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散文:Look for the rusty lining

时间:2009-03-28 03:04来源:互联网 提供网友:龙xing天下   字体: [ ]
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    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

"Every cloud has a silver lining1," says the optimist2. It follows naturally, then, that the pessimist3 must favor "looking for the rusty5 lining". Just as the optimist can always find reasons for hoping that bad situations can improve, so the best pessimist can always find that in every situation here is something you can worry about. In the essay, the author, a self-proclaimed pessimist, claims to be worried about being swallowed by things from outer space and about much else besides. He certainly seems to be what is known as "a born worrier", though how serious he is about it all you can judge for yourself.

LOOK FOR THE RUSTY LINING

Ralph Schoenstein

My grandfather's hobby was worrying, and although hobbies are not usually thought of as being inheritable, I am a talented worrier, too. My grandfather's glum6 genes8, which skipped my merry father, have reflowered in me as a major, all-purpose anxiety. A few weeks ago, for example, I learned that collapsing9 stars called black holes may soon such up all the matter in the universe. Because I read this in Vogue10, I hoped at first that the black holes were some kind of fad11 -- a celestial12 pop event like Kohoutek or UFOs -- but then I saw that the author of the article had been twice a visiting member at the Institute for Advanced Study, in Princeton, and I knew that another crisis was at hand. Ominously13, the Institute is just down the street from where I do my worrying.

The end of the universe should have been a splendid challenge for a gifted worrier like me, but mostly it upset me in a new and worrisome way, because it made me realize that I was spread too thin. When I found the black-hole story, I hadn't nearly come to the end of an earlier wonderful worry of mine about the polar ice cap melting and raising the level of the Atlantic Ocean enough to submerge the entire East Coast. I had been thinking of moving my family to Saskatchewan, but now that I was falling behind in my worrying, I had to worry if Saskatchewan might be tastier for a black hole than Princeton. On the other hand, Princeton was closer to those African killer14 bees that have been inexorably moving north from Brazil -- the ones that made me decide not to visit Central America last winter. The bees are getting very close to Central America, and Panama may be the only place where there is a chance to turn them back. Of course, even if it had only butterflies, Panama would still be a worrisome vacation spot for me, because it is said to be riddled16 with as much anti-American feeling as Boston.

In these terrible days, I often think of my grandfather, who was a nervous wreck17 in a simpler and happier time. His worries were transient and nicely manageable: When would Mel Ott start hitting again? When would Eleanor Roosevelt collapse18 from too much traveling around? When would the Third Avenue "L" rust4 away? I miss him, but he is lucky not to be alive and worrying today. I don't think he could have handled all the terrors that keep testing my sanity19; he might even have surrendered and become an optimist, thus forfeiting20 the hobby he loved.

He was my inspiration when I was a boy -- a worrier to look up to. He used to visit me in my room, where he would examine my homework and then shake his head and say, "You'll never get through medical school with spelling like this."

"But these are band-new words," I would tell him in a worried way. "Spelling is harder this year than it was in the second grade."

He would sigh and say, "I don't know. I'm not even sure you should be a doctor at all. I just read that they have the highest rate for dropping dead."

My grandfather's quaint21 worries about me and Mel Ott and Eleanor Roosevelt are enough to make a contemporary worrier weep with envy. I wonder what he would have done if he had read a recent prediction by Gunnar Myrdal that the American economy could utterly22 collapse within five years -- just before the Eastern tidal wave but shortly after the arrival of the bees. Probably he would have adopted something like my own advanced worrying posture23 and learned to make room for each new worry by letting it trump24 one of the old ones. For example, when I read about the inundation25 of the East I forgot about my overdue26 Bloomingdale's bill; when I read Gunnar Myrdal's warning I decided27 to stop worrying about what would happen if Connecticut ever ran out of antiques. When I heard about the bees I eased off my worry about a root canal of mine and let the Panama Canal replace it on the Top Twenty.

What a list! Something old and something new, something cosmic yet something trivial too, for the creative worrier must forever blend the pedestrian with the immemorial. If the sun burns out, will the Mets be able to play their entire schedule at night? If cryogenically frozen human beings are ever revived, will they have to re-register to vote? And if the little toe disappears, will field goals play a smaller part in the National Football League?

Actually, I've never had a worry as worrisome as the universe-destroying black holes. I mean, the universe is where I do all my worrying, and if it suddenly disappears I may not be able to relocate. My only hope comes from a first principle of worry that I have learned in a lifetime of anxiety; i.e., some of the biggest problems are half of a self-cancelling pair. A nice example is that dreaded28 polar ice cap, which some scientists say isn't starting to melt at all but instead will shortly begin to enlarge rapidly, giving birth to a new ice age that soon will cover the entire United States. I worried about this ice layer form last February 9th until about Labor29 Day, by which time my worry about the price of bottom round had reduced it to the size of a rink. Lately, however, I have turned my mind back to the ice again, and I have been worrying about the fact that you cannot have ice that is growing and melting at the same time. One of these terrors is a dud, and the job of the dedicated30 worrier is to find out which one it is.

Applying this principle to the black holes, I wonder if there may not be some white holes in space as well -- pretty, glowing things that won't digest a universe but may prefer to spit it out again. All I need is a new flash from the Institute about one of these, and then perhaps I will be able to start worrying about chinch bugs32 and the male menopause and all the other gentle terrors my grandfather could endorse33.

Is that the right way to spell "chinch bugs"?

New Words

rusty

a. covered with rust, rusted34 生锈的

lining

n. the inner surface of sth. 衬里

inheritable

a. that can be inherited

inherit

vt. receive (property, a title, etc.) left by someone who has died

worrier

n. a person who worries

glum

a. sad, gloomy

gene7

n. a tiny unit of a plant or animal cell that determines a characteristic that will be passed onto the offspring of the parent 基因

reflower

vi. flower again; (fig.) be at one's or its best once more

all-purpose

a. that can be used for any purpose

suck

vt. draw into the mouth by using the lips, cheeks and tongue; absorb 吸

vogue

n. the popular fashion or custom at a certain time

fad

n. (infml) an intense but short-lived fashion

celestial

a. of the sky or heaven

UFO

unidentified flying object 不明飞行物,飞碟

ominously

ad. of bad omen35; unfavorably, threateningly

worrisome

a. which troubles one or makes one anxious

polar

a. of or near the North or South pole

submerge

v. (to cause) to go under the surface of water

tasty

a. having a pleasant taste; full of flavor

inexorably

ad. in a relentless36 way; unyieldingly 毫不宽容地

riddle15

vt. make many holes in

wreck

n. a destroyed or much injured ship; (fig.) a person who has lost his health or money

quaint

a. strange or odd in an interesting, pleasing, or amusing way

transient

a. lasting37 for only short time; quickly passing

manageable

a. easy or possible to control or deal with

rust

v. make or become rusty

terror

n. (a person or thing that causes) great or intense fear

surrender

v. give up or give in to the power of (esp. of an enemy) as a sign of defeat

optimist

n. one who is hopeful about the future

inspiration

n. a felling of enthusiasm and encouragement one get from sb. or sth. that give new ideas and the desire to create 灵感

inspire vt.

eastern

a. of or belonging to the east part of the world or a country

posture

n. a way of behaving or thinking on a particular occasion; attitude

trump

vt. take (a trick or card of another suit) with a trump; (fig.) be better than; surpass

antique

n. a piece of furniture, jewelry38, etc, that was made a very long time ago and is therefore valuable

inundation

n. the act or fact of overflowing39; flood 泛滥;洪水

overdue

a. left unpaid40 too long

warning

n. a notice of coming danger given beforehand

canal

n. a waterway dug across land for ships to go through

pedestrian

n. a person who goes on foot; walker

a. (fig.) without imagination; dull, slow, commonplace

immemorial

a. originating in the distant past, ancient

cryogenically

ad. by using very low temperatures

toe

n. one of the end parts of the foot 脚趾,足尖

relocate

v. move to or establish in a new place

self-cancelling

a. cancelling itself out

cancel

vt. neutralize41 or balance in force or influence; offset42

enlarge

v. make or become larger

rink

n. a sheet of ice for skating 溜冰场

dud

n. a shell or bomb that fails to explode; (sl.) a failure

digest

vt. change food into simple substance that can be absorbed by the body

spit

vt. eject or discharge (sth.) from the mouth 吐出

flash

n. a short new announcement concerning a new event

chinch bug31

n. a black-and-white tropical American insect that does much damage to wheat, corn, grass and other plants in dry weather 麦虱

menopause

n. the period during which a woman's menstrual cycle ends, normally occurring at an age of 45 to 50 绝经期

endorse

vt. give public approval of; support greatly

Phrases & Expressions

suck up

draw liquids etc. up a tube by making a vacuum at its upper end

but then

but on the other hand; but at the same time

at hand

coming soon; almost here; nearby

turn back

cause to go back

look up to

admire; regard with respect

get through

be successful in; manage to do, complete, etc.

drop dead

die suddenly

make room for

provide space for

run out of

finish; exhaust

ease off

do with less severity or intensity43; become less severe

burn out

use up its fuel

play a part

do a share; have an effect on

Proper Names

Ralph Schoenstein 拉尔夫.舍恩斯坦

Vogue 《时尚》半月刊

Atlantic, the 大西洋

Saskatchewan 萨斯喀彻温

Brazil 巴西

Central America 中美洲

Panama 巴拿马

Boston 波士顿

Mel Ott 梅尔.奥特

Eleanor Roosevelt 埃莉诺.罗斯福

Gunnar Myrdal 冈纳尔.迈达尔

Bloomingdale 布卢明代尔百货公司

Connecticut 康涅狄克州

National Football League 全国橄榄球联赛


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 lining kpgzTO     
n.衬里,衬料
参考例句:
  • The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
  • Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。
2 optimist g4Kzu     
n.乐观的人,乐观主义者
参考例句:
  • We are optimist and realist.我们是乐观主义者,又是现实主义者。
  • Peter,ever the optimist,said things were bound to improve.一向乐观的皮特说,事情必定是会好转的。
3 pessimist lMtxU     
n.悲观者;悲观主义者;厌世
参考例句:
  • An optimist laughs to forget.A pessimist forgets to laugh.乐观者笑着忘却,悲观者忘记怎样笑。
  • The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity.The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.悲观者在每个机会中都看到困难,乐观者在每个困难中都看到机会。
4 rust XYIxu     
n.锈;v.生锈;(脑子)衰退
参考例句:
  • She scraped the rust off the kitchen knife.她擦掉了菜刀上的锈。
  • The rain will rust the iron roof.雨水会使铁皮屋顶生锈。
5 rusty hYlxq     
adj.生锈的;锈色的;荒废了的
参考例句:
  • The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
  • I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用,我的法语又荒疏了。
6 glum klXyF     
adj.闷闷不乐的,阴郁的
参考例句:
  • He was a charming mixture of glum and glee.他是一个很有魅力的人,时而忧伤时而欢笑。
  • She laughed at his glum face.她嘲笑他闷闷不乐的脸。
7 gene WgKxx     
n.遗传因子,基因
参考例句:
  • A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
  • The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。
8 genes 01914f8eac35d7e14afa065217edd8c0     
n.基因( gene的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因,所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪
9 collapsing 6becc10b3eacfd79485e188c6ac90cb2     
压扁[平],毁坏,断裂
参考例句:
  • Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
  • The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。
10 Vogue 6hMwC     
n.时髦,时尚;adj.流行的
参考例句:
  • Flowery carpets became the vogue.花卉地毯变成了时髦货。
  • Short hair came back into vogue about ten years ago.大约十年前短发又开始流行起来了。
11 fad phyzL     
n.时尚;一时流行的狂热;一时的爱好
参考例句:
  • His interest in photography is only a passing fad.他对摄影的兴趣只是一时的爱好罢了。
  • A hot business opportunity is based on a long-term trend not a short-lived fad.一个热门的商机指的是长期的趋势而非一时的流行。
12 celestial 4rUz8     
adj.天体的;天上的
参考例句:
  • The rosy light yet beamed like a celestial dawn.玫瑰色的红光依然象天上的朝霞一样绚丽。
  • Gravity governs the motions of celestial bodies.万有引力控制着天体的运动。
13 ominously Gm6znd     
adv.恶兆地,不吉利地;预示地
参考例句:
  • The wheels scooped up stones which hammered ominously under the car. 车轮搅起的石块,在车身下发出不吉祥的锤击声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Mammy shook her head ominously. 嬷嬷不祥地摇着头。 来自飘(部分)
14 killer rpLziK     
n.杀人者,杀人犯,杀手,屠杀者
参考例句:
  • Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
  • The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。
15 riddle WCfzw     
n.谜,谜语,粗筛;vt.解谜,给…出谜,筛,检查,鉴定,非难,充满于;vi.出谜
参考例句:
  • The riddle couldn't be solved by the child.这个谜语孩子猜不出来。
  • Her disappearance is a complete riddle.她的失踪完全是一个谜。
16 riddled f3814f0c535c32684c8d1f1e36ca329a     
adj.布满的;充斥的;泛滥的v.解谜,出谜题(riddle的过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • The beams are riddled with woodworm. 这些木梁被蛀虫蛀得都是洞。
  • The bodies of the hostages were found riddled with bullets. 在人质的尸体上发现了很多弹孔。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 wreck QMjzE     
n.失事,遇难;沉船;vt.(船等)失事,遇难
参考例句:
  • Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
  • No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。
18 collapse aWvyE     
vi.累倒;昏倒;倒塌;塌陷
参考例句:
  • The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
  • The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。
19 sanity sCwzH     
n.心智健全,神智正常,判断正确
参考例句:
  • I doubt the sanity of such a plan.我怀疑这个计划是否明智。
  • She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
20 forfeiting bbd60c0c559b29a3540c4f9bf25d9744     
(因违反协议、犯规、受罚等)丧失,失去( forfeit的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • In his eyes, giving up his job and forfeiting his wages amounted practically to suicide. 辞事,让工钱,在祥子看就差不多等于自杀。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
  • That would be acknowledging the Railroad's ownership right away-forfeiting their rights for good. 这一来不是就等于干脆承认铁路公司的所有权-永久放弃他们自己的主权吗?
21 quaint 7tqy2     
adj.古雅的,离奇有趣的,奇怪的
参考例句:
  • There were many small lanes in the quaint village.在这古香古色的村庄里,有很多小巷。
  • They still keep some quaint old customs.他们仍然保留着一些稀奇古怪的旧风俗。
22 utterly ZfpzM1     
adv.完全地,绝对地
参考例句:
  • Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民,把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
  • I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。
23 posture q1gzk     
n.姿势,姿态,心态,态度;v.作出某种姿势
参考例句:
  • The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。
  • He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣,摆出一副打架的架势。
24 trump LU1zK     
n.王牌,法宝;v.打出王牌,吹喇叭
参考例句:
  • He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
  • The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手,作为他的王牌。
25 inundation y4fxi     
n.the act or fact of overflowing
参考例句:
  • Otherwise, inundation would ensue to our dismay. 若不疏导,只能眼巴巴看着它泛滥。
  • Therefore this psychology preceded the inundation of Caudillo politics after independence. 在独立后,这一心态助长了考迪罗主义的泛滥。
26 overdue MJYxY     
adj.过期的,到期未付的;早该有的,迟到的
参考例句:
  • The plane is overdue and has been delayed by the bad weather.飞机晚点了,被坏天气耽搁了。
  • The landlady is angry because the rent is overdue.女房东生气了,因为房租过期未付。
27 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
28 dreaded XuNzI3     
adj.令人畏惧的;害怕的v.害怕,恐惧,担心( dread的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句:
  • The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。
  • He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》
29 labor P9Tzs     
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦
参考例句:
  • We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
  • He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后,他已经疲惫不堪了。
30 dedicated duHzy2     
adj.一心一意的;献身的;热诚的
参考例句:
  • He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
  • His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。
31 bug 5skzf     
n.虫子;故障;窃听器;vt.纠缠;装窃听器
参考例句:
  • There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
  • The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。
32 bugs e3255bae220613022d67e26d2e4fa689     
adj.疯狂的,发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 );病菌;虫子;[计算机](制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的)错误
参考例句:
  • All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞,都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
33 endorse rpxxK     
vt.(支票、汇票等)背书,背署;批注;同意
参考例句:
  • No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
  • I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。
34 rusted 79e453270dbdbb2c5fc11d284e95ff6e     
v.(使)生锈( rust的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • I can't get these screws out; they've rusted in. 我无法取出这些螺丝,它们都锈住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • My bike has rusted and needs oil. 我的自行车生锈了,需要上油。 来自《简明英汉词典》
35 omen N5jzY     
n.征兆,预兆;vt.预示
参考例句:
  • The superstitious regard it as a bad omen.迷信的人认为那是一种恶兆。
  • Could this at last be a good omen for peace?这是否终于可以视作和平的吉兆了?
36 relentless VBjzv     
adj.残酷的,不留情的,无怜悯心的
参考例句:
  • The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
  • Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。
37 lasting IpCz02     
adj.永久的,永恒的;vbl.持续,维持
参考例句:
  • The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
  • We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。
38 jewelry 0auz1     
n.(jewllery)(总称)珠宝
参考例句:
  • The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
  • Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。
39 overflowing df84dc195bce4a8f55eb873daf61b924     
n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的,充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
  • The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。
40 unpaid fjEwu     
adj.未付款的,无报酬的
参考例句:
  • Doctors work excessive unpaid overtime.医生过度加班却无报酬。
  • He's doing a month's unpaid work experience with an engineering firm.他正在一家工程公司无偿工作一个月以获得工作经验。
41 neutralize g5hzm     
v.使失效、抵消,使中和
参考例句:
  • Nothing could neutralize its good effects.没有什么能抵消它所产生的好影响。
  • Acids neutralize alkalis and vice versa.酸能使碱中和碱,亦能使酸中和。
42 offset mIZx8     
n.分支,补偿;v.抵消,补偿
参考例句:
  • Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
  • He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。
43 intensity 45Ixd     
n.强烈,剧烈;强度;烈度
参考例句:
  • I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
  • The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。
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