Unit 9
What is happiness?
Or
look
at
any
of
the
woman’s
magazines.There,as Bernard DeVoto once pointed out,advertising begins as poetry in the front pages and ends as pharmacopoeia and therapy in the back pages.The poetry of the front matter is the dream of perfect beauty.This is the baby skin that must be hers.These,the flawless teeth.This,the
perfumed breath she must exhale.This,the sixteenyear-old figure she must display at forty,at
sixty,and forever.
或者浏览任何一本女性杂志。正如伯尔纳德 德 渥托曾经指出的那样,这些杂志开头几页的广告 诗情画意,而最后则以类似药典和治疗手册结尾。 前者是完美美女的梦想:这该是她婴儿般的股肤, 这些是她无瑕的牙齿,这该是她呼出的香气,这 该是她能保持到40、50、60岁甚至永远的16岁
少女般的身材。
therapyn.the treatment of a physical problem or an illness 治疗; 疗法;
e.g. Most leukaemia(白血病) patients undergo some sort of drug therapy. 绝大多数白血病患者都会接受某种药物治疗。 e.g. Children may need therapy to help them deal with grief and death. 孩子可能需要心理治疗来帮助他们应对悲伤和死亡。
Synonym: cure 治疗;治愈Derivation:therapeutic 治疗的;治疗学的;有益于健康的 therapeutical 治疗的;治疗学的 therapist 临床医学家;治疗学家
flawlessadj.without flaws and therefore perfect 完美的;无暇的;
e.g. Her English is almost flawless.她的英语几乎无可挑剔。 e.g.Although his composition was flawless, the teacher was always cavilling at his handwriting. 虽然他的作文写得完美无瑕,但老师对他的书法总是百般挑剔。 Synonym: perfect 完美的;最好的;
stainless 无瑕疵的 Derivation: flawlessly (adv.)完美无瑕地
flaw (n.)瑕疵,裂纹;缺点;一阵狂风(vi.)生裂缝,变的有缺陷
exhale
v.to breathe out the air or smoke,etc.in your lungs 呼出, 吐出
e.g. He sat back and exhaled deeply. 他仰坐着深深地呼气。
e.g. We bring our awareness to each inhale and exhale.我们把意识带入每一次吸气和呼气。 Synonym: emit 发出,放射;发行;发表
Derivation: exhalation (n.)蒸发,呼气;
display
v.展出,展示;显示,显露; n.陈列,展览;展示,表演;
e.g. The exhibition gives local artists an opportunity to display their work. 这次展览为当地艺术家提供了展示自己作品的机会。 e.g. Her attention was engaged by the display of the new dress in the ship windows. 她的注意力被商店橱窗里陈列的新式女服所吸引。
Collocations: display sth. to sb. 向某人展示....on display 展览,公开展出
Once past the vaguely uplifting fiction and feature
articles,the reader finds the other face of thedream in the back matter.This is the harness into which Mother must strap hers
elf in order to display that perfect figure.These,the chin straps she must sleep in.This is the salve that restores all,this is her laxative,these are the tablets that melt away fat, these are the hormones of
perpetual youth,these are the stockings that hidevaricose veins.
一旦读完这些隐约让人振奋的小说和专题文章, 读者在杂志最后几页就会发现梦想的真相:这是 家庭主妇必须得系上的背带,以展现其完美身材。 这些是她睡觉时必须带上的颚带。这是可以恢复 青春的药剂和装备,这是她减肥用的缓泻药,这 些是消化脂肪的药片,这些是使外表年轻的荷尔
蒙,这些是掩盖静脉曲张的长袜。
perpetual
adj. 不间断的,持续的;终身的,永久的;
e.g. We lived for years in a perpetual state of fear.多年来我们一直生活在恐惧中。
e.g. This is my perpetual loyalty to my faith.这是我对自己信仰永恒的忠诚。
Synonym: permanent 永久的,永恒的; ceaseless 不断的,不停的;
Derivation:perpetually (adv.)永恒地,持久地
Obviously no half-sane person can be completely persuaded either by such poetry
or by such pharmacopoeia
and
orthopedics.Yet someone is obviously trying
to buy the dream as offered and spendingbillions every year in the attempt.Clearly the happiness-market is nor running out of customers,but what are they trying to buy?
显而易见 ,即使心智不健全的人也不会完全相 信这些诗境或是这些药典和矫正术。然后有人显 然正在竭力购买这些广告所兜的美梦,并为此每 年耗资数十亿美元。这种幸福市场无疑不会无人 问津,但他们购买的究竟是什么呢?
run out ofto use up or finish a supply of sth 用完,耗尽;
e.g. We ran out of fuel.我们把燃料用光了。
e.g. You need to know what to abandon if you run out of time.在你没有时间的时候你需要知道你应该放弃什么。
Synonym: use up 用完,耗尽;