Henry Miller‘s The Books in My Life is, as the name suggests, autobiographical.
3 Shakespeare had an extraordinary talent as a writer, which is without comparison in the history of English literature. (prodigious; unparalleled)
4 Some people look to a book for pleasure rather than for understanding. (enlightenment) 5 The experiment in banning alcohol drinks in the United States actually led to an increase in crime.(prohibiting)
6 I‘m not sure if it is to their advantage for readers to read this review before they start the book. (advantageous)
7 Miller‘s Tropic of Cancer was, without doubt, one of the most infamous novels of the 20th century.(indubitably)
6 Answer the questions about the words and expressions.
1 If someone makes a confession, do they tell you something (a) personal and secret, or (b) which everyone knows?
2 If someone whets your appetite for something, do they make you (a) desire for it, or (b) dislike it?
3 If you wade through piles of documents, do you (a) read or deal with them, or (b) just ignore them?
4 If you have to forego something, do you (a) finish it quickly, or (b) do without it?
5 Is someone who has business acumen (a) good at business, or (b) without any business skills? 6 Is a repetitive job one in which you do (a) different things, or (b) the same thing every day?
7 If you do something on the side, do you do it (a) in addition to a regular activity, or (b) where no one can see you do it? Reading and interpreting 7 Answer the questions.
1 What is the first struggle that he has with books?
Miller‘s first struggle is to obtain books and get his hands on them. 2 Why is it difficult to lay hands on them?
The books are not in the public library because someone has already borrowed them and Miller doesn‘t have the money to buy them.
3 What sort of books are prohibited for a young man?
Books which are considered to be immoral for a young person to read. 4 What is the best way to be introduced to a book?
Through the passionate recommendation of someone who has read the book. 5 What is an unused book lying on a shelf compared with?
It is compared with wasted ammunition. This means that it is useless. It is also compared to money because it should be in circulation.
6 Why does Miller suggest resisting your impulses and not opening a book as soon as you get it? He says you should think intensely about the title, author, and likely contents, imagining what you would have written yourself about it. Then you may decide you don‘t need to read it, or, if you do read it, you will read it with more interest and acumen.
Language in use
word formation: -ous
1 Write the adjectives which describe:
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1 a writer who has achieved fame (famous) 2 readers who show curiosity (curious) 3 someone who feels envy (envious)
4 a region which is full of mountains (mountainous) 5 a parcel which has a very large volume (voluminous) infinitive / gerund as the subject of a sentence
2 Complete the sentences using infinitive or gerund as the subject. Usually both forms are possible, but you should be able to justify your choice.
1 Getting up early in the morning gives me more time to organize the day. (To express an everyday activity)
2 To write a best-seller has always been my dream. (This is a bit more abstract or a far-away grand idea)
3 Forgetting to take back a library book may not seem serious, but it causes problems for other students.
(To express a normal activity for many people)
4 To spend a lot of time reading in one‘s childhood can bring rewards later in life. (Use the more abstract form for an important idea) 5 To be or not to be, that is the question.
(In Shakespeare this can be interpreted as a grand idea, so he uses the formal way; if you say, ?Being or not being…‘ is may be more immediate and seems normal – but in Hamlet the situation is not normal) such is / are …
3 Rewrite the sentences using such is / are …
1 Good writing is so powerful that the reader thinks the writer is speaking directly to them. The reader thinks the writer is speaking directly to them. Such is the power of good writing. 2 The novel Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is so charming that you can‘t put it down even for a moment.
You can‘t put Salmon Fishing in the Yemen down even for a moment. Such is the charm of the novel.
3 Travel is such a pleasure that you may end up living in another country. You may end up living in another country. Such is the pleasure of travel.
4 The sense of confusion in this film is so great that you may feel you want to leave before the end.
You may feel you want to leave before the end. Such is the sense of confusion in this film. 5 The difficulties of translation are so enormous that much of the meaning is lost. Much of the meaning is lost. Such is the enormity of the difficulties of translation. if / whether it be …
4 Rewrite the sentences using if / whether it be …
1 Is it the right time to start this kind of project? Ask yourself carefully.
Ask yourself carefully whether it be the right time to start this kind of project. 2 Is it the first edition of Dr Johnson‘s Dictionary? I very much doubt it. I very much doubt if this be the first edition of Dr Johnson‘s Dictionary. 3 Is it common knowledge that Arthur Miller thought like this? I‘m not sure. I am not sure if it be common knowledge that Arthur Miller thought like this.
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4 Is it necessary to produce any documents when making an application? Perhaps we should inquire.
Perhaps we should inquire whether it be necessary to produce any documents when making an application.
5 Is it the right way to tackle the problem? I doubt it. I doubt if it be the right way to tackle the problem. collocations
5 Read the explanations of the words. Answer the questions.
1 confront This word usually means to deal with a difficult situation.
(a) Which are the most important problems we have to confront in today‘s world?
This could be a long list! I‘d say: global warming, pollution, water shortages, extreme weather conditions, local military conflicts, poverty, famine and hunger, unemployment, to name only a few.
(b) Were you confronted by anyone asking for something on your way to class today?
Not today, but a few days ago I was confronted by someone asking for money – which I didn‘t like at all.
(c) What‘s the biggest crisis you‘ve ever been confronted with?
The problem that my grandfather is elderly and has Alzheimer‘s disease: He needs constant care because he forgets ordinary things. It is difficult for my parents and for me because we all take turns to look after him. I realized what this was really like when I had to look after him for a weekend when my parents were away, but I discovered I have a lot more patience now. So perhaps this crisis has helped us to develop some good qualities, although it is actually a very difficult time for all of us.
2 idle This word usually means not being used, lazy, or without any real reason or purpose. (a) If someone is idle by nature, what don‘t they like doing?
They don‘t like doing work or other things that they should do but which they don‘t like doing. (b) If machinery is idle, what isn‘t it doing? The machinery is not being used.
(c) If someone picks up a book out of idle curiosity, do they have a strong motivation to read it? Not really, they just have a slight curiosity to see what the book is, but they have no real interest. (d) If someone makes you an idle threat, do you take it seriously? No, you don‘t because you know that the threat has no real purpose.
3 tackle This word usually means to challenge someone or something, or to make an attempt to deal with a problem.
(a) What are the main issues the government needs to tackle in the near future?
Well. I suppose there are several issues which need to be tackled, including rising prices and employment in some places, or some social problems in a few areas. (b) How do you tackle someone about their ideas and opinions?
I am inclined to be direct and simply ask them about their opinions and ideas. I think they will tell me honestly if they believe I am really interested in what they think.
(c) If you tackle someone in a game of football, what have you managed to do?
You have managed to get the ball away from them so that your team can keep the ball for a moment.
4 withstand This word usually means to be strong enough not to be harmed or destroyed by
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something, or to be able to deal with a difficult situation. (a) What sort of defences can withstand a direct attack?
To withstand a direct attack you need strong defences which are well placed. (b) What sort of clothes allow you to withstand the cold in winter? To withstand the cold in winter, you need thick, warm clothes.
(c) Can you withstand the pressure of having to produce regular assignments on your course? Yes, I can. Actually, our teachers generally give us our assignments at intervals and we usually know well in advance what we should. So as long as you get on with the work (and don‘t leave it until the last minute!) the pressure is not too bad and we can manage. 6 Translate the paragraph into Chinese.
Indubitably the vast majority of books overlap one another. Few indeed are those which give the impression of originality, either in style or in content. Rare are the unique books – less than 50, perhaps,out of the whole storehouse of literature. In one of his recent autobiographical novels, Blaise Cendrars points out that Rémy de Gourmont, because of his knowledge and awareness of this repetitive quality in books, was able to select and read all that is worthwhile in the entire realm of literature. Cendrars himself – who would suspect it? – is a prodigious reader. He reads most authors in their original tongue.Not only that, but when he likes an author he reads every last book the man has written, as well as his letters and all the books that have been written about him. In our day his case is almost unparalleled, I imagine. For, not only has he read widely and deeply, but he has himself written a great many books. All on the side, as it were. For, if he is anything, Cendrars, he is a man of action, an adventurer and explorer,a man who has known how to ―waste‖ his time royally. He is, in a sense, the Julius Caesar of literature.
（几处倒装句应灵活处理，以体现原文语气。every last book the man has written 等于 all the books he has written。注意这段话的逻辑关系。If he is anything, he is a man of…一句中的 if 从句起强调作用，说明他不是一个书生或思想家，而是一个行动家。此处需灵活翻译。） 不容置疑的是，大多数书都互相重复，在文体或内容上让人感到具有独创性的书实在是少之又少。在整个文学库藏中，或许只有极少数作品——不到50本——是独具一格的。在最近出版的一部自传体小说中，布莱斯·桑德拉尔指出，雷米·德·古尔蒙之所以能够选择并通读文学领域中一切值得读的书籍，就是因为他知识渊博，了解书的这种重复性。没有人会怀疑桑德拉尔本人就是一个博览群书的人，他阅读了大部分独具个性的作家的作品。不仅如此，一旦他喜欢上一个作家，就会阅读这个人写的每一本书，包括他的书信以及所有有关他的书籍。我猜想，在当今世上，像他这样的情况是绝无仅有的，他不仅读得广，读得深，而且本人还著述颇丰。这一切似乎都是在业余时间完成的。因为从本质上讲，他是一个十足的行动家，一个四处跋涉的冒险家和探险家，一个懂得如何大量―浪费‖时间的人。从某种意义上说，他是文学届的凯撒大帝。
7 Translate the paragraphs into English.
1 张磊是在毕业工作后才开始意识到读书的乐趣的。反思自己的大学教育时，他感慨不已：他的一些同学都沉浸于从图书馆或书店找到的各种有趣的书籍，而他却只读了一些教科书，其中连一本真正能让他爱不释手、值得一读的书都没有。他可以说是被剥夺了通过书了解作家奇妙世界的特权。
It was not until after he had graduated from university and started to work that Zhang Lei became aware of the pleasure of reading. Reflecting on his undergraduate studies, he lamented that he, unlike his classmates who had immersed themselves in various interesting books they were able to lay hands on from the library or bookshop, had only read textbooks, none of which was really
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