. If only I hadn't lost my temper, said the cruel thing, made that dishonest move, told that foolish lie. If only I had been wiser, or more unselfish, or more
self-controlled.' They go on and on until I stop them. Sometimes I make them listen to the
recordings you just heard. 'If only,' I say to them, 'you'd stop saying if only , we might begin to get somewhere!'"
15 The Old Man stretched out his legs. "The trouble with'if only,'" he said, "is that it doesn't change anything. It keeps the person facing the wrong way — backward instead of forward. It wastes time. In the end, if you let it become a habit, it can become a real roadblock, an excuse for not trying any more.
16"Now take your own case: your plans didn't work out. Why? Because you made certain mistakes. Well, that's all right: everyone makes mistakes. Mistakes are what we learn from. But when you were telling me about them, lamenting this, regretting that, you weren't really learning from them."
17"How do you know?" I said, a bit defensively.
18"Because," said the Old Man, "you never got out of the past tense. Not once did you mention the future. And in a way — be honest, now! — you were enjoying it. There's a perverse streak in all of us that makes us like to hash over old mistakes. After all, when you relate the story of some disaster or disappointment that has happened to you, you're still the chief character, still in the center of the stage."
19I shook my head ruefully . "Well, what's the remedy?"
20 "Shift the focus," said the Old Man promptly . "Change the key words and substitute a phrase
that supplies lift instead of creating drag."
21"Do you have such a phrase to recommend?"
22"Certainly. Strike out the words 'if only'; substitute the phrase 'next time.'"
23"Next time?"
24"That's right. I've seen it work minor miracles right here in this room. As long as a patient
keeps saying 'if only' to me, he's in trouble. But when he looks me in the eye and says 'next time,' I know he's on his way to overcoming his problem. It means he has decided to apply the lessons he has learned from his experience, however grim or painful it may have been. It means he's going to push aside the roadblock of regret, move forward, take action, resume living. Try it yourself. You'll see."
25My old friend stopped speaking. Outside, I could hear the rain whispering against the windowpane. I tried sliding one phrase out of my mind and replacing it with the other. It was fanciful, of course, but I could hear the new words lock into place with an audible click....
26The Old Man stood up a bit stiffly. "Well, class dismissed. It has been good to see you,
young man. Always is. Now, if you will help me find a taxi, I probably should be getting on home."
27We came out of the building into the rainy night. I spotted a cruising cab and ran toward it,
but another pedestrian was quicker.
28"My, my," said the Old Man slyly. "If only we had come down ten seconds sooner, we'd have caught that cab, wouldn't we?"
29I laughed and picked up the cue. "Next time I'll run faster."
30"That's it," cried the Old Man, pulling his absurd hat down around his ears. "That's it exactly!"
31Another taxi slowed. I opened the door for him. He smiled and waved as it moved away. I
never saw him again. A month later, he died of a sudden heart attack, in full stride, so to speak.
32More than a year has passed since that rainy afternoon in Manhattan. But to this day, whenever I find myself thinking "if only", I change it to "next time". Then I wait for that almost-perceptible mental click. And when I hear it, I think of the Old Man.
33 A small fragment of immortality, to be sure. But it's the kind he would have wanted.
Words and Phrases
1.prospect n. sth. one expects to happen; a possibility or likelihood of sth. happening
e.g. I look forward to the prospect of being a volunteer doing social work in the Great
Northwest.
There is a reasonable prospect of reaching the trapped miners within the next 24 hours.
prospects pl. — opportunities
e.g. Most people are not quite optimistic about the prospects for/of employment.
Don't think too much how the job pays now. What really matters is that it holds good prospects.
2.eminent adj. famous and respected within a particular profession, e.g. eminent
doctor/surgeon/scientist, etc.
3.invariable adj. never changing
e.g. The invariable question the mother asked her child after school every day was: "How did
everything go today?"
4.proceed v. begin a course of action
e.g. After the preparations had been made, we proceeded to draft the plan.
5.at some length : (formal ) in some detail
e.g. She described to us her trip to New Zealand at some length.
cf. at length — after a long time; at last
e.g. He thought over the mathematical problem day and night and solved it at length.
6.false move : an unwise action that turns out to be a mistake and brings one risks or failure
e.g. Be very careful with the designing of the plan; a false move and it will fall through.
7.berate v. (formal ) scold or criticize angrily because of a fault
e.g. Don't berate anyone just because he has made a mistake. Don't we all make mistakes from
time to time?
ment v. feel or express deep sorrow (for or because of sth.)
e.g. One should not lament the past mistakes, but should try to do better later.
9.ruefully adv. regretfully
e.g. He faced his recent failure ruefully.
10. promptly adv. quickly, at once
e.g. He always responded to the customers' requests promptly.
11.grim adj. harsh, unpleasant, dreadful
e.g. He was depressed when he heard the grim news that two-thirds of the workforce might
be discharged.
Notes
1. the sudden flash of insight that leaves you a changed person: the quick and spontaneous
understanding that makes you a different person
a flash of insight—an understanding that comes to one suddenly and quickly
leave (with object and adverbial or complement) — cause (object) to be or to remain in a
particular state or position
e.g. Buying an expensive car has left the family penniless.
The children were left in the care of the nanny.
2.chewing the bitter cud of hindsight : thinking repeatedly about the painful realization of what had
happened
Literally cud means "partly digested food returned from the first stomach of ruminants to the mouth for further chewing" ( 反刍的食品 ). When an animal chews the cud, it chews further the partly digested food. When a person chews the cud, he thinks about something reflectively.
e.g. He chewed the cud for a long while before he set pen to paper.
hindsight — understanding the reasons for an event or situation only after it has happened
e.g. The accident could have been avoided with the wisdom of hindsight.
With hindsight they should not have left their little daughter alone in the country villa.
3.he still carried a full case load: he still kept himself fully occupied in the treatment of his
patients
case load — the number of patients a doctor has to deal with
4.I had long since ceased to be surprised at his perceptiveness.: I had long before come to
know that he was good at perceiving how others thought and felt; so I was not at all surprised when he noticed my troubled state.
perceptiveness(n.) — unusual ability to notice and understand; awareness and understanding
e.g. We all admired his perceptiveness; he was always so quick to respond to a new situation.
5.With a kind of melancholy pride: Apparently the author was still proud of his "project of
considerable importance", though he was sad because of "several miscalculations on his part".
mon denominator : This is a term used in mathematics, meaning "the common multiple
of the denominator of several fractions" ( 公分母 ). In this context, it means "the characteristic shared by the three persons", i.e. the phrase if only was used by all three of them.
7.all the marital chances she had let go by : all the chances for her to get married she had
missed
let (sth.) go by—lose sth.
e.g. The short course is a good opportunity for you to learn a skill. Don't let it go by.
8.There's a perverse streak in all of us that makes us like to hash over old mistakes. : There's an
obstinately unreasonable quality in all of us which makes us enjoy bringing up old mistakes again for consideration.
perverse — (of a person or one's actions) showing an obstinate desire to behave in an
unreasonable way
e.g. We just couldn't understand her perverse decision against the majority.
streak — an element of a specified kind in one's character（性格行为的）偏向, an often unpleasant characteristic
e.g. Her streak of stubbornness makes her difficult to get along with.
hash over — (slang) bring up (sth.) again for consideration
e.g. What has been done cannot be undone. Don't hash over past mistakes. Cheer up and try
to do better next time.
9.substitute a phrase that supplies lift instead of creating drag: use a phrase (in place of if
only)that provides encouragement that pushes you forward instead of discouragement that pulls you backward
substitute (v.) — use (sth.) in place of (sth. else)
e.g. The old lady suffers from diabetes, so she substitutes saccharine for sugar/so she
substitutes sugar with saccharine.
substitute (n.) — a person or thing acting or used in place of another
e.g. The actress's substitute performed as well as the actress hersel
f.
10.when he looks me in the eye : when he looks directly at me without showing embarrassment,
fear, or shame
11.I could hear the new words lock into place with an audible click: I could sense the new
words firmly fixed in my mind without any doubt
12.that almost-perceptible mental click : the reminder provided by the Old Man that can
roughly be felt in the mind
13. a small fragment of immortality: a small piece of advice to be remembered forever
Questions
1.How were the author and the old man related?
Key: The old man was an eminent psychiatrist and the author was a client of his.
2.According to the author, how much did the session with his psychiatrist friend that afternoon
mean to him? (para. 1)
Key: To him, the session was just like "a flash of insight that leaves him a changed person —not only changed, but changed for the better."
3.Why did the old man let the author listen to the three speakers on the tape? (para.15)
Key: The three speakers on the tape were all unhappy, and the two words they all used frequently in what they said were "if only". What the old man wanted to point out to the author was that to keep saying "if only" would not change anything; on the contrary, it only kept the person facing the wrong way — backward instead of forward. Thus it did more harm than good to the person who kept saying them.
Book 6 Unit 1
4.What did the old man advise the author to do to get out of his depressed state of mind? (para.
20)
Key: Shift the focus; substitute "next time" for "if only".
5.In what way are the two phrases "if only" and "next time" different? (para. 20)
Key: They point to entirely different mental directions; one is backward and negative, and the other forward and positive.
6.What do you think is the tone of the passage?
Key: It is instructive and inspirational.
Activity
1.Failures and setbacks are an inevitable part of our life. Tell your classmates about one such
"unfortunate" experience and how you managed to get back on your feet.
Sentence patterns for your
reference When I was ... I met ...
It is true that life is ...
In spite of the ..., I ...
2.Discuss the "flash of insight" Gordon suddenly got. What psychological effect did this piece of
advice produce on Gordon? Do you believe that one's mentality is an essential factor when one is unfortunately thrown into adversity? Give examples to support your view.
Sentence patterns for your reference
In case one meets ..., it is essential that ...
As in Gordon's case, ...
An example to show ... is that ...
Organization and Development
Narration
In terms of mode of development, the present text is basically a narration, in which the author, Arthur Gordon, relates his meeting with his psychiatrist friend "the Old Man".
Characteristics of Narration
The purpose of a narration is to recount an event or a series of events; therefore it is usually chronological in its arrangement of details . The chief purpose of narration is to interest and entertain , though, of course, it may be used to instruct and inform.
Narrative Structure of the Text
Gordon's purpose of writing, obviously, is not just to tell what happened during his meeting with his friend, but, more importantly, to instruct. The instructive significance of the story is made
clear in the first paragraph. In the first few lines Gordon has already made it clear to the reader
that what he is going to do is to tell how "the sudden flash of insight that leaves you a changed person — not only changed, but changed for the better — ... Sometimes from a friend."
In the first three paragraphs, which serve as a kind of introduction to the narration, we learn something about the physical circumstances for the meeting, i.e. the time — one rainy wintry afternoon, and the place — a French restaurant in Manhattan; the author's somber mood caused by his failure to complete an important project; and also something about the Old Man — his age, his profession, and perhaps more importantly, his positive attitude towards life.
The last two paragraphs form a sort of conclusion, in which what the author has learned
from his friend, which is also what he wants his readers to learn, is explicitly stated: ... whenever I find myself thinking "if only", I change it to "next time".
Translation
English-Chinese Translation
1.Even the prospect of seeing a dear friend (the Old Man, as I privately and affectionately
thought of him) failed to cheer me as it usually did.
译文：
即便想到要见一位好朋友（私底下，我会平和地把他想成“老头子” ），我也快乐不起来，尽管平时不是这样的。

讲解：
注意拆译法和名词转动词在这里的运用。

Prospect 一词假如按名词办理，译词句子将有
一个拗口的长主语，转译成动词并将原句分成两句，表达更加流畅。

别的， as it usually did 也不宜
直译，依据这里的逻辑意义可以译成汉语的退步句。

2.But when you were telling me about them, lamenting this, regretting that, you weren't
really learning from them.
译文：
但你对我讲这些事的时候，对这个叹息，对那个后悔，你其实从中什么也没学到。

讲解：
Lamenting this 和 regretting this 是 if only 态度的详尽演绎，翻译时要要点办理，选择地道
的汉语句式； really 一词最好不要译成“真切地” ，在语气上凑近汉语的“其实”。

3.It means he has decided to apply the lessons he has learned from his experience, however
grim or painful it may have been.
译文：
这意味着不论他经历了多少难过和劫难，他已经决定运用从经验中学来的教训了。

讲解：
在翻译这里的however 指引的状语从句时，可以依据汉语的习惯提早。

别的，代词it
的理解也很要点，依据语法知识，它应当指代his experience。

4.By the time he came over and sat beside me, the waiter had brought his invariable bottle of
ale. I had not seen him for several months, but he seemed as indestructible as ever. "Well, young man," he said without preliminary, "what's troubling you?".
译文：
还没等他过来在我身旁坐下，侍从已经端上了一瓶他每次必喝的麦芽酒。

我有好几个月没看到他了，可他看上去还是那么坚如盘石。

“好吧，小伙子，”他直截了当地说，“你遇到什么麻烦了？”
讲解：
在翻译 by 或 until 指引的时间状语从句时，可以考虑使用反译法，使表达更加流畅。

Invariable 也是一个比较难办理的形容词，直译成“一模一样的”简单惹起误会，这里合适意
译。

别的，合适地使用汉语成语（“直截了当” ）也能达到简洁、达意的成效。

Chinese-English Translation
1. 因为缺乏资本，整个计划失败了。

(fall through)
Translation:
The whole plan fell through for want of fund.
2. 他对生产成本的估量老是正确无误。

(invariable)
Translation:
He calculates the cost of production with invariable accuracy.
3. 公司讲话人推辞责任的讲话遇到了严格斥责。

(berate)
Translation:
The spokesman of the corporation was berated for his irresponsible words.
4. 那名年轻的海关官员一眼就看出了那本假护照。

(spot)
Translation:
The young customs officer spotted the counterfeit passport at one glance.
5. 各有关部门的负责人认识到形势的严重，马上行动了起来。

(promptly)
Translation:
Upon realizing the severity of the situation, leaders of the departments concerned acted promptly.
6. 请把候补名单上她的名字换成你的名字。

(substitute)
Translation:
Please substitute her name for yours on the waiting list.
7. 她感觉她在当地综合医院任实习医师是一段难得的经历。

(rewarding)
Translation:
She found that her internship in the local general hospital was a rewarding experience.
8. 不要惋惜过去的不幸。

抖擞起来向前看。

(lament)
Translation:
Don't lament your past misfortunes. Keep your chin up and look to the future.
Error-correction
Exercise
The passage contains TEN errors. Each indicated line contains a maximum of ONE error. In each case, only ONE word is involved. You should proofread the passage and correct it in the following way:
For a wrong word, underline the wrong word and write the correct one in the blank provided at the end of the line.
For a missing word, mark the position of the missing word with a " ∧ " sign and write the word you believe to be missing in the blank provided at the end of the line.
For an unnecessary word, cross the unnecessary word with a dash " — " and put the word in the blank provided at the end of the line.
EXAMPLE:
When ∧ art museum wants a new exhibit, 1.an
it never buys things in finished form and hangs 2.never
them on the wall. When a natural history museum
wants an exhibition, it must often build it. 3. exhibit
Are your table manners much better when you are eating at a
friend's home or in a restaurant than they are at your own home?
Probably so. Because you are aware of people judge you by your 1. ___________
table manners. You take special pains when you are eating in the 2. ___________
public. Have you ever stopped to realize how much less
self-conscious you would be on such occasions if good table
manners had become a custom for you? You can make them a 3. ___________
habit by practising good table manners at home.
Good manners in mealtimes help you and those around you
to feel comfortably. This is true at home as much as it is true at 4. ___________ someone else home or in a restaurant. Good manners make meals 5. ___________
more enjoyable for everyone at the table.
By this time you probably know quite well what good table
manners are. You realize that keep your arms on the table, 6. ___________
talking with your mouth full and wolfing down your food are
considered good manners. You know also that if you are7. ___________ mannerly, you say "Please" and "Thank you", and ask things to be8. ___________
passed to you.
Have you ever thought of a pleasant attitude as being
essential to good table manners? Not only are pleasant
mealtimes enjoyable, but it aid digestion. The dinner table is a9. ___________
place for enjoyable conversation. It should never become a
battleground. You are definitely growing in social maturity when
you try to be an agreeing table companion.10. ___________
Key:
1.of: that （后边连接从句）
2.in the public: the （ in public 不带定冠词）
3.custom: habit （个人的习惯是 habit）
fortably: comfortable （ feel 后边接形容词构成谓语）
5.else: else's （需要用全部格）
6.keep: keeping （用动名词形式与后边的 talking with 和 wolfing down 构成平行结构）
7.good: bad/poor （依据上下文意思判断）
8.ask ∧ things: for （ ask for 表示“央求” ）
9.it: they （指代对象是 mealtimes ）
10. agreeing: agreeable （ agreeable 是“令人快乐”的意思，与agreeing 不一样）
Skill Development
动词和形容词后的介词
英语的动词（练习的第 8 项）或系表结构中的形容词以后（练习的第 1 项）都可以加介词，
构成不一样的含义和用法。

常有的改错题主要环绕加介词和不加介词的意义差异进行核查。

要鉴别此类错误，要注意辨析动词的及物和不及物用法，以及系表结构的带介词和不带
介词的用法之间的差异。

比方 be aware 后边可以接“ of+ 名词”，也可以接that 指引的宾语从句。

而 ask 既有及物的用法（ +somebody），也有一些不及物的用法（ ask for, ask about, ...）。

依据语法知识（出现 that 从句，不可以用“of+ 名词” 结构）和上下文意思（ ask for 是“央求”，而不是“问”的意思），可以发现这里的错误。