Lesson one: Rock Superstars: What Do They Tell Us about Ourselves and Our Society

　　1. Rock Superstars 摇滚乐超级明星

　　rock : rock music , rock ' n ' roll ( or : rock and roll )摇滚乐

　　早期的摇滚乐是源于美国的民歌( folk )爵士乐( jazz )勃鲁斯歌曲(blues)等的一种音乐,其特征是具 有强烈的节奏 ( rhythm )单纯的旋律 ( melody )一再重复的歌词和音符的后拍音 ( after beat )

　　2. Rock is the music of teenage rebellion .摇滚乐是青少年的反叛音乐

　　a. teenage adj. pertaining to a teenager ( 13 至 19 岁的 ) 青少年的.

　　其名词形式为teenager: (13至19岁的青少年).

　　b. rebellion : resistance to or defiance of any authority 造反,反派.

　　如; a rebellion against old traditions 对旧传统的反叛.

　　3. By a man's heroes ye shall know him. 你将从一个人崇拜的英雄得知其人.

　　a.这句句子的句型与英语中常说的 judge a man by the company he keeps(以一个人所交的朋友断定其为人)很相似.

　　b. ye = you 用于古英语或诗歌中,是第二人称代词thou的复数. 如:

　　Ye are the salt of the earth .你们是社会的中坚. (出自<>)

　　4. '' Midnight Rambler

　　ramble : walk for pleasure漫游,既可表动词,也可作名词.

　　如; They rambled through the woods.他们在林中漫步.

　　5. ... he said, '' Grabs a half-gallon jug of water and runs along the front platform, sprinkling its contents over the first rows of sweltering listeners ... ''

　　a. grab : to seize suddenly , eagerly , or roughly ; snatch 急抓,夺取.

　　如: He jumped up from the table, grabbed his hat and ran out of the door.

　　他从桌子旁跳了起来,抓起自己的帽子,奔出门去.

　　另外,grab后面可以跟其他名词或名词短语. 如:

　　grab a shower快速冲了澡,

　　grab a sandwich,胡乱吃了一个三明治,

　　grab a taxi 赶搭

　　有时,还可以作不及物动词. 如:

　　He grabbed at the opportunity of going abroad. 他设法抓住这次出国的机会 b. sprinkle : to scatter drops or particles of water , powder or the like on 洒液体,撒粉末等(于......上). 如:

　　They sprinkled ashes on the icy sidewalk .他们在积水溜滑的人行道上撒了灰.

　　We sprinkle the lawn every day .我们每天给草坪洒水.

　　以'' sprinkling ''引导的短语是动词的 '' - ing '' 形式做伴随状语. 再如:

　　They stood there , watching the basketball .他们站在那里,观看篮球比赛.

　　6. They surge to follow him, eager to be touched by a few baptismal drops.

　　a. surge : to move or swell forward in or like waves 如波涛汹涌而至.

　　A crowd surged out of the theater .观众从剧院里蜂拥而出.

　　b. 以形容词'' eager ''引导的不定式词组在语法功能上起着并列分句的作用.

　　7. Some 14,000 screaming fans were crunching up to the front of the stage at Capital Center...

　　a. some : ( before a number ) approximately , about (在数字前)大约.

　　如: some twenty students大约20个学生.

　　b. scream to make a loud , sharp cry 尖声大叫.

　　'' screaming ''是动词 scream的 '' - ing ''形式作前置修饰语, '' screaming fans '' 意为"尖声大叫的歌迷"

　　c. crunch : to proceed with a crushing noise嘎吱嘎吱地往前.

　　如: The children crunched through the snow .孩子们嘎吱嘎吱地踩着雪走.

　　8. I ought to be crawling on my knees.

　　a. crawled : to move with the face downward and the boys close to the ground爬行.

　　如; The bus crawled along .公共汽车缓慢地行进.

　　注意:短语 crawl into the favor of one's superiors表示"卑躬屈膝地讨好上司".

　　b. on one's knees : 双膝跪地.

　　9. How do you feel about all this adulation and hero worship

　　a. feel about : consider , think of 觉得,感到.经常用于疑问句中,

　　如: How do you feel about the suggestion 你认为这个建议怎么样

　　b. adulation 是adulate的名词形式.

　　adulate : flatter or admire excessively过分赞赏,奉承,恭维.

　　如: One can hardly understand why young people so adulate film stars.

　　年轻人为什么如此过分赞赏影星,真让人费解.

　　10. Or are you drawn somehow to this strange clown , perhaps because he acts out your wildest fantasies

　　a. draw : attracts 吸引.

　　如: Some mutual interests draw us together .一些共同的兴趣把我们吸引到一块了.

　　b. somehow : in some way not specified or known 不知什么缘故.

　　如: Somehow I don't like this novel though it is so popular.

　　这本小说虽然很流行,但不知什么原因我却不喜欢它.

　　c. fantasy : imagination , esp. when it is let free and not held back(自由奔放的)想象,幻想,狂想.

　　wildest fantasies ,最为狂妄的奇想.

　　11. These aren't idle questions.

　　idle : of no real worth or purpose 无聊的.

　　如: idle rumor无聊的谎言.

　　12. Horwitz sees the rock music arena as a sort of debating forum, a place where ideas clash and crash.

　　a. see ... as ... : consider ... as ...把......看作......

　　b. forum : a meeting place of discussion of matters of public interest论坛.

　　c. a place 是a sort of debating forum的同位语,后面由 where引导的句子是定语从句,修饰 a place.

　　'' ideas clash and crash ''意为"各种思想冲撞".

　　13. '' The redefinition, '' Horowitz says '' is a task uniquely performed by the young...''

　　'' uniquely performed by the young '' 是过去分词短语,用于修饰前面的''a task''.

　　14. It is they alone who combine invention and exaggeration...

　　a. it is .. who ( that ) 是强调句式.

　　b. lone : ( after a noun or pronoun ) only(在名词或代词后面)仅,只.

　　His name alone was enough to draw a large audience .仅仅他的名字就足以吸引一大批观众.

　　15. '' Rock music,'' he says '' is really a sociological expression rather than a musical force. ''

　　rather than : instead of 而不是(肯定前者,否定后者.) 比如:

　　He is a poet rather than a novelist .与其说他是小说家,不如说他是诗人.

　　这里介绍另一个短语or rather,意为 more exactly更为确切地说".

　　如: late last night , or rather early this morning昨天深夜,更为确切地说,是今天清晨.

　　16. It's just that Elvis managed to embody the frustrated teenage spirit of the 1950s.

　　a. 句中的it有 the reason的意思, that = be cause .

　　b. embody : give a definite form to具体体现 如:

　　The statue embodies the sentiment of the sculptor .这尊塑像表现了雕像家的感情.

　　The latest model of the lorry embodies many improvements .卡车的最新式样体现了许多改进的地方.

　　17. TV network banned him.

　　a. network : a group of radio or television stations linked by wire or microwaves (广播,电视)广播网 b. ban : prohibit , forbid 禁止.

　　如: Students are banned from reading dirty books .禁止学生阅读色情书刊.

　　18. Most of the older viewers frowned, while most of the younger viewers applauded.

　　a. frown: to wrinkle the forehead , such as when one is displeased or in deep thought皱眉.

　　如:听到我说错了答案,他便皱起了眉头.

　　短语frown on ( upon )表示"不赞同".

　　如: He frowned upon my plan .他不赞同我的计划.

　　b. applaud : to clap the hands together in approval or appreciation鼓掌喝彩;称赞.

　　如: The audience applauded wildly .观众热烈鼓掌.

　　c. 连接词while在这里表示对照,

　　再如: I like books while my brother loves sports .我喜欢书,而我的兄弟则热衷于体育.

　　19. The Rolling Stones, arrogant street-fighting men, demanded revolution.

　　arrogant : acting as if one were more important than others傲慢的;妄自尊大的.

　　如; He was just too arrogant to his subordinates .他对他的部下太傲慢了.

　　20. Feelings, always a part of any musical statement, were a major subject.

　　这里always a part of any musical statement 是feelings的同位语.

　　21. The Beatles showed there were a range of emotions between love and hate.

　　range : a number of different things of the same general sort or type (变动的,可供选择的)范围;幅度.

　　如: a range of colors to choose from可以选择的一系列颜色;

　　a range of prices from 5 Yuan to 50 Yuan 从5元到50元不等的各种价格.

　　22. This country element, Horowitz feels, helped its audience express an urge to '' get away from it all, ''...

　　urge : an instinctive drive .冲动.

　　如: I felt an urge to further my studies in Europe .我有一种去欧洲深造的冲动.

　　23. ...these rock musicians mirror feelings...

　　mirror : reflect 反映.

　　如: The election result reflects their opinions.选举结果反映了他们的观点.

　　24. ... where it's heading

　　head ( for ) : move toward (朝某一方向)前进.

　　如: They were heading for the deep jungle for hunting .他们去丛林深处打猎.

　　Lesson Two Four Choices for Young People

　　1. Jim Binns...wrote me about some of his misgivings.

　　misgiving: worry, concern(常用复数)(对未来之事)疑虑不安,怀疑.如:

　　I like your scheme in principle; my only misgiving is that it may require too large a sum of money.

　　我原则上喜欢你的计划,唯一担心的是花销可能太大.

　　2...our generation views the adult world with great skepticism...

　　skepticism: doubt suspicion怀疑(态度);怀疑主义

　　be skeptical about:对......持怀疑太度;不相信.如:

　　He is skeptical about everything .他对一切事物都抱怀疑态度.

　　with a skeptical expression带着怀疑的表情.

　　3. Apparently he speaks for a lot of his contemporaries.

　　contemporary adj.同时代的,当代;n.同时代的人.如:

　　our contemporaries和我们同时代的人 同义词:peer 同等的人,同辈.如:without a peer 无匹敌的

　　4. The people responsible are, presumably, the adults who...

　　a.responsible:1)(放在名词后面)应负责任的.如:I hold you responsible for the safety

　　of her family.我就把她家的安全交给你了.2)(放在名词前面)(工作,地为等)责任重的,有责任的.

　　如:a responsible position 要职.3)(人)可靠的,可信赖的,如:a responsible person有责任心的人.

　　b. presumably: perhaps大概,推测起来,可能.

　　5. These conclusions strike me as reasonable ...strike sb. +adj.(or n.): 使......感觉(是).如:

　　At first the idea struck me as stupid.起初,这个主意让我觉得很愚蠢.

　　He strikes me as an honest man .他让我觉得是个诚实的人.

　　6. The relevant question for the arriving generation is not whether our society is imperfect (we can take that for granted), but...

　　a. relevant:有关的. 如:relevant information 有关信息.若作表语,后面通常跟由介词to 引导的短语.

　　如;The judge ruled that the evidence was not relevant to the case.

　　法官认定证据与本案无关.

　　b. imperfect : 不完美,由perfect (完美)加否定前缀im-构成.

　　另如:Permissible-impermissible, possible-impossible, proper-improper, pure impure,

　　Mobile-immobile, mortal-immortals.

　　c. take for granted : 视......为当然.

　　如: You should not take his help for granted .你不应该认为他的帮忙是当然的事.

　　7. for all is harshness and irrationality; it is the only world we've got.

　　a. for all ... 尽管.

　　如:For all his learning, he is not wise. 他尽管满腹经纶,处世并不聪明. For all his efforts, he didn't succeed. 他还是个正派的人.

　　b. harsh : 残酷的;无情的;刻薄的.

　　如:She was very harsh with her servant. 她对用人非常刻薄.

　　We have to face harsh realities. 我们得面对残酷的现实.

　　c. rational : 有理性的,通情达理的.

　　如:Man is a rational thing. 人是有理性的动物.

　　Do you consider it a rational explanation 你觉得这种解释合理吗

　　irrational : 不理智, ir-为否定前缀.

　　另如:Irreducible, irregular, irreparable, irreversible.

　　8. Choosing a strategy to cope with it, then, is...

　　a. strategy : 战略,与之相对的是tactics(战术)

　　b. cope with : to struggle or contend , esp. . with some degree of success 应付,处理.

　　如:They proposed several possibilities for coping with the crisis.

　　他们提出了对付危机的几种可能方案.

　　He is unable to cope with the duties of her new position.

　　他不能应付新岗位的职责.

　　9. So far as I have been able to discover, there are four basic alternatives.

　　a. so far as : =as far as , to the extent that 就......而言,从......来看.

　　如:His conduct, so far as I can see, is unjustifiable.

　　就我看来,他凭一已之力将不可能完成这样巨大的项目.

　　b. alternative : one of more than two possibilities 数种可能之一,可代替的.

　　如:There is alternative answer to this question.

　　这个问题有几种可能的答案.

　　An alternative plan is to apply for a loan.

　　另一种可能的方案就是申请贷款.

　　10. Drop Out

　　drop out : to withdraw from 退出.

　　如:He has decided to drop out of politics.

　　他已经决定退出政坛.

　　Seven students dropped out of university last year.

　　去年有七个学生被退了学.

　　11. This is one of the oldest expedient ...=expedient: a temporary means to an end 权宜之计

　　如:resort to an expedient 采取权宜之计

　　12. In one way or another, its practitioners batten on the society which...

　　a. (in) one way or another: 以这样或那样的方式;在某方面.

　　如:The project must be completed by the end of this month (in) one way or another.

　　不管用什么方式,这个项目必须在这个月底结束.

　　b. batten on : thrive , or prosper , or live in luxury (on) (esp. at the expense of others)

　　(靠他人牺牲而) 兴旺,过奢侈的生活,(损人)肥饱私囊

　　13. some of us find this distasteful -an undignified kind of life.

　　distasteful : disagreeable ; unpleasant 讨厌的,令人不愉快的.

　　如:Jazz is distasteful to me. 我讨厌爵士乐.(爵士乐不合我的口味)

　　14. But for the poor in spirit, with low levels of both energy and pride, it may be the least intolerable choice available.

　　Availed: ready for use; readily obtainable

　　a. (立即)可利用的;可得到的.

　　如:employ all means available 采用一切可能的方法.

　　The dress is available in all sizes. 这种款式的服装大小尺寸都有.

　　b. (人)有空的.

　　如:I'll be available tomorrow morning. 我明天早上有空.

　　15. This strategy has ancient antecedents.

　　Antecedent: preceding thing or circumstance, esp. (pl.) past history of a person 前事,前情;

　　(复数)身世,经历,人的过去历史.

　　如; a woman of shady antecedent 一个来历可疑的女人

　　16. ... that is, the city, with all its ugliness and tension.

　　tension : mental strain 紧张.

　　如:under extreme tension 处于极度紧张/(复数-s)紧张(状态).

　　如:the tension between labor and management 劳资间关系的紧张

　　17. The trouble with the solution is that it no longer is on a large scale.

　　on a large scale : 大规模.

　　另如:on a tremendous scale 极大的规模.

　　The project was undertaken on a grand scale. 这个项目规模很大.

　　The reform is carried out on an enormous scale. 改革的幅度极大.

　　18. Out planet, unfortunately, is running out of noble savages and unsullied landscapes.

　　run out of : become short of , become exhausted 用完.

　　如; We ran out of petrol the other day. 那一天我们汽油用光了.

　　We are running out of time. 我们已经没有时间了.

　　19. Plot a Revolution

　　plot : plan secretly 密谋.

　　如:They plotted how to kill him. 他们密谋如何杀死他.

　　The criminals were plotting to rob the bank. 犯罪密谋抢银行.

　　20. ... those who have no patience with the tedious workings of the democratic process and who believe that the institution can only be changed by force.

　　a. tedious : long and tiresome 冗长乏味的.

　　如:a tedious lecture 冗长的演讲;tedious work 乏味的工作

　　b. working(s) : action , operation 工作,运作.

　　如:the workings of the mind , the workings of the nature 自然的运作

　　21. To them it offers a romantic appeal, usually symbolized by some dashing and charismatic figure.

　　a. a romantic appeal : appeal n. : the power to attract the mind or emotions 吸引力.

　　如:Such life has no appeal for me. 这种生活对我没有吸引力.

　　That sort of music has lost its appeal for me. 这种音乐已经失去了对我的吸引力.

　　v. appeal to : 吸引.

　　如:Does the menu appeal to me 菜单吸引我了吗

　　The novel appeals to women. 这本小说吸引女性读者.

　　b. dashing : vigorously lovely ; brilliant or showy 精力充沛的;华丽的

　　c. charismatic 名词形式为charisma (使大众信服的)领袖魅力

　　22. Lets smash it and build something better on the ruins.

　　on the ruins : the remains of destroyed or decaying or town 废墟,遗迹,残骸.

　　如:the ruins of a castle 一座城堡的废墟

　　23. These are the ones whose revolution did not come off...

　　come off : happen , occur 发生.

　　如:The invasion came off last week. 入侵是上星期发生的.

　　To be effective or successful 生效,成功.

　　如:She didn't come off well in the interview. 她的面试不很成功.

　　24. I am not, of course, suggesting that revolutions accomplish nothing.

　　accomplish : bring to a successful conclusion ; achievement 完成.

　　如:accomplish something / a great deal / miracles 实现某种目标/取得很大成就/实现奇迹

　　accomplish : skilled , expert 熟练的,内行的.

　　如:an accomplish golf player 技术精湛的

　　accomplishment (s) 修养,才艺.

　　如: a woman of many accomplishment 多才多艺的女人

　　25. For at best their victory never dawns on the shining new world they had dreamed of , cleansed of all human meanness .

　　cleanse : make clean 清洗.

　　如:She cleansed the wound with alcohol .她用酒精清洗伤口.

　　cleanse sin from the soul = cleanse the soul of sin 清洗灵魂的罪恶

　　26. At first glance, this course is far from inviting.

　　inviting : temptingly attractive 诱人的.

　　如:an inviting smile 迷人的微笑/an inviting dish 诱人的菜肴

　　27. It depends on the exasperating and uncertain instruments of persuasion...

　　exasperate : annoy extremely 令人怒不可遏

　　如:Constant interruptions exasperate me. 不断的中断让我怒火中烧.

　　28. It demands patience, always in short supply.

　　(be) in short supply : 供应不足,短缺.

　　如:Food is in short supply .食物供应不足.

　　Honesty is in short supply. 缺乏诚实(的人).

　　29. ... as soon as you capture one mountain range, another one looms just ahead.

　　loom : come into view in indistinct and enlarged form 忽隐忽现.

　　如:The iceberg loomed out of the mist .冰山在迷雾中忽隐忽现.

　　Dangers are looming ahead. 危险阴森森地逼近.

　　30. ... of coping with war in unfamiliar guises.

　　guise : a false or assumed appearance or disguise 外貌,伪装.

　　如:an old idea in a new guise 老观念新面貌(新瓶装旧酒)

　　in the guise of 打扮成......的样子.

　　如:the king in the guise of a beggar 装扮成乞丐的国王

　　under the guise of 以......为借口.

　　如:under the guise of friendship 以友谊为幌子

　　31. It dawned on us rather suddenly that...

　　dawn on : begin to be known, or realized 常用先行词it , 表示"明白过来".

　　如:It has slowly dawned upon me that he will not lend a helping hand to us when we are in trouble. 我慢慢明白,当我们碰到麻烦的时候,他是不会伸出援手的.

    更多信息请访问：新浪自考频道