新概念英语第三册课文和笔记第52课:Mud is mud

◆fanciful adj. 想像出来的
imaginable
imagining doing
fancying doing

◆insoluble adj. 不可溶解的
solve 解决
insolve 不可溶解

◆◆◆prompt v. 敦促，激励
vt. urge sb. to do sth.
persuade sb. to do sth.
prompt sb. to do
Eg: What prompted him to be so generous.
Our discussion prompted some questions. 我们的讨论引出了几个问题。
lead to; cause; result in;
Eg: What prompts you to study English so hard?
promptly adv.
prompt: quick
take measure 采取措施
Eg: He took a prompt measure. 他作出了一个果断的决定。
He made a prompt decision.
swift 没有任何干扰，一点也不费力地连续不断地迅速，形容相当快
Eg: His rise to fame was swift.
The car is going fast.
The car is going swiftly.
He made rapid / swift progress.
rapid 迅速的 （某事发生的速度快）
rapid recovery 快速康复
Eg: He is still young, so his recovery is rapid.
speedy
don’t do it in such a speedy way.
haste
more haste less speed. 欲速则不达
hasty 匆匆忙忙，草率
Eg: Sometimes we make a decision hastily.
Sometimes we make a decision in a haste way.

◆exclusive adj. 专售高档商品的
◆syllable n. 音节
◆bewilderment n. 迷惑，糊涂
bewilder : puzzle

L52-02 end 12’21”

L52-03 begin 12’11”

Eg: Your question puzzled me.
bewilder: 令人眼花缭乱
Eg: Yesterday I went shopping, but countless beautiful dresses bewildered me.
in bewilderment

◆freckle n. 雀斑
◆evidently adv. 显然的，明显地
evident 显眼的，突出的
Eg: She is evident at party.
in evidence 相当于evident, 也相当于evidently

◆weird adj. 奇异的，古怪的
◆concoction n. 调制品
◆intoxicate v. 陶醉，得意忘形
excite greatly beyond self-control
be intoxicated by
be intoxicated with
Eg: When we pass out important examinations, we are intoxiacated with our success.
intoxicate 喝醉
Eg: If you drink too much whiskey, you will get intoxicated.
get drunk
become intoxicated.
intoxicating 令人陶醉的
Eg: He failed in his examination, but he was intoxicated with that, and his intoxication was beyond my understanding.

◆blank adj. 无表情的，茫然的
◆discreetly adv. 谨慎地
discreet ==careful in speech and action
Eg: He’s discreet in giving his opinion.
He’s discreet in airing his views.
When you have to make a big decision, particularly in front of a large number of people, you must be discreet.
be discreet in doing sth.
careful 细心的 （不表示谨慎）
Eg: Whatever we do, we must be careful.
Be careful, a car is rushing towards you.
cautious 谨慎的 （既表示细心，又表示谨慎）
Eg: He is a cautious person, so whatever he does, he is not only discreet but careful as well.
considerate: 考虑周到的，细心的 （thoughtful）
Eg: You will live easily if you have a considerate friend with you.
prudent 慎重的
Eg: You must make a prudent decision.
wary 小心翼翼的
tactful 机智的，考虑周全的
tact 机智
discreet / careful / cautious / considerate / prudent

L52-03 end 12’11”

L52-04 begin 12’29”

◆clutch v. 抓住
snatch
seize
grasp
clutch
clasp

◆adorn v. 装饰，打扮
well decorated walls 装饰得很漂亮的墙壁
adorn 打扮，佩戴
Eg: We adorn our rooms with flowers.
decorate: 装修
Eg: Newly weds embark on the task of decorating their new house.新婚夫妇忙着装修自己的新房子。
adorn 装点
Eg: He adoned his story with all sorts of adventures that never happened.
She adorned her dress with a lace.
ornament v. 增添细节或装饰物
Eg: The dress is ornamented / adorned with lace.
a woman adorned in jewelry and fur 一位珠光宝气、穿着皮衣的妇女
in jeans 穿着牛仔裤
in jewelry 佩戴首饰
in fur 穿着裘皮大衣
a miss adorned in mink coat 一位穿着貂皮大衣的小姐
a beautifully adorned room
a beautifully decorated house

【Text】
Lesson 52 Mud is mud 实事求是
Listen to the tape then answer the question below.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
Why did Harry decide to give up his little game?

My cousin, Harry, keeps a large curiously-shaped bottle on permanent display in his study. Despite the fact that the bottle is tinted a delicate shade of green, an observant visitor would soon notice that it is filled with what looks like a thick, grayish substance. If you were to ask Harry what was in the bottle, he would tell you that it contained perfumed mud. If you expressed doubt or surprise, he would immediately invite you to smell it and then to rub some into your skin. This brief experiment would dispel any further doubts you might have. The bottle really does contain perfumed mud. How Harry came into the possession of this outlandish stuff makes an interesting story which he is fond of relating. Furthermore, the acquisition of this bottle cured him of a bad habit he had been developing for years.
Harry used to consider it a great joke to go into expensive cosmetic shops and make outrageous requests for goods that do not exist. He would invent fanciful names on the spot. On entering a shop, he would ask for a new perfume called 'Scented Shadow ' or for ' insoluble bath cubes'. If a shop assistant told him she had not heard of it, he would pretend to be considerably put out. He loved to be told that one of his imaginary products was temporarily out of stock and he would faithfully promise to call again at some future date, but of course he never did. How Harry managed to keep a straight face during these performances is quite beyond me.
Harry does not need to be prompted to explain how he bought his precious bottle of mud. One day, he went to an exclusive shop in London and asked for 'Myrolite', the shop assistant looked puzzled and Harry repeated the word, slowly stressing each syllable. When the woman shook her head in bewilderment, Harry went on to explain that 'myrolite' was a hard, amber-like substance which could be used to remove freckles. This explanation evidently conveyed something to the woman who searched shelf after shelf. She produced all sorts of weird concoctions, but none of them met with Harry's requirements. When Harry put on his act of being mildly annoyed, the assistant promised to order some for him. Intoxicated by his success, Harry then asked for perfumed mud. He expected the assistant to look at him in blank astonishment. However, it was his turn to be surprised, for the woman's eyes immediately lit up and she fetched several bottles which she placed on the counter for Harry to inspect. For once, Harry had to admit defeat. He picked up what seemed to be the smallest bottle and discreetly asked the price. He was glad to get away with a mere twenty pounds and he beat a hasty retreat, clutching the precious bottle under his arm. From then on, Harry decided that this little game he had invented might prove to be expensive. The curious bottle, which now adorns the bookcase in his study, was his first and last purchase of rare cosmetics.

【课文讲解】
这是一篇记叙文
keep sth. on permanent display
duriously-shaped 形状奇怪的
wine bottles of all shapes and sizes
despite the fact that 尽管事实如此
in spite of the fact that
used to 过去常常而现在不
would现在有可能存在
Eg: He would often have clas in the morning.
if you should 和 if you were to 可以互换
should + 动词原形 可能性大
were to + 动词原形 可能性极小