Unit TwoUnit Two

The Fine Art of Putting Things off

I. Library Work

1. Chesterfield, Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl ( 伯爵 )of, (1694 - 1773), English statesman, orator and author. His literary reputation rest upon his letters to his illegitimate son, Philip Stanhope, who was born in Holland in 1732. The letters, filled with wit and worldly wisdom, were published under the title Letters to His Son (1774)

2. Johnson, Samuel (1709 – 1784), English poet, critic, and man of letters, the literary dictator of England in the latter half of the eighteenth century and one of the most famous personalities of his time. He is best known for his Dictionary of the English Language (1755), which is in some respects an

innovation in lexicography. He had the strongest influence of any of his contemporaries on the literary thought and style of the latter part of the eighteenth century.

Blenheim Palace, which took 15 years to construct.

II. Organization of the Text

1. Procrastination deep-rooted in and influential over various aspects of life (Paragraphs 1 – 2)

A. Early examples (1) B. Modern examples (2) 2. Contradictory qualities of

procrastination (Paragraphs 3 – 8)

A. Inspiring and reviving to writers (3) B. Prevalence of procrastination in the

military, diplomacy and the law (4) C. Chronic procrastination and purposeful

postponement (5 - 6) D. Procrastination in academe (7)

E. Psychologists’ different explanations of the causes to procrastination (8)

3. Conclusion (Paragraph 9)

III. Key Points of the Text

Paragraph 1 exhort: (formal) urge or advise strongly 规

劝 ; 告戒 E.g.: The teacher exhorted her students to

do their own research work. We are exhorted not to waste our time o

n the chatroom online.

elegant: having the qualities of grace, beauty, and fashion 文雅的，雅致的；讲究的，精美的

E.g.: elegant manners 优雅的风度 an elegant dress 漂亮雅致的女服 a set of books with elegant bindings 一

套装帧精美的书籍

Paragraph 1

get / come around / round to: find time for, especially after delay 抽出时间来做（或考虑）

E.g.: The committee will get round to your suggestion after they’ve dealt with urgent business.

After a long delay he got round to writing the letter.

worthy: (sometimes humorous) a person of importance 知名人士；杰出人物

E.g.: local worthies 地方名流 He had been a college worthy. 他

曾是学院里大名鼎鼎的人。

cool / kick one’s heels: (colloquial) be forced to wait; be kept waiting

E.g.: I had to kick my heels for nearly two hours before I could see my boss.

anteroom: (also antechamber) a room in which people wait, as before seeing a doctor ( 连接正厅的 ) 前厅，候见室

attest to: testify to; serve as an evidence to affirm / to be proof of 证明，表明

E.g.: His success attests to his ability. 他的成功表明他有能力。

ever: (old use or in combination) always 总是，不断地；永远，始终

E.g.: War and suffering have ever gone hand in hand. 战争和苦难总是结伴而行的。

He is ever making the same mistake. 他老是犯同样的错误。

ever-rising costs and prices 不断上涨的费用和物价

dub: give (someone) an unofficial name or nickname 给…起绰号；把…称为；授予…称号

E.g.: He was dubbed Shorty because of his size. 他因身材短小被人取了个矮子的绰号。

The region is dubbed the paradise on earth. 这地方被称为人间天堂。

cunctation: delay rationalize: attempt to explain or justify on

e’s action with plausible reasons, even if they are not true or appropriate

E.g.: Don’t rationalize your incompetence by finding fault with the method.

plead: (formal) give as an excuse for an action 提出…为理由；提出…为借口

E.g.: The thief pleaded poverty. 那贼说是因为贫穷才偷窃的。

The Government pleaded ignorance. 政府借口不知情。

I pleaded fatigue, and excused myself. 我推说疲乏就告退了。

edict: an order or command; decree procrastination: (formal) a repeated delay

(without good reason) in doing some necessary act

Paragraph 2

do-it-nowers: those who act promptly at an ungodly 6:30 p.m.: at an unusually ea

rly hour. The author thinks 6:30 p.m. is rather too early for a planned formal dinner.

ungodly: (informal) very unreasonable 不适当的；不可思议的；令人不能容忍的

E.g.: He called at an ungodly hour. 他来得很不是时候。

eat an ungodly amount 食量大得叫人难以相信

apocalyptic: (often derogatory) foreboding imminent disaster or final doom 预示世界末日恐怖景象的

E.g.: an apocalyptic imagination 充满世界末日恐怖景象的想象力

take an apocalyptic view of the future 对未来抱极端悲观的看法

apocalypse: the showing of hidden things, especially the telling of what will happen when the world ends 天启，启示；《启示录》；大灾变

Paragraph 3

all the trouble procrastination may incur: all the trouble that a person’s delay in action may bring upon him

incur: become subject to (something unpleasant) as a result of one’s own action 招致 , 引起 , 带来 ; 遭受 , 受到

E.g.: The company incurred a heavy loss due to mismanagement.

incur somebody’s displeasure (envy) 招致某人的不悦 ( 妒忌 )

incur a protest 惹起抗议 incur great expense 招致巨额花费 geodetic survey: land area survey 大地测

量

geodetics (= geodesy): science of land area survey 大地测量学，大地测量术

ledge: a flat shelf of rock, especially one that stretches a long way below the sea ( 近海岸的 ) 暗礁

porcupine: a type of quite small short-legged animal that has very long stiff prickles (quills 刺 ) all over its back and sides. It is larger than a hedgehog ( 美洲箭猪 ) 豪猪

Paragraph 4

the art of postponement had been virtually a monopoly of the military …, diplomacy and the law: the practice of putting things off had almost been exclusively done by the military, etc. The implied meaning is that the military, diplomacy, and the law are almost the worst delayers.

proconsul: (in ancient Rome) a governor of a part of the Roman Empire; (formal or pompous) an administrator in a colony usually with wide powers 总督

ruminate: (formal) go over in the mind repeatedly and often slowly 反刍；沉思；反复思考

E.g.: He ruminated over / on the situation before he made the final decision.

She ruminated for a long time before she expressed her opinion.

sling: 斯林酒 ( 一种由烈酒、水、糖、柠檬汁等混合而成的饮料 )

blessedly: happily

nattering (natter v.): (BrE informal) chattering; hence, noisy

E.g.: They nattered away for an hour about nothing. 他们空谈了一个小时。

the world’s most addicted postponers: the world’s worst postponers who just could not free themselves from postponing

addicted: dependent on something (usually a drug) and unable to stop having it; enthusiastically devoted to a particular thing or activity

E.g.: He is addicted to cocaine / heroin.

be addicted to computer games

The number of attorneys who die without a will is amazing: It is a usual practice for people to make a will, an official statement of the way they wish their property to be shared out after their death before they die. And it is generally the attorneys (AmE) or lawyers who administer the wills. But attorneys themselves postpone making their own wills.

Paragraph 5

echelon: (often plural with singular meaning) (in a group of people or organization) rank, level 阶层

E.g.: the top echelon of the Civil Service 文职官员中的最高层

the leading echelons of a government 政府的领导阶层

the higher (lower) echelons 较高（低）职位的全体人员

corporate dynamics: the pattern of growth, change or development of a corporation 企业的动态

the caution that breeds delay: the great care that causes delay

breed: cause (a usually unpleasant condition or feeling) to develop

E.g.: Some people believe that violence breeds violence.

Mosquitoes breed malaria. Familiarity breeds contempt. 近之则不逊。

fortify: encourage; support

Paragraph 6

flourish: develop rapidly. When speaking of a person, an animal, etc., it means “grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way”.

E.g.: The trees planted on the school campus are flourishing.

We’re happy to see these disabled children flourish in their foster-homes (寄养家庭 ).

reappraisal: re-assessment; re-evaluation 重新评估；重新评价

many languages are studded with phrases: many languages are provided with phrases

stud: a small piece of metal which is attached to a surface as a decoration 饰钉

be studded with: be covered with something like studs

E.g.: the sky studded with stars a sea studded with islands

languages studded with phrases: you find phrases in languages just like studs

apricot: 杏子；杏树

Paragraph 7

academe: the academic community; academics 学术界；学术环境

take high honors: do very well, earn great distinction

churn out three to five pages of writing a day: produce three to five pages a day

churn out: produce something routinely or mechanically, especially in large quantities. The phrase is used ironically and jokingly here, for three to five pages of writing cannot be considered as a large quantity.

check out the latest book: examine the latest book carefully; borrow the latest book from the library

Paragraph 8

maintain: state as true; argue for 断言；主张

assiduous (assiduity n.): showing great care and perseverance; hard-working 勤奋的，刻苦的；坚持不懈地，一丝不苟地进行的

E.g.: be assiduous in one’s duties 勤奋从事本职工作

assiduous editing 一丝不苟的编辑工作 shrink: (AmE humorous and slang) headsh

rinker; psychiatrist, psychoanalyst (原始部落中 ) 把砍下的敌人首级干缩保存作为战利品者；精神病医师；精神分析学家

subliminal: existing or functioning outside the area of conscious awareness 潜意识的

E.g.: subliminal advertising (电视等的 )速闪广告 (即将广告内容在观众面前一掠而过，使观众潜意识受到冲击 )

drag one’s feet / heels: (informal) act intentionally in a slow or ineffective way

E.g.: Your firm is dragging its feet over signing this contract.

truism: an undoubted or self-evident truth 自明之理；不言而喻的事；老生常谈

deliberation: long and careful consideration or discussion; slow and unhurried movement 细想，考虑；研究；审慎；从容

E.g.: After much deliberation, I decided not to go. 我在再三考虑后决定不去了。

speak with deliberation 字斟句酌地讲话

entree: (歌剧或芭蕾舞剧中 ) 开头的一个曲目； ( 美 ) 主菜

mellow and marinate / marinade: to mellow is to become ripe or fully developed, and to marinate / marinade is to steep (meat, fish) in a savory sauce to enrich its flavor; here, ripen and mature

Paragraph 9

pace: with respect to (a specified person who does not or may not agree 请（可能与自己意见不同的人）原谅

E.g.: I have not, pace my detractors, entered into any “deals”. 我并没有 ---请诋毁我的诸君容我辩白 ---参与任何“交易”。

by all means: (formal) yes, of course; certainly 当然可以

E.g.: --- May I have one? --- Yes, by all means.

Thank you!Thank you!