第三十九讲

   Passage II Begin Each Day with a Fresh Plan of Attack
   Warm-up:
   1. Who is the busiest person in your class?
   2. What do you think about making a study plan?

   Reading of the passage
   Begin Each Day with a Fresh Plan of Attack

   (para.1)You’d hoped that when you got in this morning, it would be gone. But that towering pile of work --everything from mail to memos--is right where you left it. The boss pops in to ask if you can spare a few minutes. You’re drowning in a pile of papers, and she wants to know if you can spare a few minutes. All she’s going to do is to give you more work anyway. This job is impossible!

   (para.2) Is that what your work life feels like day after day--an endless number of little tasks and big headaches? Preplan your day and this will help you feel good about yourself and your job!

   (para.3) It’s 9:00 a.m., and you’re sitting at your desk staring at a long report, performance reviews, three memos to answer and a press release. It has all got to be done, but you can’t even decide where to begin. If only somebody could organize this mess. Well, somebody can--you!

   (para.4) In fact your mistake is trying to face this entire first thing in the morning without a plan of action and this is enough to ruin your whole day--maybe even a week. Instead, take the last thirty minutes of each day to examine what looms ahead the next.

   Some difficult sentences.

   1. But that towering pile of work --everything from mail to memos--is right where you left it. (para1).
   Analysis:
   可实际上这堆成山似的工作，什么邮件呀，备忘录呀仍旧在原来的地方摆着。
   e.g. But that large sum of your papers----everything from compositions to lab reports is right where you put it.
   from…to… gives examples for everything. Where-clause introduces a subject complement clause of the link verb is and right as an adverb is used here for emphasis.

   2. You’d hoped that when you got in this morning, it would be gone. (para1)
   All she is going to do is to give you more work anyway.
   说到底，她就是要你干更多的活。
   If only someone could organize this mess.(para3) 要是有人能收拾着乱摊子多好啊。
   Analysis: without the main clause If only introduces a clause to express a wish or desire requiring the use of he subjunctive mood, thus could is used here instead of “can”
mess : disorder. in a mess.
   eg: When I returned , I found my room in a mess.
   What a mess! Everything is the floor.
   4. Instead, take the last thirty minutes of each day to examine what looms ahead the next.    (para. 4)
   Analysis: Instead is an adverb used here to indicate that what has been said in the previous sentences is not proper while what follows is the right way.
   e.g. Instead, set aside one hour each day to review what you have learned.
   相反，每日下班前半个小时，检查一下第二天要做的工作
   Important words:
   1. drown淹死，淹没
   eg Hundreds of people drowned in the flood.
   The houses and streets were drowned by the flood.

   2. performance: the act or process of performing or carrying out
   eg: Our football team’s performance has been excellent this year.
   The band will give two more performances before leaving China.

   3. Mess: a confused or dirty state
   What a mess! Everything is on the floor.
   They cleaned up the mess before they left.

   4. action: doing things/ deeds
   We must take actions before it is too late.
   A man of action is not content just to talk.