1.1 举例发展类句型 (魏剑峰 2018f)

The story of how London expanded so swiftly at the turn of the 20th century is one of financial ingenuity, bold risk-taking and low skulduggery.

• skulduggery
  • 美音 /skʌlˈdʌɡəri/
  • 14. 欺诈,坑蒙拐骗
• one of something对应the story of …

这里体现了什么的成功，有什么的要素。

1.2 attest (魏剑峰 2018a)

Mr Yameen has weathered plenty of adversity, as the long list of his opponents attests. Media reports in August about moves to oust him came to nothing.

在上面的句子中 as 引导的是一个非限制性定语从句，它所指代的先行词是前面整个主句 Mr Yameen has weathered plenty of adversity，此时 as 在从句中充当的是 attest 的宾语。Attest 的含义是 “证明，作为…… 的证据”。

A attest B，A证明了B，如果A是个长句子，可以用as。

1.3 in the form of (魏剑峰 2018g)

Conflict has come to the doors of millions living in densely populated areas around the globe in the form of gang violence, terror attacks, and military strikes. Civilians are killed, historic centres are lost, and infrastructure is destroyed.

• 抽象 + in the form + 具体例子
• They received a benefit in the form of a tax reduction.
• Help arrived in the form of two police officers.

1.4 The argument that … rests chiefly on the fact that …(魏剑峰 2018a)

Mr Ritter’s argument that Amazon and Zalando can comfortably co-exist rests chiefly on the fact that Amazon is pursuing the more price-conscious shopper, whereas Zalando is after a higher-value, more brand-conscious segment.

这里可以替代based on

1.5 witness (魏剑峰 2018k)

Otherwise, supply chains will be put at risk and governments will probably be drawn into the business of picking winners. To see how easily that happens, witness the thousands of requests by American importers for exemptions from Mr Trump’s steel and aluminium tariffs.

• To see how A, witness B
• witness: use to intro an example

To see how technological advances change our lives, witness the internet, an invention that connects the world and boosts the spread of knowledge.

2.1 雷声大雨点小，(魏剑峰 2018f)

对于某事件的解决方案只有空谈，很少有实际行动。

The second entity is government. There is much talk about lifelong learning, though few countries are doing much about it. The Nordics fall into this less populated camp.

• talk是不可数的，
• Nordics
  • 美音 /’nɔ:dik/
  • 14. 北欧人；日耳曼民族；斯堪的纳维亚人；具有北欧日尔曼民族外貌特征的人
• fall into this less populated camp. 是个例外
• 这里there is much talk … though xxx doing much …没有一成不变的主语。

2.2 今昔对比(魏剑峰 2018f)

Gone are the dark days where… 是倒装句，还原后相当于 the dark days where…are gone，Gone are the days 后面用 where 或者 when 都可以，但从语料库的统计来看用 when 会更为常见。段落中第二句长句写得很漂亮，几个从句句式变换多样，值得背诵学习。句子中出现的 here to stay 是一个短语，含义是 “被普遍接受”：

Gone are the days when people had to write letters to their friends and wait for weeks for a reply. Instant messaging services are on the rise and here to stay, making it possible for us to communicate with others anytime, anywhere.

• here to stay，普遍被接受，类似于流行。

Gone are the days when/where … on the rise and here to stay … 提供了古今对比。

2.3 表达转折，说明优缺点 (魏剑峰 2018h)

The biggest winners all round are likely to be consumers, though with a number of caveats. Four stand out: market concentration, security, privacy and inequality.

• though 作为副词连接状语 with a number of caveats
• a number of caveats 引出举例
• caveat 是 warning 或者告诫的意思
• four stand out 因此举例

Although online shopping can offer some benefits to young people, there are also a number of caveats that they should bear in mind. First, the convenience of e-commerce may encourage frivolous spending by inducing youngsters to buy more than they need. Second, there is a chance that young people who are already introverted may become ever more alienated from the outside world, as they can buy almost everything they want in the comfort of their home.

• bear in mind: 记住
• buy more than they need 一个短语
• introverted: /’ɪntrəvɝtɪd/ adj. 内向的,含蓄的,闭关自守的

2.4 与 … 什么相反 (魏剑峰 2018h)

Some airports are known for being the antithesis of elegance.

• Staying up late is the antithesis of healthy living.
• Deforestation is the antithesis of environmental protection.

2.5 for all = in spite of

For all the talk of a global market for talent, chief executives in Britain still earn considerably less than their counterparts in the United States.

• earn considerably less than: 赚的少
• For all = in spite of (魏剑峰 2018i)
• 尽管有很多关于（英国是）全球人才市场的讨论，英国的首席执行官还是赚得比他们的美国同行少很多。
• 性别歧视: For all the talk of equal rights for women, gender discrimination is still rife in the workplace.
  • rife: Disease is rife in the area. 疾病在这一区很流行。

2.6 与……背道而驰

Mr Trump certainly has the power to wreak trade havoc. A big blanket tariff would slice through supply chains, hurt American consumers and fly in the face of the global system of trade rules overseen by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

• fly in the face of: fly in the teeth of
  • Staying up late flies in the face of healthy living.
  • North Korea’s nuclear tests fly in the face of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.
  • Some people argue that the demolition of old buildings flies in the face of cultural heritage preservation.
    • demolition: n. 毁坏,破坏;拆毁

2.7 The same cannot be said of(魏剑峰 2018i)

In big cities it is always easy to find a movie theater, karaoke hall or fitness studio. However, the same cannot be said of remote villages.

• karaoke: n. (Jap.)卡拉OK录音，自动伴奏录音

2.8 divided over … (魏剑峰 2018l)

THE decline of the conventional job has been much heralded in recent years. It is now nearly axiomatic that people will work for a range of employers in a variety of roles over their lifetimes, with a much more flexible schedule than in the past. Opinion is still divided over whether this change is a cause for concern or a chance for workers to be liberated from the rut of office life.

• … has been much heralded in recent years.
  • 用于形容某一现象被人们广泛关注和赞扬。
  • heralded /’hɛrəld/ 类似于 hero
  • 1. The rise in remote working / sharing economy has been much heralded in recent years.
  • 2. The widespread use of artificial intelligence has been much heralded in recent years.
• It is now nearly axiomatic that …
  • axiom /’æksɪəm/
  • It is now nearly axiomatic that China will surpass the U.S. to become the world’s largest economy.
• Opinion is still divided over whether … is a cause for concern or a chance for …
  • a cause for concern, 固定搭配，含义是“令人担忧的事物
  • Opinion is still divided over whether genetically modified foods are a cause for concern or a chance for humanity to fight world hunger and poverty.

2.9 At the other end of the spectrum (魏剑峰 2018l)

Countries in the OECD have very different immigration rates (the size of the immigrant flow relative to the population). From 1990 to 2000, the United States’ immigration rate was 5.7%. At the other end of the spectrum stood Estonia, with a rate of -16.7%. A negative value means that more people left than arrived.

• A negative value means that more people left than arrived.
  • more people left than (people) arrived
• at the other end of the spectrum即“处于光谱的另一端”，引申为“与……相反的情况”。at the other end of the spectrum也可以写成at the other end of the scale.

2.10 case … hard to make (魏剑峰 2018c)

Typically, countries connect citizens with vast grid-extension programmes. Big grids make perfect sense for populous places. They can cheaply supply power generated far away to millions and, as they incorporate more wind and solar energy, they are becoming greener. But in remote places, the economic case for grids becomes hard to make.

• case 论点 for/against
  • a set of facts and arguments that you can state for or against something

2.11 tradeoff (魏剑峰 2018c)

Any welfare reform entails trade-offs between the cost of a scheme and its effects on poverty and incentives to work. No scheme is perfect. But a good basis is the negative income tax, which subsidises workers below an earnings threshold, while taxing those above it.

2.12 nowwhere near as … as 要比 … 没法比 (魏剑峰 2018d)

Some people hope that the internet will revolutionise higher education, making it cheaper and more accessible to the masses. Others fear the prospect. Some academics worry that they will be sacked and replaced by videos of their more photogenic colleagues. Others argue that MOOCs (massive open online courses) are nowhere near as good as a class taught face-to-face.

• 另一些人认为MOOCs（大规模开放在线课堂）远比不上面对面的线下课堂”。

2.13 not that … but rather that (魏剑峰 2018d)

Following a scandal over pay differences between men and women at the BBC, Britain’s public broadcaster, the piece explored whether women were paid less than men for the same work. It concluded that the problem was not unequal pay for equal work, but rather that women tend to do lower-ranking jobs at lower-paying organisations.

• unequal pay 和 equal work 作对比
• Some people argue that the government should limit the number of cars on the road to reduce traffic congestion. However, studies reveal that the problem is not that there are too many cars, but rather that the public transport system is inefficient.
• tend to 用的很好

3.1 阐述中间立场(魏剑峰 2018g)

Just as it would be a mistake to underestimate the new Brazil, so it would be to gloss over its weaknesses.

• 这句话省略了一部分
  • Just as it would be a mistake to underestimate the new Brazil, so it would be to (a mistake) gloss over its weaknesses.
• 低估新巴西是一个错误，掩饰它的弱点也是一个错误。从而引出我们的更好的观点。
• 引出句型: just as it would be …, so it would be …
• gloss over = cover up
• Just as it would be unwise to promote economic growth at the expense of the environment, so it would be equally imprudent to preserve the environment to the exclusion of economic growth. The best approach, therefore, is to have an environmentally sustainable economy.
  • 学习一个新词汇，environmentally sustainable economy

3.2 表达一种兼容情况(魏剑峰 2018g)

More recently, several developing countries have shown that low income and comprehensive health care are not mutually exclusive.

• A and B are not mutually exclusive 两者不互斥

3.3 后视镜看历史 (魏剑峰 2018j)

Any adjustments to pension liabilities should be justified by beliefs about the future and not by looking in the rearview mirror to see what gilt yields used to be.

• look in the rear-view mirror to …

3.4 对某个观点进行反驳 (魏剑峰 2018b)

The aversion to genetically modified foods rests on two reasonable-sounding but largely groundless propositions. The first is that GM crops can develop new substances that are harmful to humans. But there is no evidence for the claim and research has shown that GM foods are safe for consumption. A second argument is that engineering specific traits into select species threatens biodiversity by upsetting the natural balance. However, as long as scientists apply GM technology carefully and governments introduce strict safety regulations, such a problem can be avoided.

• …rests on…reasonable-sounding but largely groundless propositions. The first is that…A second argument is that…A third argument is that…

4.1 现象产生的作用(魏剑峰 2018f)

Driverless car technology is advancing at breakneck speed, and it does not take a leap of the imagination to see how it will change cities and public transportation systems.

4.2 表现什么作用(魏剑峰 2018f)

University education is designed to act as a slipway, launching students into the wider world in the expectation that the currents will guide them into a job.

• slipway，船的下滑水道
• 我们可以用这个下滑水道的动作，拟人

… is designed to act as a slipway, launching … into the wider world in the expectation that the currents will guide …into/towards etc …

Family education can act as a slipway, launching children into the wider world in the expectation that the currents will guide them towards independence and maturity.

4.3 If not more so(魏剑峰 2018a)

中文不好找到对等的，因此很多人不用，但是很地道。

The next phase of the computing revolution is the “internet of things” (IoT), in which all manner of everyday objects, from light bulbs to cars, incorporate computers connected permanently to the internet. Most of these gizmos are as insecure as any other computer, if not more so.

• gizmos
  • /’ɡɪzmo/
  • 14. 小发明
• internet of things，物联网

上面这段话的意思是：目前很多日常设备都开始接入互联网（即所谓的 “物联网”），但这些设备像普通的电脑一样不够安全，很容易遭到攻击。Most of these gizmos are as insecure as any other computer, if not more so. 可以理解为 “这些设备中的大部分即使没有更易遭受攻击，也和其他电脑一样不够安全”。

我自己的理解是，gizmos \(\leq\) other computer，但是也差不多。

4.4 拟人(魏剑峰 2018o)

Waves are the children of the struggle between ocean and atmosphere, the ongoing signatures of infinity. Rays from the sun excite and energize the atmosphere of the earth, awakening it to flow, to movement, to rhythm, to life. The wind then speaks the message of the sun to the sea and the sea transmits it on through waves – an ancient, exquisite, powerful message.

海浪是大海和空气相斗的产物，无限的一种不间断的标志。太阳光刺激了地球的大气层，并给予它能量；阳光使空气开始流动，产生节奏，获得生命。然后，风把太阳的住处带给了大海，海洋用波浪的形式传递这个信息 – 一个源过流长、高雅而有力的信息。

• to flow, to movement, to rhythm, to life
• speaks the message of the sun 以及 transmits it on through waves 这两个表达来赋予风和海洋生命。

4.5 带来严重后果(魏剑峰 2018i)

Once he had tried that first cigarette, he was on the slippery slope to being a smoker.

• be on a/the slippery slope (to/towards doing something): a bad situation or habit which, after it has started, is likely to get very much worse
• Although video games can be beneficial to some extent, excessive gaming often puts young people on a slippery slope.
• While taking an interest in the rich and famous may be fun and harmless, unbridled celebrity worship can be a slippery slope.
  • 肆无忌惮的名人崇拜

4.6 a (dis)service to(魏剑峰 2018e)

If a reporter discovers, and knows that two or three rival reporters have also discovered, that a politician is going to say something newsworthy, it would be odd, and a disservice to the readers, not to report it.

• do.be a (dis))service to
  • an action that harms something or someone
  • Although taking part-time jobs offers a variety of benefits to students, it would be a disservice to them if these jobs take up too much of their time that could otherwise be used for reading textbooks or preparing homework.
  • Although academics are important, it is not advisable for students to spend all of their time buried in their books. University students who devote some of their time and energy to extracurricular activities will be doing a service to their studies and careers.
    • academics 可以用来形容学业。
    • bury all the time in the books

4.7 Public concern (over …) is picking up(魏剑峰 2018e)

Public concern is picking up. A poll last year of 38 countries found that 61% of people see climate change as a big threat; only the terrorists of Islamic State inspired more fear.

• After a series of vaccine scandals, public concern over vaccine safety is picking up.

4.8 have the power to inflame passions(魏剑峰 2018e)

Whether animals should be used in medical research has been debated for decades and the topic still has the power to inflame passions, with animal rights activists claiming that humans have no right to use the suffering of others to seek benefits.

• inflame v.

4.9 手段与目的(魏剑峰 2018e)

The bag ban is not an end in itself. It’s part of a culture change, with more and more people asking questions about the cost of convenience. At heart, it’s a conservative movement – reusing things where you can, making them last, understanding that the greatest power most of us have is consumer power.

• is not an end in itself
  • in itself 从本身来看
  • is not an end 不是目的
  • She started exercising for her health, but she enjoyed it so much that exercising became an end in itself.
• making them last 使用更长久

5.1 throw into relief (魏剑峰 2018g)

Faced with a crisis, the government rushed through long-overdue laws to allow a streamlined form of bankruptcy protection similar to America’s Chapter 11. That will allow Parmalat’s new managers some breathing space while they try to salvage something from the wreckage. Helpfully, it also brings Italy more into line with other parts of Europe. Yet that merely throws into relief broader Italian and European problems raised by the scandal.

• 避免头重脚轻
  • Yet that merely throws broader Italian and European problems raised by the scandal into relief.
  • 改写为: Yet that merely throws into relief broader Italian and European problems raised by the scandal.
• throw … into relief: to make sth. very noticeable
  
• Global warming effects have been thrown into sharp relief by melting ice caps in the Arctic.

5.2 双重好处(魏剑峰 2018g)

Gruma is the world’s biggest maker of tortillas, with more than 100 plants in 20 countries. Free trade has been a double blessing for such companies.

• a double blessing，可数，双重好处
• Having part-time jobs can be a double blessing for college students. First, part-time employment can help students to better understand their preferences or to test out a possible career direction, making it easier for them to find a satisfying career upon graduation. Second, students taking part-time jobs will have an advantage when it comes to job-hunting, as companies seeking to recruit recent graduates often give preference to those with real-world experience.
• mixed blessing，可数，有好有坏
• Life in the city is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, you can obtain better job opportunities and higher wages. On the other hand, you may suffer from traffic and housing problems associated with overpopulation.

5.3 不言过其实 (魏剑峰 2018h)

Taobao, a Chinese e-commerce giant, was founded by Jack Ma and his team in the early 2000s, and it is not too much of a stretch to say that Taobao has changed China profoundly since its foundation.

• stretch the truth: 夸大其词
• it is not too much of a stretch to say that … 说…并不言过其实，因此表达强调。

5.4 说比做简单 (魏剑峰 2018j)

Obstacles on the internet, just like barriers to trade, are easy to decry but hard to prevent.

• easy to decry but hard to prevent
  • easy, hard …
  • … but …
  • de-cry

5.5 形容人有名 (魏剑峰 2018k)

It is hard to go a day in China without seeing Fan Bingbing.

• It is hard to go a day without (魏剑峰 2018k)

AS THE second-richest person in the world, and with a half-century record of investing success, Warren Buffett is a household name worldwide.

• household name 家喻户晓

5.6 表示干得好 (魏剑峰 2018k)

JD may have added drones to daily Chinese village life, but whether they will make financial sense for the company over time remains to be seen.

• make financial sense 在经济上干得好
• over time 表示渐变
• remain to be seen 表示尚不明确

5.7 证明某事 (魏剑峰 2018k)

表达公平

It would be a challenge to find a recent annual report of any big international company that justifies the firm’s existence merely in terms of profit, rather than “service to the community”.

Some people argue that since there are still hundreds of millions of people living in poverty, it is difficult to justify spending so much money on space exploration.

• justify

5.8 Worries about … (魏剑峰 2018l)

Worries about potential bias in AI systems have emerged in a wide range of areas, from criminal justice to insurance. In recruitment, too, companies will face a legal and reputational risk if their hiring methods turn out to be unfair.

• Worries about … have emerged in a wide range of areas, from … to …
  • Worries about genetic engineering have emerged in a wide range of areas, from food safety to biodiversity.

5.9 holds water 表示肯定 (魏剑峰 2018l)

These temporary workers can be viewed as a “reserve army” of labour that employers can use to hold down wages. (This might explain the sluggish growth of real earnings in America of late; but that argument holds water only if the reserve army is growing over time, and the BLS data cast doubt on that.)

• late: 表示过去的时候
• hold water
  • The argument that foreign visitors should pay more than locals for cultural and historical attractions holds water, as the local population already pay money to these sites through the tax system.
  • The argument that universities should accept equal numbers of male and female students in every subject does not hold water. In fact, it would be unfair to base admission to university courses on gender, since some qualified candidates will be denied a place on their favorite courses because of the criterion.

5.10 a necessary evil 不得不做的事情 (魏剑峰 2018d)

It is too easy for politicians to use monetary policy to inflate away debt. Independent monetary policy provides credibility to the bond market that this will not happen, keeping rates low. Ask two economists about pretty much anything and you’re guaranteed to get two different answers. But there exists one common enemy: politicians (though most economists reluctantly agree that politics is a necessary evil).

• 这一段主要讨论政治对于金融市场的影响。经济学家对很多问题往往都有分歧，但对一点形成了共识：政客是他们的敌人。尽管如此，大部分经济学家还是不得不承认政治在市场中的必要性。
• something unpleasant that must be accepted in order to achieve a particular result Cambridge University Press 2018
• 1. Some people regard environmental pollution as a necessary evil in developing the economy.
• 2. Many Asian parents see high academic pressure as a necessary evil in helping their children to develop a strong foundation in academia.

5.11 lend substance to (魏剑峰 2018d)

What is most striking about Ireland’s new economy is how tightly it is linked to Europe and the world. If any country lends substance to the cliché that the global economy is an opportunity not a threat, it is Ireland.

• 这段话的背景是爱尔兰因为全球化而受益，因此才有最后一句的说法If any country lends substance to the cliché that the global economy is an opportunity not a threat, it is Ireland. （经济全球化是一个机遇，而不是威胁，如果说有一个国家印证了这句老话，那么爱尔兰就是了）。其中substance是熟词生义，它的意思是“事实基础，根据”，lend substance to sth. 即“为……提供根据”。

• 1. If any country lends substance to the argument that openness brings progress, it is China.
• 2. If any company lends substance to the argument that good design matters, it is Apple.

6.1 引出原因 (魏剑峰 2018h)

The exponential growth in the power of silicon chips, digital sensors and high-bandwidth communications improves robots just as it improves all sorts of other products. And, as our special report this week explains, three other factors are at play.

• play: the effect or influence of something
• at play: having an effect
• Three factors are at play when it comes to …

All the resources and staff available were brought into play to cope with the crisis.

• bring/put something into play: 使某事发挥重要，这里的play 还是理解为 effect/influence。

6.2 以 … 为原因 (魏剑峰 2018h)

Another firm, MoneyGram of America, accepted an offer of $1.2bn from Ant Financial, but in January the sale was blocked on national-security grounds by America’s watchdog, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US.

• on A grounds: 以A为理由
• 这里的sales 作收购的意思解释，收购以国家安全为理由终止，
• by 因此 blocked 的主语。
• 这种用法常见于议论文，用于反驳，或者show 争议。
• e.g. efficiency, time-budget …

While some people support genetically modified food, others oppose this technology on health grounds. They argue that GM crops may produce harmful substances and thus have a negative impact on human health.

• 但是可以发现这里的原因都是名词词组。

6.3 it follows that (魏剑峰 2018c)

Mr Mattis has argued that, judging both by its declared philosophy and its growing arsenal, Russia could in certain situations resort to “battlefield” nuclear weapons in the belief that America would not want to respond to the use of a low-yield nuclear weapon by annihilating Moscow. It follows that America needs to be able to match Russia at every level of escalation.

• it follows that + logical results / something being true
  • 1. If we posit that wage rises cause inflation, it follows that we should try to minimize them.
  • 2. Because ladybirds eat greenfly, it follows that a decrease in the numbers of ladybirds will lead to a rise in the population of greenfly.
• arsenal 阿森纳 兵工厂 /’ɑrsənl/

这段话的大意是：考虑到俄罗斯的战争理念以及其不断增长的武器库，它有可能在某些情况下对美国动用核武器，因为它认为美国不会因为俄罗斯使用低当量核武器就将莫斯科夷为平地。因此，美国需要在和俄罗斯的冲突中保持旗鼓相当。

7.1 mention … and what might come to mind is …

Mention polygamy in Canada and what might come to mind is Bountiful, a suitably named town in British Columbia.

• polygamy: /pə’lɪɡəmi/ n. 一夫多妻，一妻多夫，多配偶
• Bountiful: 美音 /’baʊntɪfl/ 邦蒂富尔(美国犹他州中北部一城市, 盐湖城的郊区住宅区。人口32, 877)
• 当我们要介绍某个地方、人物或者作品时，就可以用上该句型，Mention A and what comes to mind is B，其中A一般是与事物有关的品质或者特点，B是事物本身。(魏剑峰 2018i)
  • 贫穷: Mention poverty reduction and what comes to mind is China, where more than 500 million people have been lifted out of poverty in the past three decades.
  • 创造性思维: Mention innovative thinking and what comes to mind is Steve Jobs, a man who was ahead of his time and who reshaped the IT industry.
    • \(\Box\)补充 combine sense 和 cs
• When people think of Donald Trump, several things come to mind: a business tycoon, the current President of the United States, and a man who waged a trade war with China.

9.1 easier said than done(魏剑峰 2018a)

Hardworking is easier said than done.

9.2 语言影响思维¹

Chen (2012), 魏剑峰 (2018m) 提出 先人思维，会通过语言，影响后人行为。

• 英语系注重时态表达，因此英语使用者，更能够区别现在和将来。
• 汉语使用者，并非如此，他们讲更多的力气区别对人的称呼上，例如uncle，有多种叫法，根据亲属系、年龄进行具体划分。

在考虑时间价值的情况下，因为更能够区别现在和将来，英语使用者更能感觉今天的钱比将来的钱更贵，因此会提前消费。 因此，汉语使用者，正好相反。 这导致了汉语使用者更容易储蓄。

储蓄这一行为，是用现在的痛苦买将来的快乐。因此刚好跟用现在的快乐买将来的痛苦的行为负相关，例如吸烟、肥胖、没有安全措施的性行为。

因此储蓄高的人，显著少概率的吸烟、肥胖、没有安全措施的性行为。

9.3 朦胧美

汉语更不注意单复数，追求朦胧美 (魏剑峰 2018m)。

独怜幽草涧边生，上有黄鹂深树鸣。 英语中有单复数。 因此，树，在翻译的时候是trees。

Alone I like the riverside where green grass grows. And golden orioles sing amid leafy trees.

9.4 英语中的时态

魏剑峰 (2018m) 给出汉语中少英语的时态的例子。 如《百年孤独》中，

Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.

Many years later, as he faced (现在) the firing squad,² Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember (未来) that distant afternoon when his father took (过去) him to discover ice.

9.5 Patterns of culture (魏剑峰 2018o)

The life history of the individual is first and foremost³ an accommodation to the patterns and standards traditionally handed down in his community. From the moment of his birth, the customs into which he is born shape his experience and behavior. By the time he can talk, he is the little creature of his culture, and by the time he is grown and able to take part in its activities, its habits are his habits, its beliefs his beliefs, its impossibilities his impossibilities. Every child that is born into his group will share them with him, and no child born into one on the opposite side of the globe can ever achieve the thousandth part.

• 这段话的核心意思是每个人都被其所在的文化所塑造，不同文化环境中成长起来的人的经历和行为规范可能会有非常大的不同——这一点可以从无数的文化差异例子中看出来。
• 感觉说的都对，非常适合扯废话的时候使用。

9.6 idea (魏剑峰 2018o)

It is well known that where the white man has invaded a primitive culture, the most destructive effect have come not from physical weapons but from ideas. Ideas are dangerous. The Holy Office knew this full well when it caused heretics to be burned in days gone by.

• The Holy Office: 宗教法庭
• 文中提到摩洛哥和加利福尼亚是两个在维度、气候和资源上极其相似的地方，但两者的发展情况却大相庭径。造成这种现象的原因并不是两地的人民不同，而是他们头脑中的思想不同。作者提出了一个很犀利的观点：思想是危险的。这也是宗教法庭要把传播新思想的异教徒烧死的原因。

9.7 come up short

In other words, how had I—his American niece—succeeded where he’d come up short? His granddaughter was three, just like Rainey, but she’d been denied a spot.

• come up short

  • “And this is just a sliver of the consequences if we come up short [on raising enough funds],” she said. 她说，“如果我们募集不到足够的资金，那么这些后果只是冰山一角罢了”

• denied a spot

9.8 serendipity

• (n.) finding sth. good without looking for it.
• 意外发现珍奇事物的才能
• 真喜欢这个词。

9.9 谈恋爱的看法 (魏剑峰 2017)

Opponents may argue that university students should place study as their priority as dating in all likelihood may distract them from this objective. However, learning is not all about memorizing textbooks and passing exams. True love holds the key to happiness in life and students are entitled to experience it. Admittedly, a relationship may serve as a distraction in some cases. Yet, it can also yield beneficial results. Couples may encourage each other to achieve academic excellence and support each other in times of crisis. Furthermore, it is tantamount (fair) to cruelty to hinder (阻碍) the pursuit of true love. The decision as to whether or not to start a relationship should be a personal choice.

9.10 引出争议 (魏剑峰 2017)

Opinion is divided as to whether programmers will welcome or reject such tools.

• 人们对于程序员是否会喜欢这样的工具看法不一。
• Opinion is divided as to … 就是一个很好的句型，我们可以将其应用到上面的例子中：
• Opinion is divided as to whether people should take a gap year. 这样的句子会更为地道。

9.11 地道用法 (魏剑峰 2017)

• China has changed beyond recognition since 1978.
• sail through the exam
• burn the midnight oil

9.12 相约星期二

这部小说有很多对话，因此会出现keep going这些非常口语词汇，词汇量不大，读起来很爽，还可以学习一些固定搭配

• having enough money
• meeting the mortgage
• stand back
• …

Yes, I said, but if ageing were so valuable, why do people always say, “Oh, if I were young again.” You never hear people say, “I wish I were sixty-five.” He smiled. “You know what that reflects? Unsatisfied lives. Unfulfilled lives. Lives that haven’t found meaning. Because if you’ve found meaning in your life, you don’t want to go back. You want to go forward. You want to see more, do more.”

如果回顾人生，如果充满意义，那么只会向前看，去拥抱更有意义的未来，而非想回到过去。

“Everyone knows they are going to die,” he said again, “but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently.”

wuli滔滔没加“to”。

回想起，日本拍摄的跟死亡相关的电影，感觉每次都是完全不一样的，改变人看待世界的方式。 因此当我们开始思考死亡， 我们会发现平时在意的很多东西其实并不重要，这将会改变我们看待世界的眼光以及为人处世的方式 (魏剑峰 2018q)。

“We’re so wrapped up with egotistical things, career, family, having enough money, meeting the mortgage, getting a new car, fixing the radiator when it breaks—we’re involved in trillions of little acts just to keep going. So we don’t get into the habit of standing back and looking at our lives and saying, Is this all? Is this all I want? Is something missing?”

• egotistical: adj. 自我本位的, 任性的
• having enough money, meeting the mortgage，地道搭配。
• just to keep going 否定语气。

The truth is, once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.

中文找到最好的翻译是 向死而生。 只有真切地认识到了死亡，我们才能分清什么是最重要的东西，才能更好地把握当下，过好每一天。(魏剑峰 2018q)

9.13 The Road Less Traveled

本文的摘录来自 魏剑峰 (2018p)。

9.14 类比 (魏剑峰 2018b)

WHAT MASS IS for Catholics, technology conferences are for geeks. Speakers at these gatherings often sound like preachers, promising a dazzling future.

• what A is for B, C is for D.
• What Facebook is for the US, Tencent is for China.
  
• What petrol is for cars, data is for machine learning.
• petrol 美音 /’pɛtrəl/

9.15 a force for good (魏剑峰 2018c)

But when many in the West are contemplating their future with new foreboding, it is important to understand why the sceptics are wrong; why economic integration is a force for good; and why globalisation, far from being the greatest cause of poverty, is its only feasible cure.

• contemplating their future with new foreboding
  • contemplating: profound thinking about something.
  • foreboding: a feeling of evil to come
• 其中a force for good是一个地道英文写作中很常见的表达，它的意思是“某事物是有益的，某事物能带来好处”。比如麦克米伦词典中有这样的例句：
  • The Internet can be a force for good by helping to spread knowledge.

9.16 Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe (魏剑峰 2018n)

Money is everything in Switzerland – the country has more banks than dentists – and their quiet passion for it makes them cunning opportunists. The country is land-locked, 300 miles from the nearest sniff of sea, and yet it is home to the largest manufacturer of marine engines in the world. The virtues of the Swiss are legion: they are clean, orderly, law-abiding and diligent – so diligent that in a national referendum in the 1970s they actually voted against giving themselves a shorter working week.

so diligent that they want a shorter working week.

I sat on a toilet watching the water run thinking what an odd thing tourism is. You fly off to a strange land, eagerly abandoning all the comforts of home and then expend vast quantities of time and money in a largely futile effort to recapture the comforts you wouldn’t have lost if you hadn’t left home in the first place.

这段对旅行的思考很有意思。

“But that’s the glory of foreign travel, as far as I am concerned. I don’t want to know what people are talking about. I can’t think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you are five years old again. You can’t read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can’t even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses.”

• days of glory 不一定是真正的很有名点，但是是峥嵘、值得怀念的就行，歌词常见。
• you are five years old again.