1、WRITING FOR MYSELF Russell BakerThe idea of becoming a writer had come to me off and on since my childhood in Belleville, but it wasnt until my third year in high school that the possibility took hold. Until then I d been bored by everything associated with English courses. I found English grammar d
2、ull and difficult. I hated the assignments to turn out long, lifeless paragraphs that were agony for teachers to read and for me to write. When our class was assigned to Mr. Fleagle for third-year English I anticipated another cheerless year in that most tedious of subjects. Mr. Fleagle had a reputa
3、tion among students for dullness and inability to inspire. He was said to be very formal, rigid and hopelessly out of date. To me he looked to be sixty or seventy and excessively prim. He wore primly severe eyeglasses, his wavy hair was primly cut and primly combed. He wore prim suits with neckties
4、set primly against the collar buttons of his white shirts. He had a primly pointed jaw, a primly straight nose, and a prim manner of speaking that was so correct, so gentlemanly, that he seemed a comic antique. I prepared for an unfruitful year with Mr. Fleagle and for a long time was not disappoint
5、ed. Late in the year we tackled the informal essay. Mr. Fleagle distributed a homework sheet offering us a choice of topics. None was quite so simple-minded as “What I Did on My Summer Vacation,” but most seemed to be almost as dull. I took the list home and did nothing until the night before the es
6、say was due. Lying on the sofa, I finally faced up to the unwelcome task, took the list out of my notebook, and scanned it. The topic on which my eye stopped was “The Art of Eating Spaghetti.” This title produced an extraordinary sequence of mental images. Vivid memories came flooding back of a nigh
7、t in Belleville when all of us were seated around the supper tableUncle Allen, my mother, Uncle Charlie, Doris, Uncle Haland Aunt Pat served spaghetti for supper. Spaghetti was still a little known foreign dish in those days. Neither Doris nor I had ever eaten spaghetti, and none of the adults had e
8、nough experience to be good at it. All the good humor of Uncle Allen s house reawoke in my mind as I recalled the laughing arguments we had that night about the socially respectable method for moving spaghetti from plate to mouth. Suddenly I wanted to write about that, about the warmth and good feel
9、ing of it, but I wanted to put it downsimply for my own joy, not for Mr. Fleagle. It was a moment I wanted to recapture and hold for myself. I wanted to relive the pleasure of that evening. To write it as I wanted, however, would violate all the rules of formal composition I d learned in school, and
10、 Mr. Fleagle would surely give it a failing grade. Never mind. I would write something else for Mr. Fleagle after I had written this thing for myself. When I finished it the night was half gone and there was no time left to compose a proper, respectable essay for Mr. Fleagle. There was no choice nex
11、t morning but to turn in my tale of the Belleville supper. Two days passed before Mr. Fleagle returned the graded papers, and he returned everyone s but mine. I was preparing myself for a command to report to Mr. Fleagle immediately after school for discipline when I saw him lift my paper from his d
12、esk and knock for the class s attention. “Now, boys,” he said. “I want to read you an essay. This is titled, The Art of Eating Spaghetti. ” And he started to read. My words! He was reading my words out loud to the entire class. Whats more, the entire class was listening. Listening attentively. Then
13、somebody laughed, then the entire class was laughing, and not in contempt and ridicule, but with open-hearted enjoyment. Even Mr. Fleagle stopped two or three times to hold back a small prim smile. I did my best to avoid showing pleasure, but what I was feeling was pure delight at this demonstration
14、 that my words had the power to make people laugh. In the eleventh grade, at the eleventh hour as it were, I had discovered a calling. It was the happiest moment of my entire school career. When Mr. Fleagle finished he put the final seal on my happiness by saying, “Now that, boys, is an essay, dont
15、you see. Itsdont you seeits of the very essence of the essay, dont you see. Congratulations, Mr. Baker.” off and on (or on and off) : from time to time, now and again, irregularly 断断续续地 ; 有时It has been raining on and off for a week. Thats why the clothes feel damp.As her patient slept soundly during
16、 the night, Nurse Betty was able to doze off and on in a bedside chair. possibility: state of being possible; (degree of) likelihood (usu. followed by that-clause or of) 可能 ( 性 ) Is there any possibility of life on Mars? They havent arrived. There is a possibility that they have taken the wrong road
17、. take hold:become established 生根 , 确立 The idea of one child only has taken hold in many Chinese families. Old habits die hard. Thats why you should stop smoking before the habit takes hold. bore:make (sb.) feel tired and lose interest 使 ( 人 ) 厌烦 The speaker went on and on, and the audience grew bor
18、ed by his speech. Tom Sawyer grew bored with painting the garden fence, so he thought of a way to make others paint for him. associate (with):join or connect together; connect or bring in the mind 使 联想起来 ; 使联想 We associate Egypt with pyramids. I cant associate this gentle young woman with the radica
19、l political essays she has written. Jim wished to forget everything associated with his former life.turn out: produce 编写 ; 生产 , 制造New computers are soon outdated since newer models are turned out constantly. American film studios turn out hundreds of films every year. anticipate:expect (usu. followe
20、d by gerund or that-clause) 预期 , 期望 The police had anticipated trouble from the soccer fans and were at the ground in large numbers. They anticipate that deaths from AIDS will have doubled by 2002. We anticipate running into problems in carrying out the medical welfare reform. tedious: boring and la
21、sting for a long time 乏味的 ; 冗长的 The movie was so tedious that many viewers left before it was over. Laura found George to be tedious and decided not to see him any more.reputation: (an) opinion (about sb. or sth.) held by others 名声 ; 名誉 Premier Zhu Rongji has a high reputation as a statesman in the
22、world.Jim Kerry has quite a reputation for being comic. inspire: fill (sb.) with confidence, eagerness, etc. 激励 , 鼓舞 Martin Luther King, Jr.s speeches inspired people to fight for equal treatment of African Americans. The last leaf on the tree that never fell off inspired the dying patient with the
23、will to live on. rigid: (often disapproving) fixed in behavior; based on correct or accepted rules 一成不变的 ; 严格的 If he had been a little less rigid about things, his daughter would not have left home. at such a young age. The rigid headmaster would button up his clothes even on the hottest days. out o
24、f date: old-fashioned 过时的 New words are constantly added to our vocabulary while some old words go out of date.Although her clothes were out of date, the old woman appeared clean and dignified. severe: 1) completely plain 朴素的 ; The widow wore a severe black dress to her husbands funeral. Earnest Hem
25、ingway is known for his severe writing style. 2) stern, strict 严格的 Only those who have undergone severe training can be accepted into the air force. Fu Lei was so severe with his son that even his wife would cry. 3) causing very great pain, difficulty, worry, etc. 严重的 , 剧烈的 The severe chest pain exp
26、erienced by the Vice-President proved to be a heart attack.A factory must turn out newer and better products to win in the climate of severe business competition. tackle: deal with 处理 , 应付 Toshiba ( 东芝 ) recently designed a robot that can tackle almost any kinds of house- work.The classroom was quie
27、t as students were busy tackling the final exam. finally:at last (usu. used in the following situations: indicating that sth. is the last one in a series of things or events; introducing a final point, asking a final question, or mentioning a final item; when sth. happens that you have been waiting
28、for a long time, you can say that it finally happens) 最终 , 终于 Mr. Smith lived in Turkey, France, and Norway before finally settling in Mexico.Finally, I should like to thank you all for coming and to wish you a pleasant journey home. Finally he came to realize his mistake and apologized to his paren
29、ts. After years of war the two countries finally signed a peace agreement. face up to: be brave enough to accept or deal with (a problem or difficulty) 勇敢地接受或面对 Yeltsin faced up to the fact that he was no longer fit for the Russian presidency and resigned on New Years Eve. Now that your daughter is
30、born, youll have to face up to the responsibilities of being a father. scan:look through quickly 浏览 , 粗略地看 The banker scanned the financial section of a dozen newspapers over breakfast. Scan the table of contents and tell me how many chapters are on child development.sequence:connected line of event
31、s, ideas, etc. 一连串相关的事物 ; 次序 , 顺序 A sequence of bad harvests forced some African countries to ask for foreign aid. The Fall of the Roman Empire was written in historical sequence. image:a picture formed in the mind 形象 ; 印象 ;( 图 ) 像 Many pop stars try to improve their public image by participating in
32、 charity events. Through months of letter writing John formed an image of his pen pal. vivid: able to produce sharp clear pictures in the mind; lifelike 生动的 ; 逼真的 ; 清晰的 In the little girls vivid imagination the curtain wrapped around her body became a princesss gown. The birds were painted in such a
33、 vivid way that a cat jumped up to catch them. recall: bring back to the mind; remember (usu. followed by noun, gerund, or thai-clause) 回乡起 , 回忆起 I recognize the face but cant recall her name. I dont recall ever meeting her. She recalled that she had to see the doctor again that afternoon. argument:
34、 disagreement, quarrel 论据 , 论点 ; 争论 The bride and her mother got into an argument about whether to wear white or red on her wedding day. Mary found that compromise was always the best policy when she had an argu- ment with her husband. put down: write down 写下 Whats the use of a password to your comp
35、uter if you put it down on a piece of paper stuck to the computer screen? The housekeeper put down the daily expenses in a little notebook.violate: act against 违背 , 违反 Speeding in downtown areas violates traffic regulations.A country isnt respected if it violates an international agreement. compose:
36、write or create ( music, poetry, etc.) 创作 The presidents speech is really brilliant. Do you think it was composed by himself or by someone else? John Lennon composed the song Beautiful Boy for his son. turn in: hand in (work that one has done, etc.) 交 ( 作业 )For your final grade, each of you must tur
37、n in a 7-page paper. It is said that if a policeman is ordered to turn in his gun, it is meant as a punishment. command: 1) n. order 命令 , 指令 The commander gave the command that all prisoners of war should be well treated. The rebellious army would not obey any command from the President. 2) v. give
38、an order to 命令 , 指令 (As with the verbs “suggest, demand“, subjunctive mood is used in a that-clause after com- mand. ) The captain commanded his men to leave the ship immediately. The king commanded that the victory day become a national holiday. whats more:in addition, more importantly 而且 , 此外 ; 更有
39、甚者 How can you love this man? He watches TV all day long, and whats more, he seems not to have brushed his teeth for months! Ms. Stewart manages a successful business and gives a weekly TV cooking show. Whats more, she has already published three books on gardening. hold back: prevent the expression
40、 of (feelings, tears, etc.) 控制 ( 感情 、 眼泪等 ) People could hardly hold back their anger when they found that millions of dollars of public funds had been used to build luxurious houses for city officials. Johnny cried bitterly in the classroom, not even attempting to hold back the tears. avoid:keep or
41、 get away from (usu. followed by noun/gerund) 避免 The little boy who had broken a neighbors window ran away to avoid punishment / being punished. He stayed away from the cafe so that he could avoid running into his former girl friend. career: a job or profession for which one is trained and which one
42、 intends to follow for the whole of ones life 生涯，事业；职业 My farmer parents have never expected me to make novel writing my career. In her long career as a journalist, Barbara Walters has interviewed famous people from all over the world. congratulation: expression of joy for sb.s success, luck, etc. (
43、usu. in plural form, followed by on) 祝贺，恭喜 They offered their congratulations on the artists winning the Life Achievement Award. I heard that you have become CEO (Chief Executive Officer 执行总裁 ) of a high- tech company.Congratulations! language point 1The idea of becoming a writer had come to me off
44、and on since my childhood in Belleville, but it wasnt until my third year in high school that the possibility took hold.:Ever since I was a child in Belleville, I had thought of becoming a writer from time to time, but I didnt make up my mind until I was in the eleventh grade.language point 2 Until
45、then Id been bored by everything associated with English courses.: Up to then I had lost interest in things related to English courses. language point 3 I hated the assignments to turn out long, lifeless paragraphs that were agony for teachers to read and for me to write.: I found it painful to writ
46、e long, boring essays as required by teachers; neither did teachers enjoy what I wrote.language point 4 When our class was assigned to Mr. Fleagle for third-year English I anticipated another cheerless year in that most tedious of subjects.: When it was decided that Mr. Fleagle would teach us Englis
47、h during my third year in high school, I expected the English course to be as boring as before.language point 5I prepared for an unfruitful year with Mr. Fleagle and for a long time was not disap- pointed.: I expected that things wouldnt improve with Mr. Fleagle as our English teacher, and for a lon
48、g time I was right in my expectations. (Note that here is a touch of irony.) language point 6 Late in the year we tackled the informal essay.: Late in the year we learned how to write informal essays and practiced writing them. language point 7 This title produced an extraordinary sequence of mental
49、 images.: At the sight of the title I saw an unusual series of pictures in my minds eye. language point 8 I was preparing myself for a command to report to Mr. Fleagle immediately after school for discipline. : I expected that Mr. Fleagle would order me to see him soon after school for the purpose of punishing me . language point 9 In the eleventh grade, at the eleventh hour as it were, I had discovered a calling. : In my eleventh grade, and one might say at the last possible moment, I had found something I wished to take up as a career. the elevent
