# 第三册 Lesson 46 Do it yourself 自己动手

## 一、课文原文

So great is our passion for doing things for ourselves, that we are becoming increasingly less dependent on specialized labour. No one can plead ignorance of a subject any longer, for there are countless do-it-yourself publications. Armed with the right tools and materials, newlyweds gaily embark on the task of decorating their own homes. Men, particularly, spend hours of their leisure time installing their own fireplaces, laying out their own gardens; building garages and making furniture. Some really keen enthusiasts go so far as to build their own computers. Shops cater for the do-it-yourself craze not only by running special advisory services for novices, but by offering consumers bits and pieces which they can assemble at home. Such things provide an excellent outlet for pent up creative energy, but unfortunately not all of us are born handymen.

Some wives tend to believe that their husbands are infinitely resourceful and can fix anything. Even men who can hardly drive a nail in straight are supposed to be born electricians, carpenters, plumbers and mechanics. When lights fuse, furniture gets rickety, pipes get clogged, or vacuum cleaners fail to operate, some women assume that their husbands will somehow put things right. The worst thing about the do-it-yourself game is that sometimes even men live under the delusion that they can do anything, even when they have repeatedly been proved wrong. It is a question of pride as much as anything else.

Last spring my wife suggested that I call in a man to look at our lawn mower. It had broken down the previous summer, and though I promised to repair it, I had never got round to it. I would not hear of the suggestion and said that I would fix it myself. One Saturday afternoon, I hauled the machine into the garden and had a close look at it. As far as I could see, it needed only a minor adjustment: a turn of a screw here, a little tightening up there, a drop of oil and it would be as good as new. Inevitably the repair job was not quite so simple. The mower firmly refused to mow, so I decided to dismantle it. The garden was soon littered with chunks of metal which had once made up a lawn mower. But I was extremely pleased with myself. I had traced the cause of the trouble. One of the links in the chain that drives the wheels had snapped. After buying a new chain I was faced with the insurmountable task of putting the confusing jigsaw puzzle together again. I was not surprised to find that the machine still refused to work after I had reassembled it, for the simple reason that I was left with several curiously shaped bits of metal which did not seem to fit anywhere. I gave up in despair. The weeks passed and the grass grew. When my wife nagged me to do something about it, I told her that either I would have to buy a new mower or let the grass grow. Needless to say our house is now surrounded by a jungle. Buried somewhere in deep grass there is a rusting lawn mower which I have promised to repair one day.

## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| plead | /pliːd/ | v. | 以……为借口 | plead ignorance 以无知为借口 |
| newlywed | /ˈnjuːliwed/ | n. | 新婚夫妇 | newlyweds gaily embark 新婚夫妇兴高采烈地开始 |
| cater | /ˈkeɪtə/ | v. | 迎合，满足 | cater for 迎合……的需要 |
| novice | /ˈnɒvɪs/ | n. | 新手 | advisory services for novices 面向新手的服务 |
| outlet | /ˈaʊtlet/ | n. | 发泄途径 | outlet for creative energy 创造力的发泄途径 |
| handyman | /ˈhændimæn/ | n. | 手巧的人，杂务工 | born handymen 天生的手艺人 |
| resourceful | /rɪˈsɔːsfl/ | adj. | 足智多谋的 | infinitely resourceful 无所不能的 |
| rickety | /ˈrɪkəti/ | adj. | 摇摇欲坠的 | rickety furniture 摇摇晃晃的家具 |
| clog | /klɒɡ/ | v. | 堵塞 | pipes get clogged 管子堵塞 |
| delusion | /dɪˈluːʒən/ | n. | 错觉，妄想 | live under the delion 活在妄想中 |
| dismantle | /dɪsˈmæntl/ | v. | 拆卸 | dismantle the mower 拆卸割草机 |
| insurmountable | /ˌɪnsəˈmaʊntəbl/ | adj. | 无法克服的 | insurmountable task 无法完成的任务 |
| nag | /næɡ/ | v. | 唠叨，催促 | nag sb. to do 唠叨着让某人做 |
| jungle | /ˈdʒʌŋɡl/ | n. | 丛林 | surrounded by a jungle 被丛林包围 |

## 三、语法知识点

### 1. so + adj. 前置引起倒装

> **So great is** our passion for doing things for ourselves, that we are becoming increasingly less dependent on specialized labour.

so + adj. + be + 主语 + that从句，强调程度之深。

### 2. 过去分词作状语

> **Armed with** the right tools and materials, newlyweds gaily embark on the task...

= Being armed with / After being armed with

### 3. would not hear of 不同意

> I **would not hear of** the suggestion.

= refuse to consider; reject outright

### 4. as far as I could see 据我所知/所见

> **As far as I could see**, it needed only a minor adjustment.

= to the best of my knowledge/judgment

## 四、重点句型分析

### 1. go so far as to 甚至做出……
> Some really keen enthusiasts **go so far as to** build their own computers.

表示达到某种极端程度。

### 2. get round to doing 终于找到时间做
> I had never **got round to** it.

= find time to do; eventually get around to

### 3. as good as new 像新的一样
> It would be **as good as new**.

### 4. 长难句分析
> I was not surprised to find that the machine still refused to work after I had reassembled it, for the simple reason that I was left with several curiously shaped bits of metal which did not seem to fit anywhere.

多重从句嵌套：that引导宾语从句；after引导时间状语；for引导原因状语；that引导同位语从句解释reason；which引导定语从句修饰bits。

## 五、课文翻译

我们自己动手的热情如此之高，以至于我们越来越不依赖专业劳动力了。再也没有人能以不懂为借口了，因为有数不清的自己动手的出版物。配备了合适的工具和材料，新婚夫妇兴高采烈地开始装修自己的家。男人们尤其如此，把大量的闲暇时间花在安装壁炉、布置花园、建造车库和制作家具上。一些真正的狂热者甚至自己组装电脑。商店不仅通过为新手提供专门的咨询服务，而且通过向消费者提供可以在家组装的零散部件来迎合自己动手的热潮。这些东西为被压抑的创造力提供了极好的发泄途径，但遗憾的是并非我们所有人都是天生的手艺人。

有些妻子倾向于认为她们的丈夫足智多谋，什么都能修好。即使是那些连钉子都钉不直的男人也被认为是天生的电工、木匠、水管工和机械师。灯泡烧了、家具松了、管子堵了、吸尘器不转了，有些女人以为她们的丈夫总有办法修好。自己动手最糟糕的是，有时连男人自己也活在什么都能做的错觉中，即使他们一再被证明不行。这在很大程度上是个面子问题。

去年春天，我妻子建议我找个人来看看我们的割草机。它前一年夏天就坏了，虽然我答应修，但一直没抽出时间。我不同意这个建议，说我自己来修。一个星期六的下午，我把机器拖到花园里仔细看了看。据我看，只需要微调一下：这里拧一下螺丝，那里紧一紧，滴一滴油，就会像新的一样。果然，修理工作没那么简单。割草机坚决不割草，于是我决定把它拆开。花园里很快就散落了一堆曾经是割草机的金属碎片。但我对自己非常满意。我找到了故障原因。驱动轮子的链条中有一个环节断了。买了新链条后，我面临着把令人困惑的拼图重新拼在一起的无法完成的任务。我并不惊讶地发现，重新组装后机器仍然不工作，原因很简单——我还剩下了几个形状古怪的金属零件，它们似乎哪里也装不上。我绝望地放弃了。几周过去了，草越长越高。当妻子唠叨着让我想办法时，我告诉她要么买台新割草机，要么让草长下去。不用说，我们的房子现在被丛林包围着。在深深的草丛中，某处埋着一台生锈的割草机，我曾答应总有一天要修好它。

## 六、语言点精讲

### 写作手法
1. **自嘲幽默**：以自身失败经历为例，生动有趣
2. **先扬后抑**：先写DIY的热情和信心，再写实际操作的失败
3. **夸张描写**："丛林"包围房子，突出懒散的结果

### 文化背景
- DIY（Do It Yourself）文化在英国非常盛行
- 英国许多家庭拥有花园，割草机是必备工具
- "handyman"指擅长各种修理工作的人

## 七、课后练习要点

1. **倒装句**：so + adj.前置引起的倒装
2. **分词作状语**：Armed with... 过去分词结构
3. **词汇搭配**：cater for, get round to, go so far as to
4. **写作练习**：以幽默自嘲的笔调写一次失败的经历

## 八、本课小结

本课以幽默自嘲的方式讲述了自己动手修割草机失败的经历。语法重点是so+adj.前置倒装、过去分词作状语。词汇方面掌握plead、cater、dismantle、insurmountable、get round to等核心词。写作上学习自嘲幽默和先扬后抑的叙事手法。