Painting as a Pastime

The cultivation of a hobby and new forms of interest is therefore a policy of first importance to a public man. But this is not a business that can be undertaken in a day or swiftly improvised by a mere command of the will. The growth of alternative mental interests is a long process. The seeds must be carefully chosen; they must fall on good ground; they must be sedulously tended, if the vivifying fruits are to be at hand when needed.

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 aggravates the strain of mental effort. A man may acquire great knowledge of topics unconnected with his daily work, and yet hardly get any benefit or relief. It is no use doing what you like, you have got to like what you do. Broadly speaking, human beings may be divided into three classes: those who are toiled to death, those who are worried to death, and those who are bored to death. It is no use offering the manual labourer, tired out with a hard week's sweat and effort, the chance of playing a game of football or baseball on Saturday afternoon. It is no use inviting the politician or the professional or business man, who has been working or worrying about serious things for six days, to work or worry about trifling things at the week-end.

As for the unfortunate people who can command everything they want, who can gratify every caprice and lay their hands on almost every object of desire for them a new pleasure, a new excitement is only an additional satiation. In vain they rush frantically round from place to place, trying to escape from avenging boredom by mere clatter and motion. For them discipline in one form or another is the most hopeful path.

It may also be said that rational, industrious, useful human beings are divided into two classes: first, those whose work is work and whose pleasure is pleasure; and secondly, those whose work and pleasure are one. Of these the former are the majority. They have their compensations. The long hours in the office or the factory bring with them as their reward, not only the means of sustenance, but a keen appetite for pleasure even in its simplest and most modest forms. But fortune's favoured children belong to the second class. 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. Yet to both classes the need of an alternative outlook, of a change of atmosphere, of a diversion of effort, is essential. Indeed, it may well be that those whose work is their pleasure are those who most need the means of banishing it at intervals from their minds.

New words and expressions

psychologist n. 心理学家

gifted adj. 有天才的

spasm n. 一阵（感情）发作

catch hold of 抓住

futile adj. 无用的

insinuatevt. 使潜入，暗示

convulsive adj. 起痉挛的

illumination n. 启发，照明

undue adj. 不适应的

grip n. 紧张

improvise vt. 临时作成

sedulously adv.孜孜不倦地

tend vt.照管

aggravate vt加剧.

broadly speaking 大体上说

toil vt.劳累

trifling adj.微小的

gratify vt.使满意

caprice n.任性

satiation n.满足

in vain徒劳

frantically adv.狂乱地

avenge vt.替…报复

boredom n.厌烦

clutter n.喧闹的谈话

sustenance n.生计

keen adj.强烈的

appetite n.欲望

favoured adj.受到偏爱的

grudge vt.怨恨

absorbing adj.引人入胜的

banish vt.排除，放弃

pastime n. 消遣

1. psychologist n. 心理学家 [联想]  psychology n.心理学 psywar心理战 psychoanalysis 心理分析

2.gifted adj. 有天才的eg. He is gifted. 他很有天赋。

[联想] 表示聪明、有天赋的词还有：

talented adj.天才的； adroit adj. 灵巧的，敏捷的；

genius n. 天才； brilliant adj.有才气的，聪明的；smart n.聪明的（可用于口语）

3. spasm n. 一阵（感情）发作

 用法： …a spasm of wild joy… 狂喜

a spasm person 被惯坏的人

4. futile adj. 无用的；（土地）贫瘠的.

 [反义] fertile adj. （思想）睿智的；（土地）肥沃的

 [近义] void adj. 没用的； pointless adj. 无意义的

5. insinuatevt. 使潜入，暗示 [记] 作为一个使动词的用法：be + adj. ; v. + oneself  eg. ~ oneself into one`s favour / the crowd 向某人献媚、示爱/ 挤进人群

 He always insinuates himself into his boss`s favour.

 他经常向他的头儿献媚。

eg. He insinuated his doubt of the answer. 他对这个答案稍有疑问。(vt.暗示)

We convulsive with laughter.

6. illumination n. 启发，照明 [近义] enlightenment n. 启迪edification n.启发，教诲 instruction n.教育，知道

7.grip n.紧张；v.抓

 eg. I have read a gripping story.我刚读了一篇扣人心弦的故事。

 I have a sound grip of English.我对英语掌握的很熟。

8. improvise vt. 临时作成（抽象词）

eg. improvise speech /a poem/a painting 即兴发言/做诗/做画

9. sedulously adv.孜孜不倦地

[近义] diligent adj. 勤奋的 toiling adj. 勤奋的industrious adj. 勤勉的 assiduous adj. 勤勉的 backbreaking adj. 辛劳的 painstaking adj. 辛劳的，辛苦的

Tend the old/sick/little puppy 照看…

Aggravate my pain/burden/pressure/illness

The task toils me. 这事真累。The book is a toil. 读起来真费劲。

It’s only a trifling gift.

10. gratify vt.使满意 [联想] gratitude n. 满意，感激 satisfied adj.感到满足的 pleased adj.满意的 cater to 满足，迎合Pender to one’s needs 迎合 eg. It is gratifying to learn English. 学英语是一件令人很兴奋的事。

11. caprice n.任性 [联想] capricious adj. 反复无常的changeable adj. 善变的fickle adj.（脾气）无常的，易变的impulse n. 冲动

12. satiation n.满足[联想] satiate v.满足 satiable adj.可满足的需求 insatiable adj. 不可满足的

eg. I just saw there is an article in Newsweek that many officials in many countries are insatiable.我刚才在新闻周刊里看到一篇文章里说许多小国家的官员都贪得无厌。

I studied English for 1 year but all in vain.

13. avenge vt.替…报复 eg. avenge my comrade in arms 为我的战友报仇avenge myself on the enemy 我向敌人报复

14. appetite n.欲望 [近义] lust / thirst / hunger 渴望

[用法] appetite/ lust / thirst / hunger for sth.对…有强烈欲望

 eg. He has strong appetite for fame. 他对名声充满了渴望。

15. favoured adj. 受到偏爱的

[用法]play favourites with sb. 对某人很偏爱

eg. The mother plays favourites with her elder son. 妈妈对大儿子比较偏爱。

16. absorbing adj.引人入胜的 [联想]gripping adj.扣人心弦的 fascinating adj. 迷人的captivating adj.迷人的spell binding （念了咒语般）使人入迷的entertaining adj.令人愉快的

17.banish vt.排除，放弃 [区别] banish 抽象的思想上的除去，后面一般接 horror,worry 等。

 discard v.丢弃，放弃 ，后接具体事物，如furniture等。

Notes on the text

1. Worry is a spasm of the emotion 忧虑是情绪的突然发作。

Catch hold of=grasp

2. It is useless to argue with the mind in this condition.

1） agrue with 争论

2） the mind 指人，而不是人脑.

eg.Great minds think alike.英雄所见略同。

The stronger the will (is), the more futile the task.

Will 意志 Let him rot.

3. One can only gently insinuate something else into its convulsive grasp. [译]我们只能对他温柔的灌输其他思想到他痉挛的脑子里。1)insinuate = to push 慢慢灌输2)its 指代minds3)grasp 抓住不放，这里指minds.

4. …..，if it is really attended by the illumination of……the process of recuperation and repair begins.

1）attend vt.辅佐，辅助

Grip 紧握 relax 放松

2）by 通过某种手段

3）recuperation = recovery 恢复

5. The cultivation of a hobby and new forms of interest is therefore a policy of first importance to a public man. [译] 对一个公众人士而言，你需要培养兴趣爱好，这是至关重要的。

1） cultivation = to build up 培养，建立

2) therefore adv. 所以 (承接上文)

3）policy ：method方法

4）first importance 第一位的重要性

5）public man :go out to work;参与社会工作的人 social activist 社会活动家--有点贬义

Undertaken=finished 从事，完成 undertake sth. 书面，做某事

By a mere command of the will 通过…… a mere = only command of the will 意志力的控制，意志力

6. The growth of alternative mental interests is a long process. [译] 替换型的智力兴趣的培养需要一个很长的过程。

1） alternative adj. 二中选一的

alternative interests 替换型兴趣，指的是工作之外的兴趣

7. The seeds must be carefully chosen; they must fall on good ground; they must be sedulously tended, if the vivifying fruits are to be at hand when needed. （推荐记忆）此句用了一个暗喻metaphor(延伸：明喻simile)

interests 比喻为 seeds

vivify vt.给与生气，生动，使活跃 vivifying 看起来栩栩如生的

to be at hand 近在眼前

8. It is no use starting late in life to say:….

论述句型： it is no using doing… it is no point doing …

eg. it is no using crying over the spilt milk.覆水难收。

Such an attempt 这种努力 strain 紧张 The relation between the two nations get strained. He had a strained smile on his face.

9. It is no use doing what you like, you have got to like what you do.(推荐记忆) ave got to [英]= have to [美]

[译] 只想做你想做的事是没用的，你必须喜欢你所做的事。

Job hunting/job hunter  broadly speaking 常言道

Widower 鳏 window寡 orphan孤 old man without children独

10. It is no use offering the manual labourer, tired out with a hard week's sweat and effort, the chance of playing a game of football or baseball on Saturday afternoon.

offer sb.sth. 双宾语  sweat and effort 辛勤劳动with = because of 因为，由于

11. As for the unfortunate people…. a new excitement is only an additional satiation.

as for….= about 谈及，关于

additional satiation :多余的满足 clatter 聊天，闲聊

12. For them discipline in one form or another is the most hopeful path. [译]对他们而言，生活有规律才有获得兴趣的可能。

discipline:约束

of these=between them 表示在两者之中

as their reward 作为他们的奖赏、报酬 not only the means of sustenance 不仅仅是维生的手段 even in its…后置定语

正常语序：for the simplest and most modest pleasure

13.But fortune's favoured children belong to the second class.

fortune's favoured children 天子骄子

14. Each day is a holiday, and ordinary holidays when they come are grudged as enforced interruptions in an absorbing vocation.

1) ordinary holidays 正常的假日

2) grudge = regard with hatred 憎恶

3) enforced 被迫地

4) vocation天职/vacation 假期

[译]每天都是假日，而且当正常的假日到来时，他们都把它当作对其投入的天职所进行的一种被迫的打搅。

15. Yet to both classes the need of an alternative outlook,…an alternative outlook 理解为这两类人的想法可以转换（替换）一下diversion of effort 分散注意力

16. Indeed, it may well be that those whose work is their pleasure are those who most need the means of banishing it at intervals from their minds.

1) it may well be that……或许事情正是这样

2) at intervals 不时，间隔一段时间

3）banish = get rid of去除

4) means = method ,way

17. Catch hold of, 抓住……；let … go, 放掉……。

18. Lay one's hands on, 得到……，抓到……。

19. Fortune's favoured children 中的Fortune是指"命运女神"。