Text A

Take a Moment to Really See

21 世纪大学新英语读写译教程 Book IUnit 5 Life Philosophy

Part I Lead-in

A. Describe and comment on the following pictures.

B. Questions for Discussion

1. Have you ever heard of “Remember to stop and smell the roses”? Please explain it in your own words.

2. Which one do you prefer, to work for life or to live for work? Why?

3. Is it possible for you to move back to the countryside, where life is easier and slower?

Part II Background Information

A. About the author

Jeffrey Michael Thomas

This article is taken from Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Hansen, a collection of 101 stories. Jeffrey is one of the contributors to the stories.

B. Cultural notes

Chicken Soup for the Soul

First appeared in 1993, a collection of inspirational stories that took the world by storm. It's like home-made chicken soup that warms the chill and heals the ill. This collection of 101 stories is based on the belief that true testimonies of goodness and loving transformations can nourish us to the bone and heal the cynicism in our hearts. Indeed, nearly every story seeps in deeply. It's hard not to shed a tear of gratitude, feeling thrilled to have been touched and soothed so easily. (Amazon Review)

Part III Writing Features

This article is an argumentative writing with a typical structure pattern. The author raises a question in the beginning to call readers’ attention to the theme he puts forward in the middle part through an event he witnessed, and then he discusses it and sums up the lessons he learned. The theme “take a moment to really see” is repeated in the final part.

PartsParagraph

sMain Ideas

1 1-2A question leading to the theme “take a moment to really see”

2 3-10The event of a blind couple trying to cross a busy intersection with the help of others

3 11-17 The three lessons learned

4 18 Back to the theme again

Part IV Difficult Sentences

1. (Line 3, Para 1) Too often we get caught up in our busy schedules, thoughts of our next appointment, the traffic or life in general, to even realize there are other people nearby.

We are often so busy with our full schedules, thoughts about our next meeting, the traffic or our life, that we are not even aware that there are other people around us.

2. (Line 2, Para 2) I witnessed an event that showed me how being wrapped up in my own little world has kept me from being fully aware of the bigger world picture around me.

I saw in person an event that taught me how involved I was in my own little world, and that and I failed to see a bigger world.

3. (Line 3, Para 3) I can beat the next light if I race ahead of the pack.

I can sail through the next red light if I drive fast enough to be the first of all those cars.

4. (Line 1, Para 6) As I watched from the front line of traffic (I had the best seat in the house), I saw a miracle unfold before my eyes.

As I observed from the front, (I was in a very good position), I saw a miracle present itself in front of me.“The best seat in the house” is a phrase which means “the best position in a place”.

5. (Line 1, Para 8) Never skipping a beat, the couple adjusted their course as they followed the coaching.

The couple didn’t quicken their steps, but they changed their way as they followed others’ instruction.

6. (Line 3, Para 10) Here were human beings stepping outside themselves for a moment to help four people in need.

Here are people who do not consider their own interest for a moment to help the four needy people.

7. (Line 1, Para 13) The blind couple’s goal was simply to get to the other side of the road intact.

The blind couple just wanted to go to the other side of the road safely.Here “intact” is the subject complement, indicating the state of the subject, which is, they went to the other side of the road, and they were safe.

8. (Line 1, Para 17) As I drove away from that busy intersection, I did so with more awareness of life and compassion for others than I had arrived there with.

As I left the busy intersection, I indeed thought that I understood more of life and had more sympathy for others than I first arrived there.

Part V Language Points

1. be caught up: to become involved in sth. esp. unwillingly 陷入，卷入

e.g. Many African women, for reasons of poverty, get caught up in drug trade. Before long Max finds himself caught up in

a highly dangerous situation.

2. tune out: to stop paying attention to a person, situation; ignore 不予理会

e.g. Whatever you are talking about, children rapidly tune out if you go beyond them.The father was so busy that he tuned out the children’s screaming.

3. beat: v. to defeat or do better than 打败，胜过 n. a regular movement or sound 有节奏的敲击 ( 声 ) ，节拍

e.g. She has beaten her own record of three minutes ten seconds.

Fresh milk beats powdered milk any time.My heart missed a beat when she said, “Yes, I’ll marry you”.You could hear the steady beat of the drum

from the distance.

4. clutch: v. to take or try to take hold of something tightly, usually in fear, worry or pain 紧紧抓住

e.g. Silent and pale, she clutched (onto) her mother’s hand.Clutching the money to his chest, he hurried to the bank.

5. navigate: v. to direct the way that a ship, aircraft, etc. will travel, or to find a direction across, along or over an area of water or land, often by using a map 导航

e.g. Sailors have special equipment to help them navigate.Radio signals are used for navigating both ships and aircrafts.

6. initially: adv. at the beginning 开始，起初

e.g. Initially, most people approved of the new scheme.The damage was far more serious than initially believed.

7. simultaneous: adj. happening or being done at exactly the same time 同时发生的，同步的

e.g. There were several simultaneous explosions in different cities.

They grabbed each other’s hands in simultaneous panic.

8. verify: v. to prove that sth. exists or is true, or to make certain that sth. is correct 证实，查证

e.g. Are you able to verify your theory?These figures are surprisingly high and they’ll have to be verified.

9. in unison: together; at the same time 共同( 做某事 ) ；齐声 ( 说 )

e.g. The children find it difficult to play their instruments in unison.

Management and workers must act in unison to compete with foreign

business.

10. be taken aback: to be very shocked or surprised 使吃惊，使惊呆

e.g. I was rather taken aback by her honesty.For a moment, I was completely taken aback by her request.

11. insurmountable: adj. difficult to deal with 难以逾越的，不可克服的

e.g. The language difference proved to be an insurmountable barrier.He is facing the insurmountable problem at this stage.

12. intact: adj. not broken, damaged, or spoiled (not before noun) 未受损伤的

e.g. Only the medieval tower had remained intact.His reputation survived intact.

13. intuition: n. the ability to understand or know something because of a feeling rather than by considering the facts 直觉

e.g. Intuition told her that it was unwise to argue.All my intuitions were against it.

14. insight: n. a sudden clear understanding of something or part of something, esp. a complicated situation or idea (~ into) 洞察力

e.g. The article gives us a real insight into the causes of the present economic crisis.The research provides new insights into the way we process language.

15. incredible: adj. too strange to be believed or very difficult to believe 难以置信的

e.g. I find it almost incredible that no one noticed these errors.

It’s incredible how much Tom has changed since he met Sally.

16. compassion: n. a strong feeling of sympathy for someone who is suffering, and a desire to help them 怜悯，同情

e.g. Did he feel any compassion for the victim of his crime?I was shocked by the doctor’s lack of

compassion.

Part VI Practice

A.Translation skills

1.A short time ago, however, I witnessed an event that showed me how being wrapped up in my own little world has kept me from being fully aware of the bigger world picture around me.

然而就在不久前，我亲眼目睹了一件事让我明白，生活在自己小世界中使我无法完全察觉到周围有着更大一番天地。

这个句子重点是 event 后的定语从句，该从句中还套有一个宾语从句，而且宾语从句中的主语是动名词短语 being wrapped up in my own little world ，后跟谓语动词 kept me from ，因此我们要先理顺句子关系，再进行翻译，这样意思就不会混乱。我们按照中文的习惯，把长句从 event 处断开，后面句中的 keepme from doing sth. 意思是“阻碍某人做某事”，可以翻成“让人无法，没能……”另外注意不要望文生义， be wrapped up in sth. 是指“专心于……，沉浸在……”，不能译为“被裹在……里”。

2. My mind and car were in auto pilot, ready to go when suddenly my trance was broken by an unforgettable sight.

我的心仿佛和汽车一样都挂在自动档，随时准备开动，突然一幕令人难忘的情景让我从神思恍惚中惊醒。

这句的译文采用了增词法。由于英语中某一单词或词组就可以表示一个完整的意思，但有些抽象名词、不及物动词或代词 , 若单独按字面译出 , 有时会词不达意，因而在翻译的过程中需要适当增加一些词，如“状态”、“过程”、“现象”、“方式”、“情况”等词，使译文更贴切，易于理解。

另外，要注意这个句子中的被动态译法。英语中用被动语态的范围很广，凡是不知动作施动者，不需说出动作施动者及便于文章上下文衔接等情况都用被动态。这与汉语形成鲜明的对比，因为按照汉语表达习惯，能用主动语态表达的，则尽量避免用被动语态。

3. My thought was quickly interrupted by horror when I saw that the couple was not walking in the crosswalk, but was instead veering diagonally, directly toward the middle of the intersection.

我的想法很快被恐惧打断，我看到这对夫妇没有走在人行横道上，而是在改变方向，斜穿马路直接向十字路口当中走去。

句子中间的 when 表示“突然”， 如： I was just getting into the bath when the telephone rang. （我刚要去洗澡，突然电话铃响了。）翻译时注意要把这层意思译出来。

4. Never skipping a beat, the couple adjusted their course as they followed the coaching.

这对夫妇并没有三步并作两步，而是按照他人的指点，调整了自己的路线。

一个句子里的词和分句的顺序，英汉两种语言往往不尽相同。在这个句子中，我们把原文中的表示状态的分词结构，翻成了中文主句中的一个部分，然后按照后面的顺序逐个翻译。如果完全按照次序译，就有点洋腔洋调。

5. Do this and you will realize that this moment is all there is, more importantly, this moment is all that you have to make a difference in life.

如你能做到这一点，你就会认识到这一刻存在的真正含义，更重要的是，这一刻是你的全部，它会对人生产生很大影响。

翻译这句话时，要注意句子结构。英语中祈使句加and you will相当于一个条件句。所以祈使句部分就翻译为“如果……，假如……”。更多例句见 Task 4 Structure 部分的操练句。另外，作者强调的this moment ， 重复出 现两次， 但 意 思递进 ， “ this moment is all there is” ，表示这一刻存在的意义，而 make a difference 则有“有影响”之意。

B. Writing techniques

Particles and infinitives can be used to simplify sentences. Many clauses can be turned into participles or infinitives, making the sentence shorter and more informative. This is true especially to clauses introduced by “that/which is”.

a novel which is written by a university student a novel written by a university student a university student who is writing a novel a university student writing a novel a novel which should be finished this month a novel to be finished this month

Error Reminder: Dangling Modifiers (1)

A modifier will be dangling in midair if it does not have a proper relation with the sentence subject. This is because the implied actor of the participles or infinitives (sometimes referred to as logical subject or logical object) is not really the subject of the sentence. Look at these examples:1. Seeing from the window, a beautiful pond lies in front of our house.2. Made by hand, I find these biscuits very delicious.3. To better understand the meaning, the article was read again.

Error Reminder: Dangling Modifiers (2)

To correct these mistakes, we need to study the relationship between the modifying verb and the sentence subject, and use a proper form (active or passive) to show the relation. The above sentences can be improved in the following way:1. Seeing from the window, we found a beautiful pond lies in front of our house.2. Made by hand, these biscuits are very delicious.3. To better understand the meaning, we read the article again.

C. Assignment

1. Oral Practice: Make comments on You can do what you want to do. You can be what you want to be.

2. Questions for Text B: 1) In what sense does the author say “life is a

journey”? Do you agree with the author? Why?

2) Complete the sentence “Life is ________.” and justify your view about what life is.

The End