Unit Eight Courtship Through The Ages
About the author
James Thurber (1894 --- 1961) was perhaps best known and loved by the American public for his stories, essays, and line drawings in The New Yorker magazine, where he was employed after being hired by E. B. White in 1925. Always casting a humorously ironic eye on the human condition, his best known collections inc lude Is Sex Necessary? (with E. B. White, 1929), The Seal In The Bedroom and Other Predicaments(1932), The Thurber Carnival(1945), and Thurber Country (1953).
In …Courtship Through the Ages‟ ---- an amusing and humorous essay about courting behaviours and rituals of the male to the female, --- Thurber us analogy throughout. Analogy, like simile (metaphor), is also a form of comparison. But there is a big difference between the two. While the latter us comparison on one point of remblance, the former draws a parallel between two unlike things that have veral common qualities or points of remblance. The function of analogy also differs from that of simile or metaphor. While the latter figures rve to heighten effect or to enhance the subject through description, illumination or illustration,analogy is chiefly ud for the purpo of persuasion or for the explanation or exposition of an idea. But it does not necessarily t out to prove. The analogy c
an be developed through as many parallel similarities as the writer can think of, to convince the listener or reader that becau two things are alike in so many respects, a conclusion drawn from one suggests a similar conclusion from the other.
…Courtship Through the Ages‟ ---- Thurber‟s accumulation of examples of …love displays‟ by the male species toward the opposite x, first appeared in The New Y orker in 1939, that same year it was also collected in Thurber‟s book My World --- And Welcome to It.
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About the text
nonplus ---- surpri, confu and be not certain how to react
I was, to say the least, nonplud by his reply.
Almost half of the detectives were nonplud if a suspect refud to answer questions.
as much ----〖per 〗Y ou u the phra to say that you are considering a particular subject only from a theoretical point of view, rather than taking into account its practical aspects or its relevance to a particular situation.【就其本身而论】
It is not an agreement, as much, but will rve as one.
It is not a good book, as much, but it has some interesting illustrations.
annelid ----【环节动物】annelid worm, member of the phylum Annelida, which includes the EARTHWORMS, LEECHES, and marine worms. Also called gmented worms; they are soft-bodied, bilaterally symmetrical, and gmented. Distributed worldwide, they live in protected habitats, often in tubes manufactured by their own cretions. Reproduction is xual or axual; some species are HERMAPHRODITES. They range from 1/32 in. (0.5 mm) to 10 ft. (3 m) in
length.
lumber ---- cau someone to do something difficult or not convenient that they do not want to do
It‟s not fair --- I‟m always being lumbe red with doing the laundry.
Wendy has lumbered me with nding out the invitations.
Jack asked who would stay behind to clear up, and as usual, I got lumbered.
musical comedy ---- a type of light and often spectacular theatrical or film entertainment made up of songs, dialogues and dances, connected looly by some ntimental or humorous plot
absorbing ----If someone‟s work, or a book, story, etc. Absorbs them, or they are absorbed in it, their attention is given completely to it.
I was completely absorbed by your letter.
The book I‟m reading at the moment is very absorbing (= It makes me give all my attention to it).
recount ---- describe how something happened; to tell a story (in details)
She recounted her experiences/adventures/stories working as a nur in a refugee camp.
He was fond of recounting how he had played for Manchester United when he was nineteen years old.那一刻我明白了
go to (great/any) lengths ---- make a great deal of effort (to achieve sth.)
Some people go to great lengths to make their homes attractive.
quaint ---- strange or old-fashioned (so that you do not approve of it)
He is full of the quaint notions about giving up his job and going to live on a remote Scottish island.
go in for ---- do something regularly, or enjoy something
I‟ve never really gone in for classical music, but I love jazz.
tailsomersault ---- an acrobatic stunt in which the body rolls in a complete circle, heels over head.
tilting with lances, and performing feats of parlor magic to win her attention ---- The male try to impress the female with his bravery and courage (on horbacks, etc.), as well as his confidence and eloquence (on social occasions, etc.)
turn down ---- reject
The company turned down the suggestion of shorter hours.
The country was poor but proud, and turned down every offer of help. (Stupid!)
gorgeous ---- beautiful; attractive; giving pleasure
What a gorgeous room/place/dress/flower/colour!
We had gorgeous weather on our holiday (The weather was bright and sunny).
plumage ----a bird‟s covering of feathers
Male peacocks have beautiful plumage.
turn out ---- If something turns out in a particular way, it becomes that way in the end, or it finally becomes known.
As events turned out, we were right to have decided to leave early.
It turns out (It is now known, although it was not before) that she had known him when they were young.
peahen ---- a female peacock
train ---- tail
whisk ---- (of an animal) to make a quick brushing movement with (its tail)
the hore whisked its tail, irritated by the ttling files.
quill ---- large wing/tail feather
get anywhere/somewhere/nowhere ----
A nice look will get a girl anywhere in today‟s society.
The husband‟s knowledge, coupled with the wife‟s intelligence, I suppo, will get them somewhere.
Mere hardworking will get you nowhere in a capitalist society.
make headway ---- advance or get clor to achieving something
I‟m trying to learn to drive, but I‟m not making much headway (with it).
The company ems to be making some headway against its competitors.
Little headway has been made so far in the negotiations.
Empidae ---- a kind of fly
hit on ---- think of (an idea) unexpectedly or unintentionally
When we first hit on the idea, everyone told us it would never work.
She says she hits on a way of dealing with this problem.
glisten ---- shine (by reflecting light from a wet, oily or smooth surface)
The grass glistened in the early-morning dew.
Her forehead was glistening with sweat.
His eyes glistened (=filled with tears) as h e told her about their mother‟s death.康夫电吹风质量怎么样
tidbit ---- (also titbit) a small piece of interesting information, or a small item of pleasant-tasting food
This magazine is full of juicy titbits (=small pieces of interesting information, esp. about other peo ple‟s private lives).
Grandma always has a few titbits for the children when they go to visit her.
elaborate ---- complicated
They‟re making the most elaborate preparations for the wedding.
He came out with such an elaborate excu that I didn‟t quite be lieve him.
fall down ---- If something such as an argument, idea or method falls down, it has a weakness in it which is likely to make it fail.
In one area only did the comparison fall down.
This is where a lot of teachers fall down.
bowerbird ----【园丁鸟，雄鸟在地面上营筑各种式样的花亭，吸引雌鸟】Any of various birds of the family Ptilonorhynchidae of Australia and New Guinea, the males of which build large, elaborate structures of grass, twigs, and brightly colored materials to attract females.
wreck ---- being in bad physical or mental condition
The stress she had been under at work reduced her to a nervous/quivering wreck.
bower ---- a pleasant sheltered place in a wood or garden made by weaving together tree branches and plant stems
The sat under the leafy bower at the end of the garden and watched the sun t.
coy ---- (esp. of women) being or pretending to be shy, modest, childish or lacking in confidence She likes to u coy tricks to awaken other‟s interests.
(be) done in ---- (be) exhausted 〖oral〗
All that walking really did me in.
He felt done in after the long trip.现象英语
wear out ---- make (someone) become so tired that they can not continue what they are doing Visitors wear us out more than the children do.
That isn‟t show jumping. ---- It‟s a marathon designed to wear the hor out.
begonia ----【秋海棠】common name for the Begoniaceae, a family of succulent, perennial herbs of
the American tropics, and for members of the genus Begonia. Begonia species are common houplants, some grown for their showy, variously colored leaves and other for their white, pink, or yellow flowers.
trying ---- difficult to deal with; making (someone) feel impatient and annoyed It has been a most trying experience to them.一年级数学下
ritual ---- a ries of actions which people regularly carry out in a particular situation, becau it is the custom to do so
Our country has many rituals of greeting, farewell and celebration.
habitue ---- (fml or literary) a person who regularly visits a particular place
Habitues of the gen tlemen‟s club are generally middle-aged, grey-haired and overweight.
Coming into the nineties, she is a habitue of all the international night-clubs.
fiddler crab ----【朝潮蟹】Any of various burrowing crabs of the genus Uca of coastal areas, the male of which has a greatly enlarged anterior claw.
somewhat ---- to some degree
The resort has changed somewhat over the last few years.
She is somewhat more confident than she ud to be.
be sitting pretty ---- be in a very superior/favourable position
cutie ---- pretty girl 〖oral〗
get (something ) for one’s pains ---- get something as a reward for what one did
A cup of tea was all I got for my pains.
brandish ---- wave (something) in the air in a threatening or excited way
He rushed into the room brandishing a letter.
She brandished a saucepan at me so I ran out of the kitchen.
badinage ---- (literary or humorous) remarks or conversation that are joking and not rious The two team-mates exchanged handshakes and badinage for a group of photographers.
But enough of this badinage! What are you really here for?
be in the mood ---- feel like doing something
He was not in the mood for teaching today.
He emed to be annoyed and in the mood to question everything.
in the ca of ---- in situations of
The law will apply equally to men and women except in the ca of maternity leave.
Climate is especially important in the ca of articles that are readily affected by moisture. bumblebee ----【熊蜂】Any of various large, hairy, social bees of the genus Bombs that nest underground. Also called humblebee.
tumble in (a situation or somewhere) ---- suddenly get into (that situation without being able to stop onelf)
She tumbled into love.
The world tumbled into atomic age.
你x我xxfigure out ----understand (someone or something), or to find the answer to (something) by thinking
I can‟t figure out why he did it.
珍宝的英文Can you figure out how to open this box?
be/get up to ---- be engaged in; be busy with
What have you been up to lately?
Children are always getting up to mischief.
lash out ---- try to hit someone with hands, feet or a weapon
恐怖短故事
When cornered, they lashed out with savage kicks.
The article lashed out at a social injustice.
