【与您欣赏】为自己而写 Writing for Myself （连续剧）

鬼才

【生词和短语】

off and on from time to time; sometimes 断断续续地，有时

take hold become established 生根，确立

associate vt. join or connect together; bring in the mind 使联系起来；使联系

assignment n. （分配的）工作、任务、作业

turn out produce 编写；制造

paragraph n. 段落

agony n. very great pain or suffering of mind or body （身心的）极度痛苦

assign vt. give as a share or duty 分配、分派

anticipate vt. expect 预期，期望

cheerless a. 阴郁的；沉闷的

tedious a. boring and lasting for a long time 乏味的；冗长的

reputation n. 名声；名誉

inability n. 无能，无力

inspire vt. fill (sb.) with confidence, eagerness, etc. 激励，鼓舞

formal a. 刻板的，拘谨的；正式的，正规的

rigid a. (often disapproving) fixed in behaviior, views or methods; strict 一成不变的；严格的

out of date old-fashioned 过时的

excessively ad. 过分地

prim a. 古板的，拘谨的；循规蹈矩的；整洁的

severe a. completely plain; causing very great pain, difficulty, worry, etc. 朴素的；严重的，剧烈的

wavy a. 波状的；波浪形的

necktie n. tie 领带

pointed a. 有尖的，尖的

jaw n. 颌，颚

comic a. 滑稽的；喜剧的　n. 连环漫画（册）

antique n. 古物，古玩

tackle vt. try to deal with 处理，应付

informal a. (of speech, writing) conversational in style; not formal （指讲话、文字）口语体的；非正式的

essay n. 散文，小品文；论说文

distribute vt. divide and give out among people,places, etc. 分发，分配，分送

finally ad. at last 最终，终于

face up to be brave enough to accept or deal with 勇敢地接受或对付

scan v. look through quickly 浏览，粗略地看

spaghetti n. 意大利式细面条

title n. a name given to a book, film, etc. 标题，题目 vt. give a name to 给…加标题，加标题于

extraordinary a. very unusual or strange 不同寻常的；奇特的

sequence n. 一连串相关的事物；次序，顺序

image n. a picture formed in the mind 形象；印象；（图）像

vivid a. producing strong, clear images in the mind 生动的，逼真的

adult n. afully grown person or animal 成年人；成年动物

未完待继，本文较长，请先不要回贴，谢谢。

鬼才

　　When we are writing we are often told to keep our readers in mind, to shape what we say to fit their tastes and interests. But there is one reader in particular who should not be forgotten. Can you guess who? Russell Baker surprised himself and everyone else when he discovered the answer.
　　我们写作时常常被告诫，脑子里要有读者，笔者所云一定要符合读者的口味和兴趣。但有一位读者特别不该忘记。你能猜出是谁吗？当拉塞尔·贝克找到这个问题的答案时，他自己和别人都感到大为惊讶。

鬼才

Writing for Myself

Russell Baker①

     The idea of becoming a writer had come to me off on since my childhood in Belleville, but it wasn't  until my third year in high chool that the possibility took hold. Until then I'd been bored by everything associated with English courses. I found English grammar dull and difficult. I hated the assignments to turn out long, lifeless paragraphs that were agony for teachers to read and for me to write.

     从孩提时代，我还住在贝尔维尔时，我的脑子里就断断续续地转着当作家的念头，但直等到我高中三年级，这一想法才有了实现的可能。在这之前，我对所有跟英文课沾边的事都感到腻味。我觉得英文语法枯燥难懂。我痛恨那些长而乏味的段落写作，老师读着受累，我写作痛苦。

　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 reputation 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 sever eyeglasses, his wavy hair was primly cut and primly combed. He wore prim suits with neckties 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 antique②.

    弗利格尔先生接我们的高三英文课时，我就准备着在这门最最单调乏味的课上再熬上沉闷的一年。弗利格尔先生在学生中以其说话干巴和激励学生无术而出名。据说他拘谨刻板，完全落后于时代。我看他有六七十岁了，古板之极，他戴着古板的毫无装饰的眼镜，微微卷曲的头发剪得笔齐，梳得纹丝不乱。他身穿古板的套装，白衬衣领扣外的领带打得一丝不苟。他长着古板的尖下巴，古板的直鼻梁，说起话来一本正经，字斟句酌，彬彬有礼，活脱脱一个滑稽的老古董。

   ①Russell Baker(1925-): American journalist(新闻记者) and writer. The text is taken from his autobiography (自传) Growing Up (1982), which won him a Pnlitzer prize.

   ②and a prim manner of speaking that was so correct, so gentlemanly, that he seemed a comic antique: He spoke in a very formal and exact way. Indeed, his style of speaking was so proper and polite that he looked funny, like something rare from out of the past.

鬼才

Language Study (语言学习)
Part One (Parse. 1-2): Baker was bored by everything associated with English courses, including his new English teacher.
The idea of becoming … took hold.: Ever since I was a child in Belleville, I had thought of becoming a writer from time to time, but I hadn't made up my mind until I was in the eleventh grade.
off and on (or on and off):
e.g. It has been raining on and off for a week. That's why the clothes feel damp.
      As her patient slept soundly during the night, Nurse Bates was able to doze off and on in a bedside chair.
take hold:
e.g. The idea of one child only has taken hold in many Chinese families.
      Old habits die hard. That's why you should stop smoking before the habit takes hold.
Until then I'd … English courses: Up to then I had lost interest in things related to English courses.
associate (with):
e.g. We associate Egypt with pyramids.
      I can't associate this gentle young woman with the radical political essays she has written.
I hated … for me to write.: I found it painful to write long, boring essays as required by teachers; neither did teachers enjoy what I wrote.
turn out:
e.g. New computers are soon outdated since newer models are turned out constantly.
      There film studios turn out hundreds of films every year.
agony: (used in the patterns: agony of; in agony)
e.g. We've both suffered agonies of guilt over what happened.
　 Many people lay there screaming in agony after the bomb explosion.
When our class … tedious of subjects.: When it was decided that Mr. Fleagle would teach us English during my third year in high school, I expected the English course to be as boring as before.
anticipate:
e.g. A good speaker is able to anticipate an audience's needs and concerns.
      We anticipate running into problems in carrying out the reform of medical welfare.
tedious:
e.g. 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
e.g. She has the reputation of being a good doctor.
      The company has a worldwide reputation for quality.
inspire:
e.g. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speeches inspired peole to fight for equal treatment of African Americans.
      The last leaf on the tree that never fell off inspired the dying patient with the will to live on.
sb./sth. is said / believed / reported to do / be:
e.g. --What kind of person is Mr. Fleagle?
      --He was said / reported / believed to be very formal, rigid and hopelessly out-of-date.
formal: (too) seious and careful in manner and behavior; based on correct or accepted rules
e.g. A lot of people found my father rather formal. particularly when they first met him.
      "How do you do" is a formal expression, used when you meet someone for the first time.