Lesson 24 Beauty 美
课文
A young man sees a sunset and, unable to understand or to express the emotion that it rouses in him, concludes that it must be the gateway to a world that lies beyond.
一个年轻人看到日落，由于无法理解和表达日落在他心中激起的感情，便得出结论：日落处想必是通往遥远世界的大门。
It is difficult for any of us in moments of intense aesthetic experience to resist the suggestion that we are catching a glimpse of a light that shines down to us from a different realm of existence, different and, because the experience is intensely moving, in some way higher.
无论是谁，在强烈感受到美的时刻，心中都不禁油生一种遐想：我们似乎瞥见从另一个世界射向我们的一线光芒，那个世界不仅不同于我们这个世界，而且由于美感的强烈感染，在某些方面比我们这个世界更美好。
And, though the gleams blind and dazzle, yet do they convey a hint of beauty and serenity greater than we have known or imagined.
虽然这光芒令人眼花缭乱，但它确实给予我们一种不曾经历和无法想象的美感和静谧的暗示。
Greater too than we can describe; for language, which was invented to convey the meanings of this world cannot readily be fitted to the uses of another.
这种美感和静谧是我们无法描述的，因为我们发明的语言是用来描述这个世界的含义，不能随便拿来去描述另一个世界。
That all great art has this power of suggesting a world beyond is undeniable.
不可否认，一切伟大的艺术都具有使人遐想到进入天外世界的魅力。
In some moods, nature shares it.
在某种状态下，大自然也有这种魅力。
There is no sky in June so blue that it does not point forward to a bluer, no sunset so beautiful that it does not waken the vision of a greater beauty, a vision which passes before it is fully glimpsed, and in passing leaves an indefinable longing and regret.
六月蔚蓝的天空总使人遥想一个更加蔚蓝的苍穹；美丽的落日总会引起一个更加绚丽的景象未及饱览便一闪即逝，并在消逝中给人留下不可名状的渴望和惆怅。
But, if this world is not merely a bad joke, life a vulgar flare amid the cool radiance of the stars, and existence an empty laugh braying across the mysteries; if these intimations of a something behind and beyond are not evil humour born of indigestion, or whimsies sent by the devil to mock and madden us, if, in a word beauty means something yet we must not seek to interpret the meaning.
如果这个世界不只是一个拙劣的恶作剧，如果人生不只是群星寒光中平凡的一闪，如果存在不只是对神秘事物的一种空虚的笑声，如果某种玄妙事物的暗示不是消化不良引起的邪恶情绪，也不是魔鬼为了捉弄我们，使我们发狂而送给我们的邪念，一句话，如果美有某种意义的话，我闪千万不要去阐明它的意义。
If we glimpse the unutterable, it is unwise to try to utter it, nor should we seek to invest with significance that which we cannot grasp.
如果我瞥见了只可意会不可言传的事物，企图把它说出来，那上不明智的；对于我们不理解的事物，我们也不应该去赋予它某种意义。
Beauty in terms of our human meanings is meaningless.
用对我们人类有意义的词解释美是没有意义的。
词汇讲解
intense
intense [ɪn'tens] adj. （感觉或感情）强烈的
intense heat / cold / pain
intense love / hatred / suffering
【辨析】
intensive adj.（活动等）密集的
an intensive English course
two weeks of intensive negotiations
intensive reading 精读
extensive reading 泛读
labor-intensive industry 劳动密集型产业
capital-intensive industry 资金密集型产业
technology-intensive industry 技术密集型产业
knowledge-intensive industry 知识密集型产业
realm
realm [relm] n. 王国；范围，领域
the realm of literature / science
the political / military realm
the realm of necessity 必然王国
the realm of freedom 自由王国
【近义词】
domain n. 领域；域名；产业；地产
the political domain
the domain of natural science
field / area / world / sphere
the field of politics
the world of art
the area of education
the diplomatic sphere
the ideological sphere
serenity
serenity [sə'renətɪ] n. 静谧，宁静，安详
【同根词】
serene adj. 平静的；宁静的；安详的
【同义词】
placid adj. 温和的；平和的；文静的
tranquil adj. 安静的；平静的；安宁的
a serene summer night
a placid pond
a tranquil little village
a tranquil / serene / placid smile / girl
【近义词】表达“使人镇静下来”：
compose / collect v. 使镇静
He took a deep breath to compose / collect himself.
composed / collected adj. 镇定的
He appeared composed despite the stress.
She tried to stay cool, calm and collected.
composure n. 镇静；沉着
keep / maintain one’s composure 保持镇定
restore / recover / regain one’s composure 恢复镇定
indefinable
indefinable[7ɪndɪ'faɪnəbl] adj. 难以形容的，不可名状的，难以下定义的
indefinable sadness
an indefinable air of mystery
【近义词】表达“无法表达的、难以形容的…”：
inexpressible
inexpressible gratitude
indescribable
indescribable beauty
unspeakable
unspeakable cruelty
ineffable
ineffable longing
unutterable
utter
She didn’t utter a word during the dinner.
utter a cry / groan
unutterable beauty
intimation
intimation [7ɪntɪ'meɪʃn] n. 暗示
【同根词】
intimate vt. 英文解释：to tell sb. sth. in an indirect way 暗示
He has intimated his intention to resign.
He has intimated that he intends to resign.
intimation n. 透露；间接表示；暗示
【近义词】表达“暗示”：
suggest suggestion
imply implication
hint hint
insinuate insinuation
【辨析】【同形词】
intimate adj. 亲密的；密切的
intimate friends / atmosphere
intimate contact
The disease can be transmitted through intimate contact.
be intimate with sb. 与…有性关系
intimacy n. 性行为；亲密；亲昵行为；隐私
【辨析】【形近词】：
intimate intimation
imitate imitation
intimidate intimidation
invest
invest [ɪn'vest] v. 投资；投入；赋予
He invested（投资） all his money in stocks and bonds.
He invests （投入）a lot of time and energy in taking care of his elderly parents.
invest sb./sth. with sth. （书）（后天的）把…赋予给…
Being a model invests her with a certain glamour.
The crimes committed there invested the place with an air of mystery and gloom.
【近义词组】表达“把…赋予给…”：
endow sb. with sth. （先天的）
She was endowed with the beauty of Helen of Troy and the tongue of a fishwife.
lend / impart sth. to sth. 把…赋予给…后者
The presence of members of the royal family lent / imparted a certain dignity to the ceremony.
The mere fact that … does not lend substantial support to the conclusion.
extend sth. to sb. 把…给某人
extend hospitality to overseas students
Let’s all extend a warm welcome to our visitors.
课文讲解
（标题）
Beauty
知识点（1）课文作者介绍
C. E. M. Joad formalist（形式主义者）
British philosopher, one of Britain’s most colorful and controversial figures of the 1940s.
知识点（2）流派
formalist 形式主义者
impressionist 印象主义者；印象派作家
postimpressionist 后期印象派
Sometimes beauty defies description.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
（第一段）
A young man sees a sunset and, unable to understand or to express the emotion that it rouses in him, concludes that it must be the gateway to a world that lies beyond.
语法分析：
A young man sees a sunset and, (being) unable to understand or to express the emotion that it rouses in him（that ...定语从句）（being省略…非谓语动词做原因状语）, concludes that it must be the gateway to a world that lies beyond（that ...定语从句）（that… 宾语从句）.
知识点（1）
rouse 唤醒；使醒来;激起（某种情感）
A persistent ringing roused her from a sweet dream.
rouse anger / passion / suspicion …
【近义词】
arouse 激起（某种情感）
arouse anger / hostility / resentment …
wake 唤醒
waken 唤醒
awaken 唤醒；激起（某种情感）
Her pallor awakened sympathy in me.
The nightmare awakened terrible memories.
evoke 激起（某种情感）
evoke sympathy / memories
kindle 激起（某种情感）
kindle a candle
kindle anger / hopes
stir 激起（某种情感）
stir coffee with a spoon
stir memories / pity / imagination
知识点（2）
conclude
搭配1：得出结论
conclude sth. (from sth.)
conclude that …
搭配2：使结束
conclude sth. with sth.
conclude the rally with the national anthem
【同根词】Lesson03-36
conclusion
搭配1：
bring sth. to a conclusion 使结束
The two countries decided to bring the war to a conclusion.（停战）
In the nineteenth century, a novelist would bring his story to a conclusion by presenting his readers with a series of coincidences — most of them wildly improbable.
The rally was brought to a conclusion by the singing of the national anthem.
搭配2：
come to / arrive at / reach / draw a conclusion 得出结论
【近义词组】表达“推理，推断”： Lesson03-38
deduce ... from ... 由后者推断出前者
I can deduce his motives from his behavior.
deduction n.演绎；推论；推理
conclude ... from ... 由后者推断出前者
What do you conclude from the evidence?
infer ... from ... 由后者推断出前者
What can we infer from the passage?
inference n. 推断的结果；结论
知识点（3）
gateway to 通往
Death is a gateway to another world.
Dover is England's gateway to Europe.
It is difficult for any of us in moments of intense aesthetic experience to resist the suggestion that we are catching a glimpse of a light that shines down to us from a different realm of existence, different and, because the experience is intensely moving, in some way higher.
语法分析：It is … for sb. to do …（骨架结构）的复杂变化
it（形式主语） is difficult for any of us（for … 引出动词不定式的逻辑主语）
in moments of intense aesthetic experience（时间状语） to resist the suggestion（联想） that we are catching a glimpse of a light that shines down to us from a different realm of existence, different（语篇纽带） and, (because the experience is intensely moving（because... 原因状语从句）), in some way higher（that ...定语从句）. （that... 同位语从句）（to … 真正主语）
知识点（1）
in moments of … 在…的时候…
= in times of …
in moments / times of grief / rage / crisis / boredom / ecstasy /tranquility …
知识点（2）【课文句型提炼】
It is difficult for sb. in moments of sth. to resist sth.
对某人来说抵制…很困难
造句：无论是谁，在欣喜若狂的时候，一般都会想和朋友们一起分享这种快乐。
It is difficult for any of us in moments of ecstasy to resist the temptation of sharing it with our friends.
知识点（3）
catch a glimpse of … 一眼看见、无意间看见
= catch sight of …
= glimpse …
… before it is fully glimpsed…
知识点（4）
语法：语篇纽带
It is difficult for any of us in moments of intense aesthetic experience to resist the suggestion that we are catching a glimpse of a light that shines down to us from a different realm of existence, different and, because the experience is intensely moving, in some way higher.
There is no sky in June so blue that it does not point forward to a bluer, no sunset so beautiful that it does not waken the vision of a greater beauty, a vision which passes before it is fully glimpsed, and in passing leaves an indefinable longing and regret.
考研阅读：
Many species can communicate an amazing amount of information via sound, information on which both the life of an individual and the continued existence of the species may depend.
Gre写作范文：
I would argue that although it may be a benefit to study classics and be well schooled in diverse disciplines, these pursuits merely refine and hone an ability each and every person has, the ability to study human nature.
范文考官评语：The writer uses language fluently and controls sophisticated syntax throughout the essay: "I would argue that although it may be a benefit to study classics and be well schooled in diverse disciplines, these pursuits merely refine and hone an ability each and every person has, the ability to study human nature."
知识点（3）
【近义词组】表达“某种程度上”：
in some way
to some degree / extent
in some measure
The swallow shares the virtues of both schools in highest measure.
The true value of a human being is determined primarily by the measure and the sense in which he has attained liberation from the self. —— Albert Einstein
And, though the gleams blind and dazzle, yet do they convey a hint of beauty and serenity greater than we have known or imagined.
语法分析：
And, though the gleams blind and dazzle（让步状语从句）, yet（adv.） do they convey a hint of beauty and serenity greater than we have known or imagined（比较状语从句）. （greater... 后置定语,修饰beauty and serenity）
知识点（1）
blind / dazzle 令人目眩
The sun, glinting from the pool, dazzled / blinded me.
dazzling / blinding midday sun
I was dazzled（派生，令某人为之倾倒） by her beauty.
a dazzling smile / performance
blind and dazzle 同义词连用加强语气
push and shove
pick and choose
知识点（2）
正常语序：
…, yet they do convey a hint of beauty and serenity greater than we have known or imagined.
注意：在文学性很强的作品里面，经常会出现有限度的对于语法规则的违反，使读者有新意
…, yet do they convey a hint of beauty and serenity greater than we have known or imagined.
知识点（3）
yet conj. /adv.
The essay is good, yet(conj.) it could be improved.
It is strange, and yet (adv.) it is true.
Though he is poor, yet (adv.) he is satisfied with his situation.
Greater too than we can describe; for language, which was invented to convey the meanings of this world cannot readily be fitted to the uses of another.
语法分析：
（课文补全）(The beauty and serenity are) Greater too than we can describe（than... 比较状语）; for language, which was invented to convey the meanings of this world（which...定语从句）, cannot readily be fitted to the uses of another. （for... 原因状语从句）
知识点（1）
言下之意：“无法描述”：
The beauty and serenity are Greater too than we can describe;
The beauty and serenity are beyond description.
The beauty and serenity defy description.
The beauty and serenity are more than words can describe.
知识点（2）
readily adv. 含义1. willingly
readily adv. 含义2. without difficulty; easily
The equipment was cheap and readily（容易地） available.
The information is readily（容易地） accessible on the Internet.
Granted, a snobbery of camping itself, based upon equipment and techniques, already exists; but it is of a kind that, if he meets it, he can readily understand and deal with.
知识点（3）
fit A to B 改动A以适应B
A prudent man fits his standard of living to his budget.
【近义词组】
adjust (A) to B （微调）
You can adjust the belt to the size you want.
Some animals adjust (themselves) to their environment by instinct.
adapt (A) to B （大调）
Novels are often adapted to the stage.
She couldn’t adapt (herself) to eating fish every day.
accommodate v.容纳
The hotel can accommodate 500 guests.
accommodate A to B （含有让步、妥协）
They accommodate their plans to his inclination.
（第二段）
That all great art has this power of suggesting a world beyond is undeniable.
语法分析：
That all great art has this power of suggesting a world beyond（that...主语从句，圆周句） is undeniable.
It is undeniable There is no denying that all great art has its power of suggesting a world beyond.
知识点（1）Lesson03-18
书面语写作表达：圆周句（掉尾句）；突出句末的重心，把最关键的信息放在句末
That all great art has this power of suggesting a world beyond is undeniable. （强调句尾undeniable）
It is undeniable that all great art has this power of suggesting a world beyond. （普通语序）
The idea is mistaken that modern art can only be seen in museums. （普通语序）
The idea that modern art can only be seen in museums is mistaken. （强调句尾mistaken）
Although Tchaikovsky himself thought of the Pathetic Symphony as his crowning masterpiece, the premiere on October 28th 1893 in St. Petersburg proved a disappointment. （强调句尾disappointment）
In 1942, 12 years after the initial shock of the stock market crash, more than 10 percent of the labor force was still unemployed. （强调句尾unemployed）
In some moods, nature shares it.
知识点（1）
mood n. 情绪，语气；心境；气氛
the current political mood
in a merry / melancholy mood
知识点（2）
share v.有同样的感情（或想法、经历等）
We share an interest in botany.
I believe my view is widely shared.
Not everyone will share your enthusiasm for the plan.
There is no sky in June so blue that it does not point forward to a bluer, no sunset so beautiful that it does not waken the vision of a greater beauty, a vision which passes before it is fully glimpsed, and in passing leaves an indefinable longing and regret.
语法分析：
There is no sky in June so blue that it does not point forward to a bluer（that… 结果状语从句）, no sunset so beautiful that it does not waken the vision of a greater beauty（that… 结果状语从句）, a vision（语篇纽带） which passes before it is fully glimpsed（时间状语从句）, and in passing（时间状语） leaves an indefinable longing and regret. （which...定语从句）
知识点（1）【课文仿写】
造句：人们在获得成就之后总想取得更大的成就。
There is no achievement so satisfying that it does not awaken the desire for a greater.
知识点（2）Lesson03-27
写作文法：parallelism 排比，把结构相同或类似的词汇、短语和句子并列放在一块，增强语言的气势。
We shall fight him by land we shall fight him by sea we shall fight him in the air, until, with God’s help, we have rid the earth of his shadow and liberated its peoples from his yoke. —— Winston Churchill
There is no reason for us to be enemies. Neither of us seeks the territory of the other; neither of us seeks domination over the other; neither of us seeks to stretch out our hands to rule the world. —— Richard M. Nixon
知识点（3）
long vi. 渴望；热望
long for … / to do …
She longed for a hot drink / to see him again.
longing for … / to do …
In moments of stress and worry, I often experience an indefinable longing for my childhood.
【近似词组】表达“渴望”：
yearn for … / to do …
He yearned for her love.
She yearned to have a baby.
yearning
hunger / thirst for …
I hunger for your touch.
crave (for) sth.
It was the sweet life he had always craved (for).
craving
But, if this world is not merely a bad joke, life a vulgar flare amid the cool radiance of the stars, and existence an empty laugh braying across the mysteries; if these intimations of a something behind and beyond are not evil humour born of indigestion, or whimsies sent by the devil to mock and madden us, if, in a word beauty means something yet we must not seek to interpret the meaning.
语法分析：
But, if this world is not merely a bad joke（if... 条件状语从句1）, life (is not merely) a vulgar flare amid the cool radiance of the stars（介词短语引导后置定语）（条件状语从句2，省略谓语动词）, and existence (is not merely) an empty laugh braying across the mysteries（后置定语）（条件状语从句3，省略谓语动词）; if these intimations of a something behind and beyond are not evil humour born of indigestion（后置定语）, or whimsies sent by the devil to mock and madden us（后置定语）（if... 条件状语从句4）, if, in a word, beauty means something（if... 条件状语从句5）, yet we must not seek to interpret the meaning.
知识点（1）
this world is not merely a bad joke
哲学观念：虚无主义（nihilism）
Nihilism is a belief that nothing has any meaning or value.
知识点（2）Lesson03-27
排比、并列句的省略：
… life (is not merely) a vulgar flare…
In the light of this statement, teachers live by selling knowledge, philosophers by selling wisdom and priests by selling spiritual comfort.
Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. ——Francis Bacon
Reading makes a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man. ——Francis Bacon
考研阅读真题： 并列句的省略
It is said that in England death is pressing, in Canada (death is) inevitable and in California (death is) optional. Small wonder. Americans’ life expectancy has nearly doubled over the past century. Failing hips can be replaced, clinical depression (can be) controlled, cataracts (can be) removed in a 30-minutes surgical procedure.
知识点（3）
【近义词】表达“火”：
blaze 熊熊燃烧的火
flame 火苗
the tiny flame of a cigarette-lighter
flare （短暂）转瞬熄灭
glow 发出微弱而稳定的光；发出暗淡的光
知识点（4）
amid prep. (fml.) among or surrounded by things
He sat amid the trees.
a tiny bungalow amid clusters of trees
知识点（5）
bray 以刺耳的高声讲话（或笑）
知识点（6）
something pron.
something new
something n. 重要的人；值得重视的事
a new something
知识点（7）
behind and beyond 指“天国”；（用位置标示无法理解）
知识点（8）
evil humour
evil 坏的
evil temper
evil weather
humor n. mood 情绪
in a good / bad humor
【扩展】
“体液”比喻性格：
blood（多血质，乐观） / choler（黄胆汁质，易怒） / phlegm（粘液质，冷漠） / melancholy（黑胆汁质，忧郁的）
知识点（9）
born (out) of … 结果
= as a result of …
With strength born (out) of desperation, he forced the door open.
知识点（10）
indigestion 指“无法理解”
digest n. 文摘；摘要 v. 消化
Overseas Digest
知识点（11）
the devil
Satan：the adversary of God and all humanity, and the leader of fallen angels
知识点（12）
mock … 嘲笑；（模仿）嘲弄
The naughty boys mocked the cripple.
【近义词组】表达“嘲笑”：
make fun of …
tease …
Sam’s sisters used to tease him because he was overweight.
sneer at … 讥讽
She sneered at Tom’s musical taste.
taunt … （故意激怒）
She went on taunting Sam until he lost his temper.
ridicule … 讥笑、嘲弄
All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. —— Arthur Schopenhauer
知识点（13）
interpret vi. 解释；翻译 vt. 说明；口译
simultaneous interpreter / interpretation
The Interpretation of Dreams —— Sigmund Freud (1856~1933)
If we glimpse the unutterable, it is unwise to try to utter it, nor should we seek to invest with significance that which we cannot grasp.
语法分析：
If we glimpse the unutterable（if... 条件状语从句）, it is unwise to try to utter it, nor should we seek to invest with significance（状语前置） that which we cannot grasp.
知识点（1）
写作：同根词不替换，增强对比效果
Beauty in terms of our human meanings is meaningless.
We only help those who really need help.
The mower firmly refused to mow, so I decided to dismantle it.
知识点（2）Lesson04-02
nor 引出并列的否定句，后面用部分倒装
Spiders are not insects, as many people think, nor even nearly related to them.
Beauty in terms of our human meanings is meaningless.
知识点（1）Lesson03-27
in terms of … /in … terms 从某种角度、以某种方法
Think of it in terms of an investor.
The decision was disastrous in political terms.
The figures are shown in terms of a percentage.
Though it may be possible to measure the value of material goods in terms of money, it is extremely difficult to estimate the true value of the services which people perform for us.