新概念英语（第二版第四册）新概念英语Lesson 48
新概念英语Lesson 48 What Every Writer Wants
作家所欲
I have known very few writers, but those I have known, and whom I respected, confess at once that
they have little idea where they arc going when they first set pen to paper. They have a character,
perhaps two, they are in that condition of eager discomfort which passes for inspiration, all admit
radical changes of destination once the journey has begun; one, to my certain knowledge, spent nine
months on a novel about Kashmir, then reset the whole thing in the Scottish Highlands. I never
heard of anyone making a 'skeleton', as we were taught at school. In the breaking and remaking, in
the timing, interweaving, beginning afresh, the writer comes to discern things in his material which
were not consciously in his mind when he began. This organic process, often leading to moments of
extraordinary self-discovery, is of an indescribable fascination. A blurred image appears, he adds a
brushstroke and another, and it is gone; but something was there, and he will not rest till he has
captured it. Sometimes the yeast within a writer outlives a book he has written. I have heard of
writers who read nothing but their own books, like adolescents they stand before the mirror, and still
cannot fathom the exact outline of the vision before them. For the same reason, writers talk
interminably about their own books, winkling out hidden meanings, super-imposing new
ones,begging response from those around them. Of course a writer doing this is misunderstood: he
might as well try to explain a crime or a love affair. He is also, incidentally, an unforgivable bore.
This temptation to cover the distance between himself and the reader, to study his image in the sight
of those who do not know him, can be his undoing: he has begun to write to please.
A young English writer made the pertinent observation a year or two back that the talent goes into
the first draft, and the art into the drafts that follow. For this reason also the writer, like any other
artist, has no resting place, no crowd or movement in which he may take comfort, no judgment from
outside which can replace the judgment from within. A writer makes order out of the anarchy of his
heart; he submits himself to a more ruthless discipline than any critic dreamed of, and when he
flirsts with fame, he is taking time off from living with himself, from the search for what his world
contains at its inmost point.
New words and expressions 生词短语
confess 承认confess one’s guilt 承认罪行 confess that I am guilty (也可跟从句)
表示“承认”的词还有：admit, acknowledge, confined
confess 与它们的区别在于：confess 是宗教词汇（忏悔）
inspiration 灵感inspire 激发brain wave 脑波sunden inspiration 灵机一动
radical 根本的也有“激进”之意
（同）primary 根本，fundamental 基本，essential 根本
interweave 交织inter 相互weave 编
新概念英语（第二版第四册）新概念英语Lesson 48
weave a story 编故事Weaving Maid 织女He weaves a lie.撒谎
afresh 重新=again
fresh student 新生fresh water 淡水资源I am fresh here.
discern 辩明，领悟——长期的考证，敏锐的目光（强调 result）
(同)observe——（科学上）长期、敏锐考证（强调 process）
detect——侦察，侦探
spot——猛然发现（suddenly） I spotted an old friend of mine.
indescribable 无法描述的beyond description
utter 表述unutterable 非言语所能表达的
express 表达expressible 能表达的inexpressible 难以形容的
blur 使……模糊不清Tears blur my eyes.泪水模糊了双眼。 blur with 由于……而看不清
befog——由于雾看不清blot——墨水弄污stain——由于污渍而弄得不美观
I am yeasty.我有点激动。yeasty talk 空洞的，一派胡言
fathom 领悟，彻底了解fathomless 无法计量，无法了解的fathomable 能够了解的
原意：测量（水）深的手段go to the bottom of sth.研究with plumb 研究
comprehend 理解penetrate 深入，探索
interminably 没完没了地terminable 可终止的，有期限的（有完有了：）
a terminal（汽车）终点
（同）unbounded 无边的，limitless 无限的，无界限的，never ending 无限的
cease 停止ceaselessly
winkle 挖掘（向外挖）dig（向下）挖
易混：wrinkle 皱纹
super impose 添上，加上impose 强加He is very imposing.他很威严。
Imposing building 宏伟的楼
love affairs 恋爱
incidentally 顺便说一下（同）by the way; in passing
in the sight of 以某人观点=in the eye of
He is in sight.他出现了。Out of sight
Out of sight,out of mind.眼不见，心不烦。
undoing 祸根undo 解开ruin 毁坏
The scandal undoes his fame.丑闻把他的名声坏了。=The scandal is the undoing of his bad
fame.
smoking undoes my health.
pertinent 中肯的pertinent suggestion/proposition 合理建议
（同）apposite 适当的，suitable 合适的，applicable 可用的
be pertinent to sth.和……有关 =be relative to
flirt 调情flirt with sb.不认真对待某人。flirtatious 玩世不恭的，轻浮的
inmost 内心深处的=at the bottom of one’s heart
at the inmost point
Notes on the text 课文注释
…those I have known, and (whom)I respect…这里 whom 可省略，但加上表示强调（为数少）
set pen to paper 诉诸笔端，也可以用 apply pen to paper = write
pass for (= be regarded as)被当作，被认为
a train/line of thought 思路
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新概念英语（第二版第四册）新概念英语Lesson 48
pick me up 提神
destination 目的地
journey 旅途（跋山涉水地）（创作的历程）；
而 trip 游山玩水地
to my (certain) knowledge = as I know
set 设置
heard of 听说
skeleton 骷髅；提纲 =outline
breaking 打破 =drop
remaking 重新构想
timing 时间的转换
interweaving 交织
come to 逐步的
organic 有机的（flexible）
self-discovery 自我发现（对自己人性的解
刨）
reflection 思索
psychology 心理学
be of 结构，表示一种状态
It is interesting. = It is of interest.
revise 修改（谈到写作）
rethinking
reset 重新设置
out- 超
outnumber 数目超过，比……多； outwit
比……聪明
total immersion 完全沉浸其间（作家最高境
界）
narcissist 自我陶醉者，自恋狂
narcissus 水仙花
winkling out 发掘出
might as well ( = have reason, is reasonable)
He might as well be proud of son.
bore 令人讨厌的人
black look 遭人白眼
cover the distance 弥补之间的距离（= cater
for）
pertinent 中肯的
a year or two back = a year or two years ago
talent 智慧
draft 草稿
like any other 表示单数“任何一个”
make order 调理程序
submit to 屈服、容忍 =bear
discipline 纪律
critic 批评家
a blurred image appears 突然出现了一个模糊
的影子
image = figure
brushstroke 绘画的技巧
not until 直到……才
condensed thinking 浓缩的思想
when he flirts with fame 当他不太考虑名誉
问题的时候
take time off 休息
from living with himself 不再探索内心的感
受
at its inmost point 在内心深处
outlive
( = live longer than)超出……，活得比……长
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