English Intensive Reading 吉林大学远程教育学院
Introduction Text Language Points Grammar
				Lesson 6    Language Points  ( Page 5)
			The instinct which prompted his outburst, and the joy of its gratification, are possessed by all children. Meaning:Archimedes was just like a child when he discovered the principle of water displacement while having a bath. As the story goes, his joy and delight were so spontaneous that he ran down the street shouting, " Eureka, Eureka!“ - and, like a child,forgot to put his clothes on! Highet is saying that this spontaneous joy of discovery is possessed by all children but is unfortunately inhibited by most school systems, where learning becomes a drudgery. 本能的喜悦从他们内心中迸发出来,而这种本能是所有儿童都具有的。 prompt: (1) (v.) to inspire;to spur 鼓励；激发 1.He is prompted by patriotism. 他为爱国心所激励。 2.What prompted him to be so generous? 是什么使他如此的大方？ (2) (adj.)acting,done,sent,given without delay 迅速的；敏捷的；即时的 1.He made a prompt reply to this question. 他迅速的回答可这个问题。 2.She is prompt to volunteer. 她是个勇敢的人。 outburst:(n.)a sudden powerful expression of feeling or activity 爆发；突发 1.He can’t hold the outburst of tears. 他抑制不住眼泪夺眶而出。 2.I could hear an outburst of cheers in that classroom. 我听到了那个教室传出一阵欢呼声。 burst out: to explain;to begin to speak 大声说出；咆哮的说 1.He burst out into threats. 他突然大声威胁。 2.She burst out crying. 她突然大哭起来。 burst into:to send out suddenly 突然发生；爆发 1.She burst into tears. 她突然大哭起来。 2.The building burst into fire. 建筑物突然着了火。 burst in : to interrupt 打断；突然插嘴；突然出现 1.He burst in upon our conversation. 他打断我们的谈话。 2.Her bursting in upon me made me thrilled. 她的突然出现令我兴奋不已。 burst on :to come suddenly or unexpectedly 突然或意外的出现于 1.The view burst on our sight. 那景象突然出现在我们的眼前。 2.The truth burst upon him. 他突然领悟到那道理。 gratification: (n.) pleasure and satisfaction 喜悦；满意 1.I have the gratification of knowing you. 认识你很高兴。 2.He has the gratification of your work. 他对你的工作很满意。 gratify: (v.) (1) to give pleasure or satisfaction 使高兴；使满意 1.It gratified me to learn that you had been successful. 获悉你成功了，我很高兴。 2.We were gratified with that result. 我们对此结果很满意。 (2)to indulge;to give what is desired to 使满足;给与所需要的东西 1.He tries his best to gratify what she wants.. 他尽力去满足她所求。 2.Her thirst for knowledge has been gratified . 她的求知欲已得到了满足。 It is because they were made dull, by bad teaching, by isolation, by surrender to routine, sometimes , too, by the pressure of hard work and poverty, or by the toxin of riches, with all their ephemeral and trivial delights. Meaning:Here, by asking question and then providing the answer, Highet reveals his insight into the factors that made people dull and incurious. He believes that these factors could dull people's brains, diminish their curiosity and destroy their natural interest in learning. His point is that viewing learning as dull and boring is a very unnatural response that is produced by poor teaching. A poor attitude to learning is not a natural response but one that is induced by a negative environment either poverty or riches. Furthermore , riches should bear more responsibility in making people's brains dull, killing their intellectual curiosity, and spoiling their natural interest in learning. 这是由于他们受到不良教育的影响，受到孤僻、日常工作束缚的影响，或有时由于辛苦的工作和贫穷的压力，或是受了及时行乐的富人们的腐蚀，而使他们觉得生活乏味。