-
Language points
lesson 9
Paragraph 2
1. The general
raised his eyebrows. He seemed hurt.
raise one
’
s
eyebrows:
to move
one
?
s eyebrows upwards in
order to show surprise or disapproval
e.g.: 'Really?' she said, raising her
eyebrows.
This decision
caused a few raised eyebrows
→
be up to your
eyebrows in sth
:
spoken
to have more of sth
than you can deal with
I'm
absolutely up to my eyebrows in work.
[
→
be up to your
neck in sth
:
infml
1) to be
very busy with sth
e.g.:
She's up to her neck in work.
2) to be
in a difficult situation that is hard to escape
from
e.g.: Jim's up to his
neck in debt.]
Paragraph 3
2. He saw the dead black
eyes of the general on him, studying
him. General
Zaroff
’
s face
suddenly brightened.
Meaning
: Rainsford sees the
general staring at him with his cold, severe,
expressionless eyes. The
general was
surprised at Rainsford
?
s
responses.
brighten (up)
: to
become happier or more excited
e.g.:
She
brightened up a bit when she saw us.
我们开始谈到钱时，他的眼睛为之一亮。
读男朋友的电子邮件时，她面露喜色。
His eyes
brightened when we started talking about money
Her face brightened up as she read her
boyfriend
?
s email.
.
Paragraph 4
3.
“<
/p>
Tonight,
”
said the
general,
“
we will hunt---you
and I.
”
Notice
how the general makes it sound like a fair game.
Instead of saying
“I
will
hunt you down,
and you can try to slip
through my fingers,
”
he
says,
“
We will hunt---you
and I.
”
Paragraph 6
4.
“
As you wish, my friend. The
choice rests entirely with you. But may I venture
to suggest
that
you
’
ll find my idea of sport
more interesting Ivan
’
s?
”
Meaning: more
interesting than
Ivan
’
s
:
Ivan,
who
was
deaf
and
dumb,
had
been
the
official
flogger
of
the
Czar.
When
the
general?
s
captives refused to play his game, he
would hand them over to Ivan, who would then flog
them to
death. So here the general was
telling Rainsford to choose either to play the
game with him and
die as a hunter or to
be whipped to death by Ivan.
(just) as you wish
: used in
formal situations to tell sb you will do what they
want
e.g.:
“I?d like it to
be ready by six.”
“Just as
you wish, sir.”
The cook will prepare
whatever you wish.
rest with
sb
: if a decision or responsibility
rests with sb, they have the duty or authority to
take
that decision or responsibility,
to be sb
?
s responsibility to
do
e.g.: The matter now rests with the
medical committee.
Responsibility for child
welfare rests with the government.
由总统作出最后的决定。
The
final decision rests with the President.
→
rest on/upon
sth
:
1)
fml
to depend on sth
e.g.: Success in management ultimately
rests on good judgment.
2)
fml
to be based on a
particular idea or set of facts
e.g.:
他的全部论断所依据的是错误的假定。
His whole argument rested on false
assumptions.
3) if your
eyes rest on sth, you notice it and look at it
e.g.: His eyes rested on a small figure
in the distance.
Paragraph
7
5.
He
nodded
toward
the
corner
to
where
the
giant
stood,
his
thick
arms
crossed
on
his
hogshead of a chest.
Notice
that here
“
of
”
is used between two nouns, with the first
describing the second.
e.g.: the devil of a temper,
the fool of a
doctor,
the
monkey of a child,
his rapier of a tongue
his peach of a
wife,
his
pigsty of a room,
her prince of a son
他过着诗一般的生活。
我想你那专制的父亲不会允许你半夜三更回家。
He
lived a poem of a life.
I
don
?
t think your tyrant of a
father will allow you to come back after midnight.
Paragraph 11
6.
“
Y
our
brain
against
mine.
Your
woodcraft
against
mine.
Your
strength
and
stamina
against mine.
Outdoor chess! And the stake is not without value,
eh?
”
stamina
:
physical
or
mental
strength
that
lets
you
continue
doing
something
for
a
long
time
without getting tired;
endurance, power to persist or persevere
e.g.: You need stamina to be a long-
distance runner.
她有决心和毅力取得成功。
我没有通宵工作的体力。
She has the stamina and the
determination to succeed.
I
don
?
t have the stamina to
work all night.
woodcraft
:
1) knowledge of forests and
how to live in them by building camps, finding
food, etc.
2) the skill of making
things from wood
stake
:
n
.
1) a wooden or
metal post with a pointed end that is used for
supporting or marking sth
e.g.: He cut
stakes from hard saplings and sharpened them to a
fine point.
the stake
: a thick wooden
pole that sb was tied to and burned in the past as
a punishment
e.g.: Joan of Arc was
burned at the stake in 1431.
2)
an
amount
of
money
that
you
risk
losing
when
you
try
to
guess
the
result
of
a
race
or
competition
e.g.: He liked gambling, but only for
small stakes.
3)
stakes
[plural]
the
things
you
can
gain
or
lose
by
taking
a
risk,
for
example
in
business
or
politics
e.g.: With such
high stakes
, the atmosphere
was tense.
4) the part of a business
that you own because you have invested money in
it
股份
/
权
e.g.: They took a 40% stake
in
the company last year.
a majority/minority stake
(=more/less than half):
The company has
bought a majority stake in Majestic Films
International.
5) [usu singular] the
degree to which you are involved in sth and want
it to succeed
决定权，
分量，
< br>作用，影响
e.g.:
have a stake in (doing) sth
:
He has a huge stake in making the peace process
work.
如今父母在孩子与谁结婚的问题上说话的分量很小。
Nowadays parents have a
small stake in whom their child marries.
6) stakes
[plural] used in the names of some horse races
e.g.: the Pimlico Stakes
7)
used for talking about a competition or comparison
that seems like a race
e.g.: Who are
the main contenders in the party leadership
stakes?
in the popularity/fitness/beauty etc.
stakes
:
They?re running neck and
neck in the popularity stakes.
→
at stake
1)
likely to be lost or damaged if sth fails
e.g.:
People?s lives are at
stake.
处于危急关头，在危险之中
2) used about important issues that are
involved in a situation or could be decided by
it
争议中的，
悬而未决的
e.g.:
没有几个选民知道争议中的问题是什么。
他们前途未卜。
Few voters had
any idea of the issues at stake.
Their
future is at stake.
go to the stake for/over
sth
mainly BrE.
:
to defend a belief/idea even if you suffer as a
result
Paragraph 12
7.
“
And if I
win---
”
Rainsford huskily.
husky
:
1) a husky voice is deep and sounds
hoarse (like you have a sore throat), often in an
attractive way
e.g.:
?Come quickly,? she
said in a husky whisper.
2)
AmE
a husky boy or man is
big and strong
huskily
: in a
husky voice; in a semi-whispered tone, hoarse from
passion
Paragraph 13
8. He sipped his wine, and then in a
businesslike air, he went
on
…
sip
:
vt./vi.
to drink in small
amounts:
e.g.: She was already sitting
at the bar, sipping her coffee.
He sipped at
his wine with pleasure.
sip
:
n.
a small amount of liquid
taken into your mouth:
e.g.:
take a sip (of sth)
: If the
food is too hot, take a sip of water.
businesslike
: serious and
effective in the way you deal with things,
efficient
e.g.:
Alan chaired the meeting in a very businesslike
way.
Every session is different
-
some sessions race by,
others drag,
some are quite
businesslike,
others get very emotional.
As a lawyer,
you have to be controlled and businesslike at all
times.
他一本正经地处理这个问题。
He approaches the issue in
a businesslike way.
9.
“
Ivan will supply you with
hunting clothes, food, a knife. I suggest you wear
moccasins;
they
leave
a
poorer
trail.
I
suggest
too
that
you
avoid
the
big
swamp
in
the
southeast
corner of the
island
…”
Appreciation
:
Notice how the general tries to make things easy
for his adversary and make things
difficult
for
himself.
He
does
this
because
he
is
absolutely
sure
of
the
result
of
the
game.
He
knows
that he will win. His only worry is that the game
would end too soon. Therefore he adopts
this condescending attitude throughout.
10. One foolish fellow
tried it. The deplorable part of it was that
Lazarus followed him. He
was the finest
hound in my pack.
deplorable
: very bad,
unpleasant, and shocking
synonym:
appalling
e.g.:
The prisoners were held in deplorable conditions.
His
conduct was deplorable.
孤儿们的生活状况极其糟糕。
The
orphans were living in most deplorable conditions.
→
deplore
:
fml
to
disapprove
of
sth
very
strongly
and
criticize
it
severely,
especially
publicly,
often because you
think it is immoral
e.g.:
The UN deplored the invasion as a
?violation of international law?.
11. General Zaroff, with a
deep courtly bow, strolled from the room.
courtly
:
a.
fml
graceful and polite (Remember that the general had
been a Russian general.)
e.g.: a tall
man with courtly manners
→
courtliness
n.
Paragraph 15
12.
“
I must keep my nerve. I
must keep my nerve,
”
he said
through tight teeth.
lose your
nerve
(=no longer be able to control
your fear):
e.g.:
Suddenly I lost my nerve and I couldn?t
move.
keep one’s
nerve
: not a standard expression, the
opposite of “lose one?s nerve”, meaning
to be able to remain calm and think
clearly.
nerve
:
[U]
the
ability
to
control
your
fear
and
remain
determined
when you are
doing sth difficult or dangerous, courage
e.g.:
a lot of
nerve
: It took a lot of nerve for him
to ask her out.
the nerve to do
sth
: She found the nerve to tell him he
was
wrong.
Paragraph 16
13. He had not
been entirely clear-headed when the chateau gates
snapped shut behind him.
clear-
headed
: able to think in a sensible and
calm way;
not confused
e.g.: Though very seriously
ill, she was clear-headed and rational.
→
clear-
sighted
:
able to understand
a problem or situation well
e.g.: a clear-sighted
analysis
snap (sth)
open/shut/on/off/together
:
to
quickly
move
sth,
for
example
a
light
switch
or
sth
else
that
makes
a
short
sound,
or
to
be
moved
quickly in this way
e.g.:
She quickly snapped her purse shut.
It?s really
simple to build
--- the pieces just
snap together.
Kathy snapped off the light.
→
similar
expressions:
v.
+
ad.
to
roar
past,
to
bang
shut,
to
pop
open,
to
rattle
past
14. His whole idea at first was to put
distance between himself and General Zaroff.
Meaning
: At
first he just wanted to get as far away as
possible from this terrible man.
put some distance
between
:
1) to
go away from a person or place, esp. in order to
avoid a dangerous or unpleasant situation
She felt she had to put some distance
between herself
and the house.
e.g.:
2) to say
or do sth that shows that you are not connected
with or do not approve of sth
e.g.:
The strategy is to put some distance
between the liberal and
conservative
branches of the party.
3)
to deliberately make a
relationship less close or friendly
e.g.: My instincts warned me to put
some distance between us.
→
more expressions with
distance
:
at a
distance
from/at a
distance
in the
distance
keep sb at a distance
keep one’s
distance
within
hearing/walking distance
15. He had
plunged along, spurred on by a sharp feeling of
panic.
plunge
:
1) to move, fall, or be thrown suddenly
forwards or downwards
e.g.: Her car
swerved and plunged off the cliff.
Both the climbers had plunged to their
deaths.
2) if a price, rate etc
plunges, it suddenly decreases by a large amount
e.g.:
The unemployment rate
plunged sharply.
Oil prices have plunged to
a new low.
→
plunge
in/into
:
1) to start talking
or doing sth quickly and confidently, esp. without
thinking about it first
a
difficult
situation.
You
can?t
just
plunge
in
and
put
everything right.
?I don't
agree,? she said,
plunging into the
conversation.
2) to jump or
dive into water
e.g.: He
stripped off and plunged into the sea.
→
plunge
(sb/sth)
into
sth
:
to
(cause
to)
suddenly
e.g.:
It?s
experience
a
difficult
or
unpleasant situation
The
city
was
plunged
into
total
darkness
when
the
entire
electrical system failed.
The country is plunging into recession
once more.
e.g.:
→
rush/jump/plunge headlong
into sth
:
to
start doing sth with a lot of enthusiasm but
without thinking about it first
This
was
not
the
time
to
plunge
into
some
new
business
venture.
e.g.:
spur
:
v.
1) to use
spurs to make a horse go faster
2)
spur (on)
to encourage sb to
do sth
e.g.: The thought of failing my
exams spurred me into action.
His comments
spurred me on to success.
袭击事件刺激立法者通过严格的法律制裁年轻的违法者。
The
attacks
spurred
lawmakers
to
pass
tough
laws
against
young
offenders.
3) to cause sth
to happen
e.g.:
The results
have spurred further investigation.
The
successful
killing
of
bin
Laden
will
likely
spur
anger
in
some
Muslim countries, especially Pakistan.
原油过剩导致油价下跌。
几次公开场合他都没有露面，
这让谣言四起，
说他已经下台。
A surplus of
crude oil has spurred a drop in prices.
His
absence
on
public
occasions
spurred
rumors
that
he
had
stepped down from office.
[
→
on
the spur of the moment
: if you do sth
on the spur of the moment, you do it
suddenly and do not take time to plan
it or think carefully about
it
e.g.
She could not possibly make such a
decision on the spur of the moment.
她不可能一时冲动做出这样的决定。
→
spur-of-the-
moment
:
a.
sudden
and not planned
e.g.: a spur-of-the-
moment decision/plan/visit
→
win/earn your
spurs
: to do sth that proves your
ability in a particular activity or situation and
gives you a good reputation
获
得荣誉，出名，成名
]
16. But now he had got a grip on
himself, had stopped, and was taking stock of
himself and
he situation.
grip
on
:
n.
[singular] power and control over sb or sth
e.g.:
have/lose
grip on the audience
The President
struggled to
regain his grip
on
power.
教会对民众的控制力不再强大。
The
church no longer
has a
strong
grip on
the
population.
[
→
Grip of
e.g.
He has a
grip of the subject.
He
couldn
?
t free himself from
the grip of sin and guilt.
come/get to grips
(with)
搏斗；认真处理
in
the grip of
在支配下；受（逆境或不愉快情绪的）控制
in the grip of poverty
in
the grip of influenza
in the grip of
emotion
grip: vt.
They
are gripped by anxiety.
She
couldn
?
t grip the point.
The picture gripped my
imagination.
该国出现能源危机。
Energy crisis
gripped the country.
]
take stock
of
:
to spend some time
thinking about the situation you are in before you
decide
what to do
next
了解，判断（形势等）
(to
size up
,
assess
,
make
appraisal of
)
e.g.:
Millie felt she needed
to stop and take stock of her life.
It
is
time
to
take
stock,
at
the
halfway
mark,
before
the
next
phase of reform.
政治观察家发现很难对这一模棱两可
ambiguous
的局势做出
评价。
Take stock of
The political observers
found it hard to take stock of the ambiguous
situation.
in stock
out of
stock
take stock
in
关注，关心
The
President, tangled in the sexual affair, seemed to
have no time
Paragraph 17
17. He saw that
straight flight was futile; inevitably it would
bring him face to face with the
sea.
He was
in
a
picture with
a
frame
of water,
and
his
operations,
clearly, must
take
place within that
frame.
flight
: [U/C] the act
of running away or trying to escape from sb
or sth
e.g.: The refugees
made a desperate flight to freedom.
Suddenly the
herd of antelope
took (to)
flight
.
The advancing army
put
the rebels
to
flight
.
Residents took flight from
Haiti to escape the fighting.
→
flee
(-fled-fled)
v
. to escape
from a dangerous situation or place very quickly:
e.g.: Earthquake victims have been
forced to flee their homes.
flee
across/from
/to/into
:
Thousands
of
Indian
peasants
fled
across
the
border to Mexico.
futile
: unsuccessful or
useless
synonym
:
pointless
e.g.:
It?s
futile
trying
to
get
him
to
change
his
mind
/to
continue
the peace talks.
a futile
attempt/effort
:
a futile
attempt to save the paintings from the flames.
My efforts to
go back to sleep proved futile.
→
futility
:
a lack of purpose, importance, or
effectiveness
e.g.:
His
efforts
were
accompanied
by
a
sense
of
futility
and
doubt.
→
an exercise in
futility
: a useless action that cannot
succeed
Paragraph 18
18.
“
I
’
ll
give
him
a
trail
to
follow,
”
muttered
Rainsford,
and
he
struck
off
from
the
rude
paths he had been
following into the trackless wilderness.
strike off
: to walk away in
a determined way
1) to go in a
particular direction in a way that shows energy or
determination
e.g.:
They
struck off across the desert without supplies.
Startled by the noise, he had struck
off through the woods.
2) [usually
passive] to remove sth from a list or record
e.g.:
We can strike that off
today?s agenda
---
it?s been
settled.
3)
BrE
used
about
sb
such
as
a
doctor
or
lawyer
who
is
no
longer
allowed
to
work
in
their
profession
rude
paths
: rough-hewn paths
→
rude
:
literary
made in a simple
basic way
e.g.: The inhabitants lived
in rude mud huts.
19. He
executed a series of intricate loops; he doubled
on his trail again and again, recalling
al the lore of the fox hunt, and all
the dodges of the fox.
Meaning
: He performs a
series of complicated loops; He moves round and
round, covering the
same trail again
and again so as to confuse his pursuer,
remembering all the things he learned in
foxhunting and the way the hunted fox
tried to escape.
execute
: to perform a
difficult action or movement:
e.g.:
The
ankle
twisted
when
she
was
executing
a
particularly
complex step.
beautifully/skillfully/poorly
etc
executed
The
skaters'
routine was perfectly executed.
Execute a
drawing
execute a sonata
Execute an order
execute a plan/purpose
lore
:
knowledge
or
information
about
a
subject,
for
example
nature or magic, that is not written
down but is passed from
person to
person
e.g.: According to
local lore
, a ghost still haunts the
castle.
dodges
: tricks or ways used
to avoid being caught
dodge
:
v
.
1) to avoid
sb/sth by moving quickly, esp. so that sth does
not hit you or sb does not see you
e.g.:
Shoppers had to dodge
flying glass when the bomb exploded.
cyclists dodging through traffic
2) to avoid doing sth in a
clever or dishonest way
e.g.:
He tried to
dodge the question.
They get smart
accountants to help them dodge taxes.
dodge
:
n
.
1) a dishonest
way to avoid doing sth unpleasant
e.g.:
He keeps his money overseas as a tax dodge.
2) a quick movement to
avoid sth
→
tax
dodge
: a legal or illegal way of paying
less tax
[
→
tax
evasion
: the use of illegal methods to
pay less tax or pay no tax at all
→
tax avoidance
:
the use of legal ways to pay less
tax
]
→
dodger
: sb who
avoids doing sth such as paying a tax
e.g.:
He?s a
well
-known tax dodger.
fare
dodgers
on the subway
draft
dodger
:
sb
who
avoids
joining
their
country?s
military
when
they
are
officially
ordered to
20.
Night
found
him
legweary,
with
hands
and
face
lashed
by
the
branches,
on
a
thickly
wooded ridge.
Meaning
: When night falls,
he is too tired to walk.
Notice
that the subject in
the sentences is impersonal. More examples:
1.
…
straight flight
was futile; inevitably
it
would
bring
him face to face
with the sea.
2.
Rest brought
him new
confidence and almost a feeling of security.
3.
The
night
crawled
slowly
like
a
wounded
snake,
and
sleep
did
not
visit
Rainsford
although the silence of a
dead world was on the jungle.
4.
the
cry
of some startled birds
focused
Rainsford?s attentio
n in
that direction.
5.
His first though made
him
feel sick and numb.
6.
It
(Rainsford?s
second thought)
sent
a
shudder of cold horror through his whole being.
7.
Nothing
escaped
those searching eyes
8.
The
softness
of the earth
gave
him an
idea…
9.
The
night breeze brought
him the perfume of the general?s
cigarette.
10.
An idea
that held a wild
chance
came
to
him…
11.
Two slight
annoyances
kept
him from perfect enjoyment.
21. He knew it would be
insane to blunder on through the dark, even if he
had the strength.
Meaning
: he knows that it
would be silly (crazy, mad) to continue running
blindly in the dark.
blunder
:
v.
1) to make a
careless or embarrassing mistake
e.g.:
Government
agents
had
blundered
again
and
arrested
the
wrong man.
2)
to
move
or
progress
in
a
careless
way,
making
mistakes
or
creating problems as you
go
e.g.:
blunder
about/around/into
:
The
book
tells
the
story
of
how
Europe
blundered
into
World War I.
blunder
:
n
. a careless or stupid or
embarrassing mistake
e.g.: Officials
were accused of making a huge administrative
blunder.
→
blundering
:
careless or stupid
Compare
error
,
mistake
,
blunder
, and
slip
Error
implies
a
straying
from
a
proper
course
and
suggests
such
guilt as may lie in failure to take
proper advantage of a guide
(as a
record or manuscript, a rule, a principle, law, or
code).
e.g.:
factual/grammatical
error,
human/pilot/driver
error,
error of
judgment
Mistake
implies misconception, misunderstanding, a wrong
but not
always
blameworthy
judgment;
it
expresses
less
severe
criticism than error.
e.g.:
He
made
a
serious
mistake
when
he
chose
the
law
as
his
profession.
learn from one
?
s
mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes./We all
make mistakes.
Blunder
is
harsher
than
mistake
or
error;
it
commonly
implies
ignorance or
stupidity,
sometimes, blameworthiness.
A
slip
is
a
slight
mistake,
especially
a
careless
one.
It
carries
a
stronger implication of
accident
than mistake and
often, in addition,
connotes
triviality
.
e.g.: a slip of
the tongue
a slip of the
pen
moral slip
22.
“
I have played the
fox,
”
he thought,
“
now I must play the
cat.
”
Meaning
:
Rainsford says to himself
that he has done enough running and now should
hide up in
a tree. Here he is alluding
to the fable about the fox and cat (See Note 5 to
the text on P. 269)
23.
…
he climbed up into the
crotch, and stretching out on one of the broad
limbs, after a
fashion, rested.
after
a
fashion
:
not
very
much,
not
very
well,
or
not
very
effectively
e.g.: --
“Can you speak
Russian?”
--
“After a
fashion.”
She
sings after a fashion.
24.
Even so zealous a hunter as General Zaroff could
not trace him there, he told himself.
Meaning
:
Even
a
fanatic
hunter
such
as
General
Zaroff
could
not
follow
him
there,
he
tells
himself.
so zealous a
hunter as
: = such a zealous hunter as =
a zealous
hunter such as
zealous
: extremely
enthusiastic about sth.
e.g.: a zealous
preacher/supporter
be zealous in (doing) sth:
No one was more zealous
than Neil in supporting the proposal.
→
zeal
: eagerness
to do something, especially to achieve a
particular religious or political aim
e.g.:
religious/revolutionary/missionary zeal
He approached the job with missionary
zeal.
In their zeal to catch drug
dealers, police have ignored citizens? basic civil
rights.
Paragraph 19
25.
The
night
crawled
slowly
like
a
wounded
snake,
and
sleep
did
not
visit
Rainsford
although the
silence of a dead world was on the jungle.
Meaning
:
Time
moves
very
slowly,
Rainsford
is
so
worried
and
scared
that
he
cannot
sleep
although it is very quiet in the
jungle.
Appreciation
: Notice the
author
?
s metaphor, comparing
the advancing of the night to the crawling
of a wounded snake. A wounded snake
moves very slowly of course, but it is very
dangerous and
is ready to attack at any
moment.
26. Toward morning
when a dingy gray was varnishing the sky, the cry
of some startled bird
focused
Rainsford
’
s
attention
in
that
direction.
Something
was
coming
through
the
bush,
slowly, carefully, by the same winding
way Rainsford had come. He flattened himself down
on the limb, and through a screen of
leaves, saw it was a man.
Appreciation
: Notice how the
author skillfully builds up the tension: First,
the cry of a startled
bird, then
something moving by the same winding way, then the
sight of the a man, finally the
realization of who the man is. This
method is used repeatedly throughout the story.
dingy
:
dark,
dirty,
and
in
bad
condition;
not
white
and
clean;
dull
e.g.:
a dingy room
a dingy side-street
→
dinginess
n.
[varnish
vanish]
flatten:
1) also
flatten out: to make sth flat or flatter, or to
become flat or flatter
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