新编英语教程6 U2 the fine art of putting things off.docVIP

The Fine Art of Putting Things OffMarch 15, 2010About the title n The best skill or method of delaying things. n Art (here) skill or method 拖延(v) 拖延(n) 拖延者n delay delay delayer; n postpone postponement postponer; n procrastinate procrastination procrastinator; n put offProverbs about time:n “Procrastination is the thief of time.” 拖延就是浪费时间。n “Never put off tomorrow what may be done today.” 今日事，今日毕。n Putting things off is the waste of time.n Just do what you should do as quickly as possible.n Consolation is the thief of timen Constant enjoyment is the waste of time.Song of tomorrow by Qian Hetan Tomorrow upon tomorrow, So many tomorrows have gone! If we only eye on tomorrow, Nothing in the world can be done!People are cumbered by tomorrow, As seasons alternate, old they grow.In mornings, we see rivers eastward flow. At nightfalls, we see sunsets westward glow.This life, how many tomorrows do you know? Please listen to my Song of Tomorrow. 明日歌n 明日复明日，明日何其多。我生待明日，万事成蹉跎。世人若被明日累，春去秋来老将至。朝看水东流，暮看日西坠。百年明日能几何？请君听我明日歌！清钱鹤滩 (14611504)Song of todayn Today again today, how much will be for today.Doing nothing today, when will you do then?How many todays in a life? What a pity doing nothing today!Dont wait for tomorrow, things must be done in each day.Lets sing the song of today and do matters from today!今日诗n 今日复今日，今日何其少！今日又不为，此事何时了！人生百年几今日，今日不为真可惜！若言姑待明朝至，明朝又有明朝事。为君聊赋今日诗，努力请从今日始。明文嘉 昨日谣 n 昨日兮昨日， 昨日何其好！ 昨日过去了， 今日徒烦恼。世人但知悔昨日，不觉今日又过了。水去汩汩(gugu)流，花落日日少。 万事立业在今日， 莫待明朝悔今朝！ Dictionary work n 1. cool ones heels: be forced to wait; be kept waitingn 2. attest to: (v.) testify to; serve as an evidence to affirm/ to be proof of 证实, 证明n 3. apocalyptic: (adj.) foreboding imminent disaster or final doom 预示灾难或最后毁灭的n 4. proconsul: (n.) an administrator in a colony usually with wide powers 地方总督n 5. ruminate: (v.) go over in the mind repeatedly and often slowly 反刍, 沉思n 6. nattering: (adj.) chattering; hence, noisyn rel. natter: chatter; to talk for a long time, especially about unimportant things 唠叨;闲聊n 7. echelon: (n.) rank, level 等级，阶层n e.g. a job in the lower echelon of the corporation 一份公司底层工作n 8. fortify: (v.) encourage; support 鼓励；支持n e.g. Faith fortified us during our crisis. 在关键时刻信念使我们变得坚强。n fortify could also mean to strengthen, to reinforce, etc.n 9. reappraisal: (n.) re-evaluation n 10. academe: (n.) the academic community; academics 学术界；学术n 11. shrink: (slang) (n.) psychoanalyst or psychiatrist 心理分析学者或神经科医生n 12. subliminal: (adj.) existing or functioning outside the area of conscious awareness 潜意识的n 13. truism: (n.) an undoubted or self-evident truth 不言而喻的道理；自明之理n 14. mellow and marinate: (v.) to mellow is to become ripe or fully developed, and the marinate is to steep (浸) (meat, fish) in a savory sauce to enrich its flavor; here, ripen and mature 成熟及完善 Lord Chesterfield Lord Chesterfield (16941773): English Statesman, orator and author; But Chesterfields fame as a letter-writer must rest on his Letters to his Son and those to his Godson. His devotion to these two young men is a very remarkable indication of his true character. From 1737 (when his age was forty-three years) to the year of his death, it became little less than an obsession. He began writing letters of advice to his illegitimate son Philip Stanhope when the child was only five years old. When he had reached twenty-five, another Philip Stanhope (of Mansfield Woodhouse) was born. This was Chesterfields godson and successor, whose education he undertook, and to whom he began to write educational letters when he was four years old. He, doubtless, was led to undertake these letters by the recollection of the neglect he had experienced from his own father, and his sense of its consequences.n When sitting in judgment on Chesterfields letters to his son, we should not omit to remember that they were never intended for any eye but that of the receiver. He wrote (21 January, 1751): You and I must now write to each other as friends and without the least reserve; there will for the future be a thousand things in my letters which I would not have any mortal living but yourself see or know. n The Letters are written in English, Latin and French, and contain a large amount of valuable information on history, geography, and so forth, put in an easy and convenient form for the pupil. Philip Stanhope was censured for bad writing and bad spelling and for inattention. His father told him that nothing was too small for attentive consideration and that concentrated attention on one subject at a time was of paramount importance: “There is time enough for everything in the course of the day if you do one thing at once, but there is not time enough in the year if you will do two things at once（假如你一时只做一件事，那么一天当中就有足够时间做每件事情；但假如你一次做两件事情，一年当中也没有足够时间）. n Honour and morality, the need of which is strongly urged in the Letters, do not include sexual morality: the writer recommends his son to seek intimate association with married women of fashion, in order to improve his manners, which, by nature, were somewhat boorish. The general principles of good breeding continually urged in the Letters have been strangely misunderstood. The object of life is to be pleased, and, in order to attain this, we must please others; but it is quite evident that more than surface pleasing is here intended. Both respect for the feelings of others and sympathy with them are enjoined. The young man is told never to be ashamed of doing what is right, but to use his own judgment instead of blindly following others in what the fashionable world considers to be pleasure. Such is a sample of Chesterfields wise saws, many of which have become familiar quotations, and which show his recollection of his own bitterly repented mistakes in early life. When Philip Stanhope went out into the world and his early education was completed, his father continued to send him letters of advice; but, in 1768, the young man died, and the father learned that he had been married and had two sons. Chesterfield received this unexpected news with composure, and wrote kindly to the widow, Eugenia Stanhope, saying that he would undertake all the expenses connected with the bringing up of her boys. He did not remove them from her care, but took much interest in them, and became attached to them, observing their different characters and advising as to them. n These Letters follow very much the plan of their predecessors. They are sometimes in English, and more often in French. They contain the same form of instruction and anecdote, are written with the same mixture of wit and wisdom, and breathe the same affectionate interest of the writer in the doings of his correspondent. One of the letters may be specially mentioned, since it inculcates the spirit of two commandments, on which, according to the highest authority, “hang all the law and the prophets (是律法和先知一切道理的总纲）. Chesterfield writes: n “My object is to have you fit to life; which, if you are not, I do not desire that you should live at all. So wrote Lord Chesterfield in one of the most celebrated and controversial correspondences between a father and his son. Chesterfield wrote almost daily to his natural son, Philip, from 1737 onwards, providing him with instruction in etiquette and the worldly arts（处世艺术）. Praised in their day as a complete manual of education, and despised by Samuel Johnson for teaching the morals of a whore and the manners of a dancing master, these letters reflect the political craft of a leading statesman, and the urbane wit of a man who associated with Pope, Addison, and Swift. The letters reveal Chesterfields political cynicism and his belief that his country had always been governed by the only two or three people, out of two or three millions, totally incapable of governing, as well as his views on good breeding. Not originally intended for publication, this entertaining correspondence illuminates fascinating aspects of eighteenth-century life and manners” n I must from time to time remind you of two much more important duties, which I hope you will never forget nor neglect. I mean your duty to God and your duty to Man. Your duty to Man is very short and clear, it is only to do to him whatever you would be willing that he should do to you. And remember in all business of your life to ask your conscience this question Should I be willing that this should be done to me? If your conscience which will always tell you truth answer No, do not do that thing. n Chesterfield took immense pains to show his two pupils how to live; and it evidently gave him great pleasure to watch over them, and to express to each of them his satisfaction in their progress. He must, however, have suffered disappointment when he found that, in point of manners, neither of them did justice to his intentions. His son, we learn from others, was loutish, and Fanny Burney says of his godson that with much share of humour, and of good humour also, he has as little good breeding as any man I ever met with. Guidelines for Readingn Find out how Demarest develop his ideas and how he produces the cohesive effect in dealing with so many disparate things.n Decide the tone of Demarests writing and try to understand his humor.n Try to find fault with Demarest, see whether any examples given by him can be used to subvert his own ideas.Thesis:n It can also be expressed as follows: n You can well put off till tomorrow what you can do today. n Procrastination is not altogether a bad practice. Sometimes it is recommendable. n Compared with conventional ideas: n Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. n Procrastination is the thief of time Organization of the textn I. Introduction: It is evidenced that people do delay(paras.1-2).n A. Historical figures famous for their delay(para. 1).n 1. _n a. putting off marrying his sons mothern b. keeping important people like Dr. Johnson waiting for hours. n 2. Quintus Fabius Maximusn a. _n b. putting off a battlen 3. _n putting off delivering Jehovahs edict to Pharaohn 4. Hamlet: putting off taking revengen B. Two contrastive views on the worldn 1. _n a. preparing income taxes earlyn b. _n 2. delayersn a. having dinner laten b. misplacing bills and paying income tax laten c. _n d. _II. Main body: people in every field delay and benefit from the delay. (Para. 3-7)n A. In literary creativity inspired and revived (para. 3)n 1. Jean Kerr,_ n 2. Many a writer, focusing on trifles but writingn B. In military, diplomacy and the law conflict delayed or resolved(para. 4)n 1. A British proconsul, drinking rather than shooting when faced with an uprisingn 2. A US general in world war II, _n 3. Lawyers, postponing to write a will n C. In business, embarrassment and costly pay savedn A bank vice presidents experienceabundant data to be explored (para. 5)n D. In _, hasty decisions preventedn 1. The design itselflegalism, compromise and reappraisal n 2. the model concentrationn E. In _, the need reflectedn 1. Spanish mananan 2. Arabic bukraful mishmishn F. In_, upon facing a blank page, agonies avoidedn 1. A sociologist, writing 3 to 5 pages a dayn 2. Many of his friends, resorting to a variety of excuses to avoid facing a blank page n G. Among many people , especially womenn 1. All frightened people will then avoid the moment of truth entirely, or evade or postpone it until the last possible moment.n 2. Procrastination may be a kind of 23subliminal way of sorting the important from the trivialIII. Conclusion: As either purposeful or subconscious procrastination is justifiable, we should sometimes put off till tomorrow what we can do today. (Para. 9)n A. Passive reasonsn 1. Avoiding problemsn 2._ n B. Positive reason: more time for deliberation and improvementn 1. the parliamentary processn 2. a variety of creations n the construction of Blenheim Palacen C. Conclusion n 1. Quotation from T.H. Whiten 2. Statement refuting Lord Chesterfield The style and the tone1.Formal style : formal words; long or complex sentences exhort attest to dub ungodly ruminate about echelon studded with 2. Humorous tone: achieved through unusual combination: marry his sons mother churn out 3-5 pages a day creating of a great paint and creation of an entree3. Serious topic - joking supporting details (para. 4,5) Paragraph 1n How does Demarest begin his essay? Is it an effective beginning?Dr. Samuel Johnsonn A poet, critic, lexicographer, and the author of the famous Dictionary, which he began in 1747. He worked for eight years with the project. Johnson originally approached Lord Chesterfield as a potential patron, but Chesterfield gave Johnson only a token sum (10 pounds). n Later Johnson wrote: This man I thought had been a Lord among wits; but I find, he is only a wit among Lords. A patron was in his Dictionary as one who countenances, supports or protects. Commonly a wretch who supports with insolence, and is paid with flattery. Dr. Johnson in Lord Chesterfields Waiting Roomn He was equally celebrated for his brilliant and witty conversation. His rather gross appearance and manners were viewed tolerantly, if not with a certain admiration.n The son of a bookseller, Johnson excelled at school in spite of illness and poverty. He entered Oxford in 1728 but was forced to leave after a year for lack of funds. He sustained himself as a bookseller and schoolmaster for the next six years, during which he continued his wide reading and published some translations. Johnson settled in London in 1737 and began his literary career in earnest. His poem “London,” published anonymously in 1738, was praised by Pope and won Johnson recognition in literary circles. Johnsons first work of lasting importance, and the one that permanently established his reputation in his own time, was his Dictionary of the English Language (1755), the first comprehensive lexicographical work on English ever undertaken. Dr. Johnson, as he is universally known, was Englands first full-dress man of letters （学者）, and his mind and personality helped to create the traditions that have guided English taste and criticism.Quintus Fabius Maximusn A Roman politician and soldier (c. 275 BC-203 BC). His nickname Cunctator means delayer in Latin, and refers to his tactics in deploying the troops during the Second Punic War. n Fabius was well-aware of the military superiority of the Carthaginians, and when Hannibal invaded Italy he refused to meet him in a pitched battle. Instead he kept his troops close to Hannibal, hoping to exhaust him in a long war of attrition. Fabius was able to harass the Carthaginians, limiting Hannibals ability to wreak destruction while conserving his own military force. n The Romans were unimpressed with this defensive strategy and at first gave Fabius his nickname as an insult. 伟大领袖毛主席的作战方针政策n 敌进我退 敌驻我扰 敌疲我打 敌退我追 Moses Hebrew prophet and lawgiver and founder of Israel, or the Jewish people. The story of his life is set forth principally in the Old Testament books of Exodus 出埃及记 and Deuteronomy申命记. According to this account,Moses had the experience of seeing God, who commanded him to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt to the land Cannan. Moses was to give this message to Pharaoh, ruler of ancient Egypt.Moses said unto Jehovah, Oh, Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. n exhort (Line 1) = entreat; advise：(fml.) to urge or advise stronglyn If you exhort someone to do something, you try hard to persuade them to do it.n e.g. The general exhorted his men to fight well.n We are exhorted not to waste our time on the chatroom online.n I exhort my friend not to drink too much.n elegant: having the qualities of grace, beauty, and fashion 文雅的，雅致的；讲究的 n E.g.: elegant manners 优雅的风度n an elegant dress 漂亮雅致的女服n a set of books with elegant bindings 一套装帧精美的书籍The title of nobility: (Line 2)n duke公爵, duchess公爵夫人n marquis侯爵, marchioness侯爵夫人n earl伯爵, countess伯爵夫人n viscount 子爵 viscountess 子爵夫人n baron男爵, baroness男爵夫人 n get around to sth./doing sth. (Line 2)n If you get around to something, you eventually do something that you would have liked to avoid doing or that you were unable to do before because you were too busy. 抽出时间(做某事)n e.g. I only got around to doing this a few days ago.n He finally got around to sorting out those books and magazines yesterday. worthyn worthy: (sometimes humorous) a person of importance 知名人士；杰出人物n E.g.: local worthies 地方名流n He had been a college worthy. 他曾是学院里大名鼎鼎的人。cool/kick ones heels: wait (Line 3)n If you are kicking your heels or cooling your heels, someone is deliberately keeping you waiting, so that you get bored or impatient (an informal expression).n e.g. The two younger men were cooling their heels in the outer office.n “Let him cool his heels in the meeting room for a while,” said the dean.n anteroom: (also antechamber) a room in which people wait, as before seeing a doctor (连接正厅的) 前厅，候见室attest to: testify to; serve as an evidence to affirm / to be proof of 证明，表明n E.g.: His success attests to his ability. 他的成功表明他有能力。n ev