Unit 11

1. Unit 11 Cultivating a Hobby By Winston Churchill

2. 1.About Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965) A public man having a most colorful political career: • early career as a solider, war time correspondent • at 27, (in 1901) as Conservative MP • office held including: a.President of theBoard of Trade （商务部长) b. Home Secretary （内政部长） c. First Lord of the Admiralty (英国海军大臣） d.Chancellor of the Exchequer (1922-24) （财政部长）

3. a political outcast (for a decade between late 1920’s to 1940’s）, not holding any office (The Conservative government failed to cope with the economic crisis and lost power in 1929.) • returning to public life, (on the outbreak of World War II), serving as the First Lord of the Admiralty • becoming the Prime Minister(1940-1945), becoming a symbol of British resistance in the darkest days of the conflict, as a War Leader, fighting against Nazism • defeated in the General Election of 1945 • returning to office in 1951 • resigned at the age of 80 in 1955

4. 2)A man of versatile talents • a powerful orator • man of letter (awarded Nobel Prize for literature in 1953) • an amateur painter (paintings were displayed in the galleries of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1958

5. Organization of the text Section 1 (Para. 1-2): Raising the topic: what worry is and the importance of a hobby in attenuating worry. Section 2(Para. 3-5): Classification of human beings and the importance of hobbies to them

6. Language points • spasm: n. e.g. - a spasm of the stomach - mascular spasm -a spasm of anger/coughing/grief/excitement…

7. insinuate - to insinuate (to sb.) that a man is a liar c.f. allude to/ refer to/ insinuate/ proclaim • allude to She didn’t say Mr. Smith’s name, but it is clear that she was alluding to him. • insinuate - an insinuating remark .

8. refer to - He referred to Paris in his speech about travel. - If you don’t know what it means, refer to the dictionary. - The new law does not refer to land used for farming. - The store referred the complaint to the makers of the product proclaim - to proclaim the news of the end of the war - A national holiday was proclaimed.

9. Convulsion - a convulsion of nature ( such as an earthquake) - civil convulsion - political convulsion undue - with undue haste - undue influence upon sb - undue use of force - an undue loan

10. recuperate - A good night’s sleep was all I need to recuperate from the stresses of the day. hobby c.f. pastime/sport/ recreation pastime - His painting was merely a pastime. sport - country sports recreation - Football is the boys' usual recreation after school.

11. improvise - When an actor forgets his lines, he has to improvise. - The gifted pianist improvised an accompaniment to the song. - I made an improvised meal for the unexpected guests. c.f.unrehearsed, improvised ( used in musical or theatrical contexts) unplanned, spontaneous, impulsive

12. sedulously - The teacher proceeded so rapidly that only the most sedulous student can follow him. c.f. industrious, persevering vivify - A smile may vivify a face. at hand: near, within reach; - He lives at hand. - The exams are at hand.

13. aggravate - His bad temper was aggravated by his headache. - Threats will only aggravate her. be tired out; to tire sb out - I must sit down and rest. I’m tired out. - Going to school all day soon tires little children out.

14. trifle - to quarrel over trifles - It is no trifling matter. It is serious.

15. command:v. (a) to be in a position to use; have sth at one’s service - He commands great sums of money. (b) to deserve and receive as due; exact; - The great man commands our respect. (c) have authority over or authority over; rule; - Who commands the army? (d) to direct with authority; give orders to; - The officer commanded his men to fire. - God commands and man obeys.

16. gratify: v. - to gratify a person’s fancies - to gratify a child’s thirst for knowledge - His achievement gratified his father. caprice - He acted not from reason, but from caprice. c.f. capricious adj.changing one’s mind or behavior unexpectedly

17. satiate - be satiated with food or pleasures satiety (or satiation): n - to indulge in pleasure to (the point of) satiety satiableadj. - a satiable appetite avenge - He wanted to avenge his brother’s death

18. clatter - The students stopped their chatter when the teacher came into the classroom. - Pots and pans were clattering in the kitchen. - Don’t clatter your knives and forks. That’s poor table manner

19. Sustenance - There is more sustenance in cocoa than in tea. - We derive our sustenance from the land. .

20. grudge - The cruel master grudged him even the food he ate. - to bear a grudge against sb banish - He was banished from the realm.

21. Text II pain • a pain in the finger • chest pains • His body was wracked with pain. ache • the ache of an abscessed tooth • backache that accompanies kidney disease

22. ache (v.) • The noise of the traffic made my head ache. • an aching back ache to do sth/for sth • I was aching to tell him the good news.

23. pang • Pangs have taken hold upon me. • Attacking them [fleas] was a waste of time, and unless a particularly savage pang forced you into action, you just sat and let yourself be devoured.

24. obligation: • You can look at the books without any obligation to buy. • I have certain obligations to my family. • to meet/fulfil an obligation: • be under an obligation:to place sb under an obligation: e.g. • Signing a contract places you under a long-term obligation.

25. perch: • A house perched on a cliff above the town. treacherous(ground or situations) particularly dangerous because you cannot see the dangers, e.g. • There are treacherous currents in the bay

26. Heritageis the most widely applicable of these words, for it may apply to anything (as a tradition, a right, a trade, or the effect of a cause) that is passed on not only to one’s heir or heirs but to the generation or generations that succeed .e.g. • our neglect of the magnificent spiritual heritage which we possess in our own history and literature • …but the war had left its heritage of poverty…of disease, of misery, of discontent

27. Inheritance applies to what passes from parent to children, whether it be money, property, or traits of character. e.g. • …my father’s blessing, and this little coin is my inheritance Inheritance, but not heritage, may also apply to the fact of inheriting or to the means by which something passes into one’s possession. e.g. • …come into possession of a property by inheritance • …the power of regulating the devotion of property by inheritance or will upon the death of the owner

28. dip into: (a) to read short parts of a book, magazine etc, but not the whole thing; (b) to use some of an amount of money that you have. • Medical bills forced her to dip into her savings. • Parents are being asked to dip into their pockets for new school books. (i.e. to pay for something with your own money)

29. unctuous: (fml.) too friendly and praising people too much in a way that seems very insincere, e.g. • There is something smug and unctuous about him.

30. gruff: (a) unfriendly or annoyed, especially in the way you speak: e.g. • a gruff reply • A gruff voice sounds low and rough as if the speaker does not want to talk

31. Diluted, undiluted: • The effect of his speech was diluted by the speaker’s nervousness. undiluted: (literary) an undiluted feeling is very strong and not mixed with any other feelings: e.g. • undiluted joy.