大学英语精读第二册 Unit Ten:Profits of Praise
时间：2018-12-04 作者：英语课 分类：大学英语精读第二册
TEXT
Are we too quick to blame and slow to praise? It seems we are.
Profits of Praise
It was the end of my exhausting first day as waitress in a busy New York restaurant. My cap had gone awry 1, my apron 2 was stained, my feet ached. The loaded trays I carried felt heavier and heavier. Weary and discouraged, I didn't seem able to do anything right. As I made out a complicated check for a family with several children who had changed their ice-cream order a dozen times, I was ready to quit.
Then the father smiled at me as he handed me my tip. "Well done," he said. "You've looked after us really well."
Suddenly my tiredness vanished. I smiled back, and later, when the manager asked me how I'd liked my first day, I said, "Fine!" Those few words of praise had changed everything.
Praise is like sunlight to the human spirit; we cannot flower and grow without it. And yet, while most of us are only too ready to apply to others the cold wind of criticism, we are somehow reluctant to give our fellows the warm sunshine of praise.
Why - when one word can bring such pleasure? A friend of mine who travels widely always tries to learn a little of the language of any place she visits. She's not much of a linguist 3, but she does know how to say one word - "beautiful" - in several languages. She can use it to a mother holding her baby, or to lonely salesman fishing out pictures of his family. The ability has earned her friends all over the world.
It's strange how chary 4 we are about praising. Perhaps it's because few of us know how to accept compliments gracefully 5. Instead, we are embarrassed and shrug 6 off the words we are really so glad to hear. Because of this defensive 7 reaction, direct compliments are surprisingly difficult to give. That is why some of the most valued pats on the back are those which come to us indirectly 8, in a letter or passed on by a friend. When one thinks of the speed with which spiteful remarks are conveyed, it seems a pity that there isn't more effort to relay pleasing and flattering comments.
It's especially rewarding to give praise in areas in which effort generally goes unnoticed or unmentioned. An artist gets complimented for a glorious picture, a cook for a perfect meal. But do you ever tell you laundry manager how pleased you are when the shirts are done just right? Do you ever praise your paper boy for getting the paper to you on time 365 days a year?
Praise is particularly appreciated by those doing routine jobs: gas-station attendants, waitresses - even housewives. Do you ever go into a house and say, "What a tidy room"? Hardly anybody does. That's why housework is considered such a dreary 9 grind. Comment is often made about activities which are relatively 10 easy and satisfying, like arranging flowers; but not about jobs which are hard and dirty, like scrubbing floors. Shakespeare said, "Our praises are our wages." Since so often praise is the only wage a housewife receives, surely she of all people should get her measure.
Mothers know instinctively 11 that for children an ounce of praise is worth a pound of scolding. Still, we're not always as perceptive 12 as we might be about applying the rule. One day I was criticizing my children for squabbling. "Can you never play peacefully?" I shouted. Susanna looked at me quizzically. "Of course we can," she said. "But you don't notice us when we do."
Teachers agree about the value of praise. One teacher writes that instead of drowning students' compositions in critical red ink, the teacher will get far more constructive 13 results by finding one or two things which have been done better than last time, and commenting favorably on them. "I believe that a student knows when he has handed in something above his usual standard," writes the teacher, "and that he waits hungrily for a brief comment in the margin 14 to show him that the teacher is aware of it, too."
Behavioral scientists have done countless 15 experiments to prove that any human being tends to repeat an act which has been immediately followed by a pleasant result. In one such experiment, a number of schoolchildren were divided into three groups and given arithmetic tests daily for five days. One group was consistently praised for its previous performance; another group was criticized; the third was ignored.
Not surprisingly, those who were praised improved dramatically. Those who were criticized improved also, bus not so much. And the scores of the children who were ignored hardly improved at all. Interestingly the brightest children were helped just as much by criticism as by praise, but the less able children reacted badly to criticism, needed praise the most. Yet the latter are the very youngsters who, in most schools, fail to get the pat on the back.
To give praise costs the giver nothing but a moment's thought and a moment's effort - perhaps a quick phone call to pass on a compliment, or five minutes spent writing an appreciative 16 letter. It is such a small investment - and yet consider the results it may produce. "I can live for two months on a good compliment," said Mark Twain.
So, let's be alert to the small excellences 17 around us - and comment on them. We will not only bring joy into other people's lives, but also, very often, added happiness into out own.
NEW WORDS
profit
n. advantage or good obtained from sth... money gained in business 益处；利润
exhaust
vt. tire out 使筋疲力尽
waitress
n. woman waiter
awry
a. with a turn to one side 歪；斜
apron
n. 围裙
stain
vt. make dirty marks on 玷污
load
vt. put a full amount of things on or in (sth.) 装满
tray
n. 托盘
weary
a. very tired 厌倦的，厌烦的
discourage
vt. cause to lose courage or confidence 使泄气，使灰心
ice-cream
n. 冰淇淋
dozen
n. twelve （一）打
quit
v. stop (doing sth.) and leave 离（职），不干
sunlight
n. light of the sun; sunshine
human
a. of or concerning people
apply
vt. 运用，实施
application
n.
somehow
ad. for some reacon or other; in some way or other 不知怎么地，以某种方式
reluctant
a. unwilling 18 不情愿的；勉强的
sunshine
n. light of the sun
linguist
n. person who is good at foreign languages; person who studies the science of language 通晓数国语言的人；语言学家
salesman
n. man whose work is selling a company's goods to businesses, homes, etc. 推销员
earn
vt. get in return for work or as a reward for one's qualities, etc. 挣得，赢得
chary
a. careful; cautious 谨慎小心的
compliment
n. praise 赞美（话）
vt. praise 赞美
gracefully
ad. 大大方方地；优美地
graceful
a.
embarrass
vt. make awkward or ashamed 使尴尬
defensive
a. 防御
surprisingly
as. in a surprising manner or degree
pat
n. tap made with the open hand 轻拍
v. tap gently with the open hand
indirectly
ad. in an indirect way 间接地
indirect
a.
spiteful
a. having or showing ill will 恶意的
convey
vt. make (ideas, views, feelings, etc.) know to another person 转达，传达
relay
vt. 传送；传达
flatter
vt. praise too much; praise insincerely (in order to please) 过奖；谄媚，奉承
comment
n. opinion, explanation or judgment 19 written or spoken about an event, book, person, state of affairs, etc. 评论
vi. make comments (on); give opinions
rewarding
a. worthwhile; worth doing; giving a reward to 值得（做）的；报答的
reward
vt.
generally
ad. usually 通常，一般地
artist
n. person who practises or works in one of the fine arts, esp. painting 画家，艺术家
glorious
a. splendid 辉煌的
laundry
n. 洗衣店
appreciate
vt. understand and enjoy; be thankful for 欣赏，鉴赏；感谢，感激
routine
a. not unusual or exciting; regular 常规的，例行的
gas-station
n. 加油站
attendant
n. 服务人员
tidy
a. neatly 20 arranged 整洁的，整齐的
housework
n. work done on taking care of a house 家务劳动
dreary
a. dull and uninteresting 沉闷乏味的
grind
n. hard uninteresting work 苦差使
scrub
vt. clean by rubbing hard, esp. with a stiff brush 擦洗
wage
n. (pl.) 工资，报酬
measure
n. am adequate or due portion 份儿
instinctively
ad. 本能地
scold
vt. blame with angry words 申诉，怒骂
perceptive
a. 感觉灵敏的
criticize
vt. 批评
squabble
vi. quarrel, esp. noisily and unreasonably 21 争吵，口角
peacefully
ad. in a peaceful manner; quietly 安静地
peaceful
a.
quizzically
ad. 嘲弄地；疑惑地
drown
vt. cover completely with water; cause (sb.) to die by keeping under water 淹没；使（某人）淹死
critical
a. fault-finding 挑剔的，苛求的
constructive
a. helping 22 建设性的
favo(u)rably
ad. helping 赞成地，称赞地
favo(u)rable
a.
brief
a. using a few words; short
margin
n. blank space round the printed or written matter on a page 页边的空白
behavioral
a. of or relating to behavior 行为的
countless
a. too many to be counted
arithmetic
n. science of numbers 算术
consistently
ad. 始终如一地；一贯地
consistent
a.
previous
a. coming earlier in time or order 以前的
lgnore
vt. not to take notice of, pay no attention to 不理,忽视
dramatically
ad. strikingly 显著地
dramatic
a.
react
vi. respond 反应
youngster
n. young person, esp. a boy
appreciative
a. thankful; grateful
investment
n. 投资
invest
v.
alert
a. watchful 23 and keen 警觉的
excellence
n. an excellent or valuable quality; virtue 24
PHRASRS & EXPRESSIONS
make out
write out; complete or fill in 开出;填写
only too
very 极,非常
not much of a
not a very good 不十分好的
fish out
bring out after searching 掏出
shrug off
dismiss as not deserving attention or as sth. unimportant 耸肩表示对...不屑理睬
pat on the back
word or gesture of praise or encouragement 赞扬;鼓励
pass on
convey (to another) 传递
live on
depend upon for support 靠...生活
PROPER NAMES
Janet Graham
珍妮特.格雷厄姆
Shakespeare
莎士比亚
Susanna
苏珊娜
Mark Twain
马克.吐温
- She was in a fury over a plan that had gone awry. 计划出了问题，她很愤怒。
- Something has gone awry in our plans.我们的计划出差错了。
- We were waited on by a pretty girl in a pink apron.招待我们的是一位穿粉红色围裙的漂亮姑娘。
- She stitched a pocket on the new apron.她在新围裙上缝上一只口袋。
- I used to be a linguist till I become a writer.过去我是个语言学家，后来成了作家。
- Professor Cui has a high reputation as a linguist.崔教授作为语言学家名声很高。
- She started a chary descent of the stairs.她开始小心翼翼地下楼梯。
- She is chary of strangers.她见到陌生人会害羞。
- She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet. 她优雅地坐到他脚旁的垫子上。
- The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line. 新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。
- With a shrug,he went out of the room.他耸一下肩，走出了房间。
- I admire the way she is able to shrug off unfair criticism.我很佩服她能对错误的批评意见不予理会。
- Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
- The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。
- I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
- They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人，他们进行了间接接触。
- They live such dreary lives.他们的生活如此乏味。
- She was tired of hearing the same dreary tale of drunkenness and violence.她听够了那些关于酗酒和暴力的乏味故事。
- The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
- The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。
- As he leaned towards her she instinctively recoiled. 他向她靠近，她本能地往后缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He knew instinctively where he would find her. 他本能地知道在哪儿能找到她。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
- He is very perceptive and nothing can be hidden from him.他耳聪目明，什么事都很难瞒住他。
- We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
- He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。
- We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
- The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
- In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
- I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。
- She was deeply appreciative of your help.她对你的帮助深表感激。
- We are very appreciative of their support in this respect.我们十分感谢他们在这方面的支持。
- Excellences do not depend on a single man's pleasure. 某人某物是否优异不取决于一人的好恶。 来自互联网
- They do not recognize her many excellences. 他们无视她的各种长处。 来自互联网
- The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
- His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。
- The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
- He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。
- Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
- The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。
- He was also petty, unreasonably querulous, and mean. 他还是个气量狭窄，无事生非，平庸刻薄的人。
- Food in that restaurant is unreasonably priced. 那家饭店价格不公道。
- The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
- By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。