精读6 第四课 Nettles 讲解

Unit Four Nettles

1. Notes on Guide to Reading 1) prolific (1.1) 多产的 prolific writer 多产作家

synonyms: fecund, fertile, fruitful, productive.

2）prestigious (1.3) esteemed 有名望的，著名的

Prestigious university 名牌大学；名校 Synonyms: celebrated, distinguished, eminent, illustrious, noted, preeminent, prominent, renowned

3）dilemma （2.2）进退两难；困境

To be, or not to be: that is the question (Shakespeare)

Synonyms: deep water, hot water,

predicament,

4）be confronted with (2.3) face; meet with;

encounter 面对；遭遇

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5）regardless of (2.3) irrespective of 不论；不管

6）Love that was not usable, that knew its place. Not risking a thing yet staying alive as a sweet trickle, and underground resource. (Last line but one, Para. 2)

空灵的爱，自知的爱；不危及任何东西，却像涓涓细流，地下源泉，永不枯竭。

精神之爱，知其进退；无损无害，如源头活水，滋润于心。

7）retrospection （3.2） 回顾，回忆

8）protagonist (3.2) The main performer in a theatrical production; : lead 主角 9）effortlessly (3.4) Effortless: easy

Easy as ABC, easy as falling off a log,

easy as one-two-three, easy as pie, like taking candy from a baby, nothing to it. 10）bridge the gap: 搭配

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11）Thus the reader is apt to identify with the protagonist, feeling what she feels and worrying what worries her. (last line but one, Para. 3)

Identify with ?

12) address several essential problems (4.1) 搭配

13）Once again “Nettles” displays Munro’s lasting strength …and subtle meanings of life.

Lasting strength？

在“荨麻”中， Munro再次展示了其深厚功力，驭繁于简，情节虽然简单，却探索了复杂的人物感情和微妙的人生况味。

2．Text Analysis

From paragraph 1 to paragraph 49

A．必备语汇 （preparatory words and expressions）

见 词汇测试表 B. 逐段讲解

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1．引子：回忆起1979年时见到的一个男人。

不交代是谁，留下悬念 (suspense) 词汇：

1）ketchup sandwich （1.2）

夹番茄酱的三明治

2. 数年之后，重寻故地，已物易人非。

去年元夜时,花市灯如昼。 月上柳梢头,人约黄昏后。 今年元夜时,月与灯依旧。 不见去年人,泪湿春衫袖。

---生查子 去年元夜时 欧阳修

去年今日此门中 ， 人面桃花相映红。 人面只今何处去？ 桃花依旧笑春风

题都城南庄 崔护

3．回忆儿时情景，请人打井，由此开始一

场早恋（puppy love）。 词汇：

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1）Well (line 1)：水井

2）Penned （line 3）：圈养的 Pig sty 猪圈 3）Mug (line 7) : 杯 其他词义：

（1） I got mugged/jumped on my way

home.

（2） The suspect is not among the mug shots.

(3) Look at her ugly mug.

4．Mike McCallum 出场。交代打井人居无

定所的生活，为之后和童年伴侣小Mike McCallum的分离埋下伏笔。

5．小Mike McCallum出场。交代两人都是

8岁。 词汇:

1）boarding house （5.1）提供膳宿的地方

2）at hand （5.2）nearby 附近，手边 6. 回忆和小Mike两小无猜的情景之一：在Mike父亲的车里玩耍；给被臭鼬所伤的狗抹番茄汁治伤。

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词汇：

1）Cab (6.1)：出租车；此处：驾驶室 2）Mucky (6.4): dirty 3） Sour-cheese boots (6.4): 袜子发此臭奶

酪的气味

4) Skunk (6.6): 臭鼬 5) Spray (6.6): 喷射 句子：

1) It looked as if we were washing him in blood. (last line)

好像用血给它洗澡一样。 7. 回忆农场的树木。 句子:

1)Each of the trees ?crabby. (7.2-4) 译：

这里每颗树都神气活现的。比如，榆树宁静安详，橡树则杀气腾腾，枫树慈祥可亲，而山楂树则老态龙钟、火气十足。 8．回忆一起过河情景。 词汇:

1) Scummy (8.3): 长满浮渣的

2) Scum：人渣 scum of the earth

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scum of the nation? 句子:

1) The river in August was almost as much a stony road as it was a watercourse. (8.1) 译：8月的河是条水道，几乎也是一条石头路。

2)?plowing through mats of flat-leafed water lilies, trapping our legs in their snaky roots. (8.3-4)

译：?吃力地在一团团长着扁平叶子的睡莲中蹚行，两腿被弯曲的睡莲根缠绕。

9-11 讲述小孩们玩打仗游戏，我和Mike互生情愫。 词汇：

1) Harassment （9.4）: 骚扰 Sex harassment 2) Dress (10.3)：包扎

Administer：to give someone a medicine or

medical treatment

Painkillers were administered to the boy. 句子：

1) There was a keen alarm when the cry came,

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a wire zinging through your whole body, a fanatic feeling of devotion. (10.4-6)

Keen: keen interest/desire

The need for enlarging our vocabulary is not keenly felt yet.

Zing: to move quickly Wire:电线

Business wire？ Fanatic:狂热的

译：当他喊我的名字时，我会紧张万分，全身如触电一般，一种狂热的忠诚感油然而生。

2) The game disintegrated, after a long while, in arguments and mass resurrection. (11.1-2) Disintegrate: to break up 散

译：许久之后，大家吵个不休，装死的也活了过来，游戏就这样散了。

12-14 水井打好，Mike离去

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句子：

1) One morning, of course, the job was all finished, the well capped, the pump reinstated, the fresh water marveled at. (12.1-2) Cap: (vt) 加盖子 Marvel at：惊叹

译：不用说，一天早上，工作全部完成。井口上了盖子，水泵重新装好了，清新的井水引来一片赞叹。

2) The laugh had a lonely boom in it, as if he were still down the well. (Last line, Para. 12) Boom：低沉而有回响的声音

译：他的笑声深沉孤独，带着回音，似乎他还在井底一般。

3) He had other jobs lined up elsewhere… (13.2)

Line up: 排队 Line up please！

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Line the kids up！

译：其他地方还有很多活等着他。

4) Future absence I accepted—it was just that I had no idea, until Mike disappeared, of what absence could be like. How my own territory would be altered, as if a landslide had gone through it and skimmed off all meaning except loss of Mike. （13. 5-8）

译：我知道会分开的，也认了，但是到Mike不见了，才知道那是一种什么样的分离。生活面目全非，好像一场山崩抹去了一切，除了失去Mike，其他都无意义了。

15 从细节描述对Mike的思念。 句子：

1) My heart was beating in big thumps, like

howls happening in my chest. Thump: 砰砰声

16－18 时间回到1979年，Sunny去接我。

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