高級英語 Advanced English(張漢熙) 第二冊 5.Love is a Fallacy

Love is a Fallacy

Max Shulman

1 Charles Lamb, as merry and enterprising a fellow as you will meet in a month of Sundays, unfettered the informal essay with his memorable Old China and Dream's Children. There follows an informal essay that ventures even beyond Lamb's frontier, indeed, "informal" may not be quite the right word to describe this essay; "limp" or " flaccid" or possibly "spongy" are perhaps more appropriate.

2 Vague though its category, it is without doubt an essay. It develops an argument; it cites instances; it reaches a conclusion. Could Carlyle do more? Could Ruskin ?

3 Read, then, the following essay which undertakes to demonstrate that logic, far from being a dry, pedantic discipline, is a living, breathing thing, full of beauty, passion, and trauma --Author's Note

4 Cool was I and logical. Keen, calculating, perspicacious , acute and astute--I was all of these. My brain was as powerful as a dynamo, as precise as a chemist's scales, as penetrating as a scalpel. And--think of it! --I was only eighteen.

5 It is not often that one so young has such a giant intellect. Take, for example, Petey Butch, my roommate at the University of Minnesota. Same age, same background, but dumb as an ox. A nice enough young fellow, you understand, but nothing upstairs. Emotional type. Unstable. Impressionable. Worst of all, a faddist. Fads, I submit, are the very negation of reason. To be swept up in every new craze that come, s along, to, surrender y, , , , , , ourself to idiocy just because everybody else is doing it--this, to me, is the acme of mindlessness. Not, however, to Petey.

6 One afternoon I found Petey lying on his bed with an expression of such distress on his face that I immediately diagnosed appendicitis. "Don't move," I said. "Don't take a laxative. I'll get a doctor."

7 "Raccoon," he mumbled thickly.

8 "Raccoon?" I said, pausing in my flight.

9 "I want a raccoon coat," he wailed.

10 I perceived that his trouble was not physical, but mental. "Why do you want a raccoon coat?"

11 "I should have known it," he cried, pounding his temples. "I should have , , , , , known they'd come back when the Charleston came back. Like a fool I spent all my money for textbooks, and now I can't get a raccoon coat."

12 "Can you mean." I said incredulously, "that people are actually wearing raccoon coats again?"

13 "All the Big Men on Campus are wearing them. Where've you been?"

14 "In the library," I said, naming a place not frequented by Big Men on Campus

15 He leaped from the bed and paced the room, "I've got to have a raccoon coat," he said passionately. "I've got to!"

16 "Petey, why? Look at it rationally. Raccoon coats are unsanitary. They shed. They smell bad. They weight too much. They're unsightly. They--"

17 " You don't understand," he interrupted impatiently. "It's the thing to do. Don't you want to be in the swim?"

18 "No," I said truthfully.

19 "Well, I do," he declared. "I'd give anything for a raccoon coat. Anything!"

20 My brain, that precision instrument, slipped into high gear. "Anything?" I asked, looking at him narrowly.

21 "Anything," he affirmed in ringing tones.

22 I stroked my chin thoughtfully. It so happened that I knew where to set my hands on a raccoon coat. My father had had one in his undergraduate days; it lay now in a trunk in the attic back home. It also happened that Petey had something I wanted. He didn't have it exactly, but at least he had first rights on it. I refer to his girl, Polly Espy.

23 I had long coveted Polly Espy. Let me emphasize that my desire for this young woman was not emotional in nature. She was, to be sure, a girl who excited the emotions but I was not one to let my heart rule my head. I wanted Polly for a shrewdly calculated, entirely cerebral reason.

24 I was a freshman in law school. In a few years I would be out in practice. I was well aware of the importance of the right kind of wife in furthering a lawyer's career. The successful lawyers I had observed were, almost without exception, married to beautiful, gracious, intelligent women. With one omission, Polly fitted these specifications perfectly.

25 Beautiful she was. She was not yet of pin-up proportions but I felt sure that time would supply the lack She already had the makings.

26 Gracious she was. By gracious I mean full of graces. She had an erectness of carriage, an ease of bearing, a poise that clearly indicated the best of breeding, At table her manners were exquisite. I had seen her at the Kozy Kampus Korner eating the specialty of the house--a sandwich that contained scraps of pot roast, gravy, chopped nuts, and a dipper of sauerkraut--without even getting her fingers moist.

27 Intelligent she was not. in fact, she veered in the opposite direction. But I believed that under my guidance she would smarten up. At any rate, it was worth a try. It is, after all, easier to make a beautiful dumb girl smart than to make an ugly smart girl beautiful.

28 "Petey," I said, "are you in love with Polly Espy?"

29 "I think she's a keen kid," he replied, "but I don't know if you'd call it love. Why?"

30 "Do you," I asked, "have any kind of formal arrangement with her? I mean are you going steady or anything like that?"

31 "No. We see each other quite a bit, but we both have other dates. Why?"

32 "Is there," I asked, "any other man for whom she has a particular fondness?"

33 "Not that I know of. Why?"

34 I nodded with satisfaction. "In other words, if you were out of the picture, the field would be open. Is that right?"

35 "I guess so. What are you getting at?"

36 "Nothing, nothing," I said innocently, and took my suitcase out of the closet.

37 "Where are you going?" asked Petey.

38 "Home for the weekend." I threw a few things into the bag.

39 "Listen," he said, clutching my arm eagerly, "while you're home, you couldn't get some money from your old man, could you, and lend it to me so I can buy a raccoon coat?"

40 "I may do better than that," I said with a mysterious wink and closed my bag and left.

41 "Look," I said to Petey when I got back Monday morning. I threw open the suitcase and revealed the huge, hairy, gamy object that my father had worn in his Stutz Bearcat in 1925.

42 " Holy Toledo!" said Petey reverently. He plunged his hands into the raccoon coat and then his face. "Holy Toledo!" he repeated fifteen or twenty times.

43 "Would you like it?" I asked.

44 "Oh yes!" he cried, clutching the greasy pelt to him. Then a canny look came into his eyes. "What do you want for it?"

45 "Your girl," I said, mincing no words.

46 "Polly?" he said in a horrified whisper. "You want Polly?"

47 "That's right."

48 He flung the coat from him. "Never," he said stoutly.

49 I shrugged. "Okay. If you don't want to be in the swim, I guess it's your business."

50 I sat down in a chair and pretended to read a book, but out of the corner of my eye I kept watching Petey. He was a torn man. First he looked at the coat with the expression of a waif at a bakery window. Then he turned away and set his jaw resolutely. Then he looked back at the coat, with even more longing in his face. Then he turned away, but with not so much resolution this time. Back and forth his head swiveled, desire waxing, resolution waning . Finally he didn't turn away at all; he just stood and stared with mad lust at the coat.

51 "It isn't as though I was in love with Polly," he said thickly. "Or going steady or anything like that."

52 "That's right," I murmured.

53 "What's Polly to me, or me to Polly?"

54 "Not a thing," said I.

55 "It's just been a casual kick --just a few laughs, that's all."

56 "Try on the coat," said I.

57 He complied. The coat bunched high over his ears and dropped all the way down to his shoe tops. He looked like a mound of dead raccoons. "Fits fine," he said happily.

58 I rose from my chair. "Is it a deal?" I asked, extending my hand.

59 He swallowed. "It's a deal," he said and shook my hand.

60 I had my first date with Polly the following evening. This was in the nature of a survey; I wanted to find out just how much work I had to do to get her mind up to the standard I required. I took her first to dinner. "Gee, that was a delish (=delicious) dinner," she said as we left the restaurant. Then I took her to a movie. "Gee, that was a marvy (=marvelous) movie," she said as we left the theater. And then I took her home. "Gee, I had a sensaysh (=sensational) time," she said as she bade me good night.

61 I went back to my room with a heavy heart. I had gravely underestimated the size of my task. This girl's lack of information was terrifying. Nor would it be enough merely to supply her with information First she had to be taught to think. This loomed as a project of no small dimensions, and at first I was tempted to give her back to Petey. But then I got to thinking about her abundant physical charms and about the way she entered a room and the way she handled a knife and fork, and I decided to make an effort.

62 I went about it, as in all things, systematically. I gave her a course in logic. It happened that I, as a law student, was taking a course in logic myself, so I had all the facts at my finger tips. "Polly," I said to her when I picked her up on our next date, "tonight we are going over to the Knolland talk."

63 "0o, terrif (=terrific)," she replied. One thing I will say for this girl: you would go far to find another so agreeable

“s

64 We went to the Knoll, the campus trysting place, and we sat down under an old oak, and she looked at me expectantly. "What are we going to talk about?" she asked.

65 "Logic."

66 She thought this over for a minute and decided she liked it. "Magnif (=magnificent)," she said.

67 "Logic," I said, clearing my throat, "is the science of thinking. Before we can think correctly, we must first learn to recognize the common fallacies of logic. These we will take up tonight."

68 " Wow-dow!" she cried, clapping her hands delightedly.

69 I winced, but went bravely on. "First let us examine the fallacy called Dicto Slmpliciter."

70 "By all means," she urged, batting her lashes eagerly.

71, "Dicto Simpliciter means an argument based on an unqualifiedgeneralization. For example: Exercise is good. Therefore everybody should exercise."

72 "1 agree," said Polly earnestly. "1 mean exercise is wonderful. I mean it builds the body and everything."

73 "Polly," I said gently, "the argument is a fallacy. Exercise is good is an unqualified generalization. For instance, if you have heart disease, exercise is bad, not good. Many people are ordered by their doctors not to exercise. You must qualify the generalization. You must say exercise is usually good, or exercise is good for most people. Otherwise you have committed a Dicto Simplioiter. Do you see?"

74 "No, " she confessed. "But this is marvy. Do more! Do morel"

75 "It will be better if you stop tugging at my sleeve," I told her, and when she desisted, I continued: "Next we take up a fallacy called Hasty Generalization. Listen carefully: You can't speak French. I can't speak French. Petey Burch can't speak French. I must therefore conclude that nobody at the University of Minnesota can speak French."

76 "Really?" said Polly, amazed. "Nobody?"

77 I hid my exasperation. "Polly, it's a fallacy. The generalization is reached too hastily. There are too few instances to support such a conclusion."

78 " Know any more fallacies?" she asked breathlessly. "This is more fun than dancing even."

79 I fought off a wave of despair. I was getting nowhere with this girl absolutely nowhere. Still, I am nothing if not persistent. I continued.

80 "Next comes Post Hoc. Listen to this: Let's not take Bill on our picnic. Every time we take him out with us, it rains."

81 "1 know somebody like that," she exclaimed. "A girl back home--Eula Becker, her name is, it never falls. Every single time we take her on a picnic--"

82 "Polly," I said sharply, "it's a fallacy. Eula Becker doesn't cause the rain. She has no connection with the rain. You are guilty of Post Hoc if you blame Eula Becker."

83 "I'11 never do that again," she promised contritely."Are you mad at me?"

84 I sighed deeply. "No, Polly, I'm not mad."

85 "Then tell me some more fallacies."

86 "All right. Let's try Contradictory Premises."

87 "Yes, let's," she chirped, blinking" her eyes happily.

88 I frowned, but plunged ahead. "Here's an example of Contradictory Premises: If God can do anything, can He make a stone so heavy that He won't be able to lift it?"

89 "Of course," she replied promptly.

90 "But if He can do anything, He can lift the stone," I pointed out.

91 "Yeah," she said thoughtfully. "Well, then I guess He can't make the stone."

92 "But He can do anything," I reminded her.

93 She scratched her pretty, empty head. "I'm all cofused," she admitted.

94 "Of course you are. Because when the premises of an argument contradict each other, there can be no argument. If there is an irresistible force, there can be no immovable object. If there is an immovable object, there can be no irresistible force. Get it?"

95 "Tell me some more of this keen stuff," she said eagerly.

96 I cousulted my watch. "1 think we'd better call it a night. I'll take you home now, and you go over all the things you've learned. We'll have another session tomorrow night."

97 I deposited her at the girls' dormitory, where she assured me that she had had a perfectly terrif evening, and I went glumly to my room. Petey lay snoring in his bed, the raccoon coat huddled like a great hairy beast at his feet. For a moment I considered waking him and telling him that he could have his girl back. It seemed clear that my project was doomed to failure. The girl simply had a logic-proof head.

98 But then I reconsidered. I had wasted one evening: I might as well waste another. Who knew? Maybe somewhere in the extinct crater of her mind, a few embers still smoldered. Maybe somehow I could fan them into flame. Admittedly it was not a prospect fraught with hope, but I decided to give it one more try.

99 Seated under the oak the next evening I said, "Our first fallacy tonight is called Ad Misericordiam."

100 She quivered with delight.

101 "Listen closely," I said. "A man applies for a job. When the boss asks him what his qualifications are, he replies that he has a wife and six children at home, the wife is a helpless cripple, the children have nothing to eat, no clothes to wear, no shoes on their feet, there are no beds in the house, no coal in the cellar, and winter is coming."

102 A tear rolled down each of Polly's pink cheeks. "Oh, this is awful, awful," she sobbed.

103 "Yes, it's awful," I agreed, "but it's no argument. The man never answered the boss's questions about his qualifications. Instead he appealed to the boss's sympathy. He committed the fallacy of Ad Misericordiam. Do you understand?"

104 "Have you got a handkerchief?" she blubbered.

105 I handed her a handkerchief and tried to keep from screaming while she wiped her eyes. "Next," I said in a carefully controlled tone, "we will discuss False Analogy. Here is an example: Students should be allowed to look at their textbooks during examinations. After all, surgeons have X-rays to guide them during an operation, lawyers have briefs to guide them during a trial, carpenters have blueprints to guide them when they are building a house. Why, then, shouldn't students be allowed to look at their textbooks during an examination?"

106 "There now," she said enthusiastically, "is the most marvy idea I've heard in years."

107 "Polly," I said testily, "the argument is all wrong. Doctors, lawyers, and carpenters aren't taking a test to see how much they have learned, but students are. The situations are altogether different, and you can't make an analogy between them."

108 "1 still think it's a good idea," said Polly.

109 "Nuts," I muttered. Doggedly I pressed on. "Next we'll try HypothesisContrary to Fact."

110 "Sounds yummy," was Polly's reaction.

111 "Listen: If Madame Curie had not happened to leave a photographic plate in a drawer with a chunk of pitchblende (n.瀝青油礦), the world today would not know about radium ."

112 "True, true," said Polly, nodding her head. "Did you see the movie? Oh, it just knocked me out. That Walter Pidgeon is so dreamy. I mean he fractures me."

113 "If you can forget Mr. Pidgeon for a moment," I said coldly, "I would like to point out that the statement is a fallacy. Maybe Madame Curie would have discovered radium at some later date. Maybe somebody else would have discovered it. Maybe any number of things would have happened. You can't start with a hypothesis that is not true and then draw any supportable conclusions from it."

114 "They ought to put Walter Pidgeon in more pictures," said Polly. "I hardly ever see him any more.

115 One more chance, I decided. But just one more. There is a limit to what flesh and blood can bear. "The next fallacy is called Poisoning the Well."

116 "How cute!" she gurgled.

117 "Two men are having a debate. The first one gets up and says, ‘My opponent is a notorious liar. You can't believe a word that he is going to say. '... Now, Polly, think. Think hard. What's wrong?"

118 I watched her closely as she knit her creamy brow in concentration. Suddenly, a g1immer of intelligence—the first I had seen--came into her eyes. "It's not fair," she said with indignation. "It's not a bit fair. What chance has the second man got if the first man calls him a liar before he even begins talking?"

119 "Right!" I cried exultantly. "One hundred percent right. It's not fair. The first man has poisoned the well before anybody could drink from it. He has hamstrung his opponent before he could even start. … Polly, I’m proud of you."

120 " Pshaw" she murmured, blushing with pleasure.

121 "You see, my dear, these things aren't so hard All you have to do is concentrate. Think--examine—evaluate. Come now, let's review everything we have learned.”

122 "Fire away," she said with an airy wave of her hand.

123 Heartened by the knowledge that Polly was not altogether a cretin , I began a long, patient review of all I had told her. Over and over and over again I cited instances pointed out flaws, kept hammering away without let-up. It was like digging a tunnel. At first everything was work, sweat, and darkness. I had no idea when I would reach the light, or even if I would. But I persisted. I pounded and clawed and scraped, and finally I was rewarded. I saw a chink of light. And then the chink got bigger and the sun came pouring in and all was bright.

124 Five grueling nights this took, but it was worth it. I had made a logician out of Polly; I had taught her to think. My job was done. She was worthy of me at last. She was a fit wife for me, a proper hostess for my many mansions, a suitable mother for my well-heeled children.

125 It must not be thought that I was without love for this girl. Quite the contrary, Just as Pygmalion loved the perfect woman he had fashioned, so I loved mine. I determined to acquaint her with my feeling at our very next meeting. The time had come to change our relationship from academic to romantic.

126 "Polly," I said when next we sat beneath our oak, "tonight we will not discuss fallacies."

127 "Aw, gee," she said, disappointed.

128 "My dear," I said, favoring her with a smile, “we have now spent five evenings together. We have gotten along splendidly. It is clear that we are well matched.”

129 “Hasty Generalization,” said Polly brightly.

130 “I beg your pardon,” said I.

131 “Hasty Generalization,” she repeated. “How can you say that we are well matched on the basis of only five dates?”

132 I chuckled with amusement. The dear child had learned her lessons well. "My dear," I Said, Patting her hand in a tolerant manner, "five dates is plenty. After all, you don't have to eat a whole cake to know it's good."

133 "False Analogy”, said Polly promptly. "I'm not a cake. I'm a girl.”

134 I chuckled with somewhat less amusement. The dear child had learned her lessons perhaps too well. I decided to change tactics. Obviously the best approach was a simple, strong, direct declaration of love. I paused for a moment while my massive brain chose the proper words. Then I began:

135 "Polly, I love you. You are the whole world to me, and the moon and the stars and the constellations of outer space. Please, my darling, say that you will go steady with me, for if you will not, life will be meaningless. I will languish (vi.憔悴). I will refuse my meals. I will wander the face of the earth, a shambling (搖搖晃晃地走), hollow-eyed hulk." shambling

136 There, I thought, folding my arms, that ought to do it.

137 "Ad Misericordiam,” Said Polly.

138 I ground my teeth. I was not Pygmalion; I was Frankenstein, and my monster had me by the throat. Frantically I fought back the tide of panic surging through me. At all costs I had to keep cool.

139 "Well, Polly," I said, forcing a smile, "you certainly have learned your fallacies."

140 "You’re darn right," she said with a vigorous nod.

141 "And who taught them to you, Polly?"

142 "You did."

143 "That's right. So you do owe me something, don't you, my dear? If I hadn't come along you never would have learned about fallacies."

144 "Hypothesis Contrary to Fact," she said instantly.

145 I dashed perspiration from my brow. "Polly," I croaked, "you mustn't take all these things so literally. I mean this is just classroom stuff. You know that the things you learn in school don't have anything to do with life."

146 "Dicto Simpliciter," she said, wagging her finger at me playfully.

147 That did it. I leaped to my feet, bellowing like a bull. "Will you or will you not go steady with me?"

148 "I will not," she replied.

149 "Why not?" I demanded.

150 "Because this afternoon I promised Petey Burch that I would go steady with him."

151 I reeled back, overcome with the infamy of it. After he promised, after he made a deal, after he shook my hand! " The rat! I shrieked, kicking up great chunks of turf . "You can't go with him, Polly. He's a liar. He's a cheat. He's a rat."

152 "Poisoning the Well," said Polly, "and stop shouting. I think shouting must be a fallacy too."

153 With an immense effort of will, I modulated my voice. "All right," I said. "You're a logician. Let's look at this thing logically. How could you choose Petey Burch over me? Look at me--a brilliant student, a tremendous intellectual, a man with an assured future. Look at Petey--a knothead, a jitterbug, a guy who'll never know where his next meal is coming from. Can you give me one logical reason why you should go stead with Petey Burch?"

154 "I certainly can," declared Polly. "He's got a raccoon coat.”

(from Rhetoric in a Modern Modeby James K. Bell and Adrian A. Cohn)

第五課愛情就是謬誤

馬克斯舒爾曼

查爾斯.蘭姆是一個世所罕見的性情歡快、富有進(jìn)取心的人，他那筆下的散文《古瓷器》和《夢中的孩子》無拘無束、自由奔放。實在令人難忘。下面這篇文章比蘭姆的作品更加自由奔放。實際上，用"自由奔放"的字眼來形容這篇文章并不十分確切，或許用"柔軟"、"輕松"或"輕軟而富有彈性"更為恰如其分。

盡管很難說清這篇文章是屬于哪一類，但可以肯定它是一篇散文小品文。它提出了論點。引用了許多例證，并得出了結(jié)論。卡菜爾能寫得更好嗎?羅斯金呢?

這篇文章意在論證邏輯學(xué)非但不枯燥乏味而且活潑、清新、富于關(guān)感和激情，并給人以啟迪。諸位不妨一讀。

--作者注

我這個人頭腦冷靜，邏輯思維能力強(qiáng)。敏銳、慎重、聰慧、深刻、機(jī)智一一這些就是我的特點。我的大腦像發(fā)電機(jī)一樣發(fā)達(dá)，孳化學(xué)家的天平一樣精確，像手術(shù)刀一樣鋒利。一一你知道嗎?我才十八歲呀。

年紀(jì)這么輕而智力又如此非凡的人并不常有。就拿在明尼蘇達(dá)大學(xué)跟我同住一個房間的皮蒂·伯奇來說吧，他跟我年齡相哆'經(jīng)歷一樣，可他笨得像頭驢。小伙子長得年輕漂亮，可惜腦子里卻空空如也。他易于激動，情緒反復(fù)無常，容易受別人的影響。最糟的是他愛趕時髦。我認(rèn)為，趕時髦就是最缺乏理智的表現(xiàn)。見到一 q9種新鮮的東西就跟著學(xué)，以為別人都在那么干，自己也就卷進(jìn)去傻干--這在我看來，簡直愚蠢至極，但皮蒂卻不以為然。

一天下午我看見皮蒂躺在床上，臉上顯露出一種痛苦不堪的表情，我立刻斷定他是得了闌尾炎。"別動，"我說，"別吃瀉藥，我就請醫(yī)生來。"

"浣熊，"他咕噥著說。

"浣熊?"我停下來問道。

"我要一件浣熊皮大衣，"他痛苦地哭叫著。

我明白了，他不是身體不舒服，而是精神上不太正常。"你為什么要浣熊皮大衣?"

"我本早該知道，"他哭叫著，用拳頭捶打著太陽穴，"我早該知道查爾斯登舞再度流行時，浣熊皮大衣也會時興起來的。我真傻，錢都買了課本，可現(xiàn)在不能買浣熊皮大衣了。"

我?guī)е鴳岩傻难凵駟柕溃?quot;你是說人們真的又要穿浣熊皮大衣嗎?"

"校園里有身分的人哪個不穿?你剛從哪兒來?"

"圖書館，"我說了一個有身分的人不常去的地方。

他從床上一躍而起，在房間里踱來踱去。"我一定要弄到一件浣熊皮大衣，"他激動地說，"非弄到不可!"

"皮蒂，你怎么啦?冷靜地想一想吧，浣熊皮大衣不衛(wèi)生，掉毛，味道難聞，既笨重又不好看，而且……

"你不懂，"他不耐煩地打斷我的話。"這就叫時髦。難道你不想趕時髦嗎?"

"不想，"我坦率地回答。

"好啦，我可想著呢!"他肯定地說。"只要有浣熊皮大衣，要我什么我都給，什么都行!"

我的大腦一一這件精密的儀器一一即刻運轉(zhuǎn)起來。我仔細(xì)地打量著他，問道："什么都行?"

"什么都行!"他斬釘截鐵地說。

我若有所思地?fù)嶂掳汀：脴O了，我知道哪兒能弄到浣熊皮大衣。我父親在大學(xué)讀書時就穿過一件，現(xiàn)在還放在家里頂樓的箱子里。恰好皮蒂也有我需要的東西。盡管他還沒有弄到手，但至少他有優(yōu)先權(quán)。我說的是他的女朋友波利.埃斯皮。

我早已鐘情于波利埃斯皮了。我要特別說明的是，我想得到這妙齡少女并不是由于感情的驅(qū)使。她確實是個易于使人動情的姑娘?？晌也皇悄欠N讓感情統(tǒng)治理智的人，我想得到波利是經(jīng)過了慎重考慮的，完全是出于理智上的原因。

我是法學(xué)院一年級的學(xué)生，過不了幾年就要掛牌當(dāng)律師了。我很清楚，一個合適的妻子對一個律師的前途來說是非常重要的。我發(fā)現(xiàn)大凡有成就的律師幾乎都是和美麗、文雅、聰明的女子結(jié)婚的。波利只差一條就完全符合這些條件了。

她漂亮。盡管她的身材還沒有掛在墻上的美女照片那么苗條，但我相信時間會彌補(bǔ)這個不足。她已經(jīng)大致不差了。

她溫文爾雅--我這里是指她很有風(fēng)度。她婷婷玉立，落落大方，泰然自若，一眼就看得出她很有教養(yǎng)。她進(jìn)餐時，動作是那樣的優(yōu)美。我曾看見過她在"舒適的校園之角"吃名點--一塊夾有幾片帶汁的燉肉和碎核桃仁的三明治，還有一小杯泡菜--手指兒一點兒也沒有沾濕。

她不聰明，實際上恰好相反。但我相信有我的指導(dǎo)，她會變得聰明的。無論如何可以試一試，使一個漂亮的笨姑娘變得聰明比使一個聰明的丑姑娘變得漂亮畢竟要容易些。

"皮蒂，"我說，"你在跟波利談戀愛吧?"

"我覺得她是一個討人喜歡的姑娘，"他回答說，"但我不知道這是不是就叫做愛情。你問這個干嗎?"

"你和她有什么正式的安排嗎?我是說你們是不是常有約會，或者有諸如此類的事情?"我問。

"沒有，我們常常見面。但我們倆各自有別的約會。你問這個干嘛?"

"還有沒有別人使她特別喜歡呢?"我問道。

"那我可不知道。你問這些干嗎?"

我滿意地點點頭說："這就是說。如果你不在，場地就是空著的。你說是嗎?"

"我想是這樣。你這話是什么意思?"

"沒什么，沒什么，"我若無其事地說，接著把手提皮箱從壁櫥里拿了出來。

"你去哪兒?"皮蒂問。

"回家過周末。"我把幾件衣服扔進(jìn)了提箱。

"聽著，"他焦急的抓住我的胳膊說，"你回家后，從你父親那兒弄點錢來借給我買一件浣熊皮大衣，好嗎?"

"也許不僅只是這樣呢。"我神秘地眨著眼睛說，隨后關(guān)上皮箱就走了。

星期一上午我回到學(xué)校時對皮蒂說："你瞧!"我猛地打開皮箱，那件肥大、毛茸茸、散發(fā)著怪味的東西露了出來，這就是我父親1925年在施圖茨比爾凱特汽車?yán)锎┻^的那一件浣熊皮大衣。

"太好了!"皮蒂恭敬的說。他把兩只手插進(jìn)那件皮大衣，然后把頭也埋了進(jìn)去。"太好啦!"他不斷地重復(fù)了一二十遍。

"你喜歡嗎?"我問道。

"哦，喜歡!"他高聲叫著，把那滿是油膩的毛皮緊緊地?fù)г趹牙?。接著他眼里露出機(jī)警的神色，說著："你要什么換呢?"

"你的女朋友，"我毫不諱言地說。

"波利?"他吃驚了，結(jié)結(jié)巴巴地說，"你要波利?"

"是的。"

他把皮大衣往旁一扔，毫不妥協(xié)的說："那可不行。"

我聳了聳肩膀說："好吧，如果你不想趕時髦，那就隨你的便好了。"

我在一把椅子上坐了下來，假裝讀書，暗暗地瞟著皮蒂。他神情不安，用面包店窗前的流浪兒那種饞涎欲滴的神情望著那件皮大衣，接著扭過頭去，堅定地咬緊牙關(guān)。過了一會兒，他又回過頭來把目光投向那件皮大衣，臉上露出更加渴望的神情。等他再扭過頭去，已經(jīng)不那么堅決了。他看了又看，越看越愛，慢慢地決心也就減弱了。最后他再也不扭過頭去，只是站在那兒，貪婪地盯著那件皮大衣。

"我和波利好像不是在談戀愛，"他含含糊糊地說。"也說不上經(jīng)常約會或有諸如此類的事情。"

"好的，"我低聲地說。

"波利對我算得了什么?我對波利又算得了什么?"

"只不過是一時高興-----不過是說說笑笑罷了，如此而已。"

"試試大衣吧。"我說

"他照辦了。衣領(lǐng)蒙住了他的耳朵，下擺一直拖到腳跟。他看起 來活像一具浣熊尸體。他高興地說："挺合身的。"

"我從椅子上站了起來。"成交了嗎?"我說著，把手伸向他。

他輕易地接受了。"算數(shù)."他說，并跟我握了握手。

第二天晚上，我與波利第一次約會了。這一次實際上是我對她的考察。我想弄清要作多大的努力才能使她的頭腦達(dá)到我的要求。我首先請她去吃飯。"哈，這頓飯真夠意思，"離開餐館時她說。然后我請她去看電影。"嘿，這片子真好看，"走出影院時她說。最后我送她回家。和我道別時她說："嘿，今晚玩得真痛快。"

我?guī)е淮笸纯斓男那榛氐搅朔块g。我對這任務(wù)的艱巨性估計得太低了。這姑娘的知識少得叫人吃驚。只是給她增加知識還不夠，首先得教她學(xué)會思考。這可不是一件容易的事，當(dāng)時我真想把她還給皮蒂算了。但我一想到她那充滿魅力的身材，她那進(jìn)屋時的模樣，她那拿刀叉的姿式，我還是決定再作一番努力。

就像做其他的事情一樣，我開始有計劃地干了起來。我開始給她上輯課。幸好我是一個學(xué)法律的學(xué)生，我自己也正在學(xué)邏輯學(xué)，所以對要教的內(nèi)容我都很熟悉。當(dāng)我接她赴第二次約會時，我對她說："今晚上咱們?nèi)?#39;小山'談?wù)劙?quot;。

"啊，好極了，"她回答道。對這姑娘我要補(bǔ)充一句的是，像她這么好商量的人是不多見的。

我們?nèi)チ?quot;小山"，這是校園里人們幽會的地方。我們坐在一棵老橡樹下，她用期待的眼神看著我。"我們談些什么呢?"她問。

她想了一會兒，覺得不錯，便說："好極了。"

"邏輯學(xué)，"我清了清嗓了，"就是思維的科學(xué)。在我們能正確地思維之前，首先必須學(xué)會判別邏輯方面的常見謬誤。我們今晚就要來談?wù)勥@些。"

"哇!"她叫了起來，高興地拍著手。

我打了個寒噤，但還是鼓足勇氣講下去："首先我們來考究一下被稱為絕對判斷的謬誤。" "好呀!"她眨了眨眼，催促著。

"絕對判斷指的是根據(jù)一種無條件的前提推出的論斷。譬如說，運動是有益的，因此人人都要運動。"

"不錯，"波利認(rèn)真地說，"運動是非常有益的，它能增強(qiáng)體質(zhì)，好處太多了!"

"波利，"我溫和地說，"這種論點是謬誤。運動有益是一種無條件的前提。比方說，假設(shè)你得了心臟病，運動不但無益，反而有害，有不少人醫(yī)生就不準(zhǔn)他們運動。你必須給這種前提加以限制。你應(yīng)該說，一般來說運動是有益的?；蛘哒f，對大多數(shù)人是有益的。否則就是犯了絕對判斷的錯誤，懂嗎?"

"不懂，"她坦率地說。"這可太有意思了，講吧!往下講吧!"

"你最好別拉我袖子了，"我對她說。等她松了手，我繼續(xù)講："下面我們講一種被稱為草率結(jié)論的謬誤。你仔細(xì)聽：你不會講法語，我不會講法語，皮蒂也不會講法語。因此我就會斷定在明尼蘇達(dá)大學(xué)誰也不會講法語。"

"真的?"波利好奇的問道，"誰也不會嗎?"

我壓住火氣。"波利，這是一種謬誤，這是一種草率的結(jié)論。能使這種結(jié)論成立的例證太少了。"

"你還知道其他的謬誤嗎?"她氣喘吁吁地說："這真比跳舞還有意思啦!"

我極力地使自己不灰心。我真拿這姑娘沒辦法，的確是毫無辦法?？墒?，如果我不堅持下去，我就太沒有用了。因此，我繼續(xù)講下去。

"現(xiàn)在聽我講講'牽強(qiáng)附會'的謬誤。聽著：我們不要帶比爾出去野餐。每次帶他一起去，天就下雨。"

"我就見過這樣的人，"她感嘆地說。"我們家鄉(xiāng)有個女孩，名叫尤拉·蓓克爾。從沒有例外，每次我們帶她去野餐……"

"波利，"我嚴(yán)厲地說，"這是一種謬誤。下雨并不是尤拉蓓克爾造成的，下雨與她沒有任何關(guān)系。如果你責(zé)怪尤拉·蓓克爾，你就是犯了牽強(qiáng)附會的錯誤。"

"我再也不這樣了，"她懊悔地保證說。"你生我的氣了嗎?"

我深深地嘆了一口氣："不，波利，我沒生氣。"

"那么，給我再講些謬誤吧!"

"好，讓我們來看看矛盾前提吧。"

"行，行，"她嘰嘰喳喳地叫著，兩眼閃現(xiàn)出快樂的光芒。

我皺了皺眉頭，但還是接著講下去。"這里有一個矛盾前提的例子：如果上帝是萬能的，他能造出一塊連他自己也搬不動的大石頭嗎?"

"當(dāng)然能，"她毫不猶豫地回答道。

"但是如果他是萬能的，他就能搬動那塊石頭呀，"我提醒她。

"是嘛!"她若有所思地說，"嗯，我想他造不出那樣的石頭。"

"但他是萬能的啊，"我進(jìn)一步提醒她。

她用手抓了抓她那漂亮而又空虛的腦袋。"我全搞糊涂了，"她承認(rèn)說。

"你確實糊涂了。因為一種論點的各個前提相互問是矛盾的，這種論點就不能成立。如果有一種不可抗拒的力量.就不可能有一種不可移動的物體;如果有一種不可移動的物體，就不可能有一種不可抗拒的力量。懂嗎?"

"再給我講些這類新奇的玩意兒吧，"她懇切地說。

我看了看表，說："我想今晚就談到這里。我現(xiàn)在該送你回去了。你把所學(xué)的東西復(fù)習(xí)一遍，我們明晚上再來上一課吧。"

我把她送到了女生宿舍，在那里她向我保證說這個晚上她過得非常痛快。我悶悶不樂地回到了我的房間，皮蒂正鼾聲如雷地睡在床上。那件浣熊皮大衣像一頭多毛的野獸扒在他的腳邊。我當(dāng)時真想把他叫醒，告訴他可以把他的女朋友要回去?？磥砦业挠媱潟淇樟?。這姑娘對邏輯簡直是一點兒都不開竅。

但是我回過頭一想，既然已經(jīng)浪費了一個晚上，不妨還是再花一個晚上看看。天曉得，說不定她頭腦里的死火山口中的什么地方，還有些火星會噴射出來呢。也許我會有辦法能把這些火星扇成熊熊烈焰。當(dāng)然，成功的希望是不大的，但我還是決定再試一次。

第二天晚上我們又坐在那棵橡樹下，我說："今晚上我們要談的第一種謬誤叫做文不對題。"

她高興得都發(fā)抖了。

"注意聽，"我說。"有個人申請工作，當(dāng)老板問他所具備的條件時，他回答說他家有妻子和六個孩子。妻子完全殘廢了，孩子們沒吃的，沒穿的，睡覺沒有床，生火沒有煤，眼看冬天就要到了。"

兩滴眼淚順著波利那粉紅的面頰往下滾。"啊，這太可怕了!太可怕了!"她抽泣著說。 "是的，是太可怕了，"我同意地說。"但這可不成其為申請工作的理由。那人根本沒有回答老板提出的關(guān)于他的條件的間題，反而祈求老板的同情。他犯了文不對題的錯誤。你懂嗎!"

"你帶手帕了沒有?"她哭著說

我把手帕遞給她。當(dāng)她擦眼淚時，我極力控制自己的火氣。"下面，"我小心地壓低聲調(diào)說，"我們要討論錯誤類比。這里有一個例子：應(yīng)該允許學(xué)生考試時看課本。既然外科醫(yī)生在做手術(shù)時可以看X光片，律師在審案時可以看案由，木匠在造房子時可以看藍(lán)圖，為什么學(xué)生在考試時不能看課本呢?"

"這個，"她滿懷激情地說，"可是我多少年來聽到的最好的主意。"

"波利，"我生氣地說，"這種論點全錯了。醫(yī)生、律師和木匠并不是以參加考試的方式去測驗他們所學(xué)的東西。學(xué)生們才是這樣。情況完全不同，你不能在不同的情況之間進(jìn)行類比"。

"我還是覺得這是個好主意，"波利說。

"咳!"我嘀咕著，但我還是執(zhí)意地往下講，"接下去我們試試與事實相反的假設(shè)吧。" 波利的反應(yīng)是："倒挺好。"

"你聽著：如果居里夫人不是碰巧把一張照相底片放在裝有一塊瀝清鈾礦石的抽屜里，那么世人今天就不會知道鐳。"

"對，對，"波利點頭稱是。"你看過那部影片嗎?哦，真好看。沃爾特·皮金演得太好了.我是說他讓我著迷了。"

"如果你能暫時忘記皮金先生，"我冷冰冰地說，"我會愿意指出這種說法是錯誤的。也許居里夫人以后會發(fā)現(xiàn)鐳的，也許由別人去發(fā)現(xiàn)，也許還會發(fā)生其他的事情。你不能從一個不實際的假設(shè)出發(fā)，從中得出任何可站得住腳的結(jié)論。"

"人們真應(yīng)該讓沃爾特皮金多拍些照片，"波利說，"我?guī)缀踉僖部床坏剿恕?quot; 我決定再試一次，但只能一次。一個人的忍耐畢竟是有限度的。我說："下一個謬誤叫做井下放毒。"

"多聰明啊!"她咯咯笑了起來。

"有兩個人在進(jìn)行一場辯論。第一個人站起來說：'我的論敵是個劣跡昭彰的騙子。他所說的每一句話都不可信。'……波利，現(xiàn)在你想想，好好想一想。這句話錯在哪里?"

她緊鎖著眉頭，我凝神地看著她。突然，一道智慧的光芒--這是我從未看到過的一一閃現(xiàn)在她的眼中。"這不公平，"她氣憤地說，"一點都不公平。如果第一個人不等第二個人開口就說他是騙子，那么第二個人還有什么可說的呢?"

"對!"我高興地叫了起來，"百分之百的對，是不公平。第一個人還不等別人喝到井水，就在井下放毒了。他還不等他的對手開口就已經(jīng)　　傷害了他。……波利，我真為你感到驕傲。"

她輕輕地"哼"了一聲，高興得臉郡發(fā)紅了。

"你看，親愛的，這些問題并不深奧，只要精力集中，就能對付。思考--分析-一判斷。來，讓我們把所學(xué)過的東西再復(fù)習(xí)一遍吧。"

"來吧，"她說著。把手往上一晃。 看到波利并不那么傻，我的勁頭上來了。于是，我便開始把對她講過的一切，長時間地、耐心地復(fù)習(xí)了一遍。我給她一個一個地舉出例子，指出其中的錯誤，不停地講下去。就好比挖掘一條隧道，開始只有勞累、汗水和黑暗，不知道什么時候能見到光亮，甚至還不知道能否見到光亮。但我堅持著，鑿啊，挖啊，刮啊，終于得到了報償。我見到了一線光亮，這光亮越來越大，終于陽光灑進(jìn)來了，一切都豁然開朗了。

我辛辛苦苦地花了五個晚上，但總算還是沒有白費，我使波利變成一個邏輯學(xué)家了，我教她學(xué)會了思考。我的任務(wù)完成了，她最終還是配得上我的。她會成為我賢慧的妻子，我那些豪華公館里出色的女主人。我那些有良好教養(yǎng)的孩子們的合格的母親。

不要以為我不愛這姑娘了，恰恰相反。正如皮格馬利翁珍愛他自己塑造的完美的少女像一樣，我也非常地愛我的波利。我決定下次會面時把自己的感情向她傾吐。該是把我們師生式的關(guān)系轉(zhuǎn)化為愛情的時候了。

"波利，"當(dāng)我們又坐在我們那棵橡樹下時，我說。"今晚我們不再討論謬誤了。"

"怎么啦?"她失望地問道。

"親愛的，"我友好地對她笑了笑，"我們已經(jīng)一起度過了五個晚上，我們相處得很好。顯然我們倆是很相配的。"

"草率結(jié)論，"波利伶俐地說。

"你是說…?"我問道。

"草率結(jié)論，"她重復(fù)了一遍。"你怎么能憑我們僅有的五次約會就說我們倆很相配呢?"

我咯咯一笑，覺得挺有意思。這可愛的小家伙功課學(xué)得可真不錯。"親愛的，"我耐心地拍打著她的手說，"五次約會就不少了，畢竟你不必把整個蛋糕吃下去才知道蛋糕的甜味。"

"錯誤類比，"波利敏捷地說。"我可不是蛋糕，我是個女孩子。"我微微一笑，但這次不感到那么有意思了。這可愛的孩子功課或許是學(xué)得太好了。我決定改變策略。顯然，最好的辦法就是態(tài)度明朗，直接了當(dāng)?shù)叵蛩硎緪邸Ｎ页聊艘粫?，用我特別發(fā)達(dá)的腦袋挑選著合適的詞句。然后我便開始說：

"波利，我愛你。對我來說，你就是整個世界，是月亮，是星星，是整個宇宙。我親愛的，請說你愛我吧。如果你不這樣，我的生活就失去意義了。我將會萎靡不振，茶不飲，飯不思，到處游蕩，成為一個步履蹣跚、雙眼凹下的軀殼。"

我交叉著雙手站在那里，心想這下子可打動了她。

"文不對題，"波利說。

我咬咬牙。我不是皮格馬利翁，我是弗蘭肯斯坦，我的喉嚨似乎一下子讓魔鬼卡住了。我極力地控制涌上心頭的陣陣痛楚。無論怎樣，我電要保持冷靜。

"好了，波利，"我強(qiáng)裝著笑臉說，"這些謬誤你的確已學(xué)到家了。"

"這可說得很對，"她使勁地點了點頭說道。

"可是波利，這一切是誰教給你的?"

"你教的嘛。"

"是的，那你得感謝我呀。是嗎，親愛的?要是我不和你在一起，你永遠(yuǎn)也不會學(xué)到這些謬誤的"。

"與事實相反的假設(shè)，"波利不加思索地說著。

我摔掉了額前的汗珠。"波利，"我用嘶啞的聲音說道，"你不要死板地接受這些東西。我是說那只是課堂上講的東西。你知道學(xué)校學(xué)的東西與現(xiàn)實生活毫不相關(guān)。"

"絕對判斷，"她說道，嬉戲地向我搖搖指頭。

這一下可使我惱火了。我猛地跳了起來，像公牛似地吼叫著，"你到底想不想跟我相愛?"

"我不想，"她答道。

"為什么不想?"我追問著。

"因為今天下午我答應(yīng)了皮蒂伯奇，我愿意和他相愛。"

我被皮蒂這一無恥的行徑氣得一陣暈眩，情不自禁地向后退去。皮蒂答應(yīng)了我，跟我成了交，還跟我握了手呢!"這個可恥的家伙!"我尖著嗓子大叫，把一塊塊草皮踢了起來。"你不能跟他在一起，波利。他是一個說謊的人，一個騙子，一個可恥的家伙!"

"井下放毒，"波利說。"別叫嚷了，我認(rèn)為大聲叫嚷就是一種謬誤。"

我以極大的意志力把語氣緩和下來。"好吧，"我說，"你是一個邏輯學(xué)家。那就讓我們從邏輯上來分析這件事吧。你怎么會看得中皮蒂，而看不起我呢?你瞧我一個才華橫溢的學(xué)生，一個了不起的知識分子，一個前途無量的人;而皮蒂--一個笨蛋，一個反復(fù)無常的人，一個吃了上頓不知有沒有下頓的家伙。你能給我一個合乎邏輯的理由來說明你為什么要跟皮蒂好嗎?"

"當(dāng)然能，"波利肯定地說。"他有一件浣熊皮大衣。"

(選自詹姆斯K貝爾與艾德里安A科恩 《明.代.修辭方式》)

詞匯(Vocabulary)

fallacy (n.) : a false or mistaken idea，opinion，etc.;error謬論，謬見;錯誤

enterprising (adj.) :full of energy and initiative;willing to undertake new projects有進(jìn)取心的;充滿首創(chuàng)精神的;有膽量的

unfetter (v.) : free from fetters;free from restraint of any kind;liberate除掉…的腳鐐;解放;使獲得自由

limp (adj.) :1acking or having lost stiffness;flaccid;drooping，wilted柔軟的

flaccid (adj.) : hanging in loose folds or wrinkles：soft and limp;flabby不結(jié)實的;松馳的;松軟的

spongy (adj.) :of or like a sponge;soft and porous海綿(狀)的;柔軟有彈性的

pedantic (adj.) : of or like a pedant迂腐的，書呆子氣的

trauma (n.) :a painful emotional experience，or shock.often producing a lasting psychic effect and sometimes a neurosis(精神)心靈創(chuàng)傷

calculating (adj.) : shrewd or cunning. esp. in a selfish way;scheming精明的;(尤指)專為自己打算的;有算計的

perspicacious (adj.) :having keen judgement or understanding;acutely perceptive聰穎的;敏銳的

astute (adj.) : having or showing a clever or shrewd mind：cunning;crafty;wily 聰明的，敏銳的;精明的;狡猾的

dynamo (n.) :generator發(fā)動機(jī)

scale (n.) : either of the shallow dishes or pans of a balance秤盤;天平盤

penetrating (adj.) :sharp;piercing銳利的

scalpel (n.) : a small，light，straight knife with a very sharp blade，used by surgeons and m anatomical dissections解剖刀，手術(shù)刀

faddist (n.) :a person who follows fads趕時髦的人

fad (n.) : a custom，style，etc.that many people are interested in for a short time;passing fashion;craze一度時髦的風(fēng)尚，風(fēng)行一時的東西;一時的狂熱

craze (n.) :something that is currently the fashion;fad一時的風(fēng)尚;風(fēng)行一時的東西;時髦

acme (n.) : the highest point;point of culmination頂點，極點

appendicitis (n.) :inflammation of the vermiform appendix闌尾炎

laxative (n.) : any laxative medicine;mild cathartic輕瀉藥;通便劑

raccoon (n.) :a small，tree-climbing, chiefly flesh-eating mammal浣熊

mumble (v.) : speak or say indistinctly and in a low voice;mutter喃喃地說;含糊地說

temple (n.) :either of the flat surfaces alongside the forehead，in front of each ear太陽穴，鬢角

incredulous (adj.) : unwilling or unable to believe; doubting;skeptical不相信的;懷疑的

unsanitary (adj.) :not clean;harmful to health不衛(wèi)生的;對健康有害的

shed (v.) : shed a natural growth or covering，as hair(毛發(fā)等)脫落

unsightly (adj.) :not sightly;not pleasant to look at;ugly不美觀的;難看的;丑陋的

swim (n.) : current fashion潮流，時髦/砌the swim conforming to the current fashion趕時髦

gear (n.) :a specific adjustment 0f a toothed wheel(汽車等的)排擋

narrowly (adv.) : closely;carefully;thoroughly仔細(xì)地;嚴(yán)密地

attic (n.) :the room or space just below the roof of a house; garret頂樓，閣樓

covet (v.) : want ardently;long for with envy垂涎;覬覦

cerebral (adj.) :appealing to the intellect rather than the emotions;intellectural理智的;憑理智行事的

pin-up (adj.[colloq.]) : designating a girl whose sexual attractiveness makes her a subject for the kind of pictures often pinned up on walls[口](女子)其照片可供傾慕者釘在墻上的

proportions (n.) :1ines;shape of the body線條;身材

making (n.[often in p1.]) : the material or qualities needed for the making or development of something[常用復(fù)]素質(zhì);內(nèi)在因素

carriage (n.) :conduct;behaviour;posture行為;舉止;姿態(tài)

bearing (n.) : way of carrying and conducting oneself：carriage;manner舉止，風(fēng)度，姿態(tài)

breeding (n.) :good upbringing or training良好的教養(yǎng)(或培養(yǎng))

exquisite (adj.) : very beautiful or lovely，esp.in a delicate or carefully wrought way優(yōu)美的，高雅的，精致的

specialty (n.) :an article characterized by special features，superior quality，novelty, etc.特產(chǎn);特制品

gravy (adj.) : the juice given off by meat in cooking肉汁，調(diào)味汁

dipper (n.) :a long-handled cup or similar container for dipping長柄杯或類似容器

sauerkraut (n.) :chopped cabbage fermented in a brine of its own juice with salt泡菜

veer (v.) :change direction：shift;turn or swing around改變方向;轉(zhuǎn)向;變向

gamy (adj.) :having a strong，tangy flavor like that of cooked game;strong in smell有獵物氣味的;氣味強(qiáng)烈的

Holy Toledo adj.[colloq.]) :excellent[口]好極了

reverent (adj.) :feeling。showing，or characterized by reverence恭敬的;虔誠的

greasy (adj.) :smeared with or containing grease涂(或含)有油脂的;油污的

pelt (n.) :the skin of a fur-bearing animal，esp. after it has been stripped from the carcass毛皮;生皮

canny (adj.) :careful and shrewd in one's actions and dealings;clever and cautious謹(jǐn)慎的;機(jī)警的;精明的

waif (n.) :a person without home or friends，esp.a homeless child流浪漢;無家可歸者;(尤指)流浪兒

swivel (v.) :turn on旋轉(zhuǎn)

wax (v.) :grow gradually larger;increase in strength，lntensity，volume.ere.漸漸變大;增加

wane (v.) :become.1ess intense，strong，bright，etc.變?nèi)?減少

kick (n.[colloq.]) :pleasure高興，興奮

loom (v.) :appear，or come in sight indistinctly隱約出現(xiàn)

dimension (n.) :extent，size，or degree}scope體積，容積，面積;范圍，規(guī)模;方面

tryst (n.) :an appointment to meet at a specified time and place，esp。one made secretly by lovers約會;幽會

wince (v.) :shrink or draw back slightly，usually with a grimace.as in pain，embarassment, etc.(因疼痛、窘迫等)畏縮;退縮

tug (v.) :pull hard;drag;haul用力拉，拖，拖曳

desist (v.) :cease;stop;abstain停止

contrite (adj.) :feeling deep sorrow or remorse for having sinned or done wrong;penitent懊悔的;懺悔的

premise (n.) :a previous statement or assertion that serves as the basis for an argument(尤指邏輯)前提

chirp (v.) :speak in a lively，shrill way嘁嘁喳喳地說

deposit (v.) :put，lay or set down放下，擱下

glum (adj.) :feeling or looking gloomy，sullen憂郁的，悶悶不樂的

ember (n.[usu.in p1.]) :the smoldering remains of a fire[常用復(fù)]余燼,余火

smolder (v.) :burn and smoke without flame;be consumed by slow combustion悶燒;熏燒

fraught (adj.) :filled，charged，or loaded充滿…的;蘊(yùn)含…的

-blubber (v.) :weep loudly, like a child(小孩般)大聲哭

analogy (n.) :an explaining of something by comparing it point by point with something similar類比

brief (n.) :a concise statement of the main points of a law case，usually filed by counsel for the information of the court訴訟摘要;辯護(hù)狀

blueprint (n.) :a photographic reproduction in white on a blue background，as of architectural or engineering plans(建筑或工程設(shè)計用的)藍(lán)圖

hypothesis (n.) :an unproved theory，proposition，supposition，etc.tentatively accepted to explain certain facts or to provide a basis for further investigation，argument，etc.假設(shè);前提

yummy (adj.) :[echoic of a sound made in expressing pleasure at a taste][colloq.]very tasty;delectable;delicious[表示享受美味的象聲詞][口]美味的，可口的

chunk (n.) :a short，thick piece，as of meat，wood，etc.一厚塊(肉、木頭等)

pitchblende (n.) :a brown to black lustrous mineral，the massive variety of uraninite瀝青鈾礦

fracture (v.[Am.slang]) :cause to react with enthusiasm[美俚]使著迷

gurgle (v.) :make a bubbling sound in the throat，as a contented baby does(嬰兒高興時)發(fā)咯咯聲

notorious (adj.) :widely but unfavorably known or talked about聲名狼藉的，臭名昭著的

indignation (n.) :anger or scorn resulting from injustice, ingratitude, or meanness; righteous anger憤慨，義憤

exultant (v.) :exulting;triumphant;jubilant狂歡的;欣喜的;興高采烈的

hamstring (v.) :disable by cutting a hamstring;lessen or destroy the power or effectiveness of割斷…的腿腱以使殘廢;削弱(或破壞)…的力量(或功能)

cretin (n.) :a person suffering from cretinism;a stupid person愚侏病者;白癡，傻瓜

let-up (v.) :a slackening or lessening。as of effort;a stop or pause放松(努力);中止，休止

chink (n.) :a narrow opening;crack;fissure;slit縫隙;裂口

grueling (adj.) :extremely tiring;exhausting折磨人的;使人筋疲力竭的

well-heeled (adj.) :[slang]rich;prosperous[俚]有錢的，富有的

fashion (v.) :shape;mold塑造;做成

constellation (n.) :the part of the heavens occupied by a number of fixed stars星座;星宿

languish (v.) :lose vigor and vitality;become weak變得萎靡不振;倦怠

hollow-eyed (adj.) :having deep-set eyes or dark areas under the eyes，as from sickness or fatigue(由于生病或疲倦)眼窩凹陷的，有黑眼圈的

hulk (n.) :an abandoned wreck or shell廢船

surge (v.) :have a heavy，violent swelling motion;move in or as in a surge洶涌澎湃

perspiration (n.) :sweat汗

wag (v.) :cause something to move rapidly and repeatedly back and forth，from side to side，or up and down搖擺。搖動

bellow (v.) :cry out loudly, as in anger or pare。(由于憤怒或疼痛)大聲叫

reel (v.) :give way or fall back;sway，waver, or stagger as from being struck倒退，退縮;站立不穩(wěn)

infamy (n.) : very bad reputation; notoriety; disgrace; dishonor臭名昭著;丟臉，恥辱;不名譽(yù)

turf (n.) :a surface layer of earth containing grass plants with their matted roots;sod草皮;草地

modulate (v.) :vary the pitch, intensity, etc.(of the voice), to a lower degree 使(聲音)轉(zhuǎn)調(diào)，是聲音變低

knot-head (n.[slang]) :a foolish，stupid person笨蛋，痂漢

jitterbug (n.) :a dance for couples;esp. in the early 1940's，involving fast，acrobatic movements to swing music'[fig]an emotionally unstable person(尤指20世紀(jì)40年代的)吉特巴舞;[喻]變化無常的人

短語 (Expressions)

nothing upstairs : (Am.slang)empty-headed;a nitwit沒頭腦的，愚笨的

in the swinl : conforming to the current fashion趕時髦

例： She is always involved in the swim.她總是追求時髦。

get one's hands on : to obtain sth.得到，獲得

例： They all want to get their hands on my money.他們都覬覦我的錢。

go steady : to date someone of the opposite sex regularly and exclu-sively.be sweethearts約會，成為關(guān)系確定的情侶

例： When did you go steady with her?你和她是什么時候確定戀愛關(guān)系的?

out of the picture : not considered as involved in a situation不相干的，不合適的

例： "Is Pam still with Eric?""No，he's out of the picture.""帕姆還在跟埃里克在一起嗎?""沒有，他們已經(jīng)互不相干了。"

get at : seem to be saying sth.that other people d0 not completely un-derstand暗示

例： What exactly are you getting at?你到底在暗示什么?

have…at one's finger tips : to be completely familiar with;精通

例： We have all the facts and figures at our fingers.我們已經(jīng)掌握了所有的事實和數(shù)字。

go far : to accomplish much：achieve much success 成功，大有前途

例： Ginny's a smart girl.and I'm sure she'u go far.吉尼是個聰明的姑娘，我相信她會成功的。

knock out : to elicit enthusiasm or an emotional response，esp.deep sympathy or laughter使高興，使情緒激動

例： The music was just brilliant it really knocked me out.這音樂太美妙了--它真讓我激動。

fire away : begin;start;esp.to talk or ask questions 開始談話或提問

例： "I have some question.""Fire away.""我有問題。""請問。"

hammer away(at) : t0 keep emphasizing or talking about一再強(qiáng)調(diào)

例： He kept hammering away at his demand for a public inquiry.他一再強(qiáng)調(diào)需要進(jìn)行公眾調(diào)查。

month of Sundays : (colloq.)long time很久，很長的時間