最近和一群英文书友一起读书
《虎妈赞歌》英文版
一般都是先听音频数遍,大致明白文章大意然后开始看书,在记录自己不懂的生词或短语或者自己喜欢的句子。
今天是坚持的第14天。
大致情节概述:
继上篇,虎妈为了请好老师给女儿们上课,不惜花重金。今天这篇,讲到虎妈为了给女儿们买好的提琴,准备启动自己的退休金。虎妈说到自己真的很幸运遇到了一英俊幽默聪明又会容忍她的丈夫Jed,会想方设法弄到虎妈喜欢的东西。这次,虎妈也是花费很多精力和时间来挑选提琴。遇到一个很厉害的老师,觉得Lulu很有音乐天赋,于是虎妈又开始抓紧Lulu的训练。母女间的相处模式也很神奇,前一秒还在撕逼,后一秒可能一起相拥而睡。亲子游去了一个天然的游泳hole。从没游过泳的Coco从河里狗刨式的游回岸上来,一家人都为此高兴的不得了,虎妈就想到要是对女儿们的教育也可以这么简单就好了。但虎妈知道,那是永远不可能的。对女儿们的抚养和教育,路漫漫兮呀!
“That' one difference between a dog and a daughter, I thought to my self later. A dog can do something every dog can do—dog paddle, for example—and we applaud with pride and joy. Imagine how much easier it would be if we could do the same with daughters! But we can't; that would be negligence.”
“我后来才想明白了一件事,狗和女儿自己只有一点不同。一只狗可以做任何狗都能做的事情。比如-狗刨,我们就其感到骄傲和喜悦。如果养女儿也能够这么轻松就好了!但是我们做不到,一点可能也没有”
Day14 核心笔记整理
疑难点:这里whom she seemed to take to instantly,hit it off怎么理解?
讨论:take to :PHRASAL VERB If you take to someone or something, you like them, especially after knowing them or thinking about them for only a short time. (短时间内) 喜欢上;hit it off:一拍即合,一见如故
参考翻译:她(瓦莫斯夫人)和孩子惊人地合得来,或者至少,她在短时间里迅速的喜欢上了露露。她和杰德也是一见如故。(就唯独不喜欢我,因为她见多了像我这样的典型的亚洲妈妈。)
4.原句:Mrs. Vamos then told Lulu that while she had the advantage of being naturally musical—something that couldn’t be taught—she lagged behind in technique.
疑难点:while这里的用法怎么理解?the advantage of being naturally musical这里怎么理解?
讨论:while:这里引导让步状语从句,意为“尽管,虽然”;the advantage of being naturally musical:天生音乐家的优势(瓦莫斯老师说露露有着学音乐的天赋,这是露露的优势);瓦莫斯老师然后告诉露露尽管她天生就是学音乐的料,但是在拉小提琴的技术上她还是落后于其他的学生。
参考翻译:我简直不敢相信,Mrs. Vamos想要再次见到露露。我(因此)几乎要从座椅上跳起来了—很有可能就这样做了,如果不是那一刻看到Coco从窗户纵身一跃,随后Aron从后面用皮带牵引着她,
三、生词、短语 New Words and Phrases
1. forfeit /ˈfɔːfɪt/
V-T If you forfeit something, you lose it or are forced to give it up because you have broken a rule or done something wrong. (因违规或做错事而) 失去; 被迫放弃
原句:First, you’d have to pay a huge tax and forfeithalf the amount.
2. rip off
If someone rips you off, they cheat you by charging you too much money for something or by selling you something that is broken or damaged. 宰人; 坑人
原句:I got so lucky in love. Jed is handsome, funny, smart, and he tolerates my bad taste and tendency to getripped off.
3. manicure /ˈmænɪˌkjʊə/
N-COUNT If you manicure your hands or nails, you care for them by softening your skin and cutting and polishing your nails. 护理手甲
原句:I don’t enjoy shopping, I don’t get facials or manicures, and I don’t buy jewelry.
4. every once in a while
=(every) now and then 偶尔;时常
5. clay /kleɪ/
N-MASS Clay is a kind of earth that is soft when it is wet and hard when it is dry. Clay is shaped and baked to make things such as pots and bricks. 黏土
6. disintegrate /dɪsˈɪntɪˌɡreɪt/
V-I If an object or substance disintegrates, it breaks into many small pieces or parts and is destroyed. 破碎
原句:But every once in a while there will be something that I get an uncontrollable urge to own—a 1500-pound clay horse from China, for example, which disintegratedthe following winter—and Jed has always managed to get it for me.
7. reputable /ˈrɛpjʊtəbəl/
ADJ A reputable company or person is reliable and can be trusted. 声誉好的
原句:I contacted some reputable violin dealers who had been recommended to me, two in New York, one in Boston, one in Philadelphia.
8. specify /ˈspɛsɪˌfaɪ/
V-T If you specify something, you give information about what is required or should happen in a certain situation. 明确要求
原句:They always sent me four violins, three in the price range specified, and one that “is a little out of your price range”—meaning twice as expensive—“but that I decided to send along anyway because it’s an extraordinary instrument and might be just what you’re looking for.”
9. a blast
an enjoyable and exciting experience 欢乐而刺激的经历
原句:Meanwhile, Lulu and I had a blast.
10. provenance /ˈprɒvɪnəns/
N-VAR The provenance of something is the place that it comes from or that it originally came from. 出处
11. glean /ɡliːn/
V-T If you glean something such as information or knowledge, you learn or collect it slowly and patiently, and perhaps indirectly. 慢慢地收集
原句:It was fun playing on the different violins, comparing the wood and their different tones, reading about their difference provenances, trying to glean their different personalities.
12. deploy /dɪˈplɔɪ/
V-T To deploy troops or military resources means to organize or position them so that they are ready to be used. 部署
原句:We always know what the other is thinking— which form of psychological torture is being deployed—and we both can’t help ourselves.
13. down-to-earth
practical and direct in a sensible honest way 实际的,务实的,脚踏实地的
14. as sharp as a tack
非常机敏的
15. quirky /ˈkwɜːkɪ/
ADJ Something or someone that is quirky is odd or unpredictable in their appearance, character, or behaviour. (外貌、性格或行为) 古怪的; 难料的
原句:“Wonderful!” said Mrs. Vamos. “How fun. I love trying violins.” Mrs. Vamos was down-to-earth and as sharp as a tack, with a quirky sense of humor.
16. opinionated /əˈpɪnjəˌneɪtɪd/
ADJ If you describe someone as opinionated, you mean that they have very strong opinions and refuse to accept that they may be wrong. 固执己见的
17. exude /ɪɡˈzjuːd/
V-T/V-I If someone exudes a quality or feeling, or if it exudes, they show that they have it to a great extent. 充分显露; 洋溢
原句:She was opinionated (“I hate Viotti23. Boring!”) and exuded power and impressiveness.
18. take to
If you take to someone or something, you like them, especially after knowing them or thinking about them for only a short time. (短时间内) 喜欢上
原句:She was also amazing with kids—or at least with Lulu, whom she seemed to take to instantly.
19. hit it off
合得来,志趣相投
原句:Mrs. Vamos and Jed hit it off too.
20. lag behind
If one thing or person lags behind another thing or person, their progress is slower than that of the other thing or person. 落后
原句:Mrs. Vamos then told Lulu that while she had the advantage of being naturally musical—something that couldn’t be taught—she lagged behind in technique.
21. impeccable /ɪmˈpɛkəbəl/
ADJ If you describe something such as someone's behaviour or appearance as impeccable, you are emphasizing that it is perfect and has no faults. 无可挑剔的
原句:She needed to do tons of scales and études to develop impeccable technique, muscle memory, and perfect intonation.
22. ensue /ɪnˈsjuː/
V-I If something ensues, it happens immediately after another event, usually as a result of it. 随即发生
原句:I won’t get into the details of what ensued.
23. temerity /tɪˈmɛrɪtɪ/
N-UNCOUNT If you say that a person has the temerity to do something, you are annoyed about something they have done which you think showed a lack of respect. 失礼
原句:In retrospect, I don’t know where I got the strength and temerity to fight Lulu.