大学体验英语第一册Unit3-Passage B

Passage B
A Well-Balanced Life
A well-balanced life is necessary to live in today's world. Without a well-balanced life a person can neither function properly nor develop into a well-rounded individual. Without some sort of balance in life people tend to be unfulfilled and unhappy.


Robert Frost (1874~1963)

Robert Frost was born in San Francisco in 1874. He moved to New England at the age of eleven and became interested in reading and writing poetry during his high school years in the town of Lawrence, Massachusetts. His first professional poem, "The Butterfly," was published on November 8, 1894, in the New York newspaper The Independent. By the nineteen-twenties, he was the most celebrated¹ poet in America, and with each new book-including New Hampshire (1923), A Further Range (1936), Steeple Bush (1947), and In the Clearing (1962)-his fame and honors² (including four Pulitzer Prizes) increased.
Walt Whitman (1819~1892)

Walt Whitman was born in 1819 in Long Island, New York. He attended grammar school in Brooklyn and took his first job with the Long Island Patriot³. Between 1841 and the summer of 1859, Whitman held editorial⁴ positions on seven different newspapers. During the spring of 1855, at his own expense, Walt Whitman published the first edition of Leaves of Grass. Today it is considered a masterpiece of world literature and Whitman is recognized as America's national poet.

　　 I've experienced⁵ great stress in my study and work. And I've tried every means to adjust myself and relieve⁶ my stress. Finally I found a way out in my leisure⁷ time. Leisure time is very important and necessary for me. Without it I am sure I would go insane⁸. I spend most of my extra time reading, listening to music, talking to my real life friends, or talking on the Internet with people I meet. I really enjoy going out into a quiet place and reading poetry or books by Walt Whitman and Robert Frost. If I did not make time for all of this I would not be able to handle everything else in life. Along with reading to relax, listening to music is very important to me. If I feel sad, I listen to slow songs, while if I am happy I like listening to fast songs. Music is the universal language and it can express different feelings. It can relate to the soul, or in fact I think it is the soul of feelings.


　　 My real life friends and my Internet friends are also part of my leisure and social time. Friends have always been important to me. They are the backbone⁹ in everything I do. The good friends that I have are always there for me in every situation I am in. Without them I would not have led a healthy, balanced life. Not so long ago I went through a short time of depression. I fell behind in all my work and stopped talking to my friends. After a week of acting¹⁰ this way, one of my good friends pulled me aside and invited me to go for a walk with her. We talked about what was going on in my life and she helped me to figure out what I wanted to do. I do not know what would have happened if she had not been there.


　　 Many things add to having a well-balanced life. Stress can be a very dangerous and tiresome¹¹ experience. It can lead to depression and unhappiness. But when it happens, you can do something other than wait, like talking to your friends or listening to music. Then you may not think you should have been so stressed and depressed¹².

　　 A well-balanced life is important to maintain¹³. Without some sort of balance it is hard to get by in everyday life. And the creative use of leisure time plays a vital role.

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 honors   

n.礼仪；荣典；礼节； 大学荣誉学位；大学优等成绩；尊敬( honor的名词复数 )；敬意；荣誉；光荣

参考例句：

• He aims at honors. 他力求名誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We did the last honors to his remains. 我们向他的遗体告别。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。

4 editorial   

adj.编者的，社论的；n.（报刊的）社论，重要评论

参考例句：

• For a full hour they argued over the wording of the editorial.他们为社论的措辞争论了一个小时。
• We now bring you the full text of the Renmin Ribao editorial.现在全文广播《人民日报》社论。

5 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

6 relieve   

v.缓解，减轻，解除(痛苦、忧虑、麻烦)

参考例句：

• We played games to relieve the tedium of the journey.我们玩游戏，来解除旅行的沉闷。
• The doctors did their best to relieve the patient.医生们尽力减轻病人的痛苦。

7 leisure   

n.空闲时间，空暇；悠闲，安逸

参考例句：

• I am seldom at leisure.我很少有空。
• He read books at his leisure.他在空闲时读一些书。

8 insane   

adj.蠢极的，荒唐的，精神错乱的，疯狂的

参考例句：

• Insane people are sometimes dangerous.精神病人有时非常危险。
• The letter made her insane with jealousy.那封信使她妒忌得发疯。

9 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。

10 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

11 tiresome   

adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的

参考例句：

• His doubts and hesitations were tiresome.他的疑惑和犹豫令人厌烦。
• He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors.他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜，令人生厌。

12 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

13 maintain   

vt.支撑；赡养，抚养；维持，保有

参考例句：

• He has to maintain a large family on a small salary.他不得不依靠很少的工资养活一家人。
• We must do our best to maintain sales at their usual rate.我们要尽力使销售额保持在平日的水平上。