轻松背单词新浪微博 轻松背单词腾讯微博
轻松背单词微信服务号
当前位置:首页 -> 12级英语阅读 - > 如何度过一天24小时(12)
如何度过一天24小时(12)
添加时间:2024-06-21 14:18:33 浏览次数: 作者:未知
Tip:点击数字可快速查看单词解释  
  • XII

    DANGERS TO AVOID

    I cannot terminate these hints, often, I fear, too didactic and abrupt1, upon the full use of one's time to the great end of living (as distinguished2 from vegetating) without briefly3 referring to certain dangers which lie in wait for the sincere aspirant4 towards life. The first is the terrible danger of becoming that most odious5 and least supportable of persons—a prig. Now a prig is a pert fellow who gives himself airs of superior wisdom. A prig is a pompous6 fool who has gone out for a ceremonial walk, and without knowing it has lost an important part of his attire7, namely, his sense of humour. A prig is a tedious individual who, having made a discovery, is so impressed by his discovery that he is capable of being gravely displeased8 because the entire world is not also impressed by it. Unconsciously to become a prig is an easy and a fatal thing.

    Hence, when one sets forth9 on the enterprise of using all one's time, it is just as well to remember that one's own time, and not other people's time, is the material with which one has to deal; that the earth rolled on pretty comfortably before one began to balance a budget of the hours, and that it will continue to roll on pretty comfortably whether or not one succeeds in one's new role of chancellor10 of the exchequer11 of time. It is as well not to chatter12 too much about what one is doing, and not to betray a too-pained sadness at the spectacle of a whole world deliberately13 wasting so many hours out of every day, and therefore never really living. It will be found, ultimately, that in taking care of one's self one has quite all one can do.

    Another danger is the danger of being tied to a programme like a slave to a chariot. One's programme must not be allowed to run away with one. It must be respected, but it must not be worshipped as a fetish. A programme of daily employ is not a religion.

    This seems obvious. Yet I know men whose lives are a burden to themselves and a distressing14 burden to their relatives and friends simply because they have failed to appreciate the obvious. "Oh, no," I have heard the martyred wife exclaim, "Arthur always takes the dog out for exercise at eight o'clock and he always begins to read at a quarter to nine. So it's quite out of the question that we should..." etc., etc. And the note of absolute finality in that plaintive15 voice reveals the unsuspected and ridiculous tragedy of a career.

    On the other hand, a programme is a programme. And unless it is treated with deference16 it ceases to be anything but a poor joke. To treat one's programme with exactly the right amount of deference, to live with not too much and not too little elasticity17, is scarcely the simple affair it may appear to the inexperienced.

    And still another danger is the danger of developing a policy of rush, of being gradually more and more obsessed18 by what one has to do next. In this way one may come to exist as in a prison, and one's life may cease to be one's own. One may take the dog out for a walk at eight o'clock, and meditate19 the whole time on the fact that one must begin to read at a quarter to nine, and that one must not be late.

    And the occasional deliberate breaking of one's programme will not help to mend matters. The evil springs not from persisting without elasticity in what one has attempted, but from originally attempting too much, from filling one's programme till it runs over. The only cure is to reconstitute the programme, and to attempt less.

    But the appetite for knowledge grows by what it feeds on, and there are men who come to like a constant breathless hurry of endeavour20. Of them it may be said that a constant breathless hurry is better than an eternal doze21.

    In any case, if the programme exhibits a tendency to be oppressive, and yet one wishes not to modify it, an excellent palliative is to pass with exaggerated deliberation from one portion of it to another; for example, to spend five minutes in perfect mental quiescence22 between chaining up the St. Bernard and opening the book; in other words, to waste five minutes with the entire consciousness of wasting them.

    The last, and chiefest danger which I would indicate, is one to which I have already referred—the risk of a failure at the commencement of the enterprise.

    I must insist on it.

    A failure at the commencement may easily kill outright23 the newborn impulse towards a complete vitality24, and therefore every precaution should be observed to avoid it. The impulse must not be over-taxed. Let the pace of the first lap be even absurdly slow, but let it be as regular as possible.

    And, having once decided25 to achieve a certain task, achieve it at all costs of tedium26 and distaste. The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished27 a tiresome28 labour is immense.

    Finally, in choosing the first occupations of those evening hours, be guided by nothing whatever but your taste and natural inclination29.

    It is a fine thing to be a walking encyclopaedia30 of philosophy, but if you happen to have no liking31 for philosophy, and to have a like for the natural history of street-cries, much better leave philosophy alone, and take to street-cries.



    点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

    1 abrupt [əˈbrʌpt] 2fdyh   第7级
    adj.突然的,意外的;唐突的,鲁莽的
    参考例句:
    • The river takes an abrupt bend to the west. 这河突然向西转弯。
    • His abrupt reply hurt our feelings. 他粗鲁的回答伤了我们的感情。
    2 distinguished [dɪˈstɪŋgwɪʃt] wu9z3v   第8级
    adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的
    参考例句:
    • Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses. 大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
    • A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests. 宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。
    3 briefly [ˈbri:fli] 9Styo   第8级
    adv.简单地,简短地
    参考例句:
    • I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem. 我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
    • He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group. 他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。
    4 aspirant [əˈspaɪərənt] MNpz5   第11级
    n.热望者;有抱负的人;adj.渴望的;上进的,有野心的
    参考例句:
    • Any aspirant to the presidency here must be seriously rich. 要想当这儿的主席一定要家财万贯。
    • He is among the few aspirants with administrative experience. 他是为数不多的几个志向远大而且有管理经验的人之一。
    5 odious [ˈəʊdiəs] l0zy2   第10级
    adj.可憎的,讨厌的
    参考例句:
    • The judge described the crime as odious. 法官称这一罪行令人发指。
    • His character could best be described as odious. 他的人格用可憎来形容最贴切。
    6 pompous [ˈpɒmpəs] 416zv   第9级
    adj.傲慢的,自大的;夸大的;豪华的
    参考例句:
    • He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大,自视甚高。
    • He is a good man underneath his pompous appearance. 他的外表虽傲慢,其实是个好人。
    7 attire [əˈtaɪə(r)] AN0zA   第10级
    vt.穿衣,装扮[同]array;n.衣着;盛装
    参考例句:
    • He had no intention of changing his mode of attire. 他无意改变着装方式。
    • Her attention was attracted by his peculiar attire. 他那奇特的服装引起了她的注意。
    8 displeased [dis'pli:zd] 1uFz5L   第8级
    a.不快的
    参考例句:
    • The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了,瞪了我一眼。
    • He was displeased about the whole affair. 他对整个事情感到很不高兴。
    9 forth [fɔ:θ] Hzdz2   第7级
    adv.向前;向外,往外
    参考例句:
    • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth. 风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
    • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession. 他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
    10 chancellor ['tʃɑ:nsələ(r)] aUAyA   第7级
    n.(英)大臣;法官;(德、奥)总理;大学校长
    参考例句:
    • They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday. 他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
    • He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times. 他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。
    11 exchequer [ɪksˈtʃekə(r)] VnxxT   第12级
    n.财政部;国库
    参考例句:
    • In Britain the Chancellor of the Exchequer deals with taxes and government spending. 英国的财政大臣负责税务和政府的开支。
    • This resulted in a considerable loss to the exchequer. 这使国库遭受了重大损失。
    12 chatter [ˈtʃætə(r)] BUfyN   第7级
    vi./n.喋喋不休;短促尖叫;(牙齿)打战
    参考例句:
    • Her continuous chatter vexes me. 她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。
    • I've had enough of their continual chatter. 我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。
    13 deliberately [dɪˈlɪbərətli] Gulzvq   第7级
    adv.审慎地;蓄意地;故意地
    参考例句:
    • The girl gave the show away deliberately. 女孩故意泄露秘密。
    • They deliberately shifted off the argument. 他们故意回避这个论点。
    14 distressing [dis'tresiŋ] cuTz30   第7级
    a.使人痛苦的
    参考例句:
    • All who saw the distressing scene revolted against it. 所有看到这种悲惨景象的人都对此感到难过。
    • It is distressing to see food being wasted like this. 这样浪费粮食令人痛心。
    15 plaintive [ˈpleɪntɪv] z2Xz1   第10级
    adj.可怜的,伤心的
    参考例句:
    • Her voice was small and plaintive. 她的声音微弱而哀伤。
    • Somewhere in the audience an old woman's voice began plaintive wail. 观众席里,一位老太太伤心地哭起来。
    16 deference [ˈdefərəns] mmKzz   第9级
    n.尊重,顺从;敬意
    参考例句:
    • Do you treat your parents and teachers with deference? 你对父母师长尊敬吗?
    • The major defect of their work was deference to authority. 他们的主要缺陷是趋从权威。
    17 elasticity [ˌi:læˈstɪsəti] 8jlzp   第8级
    n.弹性,伸缩力
    参考例句:
    • The skin eventually loses its elasticity. 皮肤最终会失去弹性。
    • Every sort of spring has a definite elasticity. 每一种弹簧都有一定的弹性。
    18 obsessed [əb'ses] 66a4be1417f7cf074208a6d81c8f3384   第8级
    adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的
    参考例句:
    • He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
    • The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。
    19 meditate [ˈmedɪteɪt] 4jOys   第8级
    vt. 考虑;计划;企图 vi. 冥想;沉思
    参考例句:
    • It is important to meditate on the meaning of life. 思考人生的意义很重要。
    • I was meditating, and reached a higher state of consciousness. 我在冥想,并进入了一个更高的意识境界。
    20 endeavour [ɪn'devə(r)] 1jZzE   第7级
    n.尽力;努力;力图
    参考例句:
    • We must always endeavour to improve our work. 我们总要努力改进自己的工作。
    • I will endeavour to do everything well. 我要尽力做好每件事。
    21 doze [dəʊz] IsoxV   第8级
    vi. 打瞌睡;假寐 vt. 打瞌睡度过 n. 瞌睡
    参考例句:
    • He likes to have a doze after lunch. 他喜欢午饭后打个盹。
    • While the adults doze, the young play. 大人们在打瞌睡,而孩子们在玩耍。
    22 quiescence [kwɪ'esns] PSoxO   第10级
    n.静止
    参考例句:
    • The Eurasian seismic belt still remained in quiescence. 亚欧带仍保持平静。 来自互联网
    • Only I know is that it is in quiescence, including the instant moment. 我只知道,它凝固了,包括瞬间。 来自互联网
    23 outright [ˈaʊtraɪt] Qj7yY   第10级
    adv.坦率地;彻底地;立即;adj.无疑的;彻底的
    参考例句:
    • If you have a complaint you should tell me outright. 如果你有不满意的事,你应该直率地对我说。
    • You should persuade her to marry you outright. 你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。
    24 vitality [vaɪˈtæləti] lhAw8   第8级
    n.活力,生命力,效力
    参考例句:
    • He came back from his holiday bursting with vitality and good health. 他度假归来之后,身强体壮,充满活力。
    • He is an ambitious young man full of enthusiasm and vitality. 他是个充满热情与活力的有远大抱负的青年。
    25 decided [dɪˈsaɪdɪd] lvqzZd   第7级
    adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
    参考例句:
    • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents. 这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
    • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting. 英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
    26 tedium [ˈti:diəm] ngkyn   第10级
    n.单调;烦闷
    参考例句:
    • We played games to relieve the tedium of the journey. 我们玩游戏,来解除旅行的沉闷。
    • In myself I could observe the following sources of tedium. 从我自己身上,我所观察到的烦闷的根源有下列一些。
    27 accomplished [əˈkʌmplɪʃt] UzwztZ   第8级
    adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的
    参考例句:
    • Thanks to your help, we accomplished the task ahead of schedule. 亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
    • Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator. 通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。
    28 tiresome [ˈtaɪəsəm] Kgty9   第7级
    adj.令人疲劳的,令人厌倦的
    参考例句:
    • His doubts and hesitations were tiresome. 他的疑惑和犹豫令人厌烦。
    • He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors. 他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜,令人生厌。
    29 inclination [ˌɪnklɪˈneɪʃn] Gkwyj   第7级
    n.倾斜;点头;弯腰;斜坡;倾度;倾向;爱好
    参考例句:
    • She greeted us with a slight inclination of the head. 她微微点头向我们致意。
    • I did not feel the slightest inclination to hurry. 我没有丝毫着急的意思。
    30 encyclopaedia [enˌsaɪkləʊ'pi:djə] Jp3xC   第8级
    n.百科全书
    参考例句:
    • An encyclopaedia contains a lot of knowledge. 百科全书包含很多知识。
    • This is an encyclopaedia of philosophy. 这是本哲学百科全书。
    31 liking [ˈlaɪkɪŋ] mpXzQ5   第7级
    n.爱好;嗜好;喜欢
    参考例句:
    • The word palate also means taste or liking. Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
    • I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration. 我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。

    文章评论 共有评论 0查看全部

      会员登陆
    我的单词印象
    我的理解: