大学英语精读第六册 Unit 6
时间:2018-12-04 作者:英语课 分类:大学英语精读第六册
Unit Six
Text
This essay on a famous man, whose name is not revealed until almost the end of the piece, is a study of monstrous 1 conceit 2. Filled with biographical details that keep the reader guessing to the last moment, the essay concludes with a challenging view on the nature of genius: If a genius was so prolific 3, "is it any wonder that he had no time to be a man?"
THE MONSTER
Deems Taylor
He was an undersized little man, with a head too big for his body -- a sickly little man. His nerves were had. He had skin trouble. It was agony for him to wear anything next to his skin coarser than silk. And he had seclusions 4 of grandeur 5.
He was a monster of conceit. Never for one minute did he look at the world or at people, except in relation to himself. He was not only the most important person in the world, to himself; in his own eyes he was the only person who existed. He believed himself to be one of the greatest dramatists in the world, one of the greatest thinkers, and one of the greatest composers. To hear him talk, he was Shakespeare, and Beethoven, and Plato, rolled into one. And you would have had no difficulty in hearing him talk. He was one of the most exhausting conversationalists that ever lived. An evening with him was an evening spent in listening to a monologue 6. Sometimes he was brilliant; sometimes he was maddeningly tiresome 7. But whether he was being brilliant or dull, he had one sole topic of conversation: himself. What he thought and what he did.
He had a mania 8 for being in the right. The slightest hint of disagreement, from anyone, on the most trivial point, was enough to set him off on a harangue 9 that might last for house, in which he proved himself right in so many ways, and with such exhausting volubility, that in the end his hearer, stunned 11 and deafened 12, would agree with him, for the sake of peace.
It never occurred to him that he and his doing were not of the most intense and fascinating interest to anyone with whom he came in contact. He had theories about almost any subject under the sun, including vegetarianism 13, the drama, politics, and music; and in support of these theories he wrote pamphlets, letters, books … thousands upon thousands of words, hundreds and hundreds of pages. He not only wrote these things, and published them -- usually at somebody else's expense -- but he would sit and read them aloud, for hours, to his friends and his family.
He wrote operas, and no sooner did he have the synopsis 14 of a story, but he would invite -- or rather summon -- a crowed of his friends to his house, and read it aloud to them. Not for criticism. For applause. When the complete poem was written, the friends had to come again, and hear that read aloud. Then he would publish the poem, sometimes years before the music that went with it was written. He played the piano like a composer, in the worst sense of what that implies, and he would sit down at the piano before parties that included some of the finest pianists of his time, and play for them, by the hour, his own music, needless to say. He had a composer's voice. And he would invite eminent 15 vocalists to his house and sing them his operas, taking all the parts.
He had the emotional stability of a six-year-old child. When he felt out of sorts, he would rave 16 and stamp, or sink into suicidal gloom and talk darkly of going to the East to end his days as a Buddhist 17 wonk. Ten minutes later, when something pleased him, he would rush out of doors and run around the garden, or jump up and down on the sofa, or stand on his head. He could be grief-stricken over the death of a pet dog, and he could be callous 18 and heartless to a degree that would have made a Roman emperor shudder 19.
He was almost innocent of any sense of responsibility. Not only did he seem incapable 20 of supporting himself, but it never occurred to him that he was under ay obligation to do so. He was convinced that the world owed him a living. In support of this belief, he borrowed money from everybody who was good for a loan -- men, women, friends, or strangers. He wrote begging letters by the score, sometimes groveling without shame, at other loftily offering his intended benefactor 21 the privilege of contributing to his support, and being mortally offended if the recipient 22 declined the honor. I have found no record of his ever paying or repaying money to anyone who did not have a legal claim upon it.
What money he could lay his hands on he spent like an Indian rajah. The mere 23 prospect 24 of a performance of one of his operas was enough to set him to running up bills amounting to ten times the amount of his prospective 25 royalties 26. No one will ever know -- certainly he never knew -- how much money he owed. We do know that his greatest benefactor gave him $6,000 to pay the most pressing of his debts in one city, and a year later had to give him $16,000 to enable him to live in another city without being thrown into jail for debt.
He was equally unscrupulous in other ways. An endless procession of women marched through his life. His first wife spent twenty years enduring and forgiving his infidelities. His second wife had been the wife of his most devoted 27 friend and admirer, from whom he stole her. And even while he was trying to persuade her to leave her first husband he was writing to a friend to inquire whether he could suggest some wealthy woman -- any wealthy woman -- whom he could marry for her money.
He was completely selfish in his other personal relationships. His liking 28 for his friends was measured solely 29 by the completeness of their devotion to him, or by their usefulness to him, whether financial or artistic 30. The minute they failed him -- even by so much as refusing dinner invitation -- or began to lessen 31 in usefulness, he cast them off without a second thought. At the end of his life he had exactly one friend left whom he had known even in middle age.
The name of this monster was Richard Wagner. Everything that I have said about him you can find on record -- in newspapers, in police reports, in the testimony 32 of people who knew him, in his own letters, between the lines of his autobiography 33. And the curious thing about this record is that it doesn't matter in the least.
Because this undersized, sickly, disagreeable, fascinating little man was right all the time. The joke was on us. He was one of the world's greatest dramatists; he was a great thinker; he was one of the most stupendous musical geniuses that, up to now, the world has ever seen. The world did owe him a living.
When you consider what he wrote -- thirteen operas and music dramas, eleven of them still holding the stage, eight of them unquestionably worth ranking among the world's great musico-dramatic masterpieces -- when you listen to what he wrote, the debts and heartaches that people had to endure from him don't seem much of a price. Think of the luxury with which for a time, at least, fate rewarded Napoleon, the man who ruined France and looted Europe; and then perhaps you will agree that a few thousand dollars' worth of debts were not too heavy a price to pay for the Ring trilogy.
What if he was faithless to his friends and to his wives? He had one mistress to whom he was faithful to the day of his death: Music. Not for a single moment did he ever compromise with what he believed, with what be dreamed. There is not a line of his music that could have been conceived by a little mind. Even when he is dull, or downright bad, he is dull in the grand manner. There is greatness about his worst mistakes. Listening to his music, one does not forgive him for what he may or may not have been. It is not a matter of forgiveness. It is a matter of being dumb with wonder that his poor brain and body didn't burst under the torment 34 of the demon 35 of creative energy that lived inside him, struggling, clawing, scratching to be released; tearing, shrieking 36 at him to write the music that was in him. The miracle is that what he did in the little space of seventy years could have been done at all, even by a great genius. Is it any wonder that he had no time to be a man?
New Words
monster
n. a person too wicked to be considered human; an animal or plant that is very unlike those usually found in nature
undersized
a. smaller than usual; too small
sickly
a. weak, unhealthy and often ill
agony
n. very great pain or suffering of mind or body
coarse
a. not fine or smooth; rough
grandeur
n. greatness, nobility
delusion of grandeur
夸大妄想
dramatist
n. a writer of plays, esp. serious ones; playwright 38
composer
n. one who writes musical works
compose vt.
conversationalist
n. a person who enjoys and is skilled at conversation
monologue
n. a long speech by one person; a spoken part in a play or film for a single person 独白
maddeningly
ad. annoyingly
tiresome
a. irritating or boring
mania
n. a desire so strong than it seems mad; an unusual or unreasonable 39 fondness 狂热;癖好
hint
n. a statement or action that gives a small or indirect suggestion
trivial
a. of little or no importance
harangue
n. a long, loud speech, esp. one which blames those listening to it
volubility
n. fondness for talking; talkativeness
deafen
vt. make deaf, esp. for a short time; stun 10 with noise
vegetarianism
n. the practice or principle of eating only vegetable foods and refraining from eating meat, fish or other animal products
pamphlet
n. a small book with paper covers which deals usu. with some matter of public interest; booklet 小册子
expense
n. cost in money, time, or effort
opera
n. a musical play
summon
vt. order(sb.) to come
applause
n. loud praise for a performer or performance, esp. by striking the hands together
needless
a. unnecessary
eminent
a. (of people) famous and admired
vocalist
n. singer
vocal
a. of the voice
rave
vi. talk wildly
suicidal
a. wishing to kill oneself, which leads or will lead to death or destruction
suicide
n.
gloom
n. a feeling of unhappiness or despair
gloomy
a.
darkly
ad. with a dark, gloomy, or menacing look or manner
Buddhist
a., n. having to do with Buddhism 40; a believer in Buddhism 佛教的;佛教徒
monk
n. a member of an all-male religious group who has made solemn promises, esp. not to marry and not to have any possessions, living in a monastery 41 僧侣
Buddhist monk
僧,和尚
grief
n. a feeling of extreme sadness
grief-stricken
a. filled with great sorrow
grieve
v.
pet
n. an animal kept in the home as a companion
callous
a. without feeling for the suffering of other people; unkind
emperor
n. the ruler of an empire
shudder
vi. shake uncontrollably for a moment, esp. from fear, cold, or strong dislike; tremble
incapable
a. not having the power or ability to do sth. or show a quality
grovel
vi. be shamefully 42 bumble or eager to please; ask or beg with too great humility 43 卑躬屈膝,奴颜婢膝
loftily
ad. proudly; haughtily 44
lofty
a. very high; towering; noble
benefactor
n. a person who gives friendly help, often in the form of money
mortally
ad. bitterly, extremely
mortal
a. causing death; certain to die someday
offend
vt. hurt the feeling of; upset
offensive
a.
recipient
n. a person who receives sth.
legal
a. of or using the law
rajah
n. an Indian ruler
prospective
a. expected or intended; likely to be or become
royalty
n. a part of the price of a book, paid to the writer on each copy sold; a payment made to the writer of a play or piece of music when it is performed 版税
pressing
a. urgent
jail
n. prison
unscrupulous
a. not caring about honesty and fairness in getting what one wants; completely without principles
endless
a. having or seeming to have no end; never finishing
infidelity
n. an act of disloyalty; lack of faithfulness, esp. to husband or wife
admirer
n. a person who admires, esp. a man who is attracted to a particular woman
wealthy
a. rich, abundant
selfish
a. concerned about oneself without thinking of others
lessen
v. make or become less
autobiography
n. the story of a person's life written by himself/herself
disagreeable
a. bad-tempered 46 and unfriendly; unpleasant
stupendous
a. amazing, marvelous 巨大的,惊人的
musical
a. of or for music
genius
n. a person who has very great natural ability to think and create
unquestionably
ad. beyond dispute or doubt; certainly
rank
v. have or regard as having a certain rank or relative position
musico-dramatic
a. of or concerning both music and the drama
masterpiece
n. an outstanding work 杰作
headache
n. a pain in the head; a difficult or worrying problem
trilogy
n. a group of three related books, plays, etc. connected by common subject matter, but each complete in itself (小说、戏剧等的)三部曲
faithless
a. not deserving trust; disloyal
compromise
vi. surrender one's principles, etc. dishonorably; reach an agreement by having each side give up certain demands 背弃;妥协
downright
ad. thoroughly 48; completely
forgive
v. stop being angry (at)
forgiveness
n. the act of forgiving or the willingness to forgive; pardon
scratch
v. dig, scrape, or injure with sth. sharp, such as fingernails, claws or a tool
shriek
vi. make a loud, shrill 50 cry
miracle
n. sth. that is amazing and unusual 奇迹
Phrases & Expressions
in relation to
in connection with; with regard to; about
in one's eyes
in one's opinion
in support of
supporting
at sb.'s expense
with sb. paying the cost
needless to say
of course; as was to be expected
out of sorts
in an angry or unhappy mood; in a bad temper
under obligation (to do)
having the duty (to do)
good for
able to pay or contribute; useful or suitable for
lay one's hands on
find; gain possession of
run up
allow (sth. such as debt) to increase
on record
written down in a record
- The smoke began to whirl and grew into a monstrous column.浓烟开始盘旋上升,形成了一个巨大的烟柱。
- Your behaviour in class is monstrous!你在课堂上的行为真是丢人!
- As conceit makes one lag behind,so modesty helps one make progress.骄傲使人落后,谦虚使人进步。
- She seems to be eaten up with her own conceit.她仿佛已经被骄傲冲昏了头脑。
- She is a prolific writer of novels and short stories.她是一位多产的作家,写了很多小说和短篇故事。
- The last few pages of the document are prolific of mistakes.这个文件的最后几页错误很多。
- The grandeur of the Great Wall is unmatched.长城的壮观是独一无二的。
- These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place.这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。
- The comedian gave a long monologue of jokes.喜剧演员讲了一长段由笑话组成的独白。
- He went into a long monologue.他一个人滔滔不绝地讲话。
- His doubts and hesitations were tiresome.他的疑惑和犹豫令人厌烦。
- He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors.他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜,令人生厌。
- Football mania is sweeping the country.足球热正风靡全国。
- Collecting small items can easily become a mania.收藏零星物品往往容易变成一种癖好。
- We had to listen to a long harangue about our own shortcomings.我们必须去听一有关我们缺点的长篇大论。
- The minister of propaganda delivered his usual harangue.宣传部长一如既往发表了他的长篇大论。
- When they told me she had gone missing I was totally stunned.他们告诉我她不见了时,我当时完全惊呆了。
- Sam stood his ground and got a blow that stunned him.萨姆站在原地,被一下打昏了。
- A hard blow on the ear deafened him for life. 耳朵上挨的一记猛击使他耳聋了一辈子。
- The noise deafened us. 嘈杂声把我们吵聋了。
- More and more people are believing in vegetarianism and diet for health. 而今越来越多的人们相信素食和节食有利于身体健康。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- She is an exponent of vegetarianism. 她是一个素食主义的倡导者。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The synopsis of the book is very good.这本书的梗概非常好。
- I heard there wasn't a script.They only had a synopsis.我听说是没有剧本的。他们只有一个大纲。
- We are expecting the arrival of an eminent scientist.我们正期待一位著名科学家的来访。
- He is an eminent citizen of China.他是一个杰出的中国公民。
- The drunkard began to rave again.这酒鬼又开始胡言乱语了。
- Now I understand why readers rave about this book.我现明白读者为何对这本书赞不绝口了。
- The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
- In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里,人世上一切事情都是空的。
- He is callous about the safety of his workers.他对他工人的安全毫不关心。
- She was selfish,arrogant and often callous.她自私傲慢,而且往往冷酷无情。
- The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材,他浑身一阵战栗。
- We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。
- He would be incapable of committing such a cruel deed.他不会做出这么残忍的事。
- Computers are incapable of creative thought.计算机不会创造性地思维。
- The chieftain of that country is disguised as a benefactor this time. 那个国家的首领这一次伪装出一副施恩者的姿态。
- The first thing I did, was to recompense my original benefactor, my good old captain. 我所做的第一件事, 就是报答我那最初的恩人, 那位好心的老船长。
- Please check that you have a valid email certificate for each recipient. 请检查是否对每个接收者都有有效的电子邮件证书。
- Colombia is the biggest U . S aid recipient in Latin America. 哥伦比亚是美国在拉丁美洲最大的援助对象。
- That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
- It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
- This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
- The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。
- The story should act as a warning to other prospective buyers.这篇报道应该对其他潜在的购买者起到警示作用。
- They have all these great activities for prospective freshmen.这会举办各种各样的活动来招待未来的新人。
- I lived on about £3,000 a year from the royalties on my book. 我靠着写书得来的每年约3,000英镑的版税生活。 来自辞典例句
- Payments shall generally be made in the form of royalties. 一般应采取提成方式支付。 来自经济法规部分
- He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
- We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
- The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
- I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。
- Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
- The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。
- The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
- These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。
- Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
- They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。
- The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
- He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。
- He published his autobiography last autumn.他去年秋天出版了自己的自传。
- His life story is recounted in two fascinating volumes of autobiography.这两卷引人入胜的自传小说详述了他的生平。
- He has never suffered the torment of rejection.他从未经受过遭人拒绝的痛苦。
- Now nothing aggravates me more than when people torment each other.没有什么东西比人们的互相折磨更使我愤怒。
- The demon of greed ruined the miser's happiness.贪得无厌的恶习毁掉了那个守财奴的幸福。
- He has been possessed by the demon of disease for years.他多年来病魔缠身。
- The boxers were goaded on by the shrieking crowd. 拳击运动员听见观众的喊叫就来劲儿了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- They were all shrieking with laughter. 他们都发出了尖锐的笑声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He is under the delusion that he is Napoleon.他患了妄想症,认为自己是拿破仑。
- I was under the delusion that he intended to marry me.我误认为他要娶我。
- Gwyn Thomas was a famous playwright.格温·托马斯是著名的剧作家。
- The playwright was slaughtered by the press.这位剧作家受到新闻界的无情批判。
- I know that they made the most unreasonable demands on you.我知道他们对你提出了最不合理的要求。
- They spend an unreasonable amount of money on clothes.他们花在衣服上的钱太多了。
- Buddhism was introduced into China about 67 AD.佛教是在公元67年左右传入中国的。
- Many people willingly converted to Buddhism.很多人情愿皈依佛教。
- They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
- She was appointed the superior of the monastery two years ago.两年前她被任命为这个修道院的院长。
- He misused his dog shamefully. 他可耻地虐待自己的狗。
- They have served me shamefully for a long time. 长期以来,他们待我很坏。
- Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
- His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和,甚至有点谦卑。
- She carries herself haughtily. 她举止傲慢。
- Haughtily, he stalked out onto the second floor where I was standing. 他傲然跨出电梯,走到二楼,我刚好站在那儿。
- She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
- His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。
- He grew more and more bad-tempered as the afternoon wore on.随着下午一点点地过去,他的脾气也越来越坏。
- I know he's often bad-tempered but really,you know,he's got a heart of gold.我知道他经常发脾气,但是,要知道,其实他心肠很好。
- The thieves hid their plunder in the cave.贼把赃物藏在山洞里。
- Trade should not serve as a means of economic plunder.贸易不应当成为经济掠夺的手段。
- The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
- The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。