Unit-2The-Fine-Art-of-Putting-Things-Off

UnitTwoTheFineArtofPuttingThingsOffQuestionsforDiscussionInwhatsenseistheword“art”usedinthetitle?Doyouthinkthebeginningoftheessayiseffective?Why?Whydoestheauthorrefertovisitstothebarber…as‘Faustianencounters”(para.2)QuestionsWhat’sthetopicsentenceofpara.3?Howdoyouunderstandthetheword“Blessedly”inpara.4?Howdoyouunderstandtheparodyoftheproverb“wherethereisnowill,thereisaway”inpara.5?QuestionsHowdoyouexplaintheparenthesis(at$50-plusanhour)inpara.8?Whydoyouthinktheauthorcalls“puttingthingsoff”afineart?Doyouthinkheisserious?Thetoneofthewritingisamixtureoftheseriousandthehumorous.Pleaseidentifyhisshiftsintonefromonetotheother?QuotationsfromLordChesterfieldBewiserthanotherpeople,ifyoucan,butdonottellthemso.Chooseyourpleasuresforyourself,anddonotletthembeimposeduponyou.Knowthetruevalueoftime;snatch,seize,andenjoyeverymomentofit.Noidleness;nolaziness;noprocrastination;neverputofftilltomorrowwhatyoucandotoday.Theknowledgeoftheworldisonlytobeacquiredintheworld,andnotinacloset.Chesterfield,PhilipDormerStanhope,4thearlof1694–1773,Englishstatesmanandauthor.Anotedwitandorator,hislongpubliccareer,begunin1715,includedanambassadorshiptoTheHague(1728–32),aseatinParliament,andasuccessfultenureaslordlieutenantofIreland(1745–46).Hisliteraryfamerestsuponhisletterstohisillegitimateson,PhilipStanhope(firstpub.1774),designedfortheeducationofayoungman,anduponhisletterstohisgodson(pub.1890).LanguagePointsExhort(formal):tourgeoradvisestrongly.(力劝,劝告)~sbtosth/todosthe.g.Theyhadbeenexhortedtoaction.(已经敦促他们采取行动)Theteacherexhortedthestudentstodotheirownresearchwork.attest(verb)(formal)1.attesttosth:toshoworprovethatsthistrue证实,是…的证据;确凿e.g.Contemporaryaccountsattesttohiscourageanddetermination.当时的报道证实了他的勇气和决心.2.作证,证明~awillDifficultsentences1.(L4)themostwell-intentionedmenhavebeenpostponersever:LordChesterfieldadvisedhissonnottoputoffdoingwhatshouldbedone,yethehimselfdelayedhisaidtoDrJohnsonwhenitwasbadlyneeded2.(L14)theapocalypticvoiceofDinersthreatensdoomfromDenver:amenacingorderfromDenver,theheadofficeoftheDinerscreditcardapocalyptic:liketheendoftheworldDinersreferstotheDiners’Club,Inc.,U.S.A.Itwasthisclubthatintroduced,in1950,thefirstuniversalcredit-cardwhichcouldbeusedatavarietyofestablishments.IDMAtanungodlyhour:veryearlyorverylate,thatisannoying一大早(晚),十分不便的incurYetforallthetroubleprocrastinationmayincur:allthetroublethataperson’sdelayinactionmaybringuponhimincurv.(formal):ifyouincursthunpleasant,youareinasituationinwhichyouhavetodealwithit招致;遭受;引起e.g.Thecompanyincurredaheavylossduetomismanagement.DifficultSentenceYetforallthetroubleprocrastinationmayincurdelaycanofteninspireandreviveacreativesoul:Delayleadstoproblems.However,inmanycases,itcanoftenstimulatethecreativityinanartist.DifficultSentenceTheartofpostponementhadbeenvirtuallyamonopolyofthemilitary…andthelaw:thepracticeofputtingthingsoffhadalmostbeenexclusivelydonebythemilitary,etc.Theimpliedmeaningisthatthemilitary,diplomacy,andthelawarealmosttheworstdelayers.monopoly:thecompletecontrolofmonopolizev.monopolisticadj.RuminateRuminate:(formal)thinkdeeplyandcarefully沉思,认真思考e.g.~on/over/aboutsthruminationruminativeruminativelyDifficultSentencesLawyersareamongtheworld’smostaddictedpostponers:Lawyersaretheworld’sworstpostponerswhojustcouldnotfreethemselvesfrompostponing.Addicted:dependentonsomething(usuallyadrug)andunabletostophavingit;enthusiasticallydevotedtoaparticularthingoractivity.e.g.beaddictedtocomputergamesDifficultSentences(L33)Thenumberofattorneyswhodiewithoutawillisamazing:Itisausualpracticeforpeopletomakeawill,anofficialstatementofthewaytheywishtheirpropertytobesharedoutaftertheirdeathbeforetheydie.Anditisgenerallytheattorneysorlawyerswhoadministerthewills.Butattorneysthemselvespostponemakingtheirownwills.DifficultSentences(L35)Eventhereisnowill,thereisaway:Thisisaparodyoftheproverbwhichgoes:”Wherethereisawill,there’saway”,meaning“Ifonehasthedeterminationtoachievesomething,awayofdoingsowillbefound.”Willintheprecedingparagraphmeans“anofficialstatementofthewayonewisheshispropertytobesharedoutafterhisdeath.Thesentencemaybeparaphrasedas“Evenwherethereisnowillorvolitiontoprocrastinate,thereisawaytodoso.”DifficultSentences(L37)thecautionthatbreedsdelay:thegreatcarethatcausesdelayBreed:“tobethecauseofsth孕育、导致Literally,breedreferstoeitheranimalsproducingtheiroffspringorpeoplewhokeepanimalsorplantsforthepurposeofproducingyoungonesinacontrolledway,饲养、培育studManylanguagesarestuddedwithphrases…:Manylanguageshavealotofphrase…Stud:asmallpieceofmetalwhichisattachedtoasurfaceasadecorationphrases.饰钉bestuddedwithsth(written)havingalotofsthonorinit布满（或有很多）e.g.Theskywasclearandstuddedwithstars.Anessaystuddedwithquotations.DifficultSentences(L43-46)smotherpolicy-makersinblanketsoflegalism,compromiseandreappraisal:preventpolicy-makersfromactingpromptly/frommakingpromptdecisionsbyexcessiveadherencetolaw,bymakingconcessions,andbymakingrepeatedassessments.Here,aneffectivemetaphorisusedtodescribetheharmdonebybureaucratization.Legalism,compromiseandreappraisalaresaidtobeblanketswhichsuffocatethepolic