Unit 12

Text I

University Days

The Author

James Thurber (1894-1961) US essayist, short story writer, cartoonist, and w

as considered the best American humorist since Mark Twain. He is known for the irony, and whimsical humor of his stories about ordinary American life. Thurber lost one eye in a childhood accident, but despite that he had a very successful writing career. Since 1927 Thurber started a long-term cooperation with the magazine New Yorker till his death in 1961, and contribute a lot to the

terse clear and fresh style of the magazine. His stories were objective, his language was clear and easy to understand, and his style was of a common touch, from which the reader can sense his humor and satire.Altogether Thurber published over 30 books of short stories, including My Life and Hard Times (1933) from which this text is taken.

Main Ideas Episode I The writer disliked the botany laboratory classes in which

he could not see any flower cells under a microscope; and, for that reason, he was given a deferred passed for botany.

Episode II In the economics class, there was a student who was very

slow at his studies. In spite of the prompting from the professor and his fellow students, he could not even give “train” as an example of a means of transportation.

Language points

see through Can you see through a microscope? I can easily see through his little game. Her courage and good humor saw her throu

gh the bad times. see through sb./sth. 看穿，识破某人 / 某事 see sb. through 帮助或支持某人（尤其指

困难时）

enrage vb.– to make sb. very angry His arrogance enrage her. Words with similar formation: encase, endanger, enrich, enlarge, enlist(joi

n a political group by putting one’s name on the list),empower,empanel( to make a jury by choosing from a list of people)

end up ( be or become in the end) Having over-indulged in drinking and dissipation,

Lenny Burton ended up a loser in life. A small weak animal ending up a prey to a

predator is a common occurrence in the jungle. The cabinet meeting ended up in a fight among

members of different political parties.

claim vb. (demand, collect, request) You can always claim on the insurance. 出

了事可按保险索赔。 She claims( 声称 )that she is related to the q

ueen. You have no claim on my sympathy. 你不

配得到我的同情。

vivid (bright, distinct,lifelike,animated) Her T-shirt is of vivid green.(bright) Children have a vivid imagination.(lively) The 9.11 terrorist attack would remain a viv

id American nightmare.(distinct) 历历在目

define (explain, specify) Could you try to define “friendship”? Border disputes arise where boundaries bet

ween countries are not clearly defined. The mountain was clearly defined against th

e eastern sky. 那座山在东边天际的衬托下显得轮廓分明。

defer (delay,postpone, suspend) defer to sb./sth.(agree to accept the opinion or deci

sion of sb. because of respect) On account of the SARS epidemic, foreign investo

r were advised to defer their business trips to China.

I defer to your greater experience in such things. In deference to our host I decided not to challenge

his controversial remarks.

as brown as a berry 皮肤晒得黝黑的 Peter came back from a seaside holiday, bro

wn as a berry. Similar expressions: as busy as a bee; as cool as a cucumber,( 从

容不迫 );as fit as a fiddle; as light as a feather; as white as a sheet

cut off (stop) He cut off abruptly at the sight of his father. We were cut off in the middle of our conversation. Our water supply has been cut off. hold onto one’s temper How I wish I had held onto my temper! lose one’s temper Finally he lost his temper.

abrupt adj.(sudden, unexpected,hasty) The story came to an abrupt ending. 故事

戛然而止了。 He has an abrupt manner. 他举止粗鲁。 scene n. On weekends many city-dwellers hike to th

e suburbs to enjoy the delightful pastoral scene. 田园风光

There was quite a scene when she refused to pay.她拒不付款，引起了一场争吵。

Reporters were soon on the scene after the accident. 赶到现场

No one had expected that it was a young newcomer who stole the scene. 抢尽风头

Other expressions: behind the scene 在幕后，暗中； make a scene 当众大吵大闹； not one’s scene 非某人所熟悉的事物，非某人兴趣所在

adjoin vb.(connect, next to) Our house adjoins theirs. They rented two adjoining rooms. snap vb. Suddenly the branch that he was standing on snapped off.

啪地一声断了 He never speaks calmly, but snaps all the time. 粗声厉气 Snap at sth. 一下子咬住； snap at sb. 厉声对某人说； Snap sth. Out 厉声喊出； snap sth. up 抢购或迅速抓住

某物； snap one’s fingers 打响指

propel vb.(drive, push) His addiction to drugs propelled him toward

s a life of crimes. mechanically propelled vehicles 机动车辆 propel history forward to be propelled by ambition

stir vb. He stirs honey into the milk. (mix) Discontent stirred the men to mutiny. 不满情绪酿

成了兵变。 A gentle breeze stirred the leaves. 吹拂 The soldiers are being stirred up by outsiders. 煽

动 They stirred up discontent among the workers.

挑起

let off (explode) The Chinese usually let off fireworks to celebrate

the Spring Festival. Because he has no previous criminal record, the

judge let him off. round off (end satisfactorily) He rounded off the cocktail party by proposing a

toast to the attendants. The Italian way is round off a meal with an ice-

cream.

furrow n &vb. After many years’ absence, deep furrows

had marked Ruth’s face. (wrinkles) His forehead was furrowed as he thought

about the thorny issue. In any modern corporation, clerk are not

encouraged to plough a lonely furrow; instead, team-work spirits are encouraged.

Text II The Aim of a University Education

John Henry Newman (1801-1890) English cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church,

theologian, author and one of the founders of the Oxford Movement. He was converted to Roman Catholics in 1845, and became the cardinal in 1879. His prose is marked by a clear, quiet, and smoothly flowing style. This text is an excerpt from The Idea of a University (18730, a collection of lectures which had an important influence on later theories of liberal arts education.

Main Idea The passage argues that the aim of a university education

lies in training good members of society. Since genius could not be taught, nor could heroic mind be trained, university is not the birthplace of great people like poets or immortal authors, leader of colonies or conquerors of nations. In this way, university training should aim at the ordinary people, which is the great ordinary means to a great but ordinary end. It aims at raising the intellectual level of the society and cultivating the public mind. The ideal person with a university education should have common ground with every class of the society, and be able to deal with all kind of situations properly.

Translation of Difficult Sentences Its art is the art of social life, and its end is fitness

for the world. 它的学问就是社会生活的艺术， 它的目的就是

适应世界。 It neither confines its views to a particular professi

on on the one hand, nor creates heroes or inspire genius on the other.

一方面它的视野不手某写特定职业的限定，另一方面它也不创造英雄或激励天才。

Works indeed of genius fall under no art; heroic minds come under no rule;

真正的天才之作不囿于技巧；英雄的头脑不墨守成规。

But a university training is the great ordinary means to a great but ordinary end; it aims at raising the intellectual tone of society, at cultivating the public mind, at purifying the national taste, at supplying true principles to popular enthusiasm and fixed aims to popular aspiration, at giving enlargement and sobriety to ideas of the age, at facilitating the exercise of political power, and refining the intercourse of private life.

但大学培养是一种伟大而又平凡的方式， 他为一个伟大而平凡的目的服务。 他的目的在于提高社会的智力水平，陶冶公众的心性，净化民族的品位， 为大众的热忱设立真实的原则， 给群众的热望定出确定的目标，凸显时代的思想使之清醒明晰，他协助政治权力的行使，使私人交际更显优雅。

It is the education which gives a man a clear, conscious view of his own opinions and judgments, a truth in developing them, an eloquence in expressing them, and a force in urging them.

是教育给予人们清醒明了的个人观点和判断力，以及发展这些观点的真理，表达观点的口才，进行判断的力量。

He knows when to be serious and when to trifle, and he has a sure tact which enables him to trifle with gracefulness and to be serious with effect.

他知道何时该严肃，何时可放松， 而他的机敏使他松懈时显得幽雅，严肃时又自有效率。

He has a repose of a mind which lives in itself, while it lives in the world, and which has resources for its happiness at home when it cannot go abroad.

他心态平和，与环境和睦相处。即使不能云游四海，他心里也能自得其乐。

He has a gift which serves him in public, and supports him in retirement, without which good fortune is but vulgar, and with which failure and disappointment have a charm.

他的天赋使他在公众面前得体，并支持他安度晚年。没有这种天赋好运只会显得媚俗，有了它，挫败和失望也自成风流。