Lesson Eight
A Lesson in Living
1.inedible ： not fit to be eaten 不可食的，不宜食用的
2.swirl ： （ cause to ） move or flow at varying speeds ， with twise and turns 涡旋而动，使打旋。
如：A gust of wind swirled dust about the streets . 阵风吹起灰尘弥漫大街。
The snow was swirling in the air . 雪花在空中盘旋。
3. …… that would have peeled like a plum if snagged .
peel： came off in stips or flakes 剥落，脱皮。
如：The wall-paper seems to be peeling off . 墙纸看来要剥落了。
4.let alone ： without reference to ， or considering 更不必说。
如； He doesn‘t have money for food ， let alone amusements. 他连吃饭的钱都没有，更甭说娱乐了。
5.incessant ： continual ， often repeated ： 不断的，不停的。
如：incessant chatter 喋喋不休；incessant rain 连绵不断的雨。
6.It would be safe to say that …… 可以这么说……。
如； It would be safe to say that you would get nowhere if you are so lazy .可以这么说，如果你这样懒惰，你将一事无成。
7.pick her way ： 慎行。
另如：pick one‘s words 精选词语；pick flaws 找碴；pick and steal 小偷小摸；pick and choose 挑三拣四。
8.bear in mind ： remember 记住。
如：Please bear in mind that we are friends . 请记住，我们是朋友。
9.infuse them with
infuse ： fill 灌输。
如：The coach infused the team with enthusiasm . 教练给队员注入了热情。
They tried to infuse them with new ideas . 他试图给他们灌输新思路。
10.My imagination boggled at the punishment I would deserve ……
a. boggle ： to overwhelm or bewilder ， as with magnitude or complexity 吃惊，受惊，心惊肉跳
b. deserve ： be worthy of …… 值得
11. it follows that …… （由……推断）结果自然是…… .
如：From what he said ， it follows that he didn‘t like the girl . 从他所说的推断，自然是他不喜欢那女孩。
12. That in those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations.
a. 根据上文* “that” 可以理解为in that （即；因为）
b. that 后面是倒装句，正常语序应为：The collective …… was couched in those homely sayings.
c. homely ： simple ， unpretentious ； commonly known ， familiar 朴素的，不华丽的。
如：a homely meal 家常便饭。
d. couch ： put （ a thought ， etc ， in words ） 以某种措词表达。
如：They couched criticisms in factful language . 他们用事实的语言表达了批评。
13. search …… for the enchantment ……： look through a place carefully in order to find something missing ； explore or examine in order to discover 仔细寻找。
一般结构为：search + place + （for） object .
如：He search every drawer for the notebook . 为了找笔记本，他搜遍了每个抽屉。
I search my memory for his name . 我努力在记忆中寻找他的名字。
14. singled …… out ： pick or choose （one） from others 单单挑出。
如：He singled me out for special mention . 他单单特别提到了我。
Why single him out for criticism ？ 为什么就单单批评他？
15. take to ： to respond favorably to 开始喜欢，迷上。
如：I took to literature long time ago . 我很久以前就迷上文学。
Why did you take to bowling ？ 你为什么迷上保龄球？
16. trail off ： become gradually weaker and fade away （声音等）渐渐消失。
如：His voice trailed off into silence . 他的声音慢慢消失，后来什么声音也没有了。