新概念英語中的好詞好句系列三
各位好，這是新概念英語好詞好句系列的第三篇。
1.Porpoises
Porpoises（海豚）一文的作者Ralph Nading Hill是美國作家以及環境保護主義者，這篇文章選自他的書籍Window in the sea，Porpoises屬於典型的科普文章：通俗易懂，沒有太多的文化背景知識。這篇主要對海豚的一些生活習性做介紹。
文章裡面有這樣一句話：
Whether it be bird, fish or beast, the porpoise is intrigued with anything that is alive. They are constantly after the turtles, who peacefully submit to all sorts of indignities.
上面這個句子中whether it be是一個很古典的用法，it在這裡是指後面的anything that is alive，be則是一個虛擬語氣用法，如果將whether it be bird, fish or beast 改為whether it is bird, fish or beast也是可以的，但在語氣上就沒有whether it be那麼古典正式。事實上，whether it be這個用法在新四中多次出現，在第26課The past life of the earth也有一個例子：
After all, all living creatures live by feeding on something else, whether it be plant or animal, dead or alive, and it is only by chance that such a fate is avoided.
Whether it be plant or animal 這裡it指代的是前面的something else，另外後面的...and it is only by chance that …為強調句，強調的是by chance，還原後是：…and such a fate is avoided only by chance.
在寫作中可以用whether it be來對一些可能的情況進行列舉，例如：
Due to the generation gap, young adults are often at odds with older generations over everyday matters,whether it behairstyles or taste in music.
2.The 『Vasa』
The 『Vasa』 （瓦薩號）是以瑞典瓦薩王朝創始人Gustavus Vasa的姓氏命名的一艘戰船，瓦薩號建造時瑞典正處於最強盛的時期，但這艘船卻在首航中很離奇地沉沒在斯德哥爾摩港口。新概念4這篇文章正是對這一事件的描寫。文章的用詞很生動華麗，一些修辭手法也值得我們借鑒：
As she emerged from her drifting cloud of gun smoke with the water churned to foam beneath her bow, her flags flying, pennants waving, sails filling in the breeze, and the red and gold of her superstructure ablaze with color, she presented a more majestic spectacle than Stockholmers had ever seen before.
上面句子描寫的是瓦薩號剛起航時的壯觀場面，對此作者採用了排比的手法，連用with the water churned to foam beneath her bow, (with) her flags flying, (with her) pennants waving, (with her) sails filling in the breeze, (with) the red and gold of her superstructure ablaze with color 這五個獨立主格結構來描述這一氣勢磅礴的場景。
句子的用詞也很有畫面感，比如as she emerged from her drifting cloud of gun smoke，這裡用drifting來表現禮炮煙雲四處瀰漫的狀態。the water churned to foam beneath her bow，foam作為名詞時是指「泡沫」，這裡採用其動詞含義「起泡沫」，準確地描繪了船頭下白浪四濺的場景。the red and gold of her superstructure ablaze with color，ablaze一詞常用來指某事物色彩繽紛，例如：Her yard was ablaze with summer flowers. 她院子里夏季的鮮花五彩繽紛。用在這裡指瓦薩號的船樓金碧輝煌非常貼切。
值得注意的一點是，作者在指瓦薩號時用的是』she』，這其實是一種經常在文學作品中出現的手法：用she來指船隻，國家或者汽車。新概念3有一篇文章Five pounds too dear，裡面也用到了這種手法：
Small boats loaded with wares sped to the great liner asshewas entering the harbour. Beforeshehad anchored, the men from the boats had climbed on board and the decks were soon covered with colourful rugs from Persia, silks from India, copper coffee pots, and beautiful handmade silverware.
3.Hobbies
新四不少文章富有人文關懷，而Hobbies一文就是典型代表。這篇文章是丘吉爾關於人類興趣愛好的隨筆，文中有不少內容其實也是其人生經歷的反映，比如：
To be really happy and really safe, one ought to have at least two or three hobbies, and they must all be real. It is no use starting late in life to say: 『I will take an interest in this or that.』 Such an attempt only aggravate the strain of mental effort.
人應該培養一到兩門真正的興趣，這樣才能過一個積極而有意義的人生，這樣人到晚年精神才有所依託。繪畫是丘吉爾平生最大的興趣之一，他一生的作品包括逾570件畫作和兩件雕塑，英國皇家戲劇藝術學院還向他頒贈過證書。這一興趣也使丘吉爾得以在繁忙的政治生活之外找到精神寄託，讓他在屢次受挫，數次落選之後還能保持淡定的心境。（關於丘吉爾的更多介紹可見為什麼你需要去讀一讀丘吉爾的演講稿？）
對於興趣的培養，丘吉爾用了一個很巧妙的比喻：
The growth of alternative mental interest is a long process. The seeds must be carefully chosen; the must fall on good ground; they must be sedulously tended, if the vivifying fruits are to be at hand when needed.
這裡將興趣的培養過程比作植物的生長過程：精選良種，植入肥沃的土地，還需要精心護理。對應到興趣的培養即認真挑選要發展的興趣，並且提供能讓興趣發展的條件，比如時間和精力等。
在文中作者還提到，大部分人工作是工作，娛樂和娛樂，而對於另外一部分人來說，工作和娛樂是一回事，這些人是命運的寵兒：
Their life is a natural harmony. For them the working hours are never long enough. Each day is a holiday, and ordinary holidays, when they come, are grudged as enforced interruptions in an absorbing vocation.
而達到這樣一種狀態的方式就如同作者說的：It is no use doing what you like; you have got to like what you do. （干你所喜歡的事是沒有用的，你得喜歡你所乾的事）。
關於興趣愛好作者在文中還有很多經典論述，推薦各位精讀全文。
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