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Lesson Fifteen Is America Falling Apart Words and ExpressionsText Explanation1 a castellated townThis is a town built in the style of a castle.2the hammer and sickle painted on the rumps of public statuesThe hammer and sickle is the symbol of the Communist Party in Italy. It shows that the Communist Party was active at that time.3 a thousand-lira note shrunk to the slightness of a dollar billThis tells us that the Italian money was very much depreciated (贬值) at that time.4the open markets are luscious with esculent colorthe open markets are full of delicious fruits and vegetables in mouth-watering color.5…the human condition is humorously accepted.Italians accept their difficult living condition with a sense of humor.6… but the next Wednesday's return of an old Western is something to look forward to.…but an old American film about cowboys to be re-showed next Wednesday is something the local people look forward to.7What matters is… the wresting of minimal sweetness of the long-known bitterness of living.For many years they have been living a bitter life, yet they can still get through effort the least amount of pleasure out of the bitter life. This is what is important to them.8…prewar, if one thing went wrong the day was ruined; postwar, if one thing went right the day would be made.…before the war people felt everything was going on fine and they were unprepared for anything to go wrong. So if anything went wrong, they would be in a bad mood, feeling the whole day was spoiled. But after the war, if one thing went right, people would be in high spirits, feeling the whole day was nice.9…the Kafka feeling that the whole marvelous fabric of American life is coming apart at the seams.… the feeling that the whole of American society is breaking down fundamentally, which is similar to the feeling described in Kafka's novels.come apart: fall to pieces 破掉，碎掉The teapot just came apart in my hands.10The run-down rail services of America are something I try, vainly, to forget.The railway services of America are extremely bad, I try to forget them, but I failed to.11American individualism…wishes to manifest itself in independence of the community.American individualism…finds its expression in being independent of or being different from other people in the community.12Once let the acquisitive instinct burgeon, and there was ruggedly individual forces only too ready to make it come to full and monstrous blossom.As soon as the acquisitive instinct begins to grow, strong individual forces will develop it fully, which is something outrageous.ruggedly individual forces: often termed rugged individualism, the disguised, hot pursuit of practical and realisticinterests of an didividualonly too ready to make it come to full and monstrous blossom:very ready to make the acquitive instinct develop fully.13This self-elected deprivation was a way into the nastier side of the consumer society.I myself chose not to buy an automobile and that led me to see the more disgusting side of the consumer society.14The nightmare of filth, outside and in, that enfolds the trip from Springfield, Mass., to Grand Central Station would not be accepted in backward Europe.The filth inside the trains and along the railway line from Springfield to New York is so horrible that it would not be accepted in backward Europe.15The more efficiently self-contained the home seems to be, the more dependent it is on the great impersonal corporations…When the home is efficiently equipped with all sorts of gadgets, it becomes dependent on the great indifferent corporations.The more the home is thus equipped, the more dependent it is on the latter…16Skills at the lowest level have to be wooed slavishly and exorbitantly rewarded.Even workers doing the least skilled jobs have to be begged to come and paid much too high.17And doctors…know their scarcity value and behave accordingly.And doctors…know their great value because there are not enough doctors to meet the needs and therefore charge excessive medical fees.18Planned obsolescence is not conductive to pride in workmanship.Articles that are designed to break or wear out quickly do not help people to take pride in their work.19On another level, consumption is turning sour.… consumption is becoming something unpleasant.20Indestructible plastic hasn't even the grace to undergo chemical change.to have the grace to do something means to be polite enough to do something proper.明智地做某事，爽爽快快地做某事He had the grace to say that he was sorry.Here it is used humorously to refer to the fact that goods made of plastic cannot be recycled.21Awareness of this is a kind of redemptive grace, but it has not led to repentance and a revolution in consumer habits.Awareness of this is a kind of compensation for their guilty feelings about consumption. Yet it has not noticeably brought about deep regret for or a drastic change in the way they consume.22… they don't noticeably clamor for a decrease in the number of owner-vehicles.…they don't demand loudly a decrease in the number of private cars.23America has always despised its teachers and, as a consequesnce, it has been granted the teachers it deserves.America has always looked down upon its teachers, as result, it deserves to have the kind of teachers it gets.as a consequence: as a result 结果He's never studied hard, as a consequence, he's never passed examinations.24The quality of first-grade education…could not…be faulted on the level of dogged conscientiousness.You could not find fault with the teachers for the quality of first-grade education. The teachers were conscientious and determined to do a good job.on the level of: in the aspect of, in connection with25But there seemed to be no spark, no daring, no madness, no readiness to engage the individual child's mind as anything other than raw material for statistical reductions.但是除了把孩子的头脑当作进行数字计算训练的原料以为，似乎不存在能使孩子开动脑筋的火花，胆识，激情与愿望。
Lesson Eleven On Human Nature and Politics Words and ExpressionsText Explanation1…even in Paradise.even when he is dead.2Human beings, for the most part, are not like this."for the most part" means mostly, most of them.3on that accountbecause of that, on that reason 为了那个缘故The game was cancelled on account of the rain.4…satiety is a dream which will always elude you.…to think that man can become satisfied is an illustion.5…motives that survive the conquest of hunger.…motives that continue to exist when hunger is satisfied.6One of the troubles about vanity is that it grows with what it feeds on.One problem of vanity is that one grows more vain if one is encouraged in one's vanity.虚荣心的问题之一是，越是有鼓励它的东西，虚荣心就越强。
feed on: give food to 给予食物，喂What do you feed your cat on?7the condemned murderera murderer who has been found guilty and sentenced to punishment, possibly the death sentence.8Politicians and literary men are in the same case.政治家和文人也属于此列。
Lesson Thirteen Selected Snobberies Words and ExpressionsText Explanation1There are certain disfiguring and mortal diseases about which there has probably never been any snobbery.Probably there has never been anybody who is snobbish about diseases which destroy the looks and are incurable.2adolescent consumption-snobsteenagers who suffer from TB and feel superior because of it.3to fade away in the flower of youthto die gradually when young4the final stages of the consumptive fadingthe last stages of TB when the patient is weakening and dying5the complacent poeticizings of these adolescents must seem as exasperating as they are profoundly pathetic.These teenage TB patients feel so satisfied with themselves that they romanticize their illness. They are so ignorant that people both sorry for and annoyed at them.6whose claim to distinctiontheir demand that they are different and should be respected.7…exasperation is not tempered by very much sympathy.…our exasperation is not reduced by sympathy. We have no sympathy for those snobs. We only feel exasperated.8problematical diseasesWhethe they are really ill at all is rather doubtful. The author indicates that these rich people are not really ill.9…of which now some, now others take pride of place in general esteem.At one time some snobberies are generally regarded as the most popular or fashionable; at another time other snobberies are regarded so.10The snobbery of culture, still strong, has now to wrestle with an organized and active low-browism The snobbery of culture now has to fight with low-browism which is very active and effectively acted upon by large numbers of people.11Even in France, where the existence of so many varieties of delicious wine had hitherto imposed a judicious connoisseurship and has led to the branding of mere drinking as a brutish solecism, …In France, the existence of so many different kinds of wonderful wine has set up the authority of the French people on judging the quality of wines and has led them to reard drinking alcoholic drinks as an uncivilized offense against good social manners.12… for well-brought-up men and well-brought-up womem of all ages, from fifteen to seventy, to be seen drunk, if not in public, at least in the very much tempered privacy of a party.If well-brought-up men and women still can't be seen drunk in public, at least now it is all right for them to be seen drunk in a party, which, though not very private with the guests around, is less public than in front of the public eyes.13Organized waste among consumers is the first condition of our industrial properity.If our industry is to develop quickly so the capitalists can make even more money, the first thing these people need to do is to deliberately produce things of poor quality that will not last long, or things that are easily dated in style. This way the consumers have to keep buying things.14…and you have the gospel of any leader of any modern industry.Any leader of any modern industry will accept this as the principle and act upon it.15The newspaper do their best to help those who help them.The newspaper do their best to help the industrialists who pay them millions and millions a year for advertisements.16The value of snobbery in general, its humanistic "point"…The value of snobbery in general, its value concerning human beings…17The society-snob must be perpetually lion-hunting…The society-snobs must try constantly to have famous people as their guests at social getherings or parties, or just try to get acquainted with them.18…because it compels the philistines to pay at least some slight tribute to the things of the mind and so helps to make the world less dangerously unsafe for ideas than it otherwise might have been.Those people who do not like or understand good art, music, literature, etc. and do not think they are important (here the author uses this word to refer to the people in power who only pay attention to material things) will have to at least show a little bit of respect for the products of the mind (ideas), instead of banning or not welcoming them. Thus it will be less dangerous and unsafe for things of the mind.pay (a) tribute to: show respect or admiration 表示敬意或推崇By erecting this statue we have paid a tribute to the memory of the founder of our university.19Each hierarchy culminates in its own particular Pope.Each group of people has its most highly esteemed snobbery.20People who possess sufficient leisure, sufficient wealth, not to mention sufficient health, …can not expect us to be very lavish in our solicitude and pity.Don't expect us to be generous in showing our concern and pity to those people who are leisured, wealthy and healthy.not to mention: without mentioning 更不用说We are too busy to take a long holiday this year, not to mention the fact that we can't afford it.21Even in France the American booze-snobbery, … is making headway among the rich.The American booze-snobbery starts to be popular among the rich people even in France.make headway: make progress 有进展Their scientific experiment has made much headway.22Thanks to modern machinery, production is outrunning consumption.Owing to modernized machines, production exceeds consumption.thanks to: owing to; as the result of 由于，因为Thanks to your help I passed the exam.23…the producer must do his bit by producing nothing but the most perishable articles.The producer tries his best to produce goods that go back easily only.do noe's bit: perform one's share of task 做份内之事 ; give as much help as is expected of one 尽力帮助The old professor did his bit to help the students finish the experiment.nothing but: only, meerly 只有，仅仅，只不过Nothing but a miracle can save him.24Which in fact he does do - on an enormous scale and to the tune of millions and millions a year - by means of advertising.Producers spend millions of dollars on advertisement to encourage modernity-snobbery greatly.On an enormous scale: to a large degree 大规模地They are preparing for war on an enormous scale.to the tune of: to the amount of 总数高达His company was fined to the tune of ten thousand dollars.by means of: through, with the help of 借，用Thoughts are expressed by means of words.25Then we shall condemn all snobberies out of hand.We shall scold all snobberies at once.out of hand: at once 立即The situation needs to be dealt with out of hand.。
Lesson One The Company in Which I work Words and ExpressionsText Explanation1All these twelve men are elderly now and drained by time and success of energy and ambition.All of them are elderly now and are exhausted, both physically and mentally, by long years of striving to fulfill their ambition for success.2They seem…always courteous and mute when they ride with others in the public elevators.They always show good manners and do not say a word when they ride with others in the elevators that all company members can use.3They …make promotions…They … decide who are given higher positions…4…and allow their names to be used on announcements that are prepared and issued by somebody else.These announcements have to bear their names to be authoritative. Although they do not prepare and issue theseannouncements, they must allow their names to be used on them.5Nobody is sure anymore who really runs the company (not even the people who are credited with running it), but the company does run.Even the managers at different levels who are thought to be managing the company don't know who really manages the company. This is because their responsiblities are limited. They are also afraid of their superiors. They appear to be running the company, but they do not have the final say. Nevertheless, the company goes in working order.6I will bypass him on most of our assignments rather than take his time and delay their delivery to people who have an immediate need for them.I will ignore him on most of our assignments and deliver them directly to people who need them. I prefer to do so becauseI do not want to take up his time and delay their delivery.7Green distrusts me fitfully.Green distrusts me from time to time.8He truns scarlet with rage and embarrassment if he has not seen or heard of it.His face turns red because of rage and embarrassment. He is extremely angry because the narrator does not show due repect to him as his boss. He feels embarrassed because it is considered his neglect of duty not to have seen or heard of it.9They are always on trial…They are always examined to see how well they do…10The strain, …, to look good on paper; and there is much paper for them to look good on.They work hard…to make their performances look good in written form, even if their performances may not be that good in reality. And there are a lot of documents such as records and reports, on which they have to make themselves look good.11When they are doing poorly, they are doing terribly.When they are doing badly, that is, when they fail to sell products, they are getting along terribly, that is, they are havinga terrible time.12When a salesman lands a large order or brings in an important new account…When a salesman obtains a large order of goods from a client or brings in an important new account receivable…13They are a vigorous, fun-loving bunch when they are not suffering abdominal cramps or brooding miserably about the future.Apart from this physical trouble in digestion, they are also worried about their future. Otherwise they are vigorous, struggling for success.14who he feels has a grudge against him and is determined to wreck his careerwho he feels has resentment against him and is determined to ruin his careers. This reveals the horrible human relationship in the corporation. People bear ill will against each other.15that they squander generously on other people in and out of the company.that they are generous in spending money on other people.16The company, in fact, will pay for their country club membership and all charges they incur there…The company encourages salesmen to establish good relationship with their clients, so it will pay the fees for them to be members of country clubs, and pay them back the money they spend there.17…it is difficult and dangerous for unmarried salesmen to mix socially with prominent executives and their wives or participate with them in responsible civic affairs.This is to indicate the danger of possible love affairs between unmarried salesman and the wives of prominent executives.With such a fear, prominent executives don't like to mix socially with unmarried salesmen. Yet prominent executives are the company's important clients, whom it cannot afford to lose. So the company does not employ unmarried salesmen in order to avoid such a difficult and dangerous situation.18They thrive on explicit guidance toward clear objectives.They succeed and become prosperous by following their boss's clearly expressed guidance.19There must be something in the makeup of a man that enables him not only be a salesman, but to want to be one.A man must have some special character and temperament to want to be a salesman.20…all that does matter is that the information come form a reputable source.…what is important is that the information should come from a respected source. So long as the source is reputable, they don't mind whether or not the information suits their individual case.21They are not expected to change reality, but merely to find it if they can and suggest ingenious ways of disguising it.This satirizes the nature of their work, which is to use some clever ways to cover up reality.22…in converting whole truths into half truths and half truths into whole ones.…in changing the whole truth into a half truth and changing a half truth into the whole truth. In either case, deception is done.23I am continuously astonished by people in the company who do fall victim to their own propaganda.This is a satire on the people who are deceived by their own propaganda.to fall victim to something: to become a victim of, or be deceived by something.24who graduated from a good business school with honors.who graduated from a good business school with special excellence, or at a level higher than the most basic level.This implies that they shouldn't have been deceived since they are intelligent people.25We goose-step in and goose-step out, change our partners and wander all about, and go back home till we all drop dead."to goose-step" originally means to march without bending the knees.We get inot and out of the company in a seemingly important but actually foolish manner. After work, we go out withpeople from other departments instead of our working partners and stay out late having fun and then go back home till we are so tired out as to fall asleep at once. We live like this day after day till we die.26This makes my boredom worse.This makes me feel even more bored.27I rejoice with tremendous pride and vanity in the compliments I receiveI feel extremely proud and self-conceited when I receive compliments.28I began constructing tables of organization…I began making systematic arrangements by way of tables…A table is a list of facts, information, etc. arranged in columns.29I call these charts my Happiness Charts.Happiness Charts are charts in which one can find happiness. Only when he was arranging these charts could he forget about his agony and feel happy.30These exercises in malice never fail to boost my spirits…Every time I do these exercises with ill desire to harm others, I feel I am in a much better mood…This is a dark satire on his inability to do anything against those he dislikes.31to whom the company is not yet an institution of any sacred meritto those young people the company is not yet an organization that has any important worth. If the company has any excellence that is extremely important to them, they will be loyal and stick to the company, instead of taking it as a temporary place to work.32…he would give you a resounding No!, regardless of what inducements were offered.…no matter what incentives might be offered, he would still say loudly that he would not work for the company all his life.33He makes it clear to me every now and then that…He makes it clear to me from time to time that…every now and then: from time to time 时而，不时He goes shopping with his wife every now and then.34And I will bypass him on most of our assignments rather than take up his time…And I will not let him know on most of our assignments in order not to occupy his time…take up one's time: occupy one's time 占用某人的时间You shouldn't take up the manager's time.35Most of the work we do in my department is, in the long run, trivial.Most of the work we do in my department is of small importance ultimately.in the long run: ultimately 最终地，终极地He will lose money in the longrun.36They are…, always on the verge of failure…They are always on the border of failure.on the verge of: very close to, on the border of 处于……的边缘The bride was on the verge of committing sucide.37for fear they may start doing worse.They are afraid that they may start doing worse.for fear: in order that…should not occur 以免…；唯恐...I daren't tell you what he did, for fear he should be angry with me.38For the most part, they are cheerful, confident and gregarious…。
Lesson Five Trifles (Part One) Words and ExpressionsText Explanation1are all much bundled upall of them wear a lot of clothes2and would ordinarily be called more comfortable lookingin ordinary times you would say she is cheerful, relaxed looking woman3and you know Frankand you know what kind of person Frank is.4 a party telephone / linea telephone line shared by two or more houses, offices, etc.5that I didn't know as (that) what his wife wanted made much difference to John.It shows that even the neighbour knows that John Wright doesn't pay attention to his wife's needs, that he decides things in the family and that the wife has no say.6And kind of done up.She was, roughly speaking, dressed up.to do up: tidy oneself up, to dress up properly.7Well, can you beat the women! Held for murder and worrying about her preserves.The sheriff was very much surprised at Mrs. Wright's worry about her preserves. To him, since she was arrested for murder, she should worry about her own life, not such unimportant things as preserves.Can you beat that?Have you ever seen or heard anything as surprising as that?8…that would point to any motive…that would indicate why somebody should want to kill John Wright.9I shouldn't say she had the homemaking instinct.I thingk that it is because she lacks the instinct to mak the home a cheerful place.10I want to get the lay of things…I want to find out the layout of things upstairs, the arrangements of things upstairs11Of course it's no more than their duty.You can't blame them. They are only doing what their duty demands them to do.12but I guess that deputy sheriff … have got a little of this on.but the deputy sheriff might have made the roller towel dirty.13I wonder if it's all gone.I wonder if all the jars containing her preserved fruit were broken.14This all you was to take in?Are these all the things you are going to take in to Mrs. Wright?15I want you to know I had my hands full yesterday.I want you to know that I was very busy yesterday.have one's hands full: to be busy with something 忙于做事David always has his hands full with the work, so he seldom goes shopping with his wife.My daughter always has her hands full with her study.16I spoke to Wright about it once before and he put me off,…I talked about a party telephone with Wright once before but he made excuses to avoid installing a telephone.put somebody off: make excuses and try to avoid 闪避，敷衍He tried to put me off with vague promises.17To be sure.Yes.to be sure: it is admitted, granted 诚然，的确Tom is not rich, to be sure, but he is a gentleman.18But I would like to see what you take, Mrs. Peters, and keep an eye out for anything that might be of use to us.I would like to see what you take and check carefully whether there is something that might be useful to us.keep an eye on: keep a watch on 注意，留神Would you please keep an eye on my lugguage.19I think maybe that's why she kept so much to herself.I think maybe that's why she avoided meeting other people.keep to oneself: avoid meeting people 不与人交往Sally has kept to herself since her husband died.Hanent整理。
Lesson Ten How Market Leaders Keep Their Edge Words and ExpressionsText Explanation1How market leaders keep their edge.How leading companies in the market keep their competitive advantages.2Choosing one discipline to master does not mean that a company abandons the other two, only that it picks a dimension of value on which to stake its market reputation over the long term.When a company chooses one discipline to master, it does not mean that it must abandons the other two, it only means that it picks one aspect of value and risks its reputation upon the success of that value over a long period of time.3…operationally excellent companies provide middle-of-the-market products at the best price with the least inconvenience.…these companies are run so successfully as to be able to cut down their costs. They provide products of moderately good quality at relatively low prices with the least difficulty for customers to buy.4… offering products that push performance boundaries.These companies offer products with the best and latest performance (quality and fuction, etc.)."to push boundaries of something" means to raise something to the highest point it can reach.5Their proposition to customers is an offer of the best product, period.他们为顾客服务的宗旨是：提供最好的产品周期。
