中級英語
1. THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA
2. COLOR AND LIFE
1. THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA
THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA
The Old Man and the Sea may very well become one of the true classics of this generation. Certainly, the qualities of Ernest Hemingway`s short novel are those which we associate with many great stories of the past: near perfection of form within the limitations of its subject matter, restraint of treatment, regard for the unities of time and place, and evocative simplicity of style. Also, like most great stories, it can be read on more than one level of meaning. On one it is an exciting but tragic adventure story. Sustained by the pride of his calling, the only pride he has left ,a broken old fisherman ventures far out into the Gulf Stream and there hooks the biggest marlin ever seen in those waters .Then, alone and exhausted by his struggle to harpoon the giant fish, he is forced into a losing battle with marauding sharks; they leave him nothing but the skeleton of his catch. On another level the book is a fable of the unconquerable spirit of man, a creature capable of snatching spiritual victory from circumstances of disaster and material defeat .On still another it is a parable of religious significance, its theme supported by the writer’s unobtrusive handling of Christian symbols and metaphors .Like Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner, Hemingway’s Cuban fisherman is a character allowing the imagination of his creator to operate simultaneously in two different worlds of meaning and value, the one real and dramatic, the other moral and devotionally symbolic.
evocative adj. 唤出的，唤起的
harpoon v. 用鱼叉叉，用鱼叉捕获
maraud v. 动掠，掠夺，袭击
老人与海
老人与海完全可能成为当代一部名副其实的经典作品。厄纳斯特'海明威的这部短篇小说无疑具有以往许多巨著的共同特点:在题材所限的范围内几乎达到形式上的完美无缺、处理方法谨严、注意时间和地点的统一，行文简洁而内涵很深。另外，和极大多数巨著一样，海明威的这篇小说读起来可有不止一层的意思。一方面，这是一个激动人心的带有悲剧性的冒险故事。故事讲到一个精神沮丧的老淦人，在他对职业的自豪感（他留下的唯一自豪感）的支持之下，冒险远航至墨西哥湾流并在那里钓住了一条该水域中从未见过的最大的马林鱼。故事接着说到他孤零零地、在因奋力叉住这条大鱼而耗尽了力气之后，被近投入一场和一群海盗似的鲨鱼的绝望的搏斗之中，结果是那些鲨鱼只给他留下了猎获物的一具骨架。另一方面，这又是一个寓言，它描述了人所具有的不可征服的精神力量——一个人如何从灾难和实际失败的环境中攫取精神上的胜利。再一方面，这是带有宗教意义的一种隐喻，作者不引人注目地给这一主题添加了基督教的一些象征和比喻。和柯乐律治笔下的“老水手”一样，海明威笔下的古马淦民是这样一个角色，他容许作者的想象力同时在两个领域中活动，这两个领域具有不同的意义和价值，一个注意写实，有着动人的情节；另一个则侧重道德说教充满象征的意思义。
2. COLOR AND LIFE
COLOR AND LIFE
What is your favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange, red ? If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader ,an active person who enjoys life ,people and excitement. Do you prefer grays and blues? Then you are probably quiet, shy and you would rather follow than lead. You tend to be a pessimist. At least, this is what psychologists tell us and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of color preference, as well as the effect that colors have on human beings .They tell us, among other facts ,that we ate born with our preference. If you happen to love brown, you did so, as soon as you opened your eyes , or at least as soon as you could see clearly.
Colors do influence our moods--there is no doubt about it .A yellow room makes most people feel more cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one ;and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day .On the other hand ,black is depressing. A black bridge over the Thames River, near London, used to be the scene of more suicides than any other bridge in the area--until it was repainted green. The number of suicide attempts immediately; perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue.
Light and colors make people not only happier but more active. It is an established fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or grey.
optimist n. 乐观者
pessimist n. 悲观者
repaint v. 重新涂漆
established a. 证实的
色彩与人生
你最喜欢什么色彩?你喜欢黄色、橙色和红色吗？倘若如此，你准是一个乐观的人，一个领导者，一个享受人生、乐于交往、容易激动、积极向上的人。你偏爱灰，蓝系列色彩吗？那么，你很可能缄默，羞怯，你宁愿被别人领导而不愿领导别人。你有悲观者的倾向。至少，这是心理学家告诉我们的，他们应该是这方面的专家，因为他们一直在认认真真的地研究色彩偏爱的意义以及各种色彩对人的不同影响。他们告诉我们许多东西，其中之一是我们在成长过程中挑选取自己偏爱的色彩——我们的这种偏爱与生俱来。假设你碰巧喜欢褐色，当初你一睁眼看到这个世界，或至少当你看清这个世界的时候，你就喜欢上褐色了。
色彩的确影响我们的情绪——这一点毫无疑问。大多数人在一个黄色的房间比在深色的房间更感到愉悦松弛；一件红衣服在最凄凉的冬日也能给人带来温暖和振奋。而黑色却使人压抑。伦敦附近的泰晤士河上曾有一座黑色的桥，在这座桥上自杀的人数比这一地区任何一座桥都多。后来人们把它漆成绿色，企图自杀的人数立刻骤减；倘若将这座桥墩漆成粉红色或浅蓝色，下降幅度或许会更大。
浅色或艳丽的色彩不仅使人更加愉快也更积极向上。事实证明，如果把工厂里的机器漆成橘黄色而不是黑色或灰色，工人就会干得更勤奋、更出色，事故也会更少。?
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註 ： 上述論壇為會員們的投稿，有關內容和觀點不代表長青會的觀點和立場。