Lesson 27 Nothing to sell and nothing to buy
It has been said that everyone lives by selling something. In the light of this statement, teachers live by selling knowledge, philosophers by selling wisdom and priests by selling spiritual comfort.Though it may be possible to measure the value of material goods in terms of money, it is extremely difficult to estimate the true value of the services which people perform for us. There are times when we would willingly give everything we possess to save our lives, yet we might grudge paying a surgeon a high fee for offering us precisely this service. The conditions of society are such that skills have to be paid for in the same way that goods are paid for at a shop. Everyone has something to sell.
Tramps seem to be the only exception to this general rule. Beggars almost sell themselves as human beings to arouse the pity of passers-by. But real tramps are not beggars. They have nothing to sell and require nothing from others. In seeking independence, they do not sacrifice their human dignity. A tramp may ask you for money, but he will never ask you to feel sorry for him. He has deliberately chosen to lead the life he leads and is fully aware of the consequences. He, may never be sure where the next meal is coming from, but he is free from the thousands of anxieties which afflict other people. His few material possession make it possible for him to move from place to place with ease. By having to sleep in the open, he gets far closer to the world of nature than most of us ever do. He may hunt, beg, or steal occasionally to keep himself alive; he may even in times of real need, do a little work; but he will never sacrifice his freedom. We often speak of tramps with contempt and put them in the same class as beggars, but how many of us can honestly say that we have not felt a little envious of their simple way of life and their freedom from care?
据说每个人都靠出售某种东西来维持生活。 根据这种说法,教师靠卖知识为生,哲学家靠卖智慧为生,牧师靠卖精神安慰为生。虽然物质产品的价值可以用金钱来衡量,但要估算别人为我们为所提供的服务的价值却是极其困难的。有时,我们为了挽救生命,愿意付出我们所占有的一切。但就在外科大夫给我们提供了这种服务后,我们却可能为所支付的昂贵的费用而抱怨。社会上的情况就是如此,技术是必须付钱去买的,就像在商店里要花钱买商品一样。人人都有东西可以出售。
在这条普遍的规律前面,好像只有流浪汉是个例外,乞丐出售的几乎是他本人, 以引起过路人的怜悯。 但真正的流浪并不是乞丐。他们既不出售任何东西,也不需要从别人那儿得到任何东西,在追求独立自由 的同时,他们并不牺牲为人的尊严。游浪汉可能会向你讨钱,但他从来不要你可怜他。他是故意在选择过 那种生活的,并完全清楚以这种方式生活的后果。他可能从不知道下顿饭有无着落,但他不像有人那样被 千万桩愁事所折磨。他几乎没有什么财产,这使他能够轻松自如地在各地奔波。由于被迫在露天睡觉,他 比我们中许多人都离大自然近得多。为了生存,他可能会去打猎、乞讨,偶尔偷上一两回;确实需要的时 候,他甚至可能干一点儿活,但他决不会牺牲自由。说起流浪汉,我们常常带有轻蔑并把他们与乞丐归为 一类。但是,我们中有多少人能够坦率地说我们对流浪汉的简朴生活与无忧无虑的境况不感到有些羡慕呢?
philosopher [fə’lɒsəfə(r)] n. 哲学家
“phil” = love
“soph” = wisdom
philology philologist
sophomore, sophisticated
spiritual [‘spɪrɪtʃuəl]adj. 精神的
spiritual civilization
material civilization
mental labor
manual / physical labor
intellectual development
intelligent beings
grudge [ɡrʌdʒ]
v. 吝惜,不愿意给
grudge + n. / doing
He grudges paying taxes.
He grudges the money he pays in tax.
grudging reluctant unwilling
grudge(名词)恶意,怨恨
have / bear / hold a grudge 怀恨在心
(A) She has a bad memory.
(B) She’s quick to forgive people.
(C) Her feelings are easily hurt.
(D) She doesn’t get angry very often.
W: I wish I hadn’t hurt Mary’s feelings like that. You know I’ve never meant to.
M: The great thing about Mary is that she doesn’t hold a grudge. By tomorrow she’ll have forgotten all about it.
Q:What does the man say about Mary?
Answer: (B) She’s quick to forgive people.
dignity [‘dɪɡnətɪ]
n. 尊严
beneath one’s dignity
Arguing with you is beneath my dignity.
self-respect
self-esteem
indignity
shame / disgrace / humiliation
indignation (caused by unfair treatment)
anger / rage / fury
deliberately [dɪ’lɪbərətli] adv. 故意地
intentionally
on purpose
accidentally
by accident
by chance
afflict [ə’flɪkt] v. 使苦恼,折磨
- afflict sb.
- be afflicted with / by ….
He was afflicted with/by
- his injured leg.
- the death of his wife.
inflict – inflict sth. on sb.
Please don’t inflict your love on me.
conflict – in conflict
The employers and workers are still in conflict.
sb. suffer (from) sth.
sth. distress sb.
sth. torture / torment / rack sb.
God Almighty, where are you when the world is racked by war?
ease [i:z] n. 容易;舒适
with ease=easily
He passed the exam with ease.
at ease=in comfort=comfortably
He sat there at ease.
contempt [kən’tempt] n. 蔑视
hold … in contempt
contemptuous
despise
scorn
look down on / upon …
envious [‘enviəs]
adj. 羡慕的
be envious of … envy
You lucky dog, I envy you.
You are my envy.
His talent is the envy of his colleagues.
jealous
be jealous of …
jealousy
1. It has been said that everyone lives by selling something.
It is said that …
They say that …
People say that …
It is reported that …
It is believed that …
It is estimated that …
It must be admitted that …
It must be pointed out that …
It must be stressed that …
It can be foreseen that …
live by doing 靠某种职业为生
He lives by writing.
He lives by sewing.
The nomads who made these markings lived by hunting and fishing during the last Ice Age which began about 35,000 B.C. and ended about 10,000 B.C.
live on sth. 靠某种食物或生活来源为生
He lives on meat and milk.
He lives on salary.
He lives on his parents.
feed on sth. 动物以……为主食
Cows feed on hay.
preyonsth. 肉食性动物以别的动物为食
Owls prey on mice.
2. In the light of this statement, teachers live by selling knowledge, philosophers by selling wisdom and priests by selling spiritual comfort.
in (the) light of sth. 根据……;鉴于……
– Reading is thought to be a kind of conversation between the reader and the text. The reader puts questions, as it were, to the text and gets answers. In the light of these he puts further questions, and so on.
– He explores such problem consciously, articulately, and frankly, first by asking factual questions, then by asking moral questions, finally by suggesting action which seems appropriate in the light of the factual and moral information which he has obtained.
– I am afraid that you have to alter your ________ views in light of the tragic news that has just arrived.
(A) indifferent (B) distressing
(C) optimistic (D) pessimistic
Tips: when two answers are similar, both of them are wrong. When two answers are opposite, one of them is right.
in (the) light of sth. 根据……;鉴于……
according to sth.
in accordance with sth.
considering sth.
taking into account sth.
Omitting same verbs in compound sentences: 并列句中重复的谓语动词可省略
compound sentence: two independent clauses, coordinating conjunction, punctuations (“, conjunction words – and, but” or “;” )
parallelism 排比 (more than three independent clauses)
In the light of this statement, teachers live by selling knowledge, philosophers (live) by selling wisdom and priests (live) by selling spiritual comfort.
Mary was happy, but / and / while / whereas Jane (was) miserable.
Mary was happy when Jane was miserable.
Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.
— Francis Bacon
Reading makes a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man.
— Francis Bacon
It is said that in England death is pressing, in Canada inevitable and in California optional. Small wonder. Americans’ life expectancy has nearly doubled over the past century. Failing hips can be replaced, clinical depression controlled, cataracts removed in a 30-minutes surgical procedure.
It is said that in England death is pressing, in Canada (death is) inevitable and in California (death is) optional. Small wonder. Americans’ life expectancy has nearly doubled over the past century. Failing hips can be replaced, clinical depression (can be) controlled, cataracts (can be) removed in a 30-minutes surgical procedure.
3. Though it may be possible to measure the value of material goods in terms of money, it is extremely difficult to estimate the true value of the services which people perform for us.
Possible as it may be to measure the value of material goods in terms of money, …
Although she is beautiful, I still don’t like her.
Beautiful as she is, I still don’t like her.
in terms of … 以某种方式;从某个角度
In terms of money we’re rich, but not in terms of happiness.
Which sport has the most expenses _______ training equipment, players’ personal equipment and uniforms?
(A) in place of (B) in terms of
(C) by means of (D) by way of
perform: do; carry out
There are times when we would willingly give everything we possess to save our lives, yet we might grudge paying a surgeon a high fee for offering us precisely this service.
there are times when … = sometimes
There are times when even the tiger sleeps.
There are times when silence has the loudest voice.
there was a time when … = once
There was a time when the owners of shops and businesses in Chicago had to pay large sums of money to gangsters in return for ‘protection’.
there are rare instances when …
= occasionally
There are rare instances when justice almost ceases to be an abstract concept.
造句:在个别情况下,爱国主义(patriotism)不再是一个空洞的口号(an empty slogan)。
There are rare instances when patriotism ceases to be an empty slogan.
… we might grudge paying a surgeon a high fee for offering us precisely this service.
… we might grudge the high fee we would pay a surgeon for offering us precisely this service.
She gave me $30 for my bike.
She bought my bike for $30.
for nothing 免费
Advertisers discovered years ago that all of us love to get something for nothing.
造句:有时候我们愿意给为我们服务的侍者小费 (pay tips) 并称赞 (paycompliments) 他们, 但是在母亲为我们提供一样的服务的时候我们却吝惜感谢 (give thanks to …) 之辞。
There are times when we would willingly pay tips and compliments to the waiters who serve us, yet we might grudge giving thanks to our mothers for offering us precisely this service.
The conditions of society are such that skills have to be paid for in the same way that goods are paid for at a shop.
Such are the conditions of society that skills have to be paid for in the same way that goods are paid for at a shop.
Such is human nature that a great many people are often willing to sacrifice higher pay for the privilege of becoming white-collar workers.
造句:学校里的情况就是这样,优等生 (A students) 受到尊敬 (respect),正如社会上成功者 208
(achievers) 受人景仰 (esteem) 一样。
The conditions of schools are such that A students are respected in the same way that achievers are esteemed in the society.
in the same way which / that / …
just as
The conditions of society are such that skills have to be paid for just as goods are paid for at a shop.
alike
He was adored by rich and poor alike.
six of one and half a dozen of the other
(A) There are six sections of each class.
(B) He has to leave since it’s almost one o’clock.
(C) There are dozens of classes to choose from.
(D) It doesn’t matter which class the woman takes.
W: I can’t decide whether to take anthropology or geology this term.
M: It’s six of one and half a dozen of the other.
Q: What does the man mean?
Answer: (D) It doesn’t matter which class the woman takes.
be equivalent to …
The volcanic eruption had an explosive power equivalent to 20,000 tons of TNT.
bear a resemblance to …
Tina bears a striking resemblance to her mother.
Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not.
In some schools they have abolished failing grades; they’ll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to anything in real life.
It has been said that everyone lives by selling something.
Everyone has something to sell.
topic sentence 主题句
supporting sentences 扩展句(论证 reasoning 和 论据 evidence)
concluding sentence 总结句
- It has been said that everyone lives by selling something. [topic sentence, statement]
- In the light of this statement, teachers live by selling knowledge, philosophers by selling wisdom and priests by selling spiritual comfort. [evidence]
- Though it may be possible to measure the value of material good in terms of money, it is extremely difficult to estimate the true value of the services which people perform for us. [reasoning]
- There are times when we would willingly give everything we possess to save our lives, yet we might grudge paying a surgeon a high fee for offering us precisely this service. [evidence]
- The conditions of society are such that skills have to be paid for in the same way that goods are paid for at a shop. [reasoning]
- Everyone has something to sell. [concluding sentence, repeated statement]
Tramps seem to be the only exception to this general rule.
Tramps appear to be the only exception to this general rule.
It seems that tramps are the only exception to this general rule.
It appears that tramps are the only exception to this general rule.
Every rule has its exception.
with the exception of …
I like all kinds of films with the exception of horror films.
Beggars sell their human dignity for the pity of passers-by.
The moment they reach out their hands they are beggars spiritually.
In seeking independence, they do not sacrifice their human dignity.
in doing = in the process of doing
In trying to solve one problem, I created another.
on / upon doing
On being observed, it immediately ran away.
Upon arriving at the university, I went straight to the dormitory.
seek
seek refuge / asylum
seek compensation
seek comfort
seek reelection
Virgo woman seeks Scorpio man
feel sorry for …
Even the bull seemed to feel sorry for him, for it looked on sympathetically until the drunk was out of the way before once more turning its attention to the matador.
have / feel sympathy for …
sympathize with …
take pity on …
He has deliberately chosen to lead the life he leads and is fully aware of the consequences.
We only help those who really need help.
God helps those who help themselves.
be aware of …
be conscious of…
be unaware of…
be unconscious of …
be ignorant of…
He may never be sure where the next meal is coming from, but he is free from the thousands of anxieties which afflict other people.
be free from …
He has been free from care since he retired.
The composition is free from errors.
Organic produce is free from harmful chemicals.
free … from …
… but he frees himself from the thousands of anxieties …
He dedicated his life to freeing the world from famine and disease. which distress other people.
which torture / rack / torment other people.
which other people suffer (from).
make it possible for sb. to do = enable sb. to do
They devise hundreds of competitions which will enable us to win huge sums of money. Radio and television have made it possible for advertisers to capture the attention of millions of people in this way.
from place to place
here and there
hither and thither
The Cutty Sark rolled from side to side and it became impossible to steer her.
read sth. from cover to cover
sell sth. from door to door
vary from person to person
improve from day to day
from dawn to dusk
from head to foot
from top to bottom
from start to finish
from cradle to grave
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
By having to sleep in the open, he gets far closer to the world of nature than most of us ever do.
in the open (air): outdoors
He is taller than I am.
He is taller than I.
He is taller than me.
He may hunt, beg, or steal occasionally to keep himself alive; he may even, in times of real need, do a little work; but he will never sacrifice his freedom.
occasionally
once in a while
from time to time
in times of happiness / grief / rage / crisis / boredom / war / peace …
In times of peace, when business was bad, Hawkwood and his men would march into a city-state and, after burning down a few farms, would offer to go away if protection money was paid to them.
We often speak of tramps with contempt and put them in the same class as beggars, but how many of us can honestly say that we have not felt a little envious of their simple way of life and their freedom from care?
We often speak contemptuously of tramps …
put … in the same class as …
classify … as …
… and classify them as beggars.
rhetorical question 修辞疑问句
O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?
‘Ode to the West Wind’
— P. B. Shelley
Who among us has not dreamed of that?
What is the use of our studying grammar if we can’t put the grammatical rules into practice?
Could any spectacle, for instance, be more grimly whimsical than that of gunners using science to shatter men‘s bodies while, close at hand, surgeons use it to restore them?