1、Unit 7 A Few Kind Words for Superstition,By Robertson Davies,The Author Robertson William Davies,1913-1995，Canada writer, journalist, professor acknowledged as an outstanding essayist a cultural rebirth from the 14th through the middle of the 17th centuries the revival of learning and culture; rebir

2、th,figure,figure: be or play an important part of or in 是重要部分 The question of the peace settlement is likely to figure prominently in the talks. 和平解決的問題很可能是這次談判的重點。 我對這個問題的意見似乎根本無足輕重。 My feeling about the matter didnt figure at all.,superstition does not figure largely as a serious challenge to reas

3、on or science. superstition is not a great threat to reason and science,Paraphrase,In grave discussion of “the renaissance of the irrational” in our time, superstition does not figure largely as a serious challenge to reason or science. In serious discussions of the revival of the irrational things

4、in our time, people dont think that superstition is a great threat to reason or science.,parapsychology: phenomena that appear to contradict physical laws and suggest the possibility of causation by mental processes 詭異心理學,通靈學 transcendental meditation: Note 3 instant enlightenment: Note 4 condemn: t

5、o express strong disapproval of deplore: to express strong disapproval of; regret strongly,Sentence 2,Is it because it has an unacknowledged hold on so many of us? Is it because it has an unrecognized control on many of us?,Language work irrational,adj. not consistent with or using reason Their acti

6、ons may be qualified as irrational. 他們的行動可視為無理性的。 He had an irrational belief that everybody was his enemy. 他有個荒謬的信念,以為人人都是他的仇敵。,condemn,express strong disapproval of Some praise him, whereas others condemn him. 有些人贊揚他,而有些人譴責他。 His anger, condemn and jealousy will be erupted like volcano. 他積壓的憤怒、妒忌和

7、譴責會象火山爆發(fā)。 在指責中成長的孩子，容易怨天尤人。 If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.,deplore,express strong disapproval of; regret strongly And we deplore the violence against innocent civilians anywhere that it takes place. 我們強烈反對發(fā)生在世界任何地方的針對無辜平民的暴力。 你自己的哪個特點讓你覺得最痛恨？ What is the trait you most deplo

8、re in yourself?,Paragraph 2,Question: What is the common assumption about people who believe in superstition? What is the authors comment on this kind of assumption? It is commonly believed that people who believe in superstition are ignorant and nave. Superstition flourish among learned people in h

9、is university.,Sentence,and I see superstition in its four manifestations, alive and flourishing among people who are indisputably rational and learned. I see four ways in which superstition shows itself, very actively, among those people who are undoubtedly reasonable and well-educated.,Language wo

10、rk superstitious,showing ignorance of the laws of nature and faith in magic or chance Gamblers and adventurers are generally superstitious. 賭徒和冒險家往往很迷信。 Im not usually superstitious,but yesterday was a VERY unlucky day. 我通常并不迷信，但昨天實在運氣太不好了。 迷信的人認為那是一種惡兆。 The superstitious regard it as a bad omen.,na

11、vet,(n.)lack of sophistication or worldliness I like the naivete of children and living simply. 我喜歡小孩子的純真和平淡從容的生活. He finds the naivete of the young officer very engaging. 他覺得這位青年軍官那種天真爛漫的忠心耿耿非?？蓯?。 naive (adj.) I remember in 1997, when I was a naive child. 記得1997年，那時我還是一個不懂事的孩。,manifestation,a clear

12、 appearance Language is both the carrier and main manifestation of culture. 語言是文化的載體,是文化的主要表現(xiàn)形式 The special type of appendicitisK,pndsats has the special clinical manifestation. 特殊類型闌尾炎有特殊的臨床表現(xiàn)。 這些難道不是上帝的力量的表現(xiàn)么？ Are these not the manifestation of Gods power?,flourishing,having or showing vigorous ve

13、getal or animal life He came to Shanghai, the flourishing metropolis, to search for a developing opportunity. 他來到上海，這個繁華的大都市，來尋找發(fā)展的機會。 這里的服裝業(yè)非常興盛。 The clothing industry here is flourishing.,indisputably,undoubtedly, not open to question; obviously true The choices are indisputably difficult, and Mr.

14、Obama may be trying to keep his options open. 奧巴馬面臨著艱難的抉擇，也許他是希望他的選擇可以更公開。 This painting is indisputably one of his finest works. 這幅畫無疑是他最好的作品之一。,Paragraph 3,Question: What does the author imply when he says “he didnt smile until I asked him what he was doing”? The learned professor truly believed i

15、n what he was doing and performed the whole thing seriously.,theologian: n.someone who is learned in theology or who speculates about theology神學者 theology: the rational and systematic study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truth Vain Observances: Note 5,observance,the ac

16、t of observing 墨守成規(guī) pedantic pdntk observance of the rules The worker was praised for his observance of the rules. 這個工人因為嚴格遵守規(guī)則而受到了表揚。,Paragraph 4,divination/ consulting oracles Question: What does the last but two sentence “Almost, but not quite” mean? It is a response to the preceding statement “

17、their general level of education seems to absolve them of superstition. ” The author suggests that the education they have received may not be able to help them to get rid of superstition.,absolve,to state formally that sb is not guilty/responsible for sth 宣告無罪，免除責任 This cannot absolve you from all

18、responsibilities. 這并不能解除你的全部責任. He cannot entirely absolve himself of the charge. 他不能完全開脫掉這一指責。,appeal to,appeal to sb against sth上訴，申訴 to attract/ interest sb 有吸引力；有感染力 appeal to sb for sth 呼吁，請求，懇求 appeal to sth 啟發(fā)，勸說 egs. They needed to appeal to his sense of justice. 他們需要激發(fā)他的正義感。 The design has

19、to appeal to all ages and social groups. appeal to a higher court appeal to the public appeal to God,Sentence,There are thousands of people on this planet who appeal to I ching, and their general level of education seems to absolve them of superstition. There are thousands of people in this world wh

20、o are fascinated by the I ching, and their level of education seems high enough to free them from superstition.,I Ching,The I Ching (Wade-Giles) or “Y Jng”, also known as the Book of Changes, Classic of Changes, and Zhouyi, is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts. The book contains a divin

21、ation system . In Western cultures and modern East Asia, it is still widely used for this purpose. P116 Note 6,Language Workdivination,the act of finding out and saying what will happen in the future by supernatural means占卜，預言 A Crystal Balls is an oracle of divination. 水晶球是預言式的神諭. 占卜是一種預見未來的魔法。 Div

22、ination is magic which attempts to forsee future events.,Paragraph 5,Idolatrythe practice of worshipping idols. It sometimes mean too much admiration for someone or sth. Here it refers to the students unreasonable belief in the “bringers of luck”. “Modest idolatry” is an oxymoron ,ksimr,n.矛盾修辭法. The

23、 adjective “modest” tones down the seriousness of the matter. Modest: not large but sufficient in size/amount; moderate a modest salary/modest inflation,oxymoron,An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms. Forward retreat Deafening silence Silent Scream Sweet sorrow,Paragrap

24、h 6,The fourth form is Improper Worship of the True God. he was pricing God cheap offering God two dollars for help was too little the scientific oracle went against him God did not help him.,Paragraph 7Sentence 1,Superstition seems to run, a submerged river of crude religion, below the surface of h

25、uman consciousness. superstition is an invisible force (a submerged river) that is in some way like religion.,Sentence 2,Most people keep their terror within bounds, but they cannot root it out, nor do they seem to want to do so. Most people can control their terror, but they can not get rid of it,

26、and they seem dont want to do so.,Question: Why does the author mention the Latin word “supersisto”? The Latin word means standing in terror of the Deity. The author believes that superstition finds its way in the human heart, because people cannot root out terror although they can manage to keep it

27、 within bounds.,Paragraph 8 Sentence 1,The more the teaching of formal religion declines, or takes a sociological form, the less God appears to great numbers of people as a God of Love, resuming his older form of a watchful, minatory power, to be placated and cajoled.,placate,to make sb feel less an

28、gry about sth 安撫；平息（怒氣） He never attempts to placate his enemies. 他從不企圖安撫敵人。 你最好安撫你家人的怒氣。 You had better placate your parents. placation, placatory,cajole kdol vt.,cajole sb into sth/doing sth to make sb do sth by talking to them and being very nice to them 勸誘,哄騙 He cajoled me into agreeing to do th

29、at work. 他誘騙我同意干那活兒。 這小姑娘哄得她爸爸給她買了一件新衣服。 The little girl cajoled her father into buying her a new dress.,“The more, the less” The sentence implies that religion is not as powerful as it used to be. By contrast, the subsequent sentence indicates that superstition prevails and persists in all kinds of

30、 people, ranging from ignorant young children to learned professors.,unbidden,not invited/ requested The unbidden guest have nowhere to sit. 不速之客無處可坐。 The word floated back to him, unbidden. 這個詞語不由自主地回現(xiàn)在他的腦中。 It was as if I had come unbidden into their personal gardens. 好像我成了他們私人花園的不速之客。,compulsion,

31、strong pressure that make sb do sth he does not want to do 強迫，強制 a strong desire to do sth, esp. sth wrong, silly/dangerous 強烈的欲望；沖動 egs. There are no s on students to attend class. Gambling is a compulsion with him. John will take his medicine only by compulsion. Trans: 沒有人強迫你立刻付錢。 U R under no to

32、pay immediately. 他感到一陣想要飛車的強烈欲望。 He felt a great compulsion to drive too fast.,compulsive : eating/gambling/drinker/liar compulsory: course verb. compel or compulse?,The psychoanalysts have their explanation, but calling a superstition a compulsion neurosis does not banish it. Psychoanalysts may say

33、 that a superstition is a compulsion neurosis, but this does not solve the problem, because it can not root it out.,Question: What dose the author imply by this sentence? The author suggests that scientists might be able to provide reasonable explanations for superstition, but they can not root it o

34、ut.,Samuel Johnson,Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 13 December 1784), often referred to as Dr Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. Johnsons Dictionary of the English

35、 Language published in 1755 had a far-reaching effect on Modern English and has been described as “one of the greatest single achievements of scholarship.” The Dictionary brought Johnson popularity and success. He has been described as “arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English histo

36、ry”.,Paragraph 9 precede in time. That event antedated World War . 那事件發(fā)生在第二次世界大戰(zhàn)之前。 ante- prefix: before, in front of ante-room前廳, antenatal產(chǎn)前的 pre- post- anti-,come by,visit informally and spontaneously； obtain, especially accidentally How did you come by this picture? 你是怎麼得到這張照片的？ Come by any time

37、. Well talk about it. 你隨時都可來。我們一起討論一下。 Warm professionals were not easy to come by .熱心的內行是不容易碰上的。,Paragraph 10,The popularity of astrology But when has astrology not been popular? When has the heart of man given a damn for science?,proliferate,grow rapidly or cause to grow/increase rapidly Rabbits p

38、roliferate when they have plenty of food. 兔子有充足的食物就會繁衍得很快。 Fantasies proliferate where facts are few. 事實缺乏則幻想增多。 對核武器擴散有恐慌 There is a fear that nuclear weapons might proliferate.,astrology,n.a pseudoscience claiming divination by the positions of the planets, the sun and the moon See Note 10,discred

39、it,cause to be distrusted or disbelieved; damage the reputation of They no longer try to discredit the technology itself. 他們不再試圖懷疑這種技術本身。 Such behavior will discredit you with your colleagues. 這樣的行為將會讓你在同事們中名譽掃地。,Paragraph 11- paraphrase,Superstition in general is linked to mans yearning to know his

40、 fate, and to have some hand in deciding it. Generally speaking, superstition is connected to mans desire to know his fate, and to find some way to control it.,yearning,a strong and emotional desire 渴望、向往 egs. yearning for a quite life They had a deep yearning for their homeland. 他們渴望回到故鄉(xiāng)。 He felt a

41、 great yearning after his old job. 他對過去的工作有一種強烈的懷念。 他兩眼流露出渴望的神情。 There was a yearning look in his eyes.,yearn: (v.) to want sth very much, esp. when it is difficult to get 渴望，渴求 yearn for sth/sb yearn to do sth egs. She yearned to escape from her office work. 她一心想著躲避辦公室里的工作。 Trans: 人民渴望和平。 The peopl

42、e yearned for peace.,Paragraph 12,I am not one to stand aloof from the rest of humanity in this matter. stand aloof from: to not become involved in sth; to show no interest in people 遠離，不參與 (syn) keep/hold (yourself) aloof; remain aloof As far as superstition is concerned, I am not different from ot

43、hers.,aloof,adj. aloof from sb/sth: not friendly/interested in other people冷漠 He was a cold man, aloof and distant. 他是個冷漠的人，令人難以接近。 The principal kept himself aloof from the arguments between the teachers. 校長置身事外，不想卷入老師間的紛爭。,Now, I am humbler. Now I am no longer so proud. Now I am not sure it was a

44、joke. The author means that when he was a university student he was not superstitious. In fact he thought what he did with the gypsy woman was simply a joke. But now he was not so sure about it.,Writing Strategies,examples rhetorical questions egs. Is it because it has an unacknowledged hold on so m

45、any of us? Find out more sentences and figure out the meaning.,Language Work,1. has an unrecognized control over 2. unquestionably 3. things that are supposed to contain some power to bring good luck 4. offering God too little money 5. get rid of it completely 6. comes into being 7. do away with it

46、8. have some control in 9. keep a distance from,II,1. gravity 2. placatory 3. deplorable 4. manifestation 5. observances,6. absolved 7. submersion 8. divined 9. proliferation 10. neurotic,III,1.root out 2. has a hold on 3. within the bounds 4. made a appearance 5. the depth of 6. hastened to 7. come by,8. give a damn 9. stood aloof 10. yearning for,IV,1. do unreasonable things 2. harmed the reputation of 3. sincerely 4. try to persuade 5. god and goddess 6.rebirth,7. been