Lesson4TheInvisibleJapaneseGentlemen

1、Lesson 4 The Invisible Japanese GentlemenWord ListI courteous a. characterized by gracious consideration toward others/ polite 谦恭的，有礼白勺2. blonde a. & n. having golden or pale-coloured hair 白肤金发(女子)3. petitea. small, slender, and trim, (used of a girl or woman)娇小的4. Regency n. typical of the peri

2、od 1810-1820 in England 摄政时期(1811 1820 年)a person or group selected to govern in place of a monarch or other ruler who is absent, disabled, or still in minority 摄政者5. oval n. & a. resembling an egg in shape 卵形白勺/ resembling an ellipse in shape; elliptical椭圆形的6. miniature n. a copy or model that

3、represents or reproduces something in a greatlyreduced size缩小模型，缩微模型a small painting executed with great detail, often on a surface such as ivory 微型画a. being on a small or greatly reduced scale 小型的7. signet-ring n. signet - seal 图章戒指&aviaryn.a laye enclosure for holding birds in confinement 大鸟舍

4、cage9. fiancen.a man engaged to be married 未婚夫10. paneln.a flat, usually rectangular piece forming a raised, recessed, or framedpart of thesurface in which it is set 镶板II sensitivity n.sensitive a. easily influenced to the attitudes, feelings, or circumstances of others 敏感白勺 e.g. She is sensitive to

5、 what people think of her.她很敏感人们对她是怎么想的。12. paperback n. a book having a flexible paper binding 平装本 (hardcover 精装本)13. emteh n. a device used for assistance or support 支扌堂物e.g. to walk on emtehes 拄着拐杖走路14. rake v. aim heavy gunfire along the length of 扫射search or examine thoroughly 搜索e.g. rake throu

6、gh the files for the misplaced letter 为找一封错放的信而搜找那些文件 rake the library for new books在图书馆里寻找新书 rake the sky with a searchlight 用探照灯扫视天空The clouds raked the mountain summits.云朵掠过山峰。15. champagne n.香槟酒16. elaborate a. intricate and rich in detail 复杂精美的/ complicated/carefully prepared andfinished/ very

7、detailed and complicatedv. express at greater length or in greater detail 详述e.g. an elaborate lace pattern复杂精美的花边图案The chairman just wanted the facts; you don*t need to elaborate on them 主席只想了解事实,你不必作详细说明。17. courtesy n. polite behavior 有礼貌的举止行为courteous a.18. enfeeble v. deprive of strength; make f

8、eeble 使丧失力量：使虚弱 feeble a.e.g. I felt feeble when I was ill.我生病的时候感到很虚弱。Grandmother has been getting feebler lately. 15来祖母愈益衰弱 了。19. snatch v. & n. grasp or seize hastily, eagerly, or suddenly 抢夺e.g. He snatched up his gun and fired.他突然取岀枪来射击。He snatched the book from my hands.他从我的手里抢走 了 书。A bird

9、 had snatched up the snake from the ground and then dropped it on to the wires 一只飞禽从地上抓起了这条蛇，后来把它丢落在电线上。snatch at the chance of 抓住机会20. decorative a. serving to decorate or embellish: ornamental 装饰性的；装饰的decorate v.decoration n.21 submit v. give in to the authority, power, or desires of another H艮、 o

10、ffer as a proposition or contention 将作为意见提岀submission n.e.g. refuse to submit to an unjust decision 拒绝服从不公正的决定I submitted my papers to the examiner.我把试卷交给主考老师。I hope you can submit you term papers before the deadline 我希望你们能在最后限期之前交上你们的学期论文。 submit willingly 心悦诚服22. simultaneously ad.simultaneous a.

11、happening, existing, or done at the same time 同时的e.g This event was almost simultaneous with that one这件事几乎是与那件事同时发生的。23. counterpart n. one that closely resembles another 相似物24. Naples n.那不勒斯（意大利港市）25. abrasive a. harsh and rough in manner 生硬粗暴的26. blurb n. a brief publicity notice, as on a book jac

12、ket 简介27. evasive a. inclincd or intended to evade 逃避的evade v.e.g. take evasive action 采取逃避行动evade responsibility 回避责任ThemeIn this sort story, Greene creates the favourable image of a girL who is not only attractive in looks but also firm in spirit. She has just had her first novel published, and no

13、w intoxicated by her success and mflated by the publisher's praise, she wants to stake her fiiture on a writer's career. For such a girl, Greene expresses great sympathy and deep concern, himself being a veteran author who knows all the problems and sufferings of being a writer. While he see

14、ms to be worrying abut the particular girl, he offers all young would-be writers his reflections on being a writer and his advice to them on choosing other careers than writingGreene seriously believes that writing requires enormous pains and is never an easy job A writer may put forth “years of eff

15、ort'' but end up in "doing nothing well '. The girl obviously did not realize this when she set out to write Beside, writing calls for extremely keen observation. The girl is certainly not up to the job. for she fails to notice even those Japanese gentlemen seated highly visibly in

16、an English restaurant. The girl is sure to suffer if she really embarks on a career as a novelist. As an older person of about her mother's age, Greene cannot bear to see her, whom he has affectionately portrayed in the story, suffer in her future life. He would like to advise her to take up som

17、e other job. because in his words, "she deserves better of life*' then toiling as a professional scribble匚The girl's fiance and the Japanese gentlemen hav已 respective roles to play m the story. The man is described as weak in personality and as such, serves as a perfect foil for the gir

18、l's strong character. In several places of the story, the author gives meticulously detailed descriptions of the Japanese gentlemen at the fish dinner. Although the girl is also mentioned as having looked at them on a number of occasions, her glances have never come to anything In this way, the

19、girfs exaggerated powers of observation are set well apart from a true writer's watchfulness. The title of the stor)f epitomizes this meaningDetailed explanation of the difficulty sentenceThere were eight Japanese gentlemen having a fish dinner at Bentlev*s Thev spoke to each other rarely in the

20、ir incomprehensible tongue, but always with a courteous smile and often with a small bow. All but one of them wore glasses. Sometimes the pretty girl who sat in the window beyond gave them a passing glance, but her own problem seemed too serious for her to pay real attention to anyone in the world e

21、xcept herself and her companion.(what the writer observed)They hardly ever spoke during the meal, when they did speak, they spoke in their native tongue Japanese, which was impossible to understand (incomprehensible) to the author.(bay window) A large window or series of windows projecting from the

22、outer wall of a building and forming a recess within 凸窗，从 楼的外墙突出来的一个大窗或一连串窗子， 里而形成一个凹壁She had thin blonde hair and her face was pretty and petite in a Regency way. oval like a miniature (a sharp contrast)though she had a harsh way of speaking perhaps the accent of the school. Roedean or Cheltenham L

23、adies* College, which she had notHer face was small, delicate, and clean. and was as oval-shaped as a miniature, representing the typical feminine face admired as perfect by people in Regency timeShe spoke in a firm, commanding tone and an upper-class manner, typical of those who had been educated a

24、t Roedean or Cheltenham Ladies' College (a public school = private secondary school e.g. Eton College), both being highly prestigious schools for upper-class young women (ladies with a good family background).long ago left. She wore a man's signet-ring on her engagement finger. and as I sat

25、down at my table, with the Japanese gentlemen between us, she said, 'So you see we could marry next week*.Yes?1Her companion appeared a littlesomewhat worried or upset about what to dodistraught.He refilled their glasses with Chablis and said. Of course, but Mother./ I missed some of the convers

26、ation then, because the eldest Japanese gentleman leant across the table, with a smile and a little bow, and uttered a whole paragraph like the mutter from an aviary, while everyone bent towards him and smiled and listened, and I couldn't help attending to him myself.next, being in the difficult

27、 dilemma of a marriage and a jobexpensive dry, still white wine from East France (affordable only to upper-class people)sth incomprehensiblepaying attention toThe girfs fiance resembled her physically. I could see them as two miniatures hanginjj side by side on white wood panels.He should have been

28、a young officer inThe couple were so striking in appearance that Greene began to imagine them to be two small portraits hanging side by side on the wall./ thin, rectangular or square boards as decoration for the surface of a wall a door, etc.Greene presumed that since the man had Nelson s looks, he

29、would haxe had a fine character as Nelson did. "a certain weakness and sensitivity" refers to the man s effeminate looks . which would be regarded as a weakness nowadays and which people were tolerant of or even admire in Nelson's time.(The author presumed that since the man had Nelson

30、 "s looks, he would have had a fine character as Nelson did.)Nelson's navy in the days when a certainweakness and sensitivity were no bar topromotion She said. They are giving me an advance of five hundred pounds, and they've sold the paperback rishts already/The hard commercial declara

31、tion came as apaymentcopyright for paperback books /Greene had formed a romantic image of the girl as loveable and pretty. But he was not prepared to learn that she also had a strong character. Now her unrelenting remark on money matters suddenly shocked him into realizing that she was morally stron

32、g The second shock came to Greene as she announced she also wrote novels. (The reason why is given in the last two sentences of the paragraph. As a veteran writer, Greene knew all the pains of the profession.He would never haveimagined, and indeed could not really bringshock to me; it was a shock to

33、o that she wasone of mv own profession. She couldn't have been more than twenty.She deserved better of lifehimself to believe, that such a beautiful young lady could have chosen such a hard job.)She should have enjoyed an easier life than toiling as a novelist.He said, 'But my uncle.'

34、9;You know vou don't get on with him. This way we shall be quite independent?9 You will be independent/ he said grudgingly.The wine-trade wouldn't really suit vou. would it? I spoke to my publisher about you and there's a very good chance. if you began with some reading.1'But I don&#

35、39;t know a thing about books.1I would help you at the start.1'My mother says that writing is a good crutch./Five hundred pounds and half the paperback rights is a pretty solid crutch.* she said.This Chablis is good, isn't it?'I daresay/I beaan to chanse mv opinion of him - he had not th

36、e Nelson touchHe was doomed to defeat. She came(The fact that he was always referring to his mother and uncle was an indication of an indecisive, dependent character, and his being frequently interrupted by his fiancee was the sign of a weak character )You don't have a good relationship with him

37、./ if we do as I have said, i.c. Get married and live on my earningsHe said this unwillingly with a stress on the word "you： because he had yet no means of making a living, and would be dependent on her if they got married in the way she said.the trade the man's uncle wanted him to take upT

38、he girl was so blinded by the success with her first novel that she unrealistically thought that if her fiance started reading some books now, he might soon be a successful writer too. while in fact didift know a thing about writingHis mother disapproved of writing as the main thing (a career), but

39、thought writing was good only as an auxiliary support(to defend herself: If you should think writing is a crutch. I would argue that it is a pretty solid emteh. Il can be the main source of a living.) (to change the topic)It seems to me likely or possible(Now that he had heard more of the conversati

40、on between the couple in which the girl was always on the offensive and the man could only use his mother's or uncle words to defend himself -丿Green realized that there existed a fundamental difference between the man and Nelson. The man was weak in nature, while Nelson bravery was legendary (ex

41、tremely well known)./ a person's distinctive quality(metaphor: two warships close to each other inalongside and raked him fore and aft. Do you know what Mr Dwight said?'Whot Dwight?1Darling, you don't listen, do you? My publisher. He said he hadn't read a first novel in the last ten

42、years which showed such powers of observation/That wonderful/ he said sadly, 'wonderful.'*Only he wants me to change the title.1Yes?'He doesn't like The Ever-Rolling Stream. He wants to call it The Chelsea Set.1a parallel formation) The girfs verbal attack on her fiance was imagined

43、to be overwhelming firing and shelling from one warship onto the other./ (he front and backanyfeeling sad and uneasy for being overshadowed by his fianceesuccess(His interest was aroused. )(title sounding hollow or profound, signifying the eternal cycle of life and death; her choice of words suestin

44、 her naivety as well as ambition )(The original title might not sell the book well. The publishers would have a shrewd idea of what title fitted a book better.)Chelsea 一 a fashionable district in west London, famous as a quarter where popular artists of a rather shallow talent, concerned mostly with

45、 fashion and popular music, gather and show off. (He's very Chelsea 一 he lives in a way which is less restricted than most people, taking no notice of conventional rules of behavior.)Besides. k the everollmg stream'* was an awkward collocation. for the usual collocations would be "eveTo

46、lling waves'、and "gurgling streams'. Tlie new title "The Chelsea Set' was more alluring, and put the book into the right category where it belongedWhat did you say?1*1 agreed. I do think that with a first novel one should try to keep one's publisher happy. Especially when,

47、really, he's going to pay for our marriage, isn't he?*I see what vou mean/ Absent-mindedly he stirred his Chablis with a fork - perhaps before the engagement he had always bought champagne. The Japanese sentiemen had finished their fish and with veryr little English but with elaborate courte

48、sy they were ordering from the middle-aged waitress a fresh fruit salad. The girl looked at them, and then she looked at me, but I think she saw only the future. I wanted very much to warn her against any future based on a first novel called TheI understand what you are trying to say./ (his curiosit

49、y faded away “g"加J/This implies that the man no longer thought the occasion of their meeting had any atmosphere of celebration for which champagne would be fit. complicated mannersThe girfs forceful and domineering personality made Greene like her all the more. HeChelsea Set.I was on the side o

50、f his mother.It was a humiliating thought, but I was probably about her mother's agetherefore became concerned about her future. He didn't wish to see the girl become a writer and then suffer and fail. He wanted to warn her that a first novel with such a silly and ephemeral title should neve

51、r mean anything like a career.I agreed with is mother that writing should not be a careen but only a "crutch"Although knowing oneself to be old would cause discomfort and embarrassment, I was actually about her mother's age, and therefore quite in a position to advise her about her ful

52、urc. (it = but clause)I wanted to say to her. Are you certain your publisher is telling vou the truth?Green suspected that the value of the giN's book had been unduly exaggerated by the publisher, who was perhaps impressed not by the book itself, but by its author youth and beauty. With such sha

53、llow contents, the book might be popular today, hut would perhaps be forgotten tomorrow.The frustration of being unable to write anything good for many yearsby what you have actually written, not by any indication of potential success in youPublishers are human. They may sometimes exaggerate the vir

54、tues of the youns and the pretty. Will The Chelsea Set be read in five years?Are you prepared for the years of effort, 'the long defeat of doing nothing well'? As the years pass writing will not become any easier, the daily effort will grow harder to endure, those powers of obsen-ation will

55、become enfeebled; you will be judged, when you reach your forties, by performance and not by promise'My next novel is going to be about St Tropez.*1 didn't know you'd ever been there.*I haven't A fresh eye's terribly important. I thought we might settle down there for six months.

56、*There wouldn't be much left of the advance by that time.*The advance is only an advance I get fifteen per cent after five thousand copies and twenty per cent after ten. And of course another advance will be due, darling, when the next(How can you write about a place you don't know?)It's

57、 all good to see something new. The girl was trying to justify herself in writing about a place she had not been to. She was arguing that if the place was new to you, and you went there for the first time, it would be all the better for you to write about it.paidbook's finished A bigger one if T

58、he Chelsea Set sells well.1'Suppose it doesn't.'*Mr Dwight says it will. He ought to know.1*My uncle would start me at twelve hundred.1'But, darling, how could you come then to St Tropez?1Perhaps we'd do better to marry when you come back1She said harshly, I mightn come back if T

59、he Chelsea Set sells enough/Oh?She looked at me and the party of Japanese gentlemen. She finished her wine She said. Ts this a quarrel?*No/Tvc got the title for the next book - The Azure Blue.1*1 thought azure was blue/She looked at him with disappointment. 'You don't really want to be married to a novelist, do you?*'You aren't one yet.1T was born one - Mr Dwight says. My powers of observation.1*Yes. You told me that, but, dear, couldn't you observe a bit nearer home? Her