# 第三册 Lesson 50 New Year resolutions 新年的决心

## 一、课文原文

The New Year is a time for resolutions. Mentally, at least, most of us could compile formidable lists of 'dos' and 'don'ts'. The same old favourites recur year in year out with monotonous regularity. We resolve to get up earlier each morning, eat less, find more time to play with the children, do a thousand and one jobs about the house, be nice to people we don't like, drive carefully, and take the dog for a walk every day. Past experience has taught us that certain accomplishments are beyond attainment. If we remain inveterate smokers, it is only because we have so often experienced the frustration that results from failure. Most of us fail in our efforts at self-improvement because our schemes are too ambitious and we never have time to carry them out. We also make the fundamental error of announcing our resolutions to everybody so that we look even more foolish when we slip back into our bad old ways. Aware of these pitfalls, this year I attempted to keep my resolutions to myself. I limited myself to two modest ambitions: to do physical exercises every morning and to read more of an evening. An all-night party on New Year's Eve provided me with a good excuse for not carrying on either of these new resolutions on the first day of the year, but on the second, I applied myself assiduously to the task.

The daily exercises lasted only eleven minutes and I proposed to do them early in the morning before anyone had got up. The self-discipline required to drag myself out of bed eleven minutes earlier than usual was considerable. Nevertheless, I managed to creep down into the living room for two days before anyone found me out. After jumping about on the carpet and twisting the human frame into uncomfortable positions, I sat down at the breakfast table in an exhausted condition. It was this that betrayed me. The next morning the whole family trooped in to watch the performance. That was really unsettling, but I fended off the taunts and jibes of the family good-humouredly and soon everybody got used to the idea. However, my enthusiasm waned. The time I spent at exercise gradually diminished. Little by little the eleven minutes fell to zero. By January 10th, I was back to where I had started from. I argued that if I spent less time exhausting myself at exercises in the morning, I would keep my mind fresh for reading when I got home from work. Resisting the hypnotizing effect of television, I sat in my room for a few evenings with my eyes glued to a book. One night, however, feeling cold and lonely, I went downstairs and sat in front of the television pretending to read. That proved to be my undoing, for I soon got back to my old bad habit of dozing off in front of the screen. I still haven't given up my resolution to do more reading. In fact, I have just bought a book entitled How to Read a Thousand Words a Minute. Perhaps it will solve my problem, but I just haven't had time to read it!

## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| resolution | /ˌrezəˈluːʃən/ | n. | 决心，决心要做的事 | New Year resolutions 新年决心 |
| formidable | /ˈfɔːmɪdəbl/ | adj. | 可怕的，令人畏惧的 | formidable lists 令人望而生畏的清单 |
| recur | /rɪˈkɜː/ | v. | 反复出现 | recur year in year out 年复一年地出现 |
| inveterate | /ɪnˈvetərət/ | adj. | 积习已久的 | inveterate smokers 老烟枪 |
| frustration | /frʌˈstreɪʃən/ | n. | 挫败，沮丧 | frustration that results from failure 失败带来的挫折 |
| ambitious | /æmˈbɪʃəs/ | adj. | 雄心勃勃的 | too ambitious 过于宏大 |
| pitfall | /ˈpɪtfɔːl/ | n. | 陷阱，隐患 | aware of these pitfalls 意识到这些陷阱 |
| assiduously | /əˈsɪdjuəsli/ | adv. | 刻苦地，勤奋地 | applied myself assiduously 刻苦地投入 |
| troop | /truːp/ | v. | 成群结队地走 | the whole family trooped in 全家人蜂拥而入 |
| taunt | /tɔːnt/ | n. | 嘲笑，嘲讽 | fend off taunts 抵御嘲笑 |
| jibe | /dʒaɪb/ | n. | 嘲笑 | taunts and jibes 嘲笑和讥讽 |
| wane | /weɪn/ | v. | 减弱，衰退 | enthusiasm waned 热情消退 |
| diminish | /dɪˈmɪnɪʃ/ | v. | 减少 | gradually diminished 逐渐减少 |
| hypnotize | /ˈhɪpnətaɪz/ | v. | 催眠 | hypnotizing effect of television 电视的催眠效果 |

## 三、语法知识点

### 1. 形容词短语作状语

> **Aware of these pitfalls**, this year I attempted to keep my resolutions to myself.

= Being aware of... / Because I was aware of...

### 2. with + 宾语 + 宾补（复合结构）

> I sat in my room... with my **eyes glued to** a book.

with + n. + 过去分词，表示伴随状态。

| 结构 | 例句 |
|------|------|
| with + n. + done | with eyes glued to a book |
| with + n. + doing | with the dog barking outside |
| with + n. + adj. | with the door open |

### 3. it is/was...that... 强调句

> **It was this that** betrayed me.

强调主语this。

### 4. before引导时间状语从句

> I managed to creep down... **before** anyone found me out.

before在此意为"在……之前就"。

## 四、重点句型分析

### 1. year in year out 年复一年
> The same old favourites recur **year in year out**.

= year after year; consistently over years

### 2. beyond attainment 无法实现
> Certain accomplishments are **beyond attainment**.

= unattainable; impossible to achieve

### 3. slip back into 恢复旧习惯
> We look even more foolish when we **slip back into** our bad old ways.

### 4. 长难句分析
> If we remain inveterate smokers, it is only because we have so often experienced the frustration that results from failure.

if引导条件从句；it is because...解释原因；that results from failure修饰frustration。

## 五、课文翻译

新年是下决心的时候。至少在心理上，我们大多数人都能列出一张令人生畏的"要做"和"不要做"的清单。那些同样的老项目年复一年地以单调的规律重复出现。我们决心每天早上早点起床、少吃点、多花时间陪孩子玩、做一千零一件家务、对不喜欢的人客气些、小心开车、每天遛狗。过去的经验告诉我们，有些成就是无法实现的。如果我们仍然是积习难改的烟民，那只是因为我们太多次经历了失败带来的挫折感。我们大多数人在自我提高方面的努力失败了，因为我们的计划太宏大，而我们根本没有时间去执行。我们还犯了一个根本性的错误——把决心告诉所有人，这样当我们又回到从前的坏习惯时，就显得更加愚蠢了。意识到这些陷阱之后，今年我试图把决心藏在心里。我把自己限定在两个不大的目标上：每天早上做体操，晚上多读点书。新年前夜的通宵派对为我新年第一天不执行这两个决心提供了一个好借口，但第二天，我就刻苦地开始了任务。

每天的体操只有十一分钟，我打算在早上任何人起床之前做。比平时早十一分钟把自己从床上拖起来所需的自律是相当大的。不过，我还是成功地在没人发现的情况下偷偷溜到客厅做了两天。在地板上蹦跳和把身体扭曲成不舒服的姿势之后，我筋疲力尽地坐在早餐桌前。正是这一点出卖了我。第二天早上，全家人蜂拥而入观看表演。那真叫人不好意思，但我好脾气地顶住了家人的嘲笑和讥讽，很快大家就习惯了。然而，我的热情开始减退。花在锻炼上的时间逐渐减少。十一分钟一点一点地降到了零。到了一月十日，我又回到了起点。我辩解说，如果早上少花时间锻炼弄得精疲力竭，我下班回家后就能保持头脑清醒地读书了。我抵御了电视的催眠效应，在房间里坐了几个晚上，眼睛盯着书本。然而，有一天晚上，感到又冷又孤单，我下楼坐在电视机前假装看书。那成了我的败因，因为我很快就恢复了在屏幕前打瞌睡的老坏习惯。我仍然没有放弃多读书的决心。事实上，我刚刚买了一本名为《如何每分钟阅读一千字》的书。也许它能解决我的问题，但我就是没时间读它！

## 六、语言点精讲

### 写作手法
1. **自嘲幽默**：以自身失败经历为例，幽默自嘲
2. **心理描写**：从决心→坚持→退缩→自我辩解→再次失败，心理变化真实生动
3. **反讽结尾**：买了速读书但没时间读，首尾呼应

### 文化背景
- 新年决心（New Year resolutions）是西方传统
- 常见的新年决心包括：减肥、戒烟、多读书、多锻炼等
- "How to Read a Thousand Words a Minute"是虚构的书名，讽刺速成法

## 七、课后练习要点

1. **with复合结构**：with + n. + done/doing/adj.
2. **强调句**：It is/was...that...
3. **词汇搭配**：year in year out, beyond attainment, slip back into
4. **写作练习**：以幽默自嘲的笔调写一篇关于自己决心与失败的文章

## 八、本课小结

本课以幽默自嘲的方式讲述了新年决心从下定决心到最终失败的过程。语法重点是with复合结构、强调句和形容词短语作状语。词汇方面掌握formidable、inveterate、assiduously、wane、diminish等核心词。写作上学习自嘲幽默和心理描写。