英语学习乐园：书虫的世界

Jack¹: What's that you are reading?

 

Mieko: It's a novel but it's not very good.

 

Jack: I can't read on a train. I can't concentrate.

 

Mieko: I like to read a lot.

 

Jack: So do I, when I am not travelling.

 

Mieko: So what kind of books do you enjoy?

 

Jack: I like non-fiction best, books about travels or science.

 

Mieko: I like fiction but non-fiction too. There is a good library where I live.

 

Jack: My library is small but they will order books for me. I am studying twentieth century history at the moment.

 

Mieko: I am studying to be a doctor. The books are very expensive.

 

Jack: Yes, even on the Internet books aren't cheap.

 

Mieko: No, but you have to buy them or you can't learn the work. What do you study?

 

Jack: History and philosophy. Not much good for a job but very interesting. But I like to read popular books about science, and especially about astronomy².

 

Mieko: Is that your hobby?

 

Jack: Yes, a bit. But my main hobby is climbing mountains.

 

Mieko: Is that why you like books about travel?

 

Jack: Yes, I like to know about strange places.

 

Mieko: I don't think I would want to climb mountains but I would like to read about them.

 

Jack: I like to read biographies³ too and autobiographies⁴ about people's lives.

 

Mieko: Does that help your history and philosophy?

 

Jack: Yes, it does. Reading about other people helps you to understand their mistakes. You can learn a lot from other people.

 

Mieko: I like to read the classic⁵ novels, Charles Dickens, Tolstoy, and more modern ones like John Steinbeck. They knew about life.

 

Jack: I agree. Perhaps I'll see you in the college library sometime. I'll probably be in the history section.

 

Mieko: And I'll probably be in the medical one. Here's our stop. See you soon!

1 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

2 astronomy   

n.天文学

参考例句：

• Mathematics is connected with astronomy.数学与天文学有联系。
• Astronomy is an abstract subject.天文学是一门深奥的学科。

3 biographies   

n.传记( biography的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are plenty of biographies for him to browse over. 有大量传记供他浏览。 来自辞典例句
• He likes to read biographies of great men to promote himself. 他喜欢读伟人传记来提高自己。 来自互联网

4 autobiographies   

n.自传( autobiography的名词复数 )；自传文学

参考例句：

• The series was based on the autobiographies of the author. 这部连续剧是根据那位作家的自传拍摄的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are some songs and, recently, a few autobiographies about peasant experience. 有些歌曲描述了农民的经验，最近还出了几本自传。 来自互联网

5 classic   

n.经典作品；adj.经典的，一流的；古典的

参考例句：

• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。
• The football match was a classic.那场足球比赛堪称典范。