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大学英语精读第四册 Unit Six:How to Mark a Book

时间:2005-04-20 16:00来源:互联网 提供网友:鱼尾巴   字体: [ ]
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Text
"Don't ever mark in a book!" Thousands of teachers, librarians and parents have so advised. But Mortimer Adler disagrees. He thinks so long as you own the book and needn't preserve its physical appearance, marking it properly will grant you the ownership of the book in the true sense of the word and make it a part of yourself.

HOW TO MARK A BOOK

Mortimer J. Adler
You know you have to read "between the lines" to get the most out of anything. I want to persuade you to do something equally important in the course of your reading. I want to persuade you to "write between the lines." Unless you do, you are not likely to do the most efficient kind of reading.
You shouldn't mark up a book which isn't yours. Librarians (or your friends) who lend you books expect you to keep them clean, and you should. If you decide that I am right about the usefulness of marking books, you will have to buy them.
There are two ways in which one can own a book. The first is the property right you establish by paying for it, just as you pay for clothes and furniture. But this act of purchase is only the prelude1 to possession. Full ownership comes only when you have made it a part of yourself, and the best way to make yourself a part of it is by writing in it. An illustration may make the point clear. You buy a beefsteak and transfer it from the butcher's icebox to your own. But you do not own the beefsteak in the most important sense until you consume it and get it into your bloodstream. I am arguing that books, too, must be absorbed in your bloodstream to do you any good.
There are three kinds of book owners. The first has all the standard sets and best-sellers -- unread, untouched. (This individual owns wood-pulp and ink, not books.) The second has a great many books -- a few of them read through, most of them dipped into, but all of them as clean and shiny as the day they were bought. (This person would probably like to make books his own, but is restrained by a false respect for their physical appearance.) The third has a few books or many -- every one of them dog-eared and dilapidated, shaken and loosened by continual use, marked and scribbled3 in from front to back. (This man owns books.)
Is it false respect, you may ask, to preserve intact a beautifully printed book, an elegantly bound edition? Of course not. I'd no more scribble2 all over a first edition of "Paradise Lost" than I'd give my baby a set of crayons and an original Rembrandt! I wouldn't mark up a painting or a statue. Its soul, so to speak, is inseparable from its body. And the beauty of a rare edition or of a richly manufactured volume is like that of painting or a statue. If your respect for magnificent binding5 or printing gets in the way, buy yourself a cheap edition and pay your respects to the author.
Why is marking up a book indispensable to reading? First, it keeps you awake. (And I don't mean merely conscious; I mean wide awake.) In the second place, reading, if it is active, is thinking, and thinking tends to express itself in words, spoken or written. The marked book is usually the thought-through book. Finally, writing helps you remember the thoughts you had, or the thoughts the author expressed. Let me develop these three points.
If reading is to accomplish anything more than passing time, it must be active. you can't let your eyes glide6 across the lines of a book and come up with an understanding of what you have read. Now an ordinary piece of light fiction, like, say, "Gone with the Wind," doesn't require the most active kind of reading. The books you read for pleasure can be read in a state of relaxation7, and nothing is lost. But a great book, rich in ideas and beauty, a book that raises and tries to answer great fundamental questions, demands the most active reading of which you are capable. You don't absorb the ideas of John Dewey the way you absorb the crooning of Mr. Vallee. You have to reach for them. That you cannot do while you're asleep.
If, when you've finished reading a book, the pages are filled with your notes, you know that you read actively8. The most famous active reader of great books I know is President Hutchins, of the University of Chicago. He also has the hardest schedule of business activities of any man I know. He invariably read with pencil, and sometimes, when he picks up a book and pencil in the evening, he finds himself, instead of making intelligent notes, drawing what he calls " caviar factories" on the margins10. When that happens, he puts the book down. He knows he's too tired to read, and he's just wasting time.
But, you may ask, why is writing necessary? Well, the physical act of writing, with your own hand, brings words and sentences more sharply before your mind and preserves them better in your memory. To set down your reaction to important words and sentences you have read, and the questions they have raised in your mind, is to preserve those reactions and sharpen those questions. You can pick up the book the following week or year, and there are all your points of agreement, disagreement, doubt and inquiry11. It's like resuming an interrupted conversation with the advantage of being able to pick up where you left off.
And that is exactly what reading a book should be: a conversation between you and the author. Presumably he knows more about the subject than you do; naturally you'll have the proper humility12 as you approach him. But don't let anybody tell you that a reader is supposed to be solely13 on the receiving end. Understanding is a two-way operation; learning doesn't consist in being an empty receptacle. The learner has to question himself and question the teacher. He even has to argue with the teacher, once he understands what the teacher is saying. And marking a book is literally14 an expression of your differences, or agreements of opinion, with the author.
There are all kinds of devices for marking a book intelligently and fruitfully. Here's the way I do it:
1. Underlining: of major points, of important or forceful statements.
2. Vertical15 lines at the margin9: to emphasize a statement already underlined.
3. Star, asterisk16, or other doo-dad at the margin: to be used sparingly, to emphasize the ten or twenty most important statements in the book.
4. Numbers in the margin: to indicate the sequence of points the author makes in developing a single argument.
5. Number of other pages in the margin: to indicate where else in the book the author made points relevant to the point marked; to tie up the ideas in a book, which, though they may be separated by many pages, belong together.
6. Circling of key words or phrases.
7. Writing in the margin, or at the top or bottom of the page, for the sake of: recording17 questions (and perhaps answers) which a passage raise in your mind; reducing a complicated discussion to a simple statement; recording the sequence of major points right through the book. I use the end-papers at the back of the book to make a personal index of the author's points in the order of their appearance.
The front end-papers are, to me, the most important. Some people reserve them for a fancy bookplate, I reserve them for fancy thinking. After I have finished reading the book and making my personal index on the back end-papers, I turn to the front and try to outline the book, not page by page, or point by point (I've already done that at the back), but as an integrated structure, with a basic unity18 and an order of parts. This outline is, to me, the measure of my understanding of the work.

New Words
persuade
vt. cause (sb.) to do sth. by reasoning, arguing, etc. 说服,劝服

librarian
n. 图书馆管理员

property
n. (collectively) things owned; possessions 财产

prelude
n. action, event, etc. that serves as an introduction 序幕;前奏曲

possession
n. possessing; ownership; (pl.) property 拥有;所有权;财产

ownership
n. the possessing (of sth.); right of possessing 所有(权)


illustration
n. an example which explains the meaning of sth.; adn explanatory picture, diagram, etc. 例;图例;插图

beefsteak
n. 牛排

transfer
vt. had over the possession of (property, etc.); change officially from one position, etc. to another 转移;调动

butcher
n. a person who kills, cuts up and sells animals for food 屠夫

icebox
n. a box where food is kept cool with blocks of ice; (AmE) refrigerator

bloodstream
n. the blood as it flows through the blood vessels19 of the body 血流

absorb
vt. take or such in (liquids); take in (knowledge, ideas, etc.)吸收

best-seller
n. book that is sold in very large numbers 畅销书

individual
n. any one human being ( contrasted with society ) 个人

woodpulp
n. 木(纸)浆

dip
v. plunge20 or be plunged21 quickly or briefly22 into a liquid, esp. to wet or coat 浸;蘸

shiny
a. giving off light as if polished; bright 发亮的

restrain
vt. prevent; control; hold back 抑制;控制,约束

dogeared
a. (of a book) having he corners of the pages bent23 down with use, like a dog's ears (书页)卷角的

dilapidated
a. (of things) broken and old; falling to pieces 破旧的;倾坍的

loosen
v. make or become loose or looser (使)松开

continual
a. repeated; frequent 不断的;频繁的

scribble
v. write hastily or carelessly; write meaningless marks on paper, etc. 潦草书写;乱涂

preserve
vi. keep safe from harm of danger 保护;保存

intact
a. untouched; undamaged 完整无损的

elegantly
ad. beautifully; gracefully24 优美地;雅致地
elegant a.

bind4 (bound)
vt. tie or fasten with a rope, etc.; fasten together sheets of (a book) and enclose within a cover 捆,绑;装订(书)

edition
n. form in which a book is published; total number of copies (of a book, newspaper, etc.) issued from the same types (书等的)版本;版

paradise
n. the Garden of Eden; Heaven 伊甸园;天堂

crayon
n. 蜡笔; 颜色笔

original
a. of or relating to an origin or beginning; being the first instance or source from which a cop can be made 最初的;原著的;原创作者的

painting
n. a painted picture; picture

statue
n. an image of a person or animal in wood, stone, bronze, etc. 雕像

inseparable
a. impossible to separate from one another

manufacture
vt. make, produce on a large scale by machinery25 制造;(大量)生产

magnificent
a. splendid; remarkable26 华丽的;宏伟的

indispensable
a. absolutely essential or necessary 必不可少的

conscious
a. aware; able to feel and think 有意识的;神志清醒

understanding
n. knowledge of the nature of sth., based esp. on learning or experience 理解

fiction
n. (branch of literature concerned with) stories, novels and romances 小说

croon
vi. sing gently in a low soft voice, usu. with much feeling 低声吟唱

reader
n. person who reads

invariably
ad. unchangeable; constantly 不变地;始终如一地

intelligent
a. having or showing a high degree of powers of reasoning or understanding 聪明的

caviar(e)
n. 鱼子酱

sharpen
v. become or make sharp(er)

disagreement
n. the fact or a case of disagreeing; lack of similarity 分歧;不一致
disagree vi

inquiry
n. question; asking 询问

resume
vt. go on after stopping for a time (中断后)重新开始

naturally
ad. of course; as one could have expected

humility
n. humble27 condition or state of mind 谦卑

solely
ad. not including anything else or any others; only

sole a.

receptacle
n. a container for keeping things in 容器

literally
ad. actually; virtually 确实地;简直

fruitfully
ad. productively; with good results 富有成果地

fruitful a.

underline
vt. draw a line under (a word, etc.) esp. to show importance 在……下划线(表示强调)

forceful
a. strong; powerful

vertical
a. 垂直的

emphasize
vt. call attention to; stress 强调

asterisk
n. a starlike mark used to call attention to sth. 星号(即*)

doo-dad
n. (informal) a fancy, trifling28 ornament29 小装饰物

sparingly
ad. economically; frugally30 节约地

sequence
n. succession; connected line of events, ideas, etc. 顺序;连续;一连串

relevant
a. connected with what is being discussed; appropriate 有关的;适宜的

phrase
n. 短语

end-paper
n. (often pl.) a piece of blank paper stuck inside the cover at the beginning or end of a book 衬页

index
n. 索引

fancy
a. not ordinary; brightly coloured 别致的;花哨的

bookplate
n. a piece of paper with the owner's name, usu. pasted to the inside front cover of a book 藏书票

integrate
vt. put or bring together (parts) into a whole 使成一整体

structure
n. way in which sth. is put together, organized, etc.; framework or essential parts of a building 结构

basic
a. essential; fundamental 主要的;基本的

unity
m. an arrangement of parts to form a complete whole; the state of being united 总体布局;统一

Phrases & Expressions
read between the lines
(fig.) find more meaning than the words appear to express 体会字里行间的言外之意

do(sb.) good
help or benefit (sb.) 帮助(某人);对(某人)有益

dip into
read or study for a short time or without much attention 浏览;稍加探究

no more……than……
in no greater degree……than……

a set of
a number of (thing that belong together) 一套

so to speak/ say
(used as an apology for an unusual use of a word or phrase) as one might say; if I may use this expression, etc. 可以说;容许我打个譬喻

get in the way
become a nuisance or hindrance31 挡道;碍事

in the second place
as the second thing in order or importance 第二,其次

think through
think about until one reaches an understanding or conclusion 彻底全面考虑

reach for
stretch out one's hand to grasp; make an effort to grasp 伸手去抓;努力争取

set down
write down on paper

pick up
start again after interruption 中断后重新开始

leave off
stop

consist in
lie in; be equivalent to 在于;存在于

tie up
connect closely; fasten with rope, etc. 系紧;捆牢

reduce……to
state in a more concise form; summarize as 把……归纳为

Proper Names
Rembrandt
伦勃朗(姓氏)

Dewey
杜威(姓氏)

Vallee
瓦利(姓氏)

Hutchins
哈钦斯

Chicago
芝加哥(美国城市)



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 prelude 61Fz6     
n.序言,前兆,序曲
参考例句:
  • The prelude to the musical composition is very long.这首乐曲的序曲很长。
  • The German invasion of Poland was a prelude to World War II.德国入侵波兰是第二次世界大战的序幕。
2 scribble FDxyY     
v.潦草地书写,乱写,滥写;n.潦草的写法,潦草写成的东西,杂文
参考例句:
  • She can't write yet,but she loves to scribble with a pencil.她现在还不会写字,但她喜欢用铅笔乱涂。
  • I can't read this scribble.我看不懂这种潦草的字。
3 scribbled de374a2e21876e209006cd3e9a90c01b     
v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 );乱画;草草地写;匆匆记下
参考例句:
  • She scribbled his phone number on a scrap of paper. 她把他的电话号码匆匆写在一张小纸片上。
  • He scribbled a note to his sister before leaving. 临行前,他给妹妹草草写了一封短信。
4 bind Vt8zi     
vt.捆,包扎;装订;约束;使凝固;vi.变硬
参考例句:
  • I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
  • He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。
5 binding 2yEzWb     
有约束力的,有效的,应遵守的
参考例句:
  • The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
  • Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。
6 glide 2gExT     
n./v.溜,滑行;(时间)消逝
参考例句:
  • We stood in silence watching the snake glide effortlessly.我们噤若寒蝉地站着,眼看那条蛇逍遥自在地游来游去。
  • So graceful was the ballerina that she just seemed to glide.那芭蕾舞女演员翩跹起舞,宛如滑翔。
7 relaxation MVmxj     
n.松弛,放松;休息;消遣;娱乐
参考例句:
  • The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
  • She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。
8 actively lzezni     
adv.积极地,勤奋地
参考例句:
  • During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
  • We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。
9 margin 67Mzp     
n.页边空白;差额;余地,余裕;边,边缘
参考例句:
  • We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
  • The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
10 margins 18cef75be8bf936fbf6be827537c8585     
边( margin的名词复数 ); 利润; 页边空白; 差数
参考例句:
  • They have always had to make do with relatively small profit margins. 他们不得不经常设法应付较少的利润额。
  • To create more space between the navigation items, add left and right margins to the links. 在每个项目间留更多的空隙,加左或者右的margins来定义链接。
11 inquiry nbgzF     
n.打听,询问,调查,查问
参考例句:
  • Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
  • The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。
12 humility 8d6zX     
n.谦逊,谦恭
参考例句:
  • Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
  • His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和,甚至有点谦卑。
13 solely FwGwe     
adv.仅仅,唯一地
参考例句:
  • Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
  • The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。
14 literally 28Wzv     
adv.照字面意义,逐字地;确实
参考例句:
  • He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
  • Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候,她不走到真正要昏厥了,决不肯坐下来。
15 vertical ZiywU     
adj.垂直的,顶点的,纵向的;n.垂直物,垂直的位置
参考例句:
  • The northern side of the mountain is almost vertical.这座山的北坡几乎是垂直的。
  • Vertical air motions are not measured by this system.垂直气流的运动不用这种系统来测量。
16 asterisk bv4zQ     
n.星号,星标
参考例句:
  • The asterisk refers the reader to a footnote.星号是让读者参看脚注。
  • He added an asterisk to the first page.他在第一页上加了个星号。
17 recording UktzJj     
n.录音,记录
参考例句:
  • How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间?
  • I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
18 unity 4kQwT     
n.团结,联合,统一;和睦,协调
参考例句:
  • When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结,并非一团和气。
  • We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前,我们必须加强团结。
19 vessels fc9307c2593b522954eadb3ee6c57480     
n.血管( vessel的名词复数 );船;容器;(具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的)人
参考例句:
  • The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
20 plunge 228zO     
v.跳入,(使)投入,(使)陷入;猛冲
参考例句:
  • Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
  • That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。
21 plunged 06a599a54b33c9d941718dccc7739582     
v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 );暴跌;骤降;突降
参考例句:
  • The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
  • She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳,从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。
22 briefly 9Styo     
adv.简单地,简短地
参考例句:
  • I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
  • He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。
23 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
参考例句:
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
24 gracefully KfYxd     
ad.大大方方地;优美地
参考例句:
  • She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet. 她优雅地坐到他脚旁的垫子上。
  • The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line. 新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。
25 machinery CAdxb     
n.(总称)机械,机器;机构
参考例句:
  • Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗?
  • Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。
26 remarkable 8Vbx6     
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的
参考例句:
  • She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
  • These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。
27 humble ddjzU     
adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低
参考例句:
  • In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见,他将在选举中获胜。
  • Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。
28 trifling SJwzX     
adj.微不足道的;没什么价值的
参考例句:
  • They quarreled over a trifling matter.他们为这种微不足道的事情争吵。
  • So far Europe has no doubt, gained a real conveniency,though surely a very trifling one.直到现在为止,欧洲无疑地已经获得了实在的便利,不过那确是一种微不足道的便利。
29 ornament u4czn     
v.装饰,美化;n.装饰,装饰物
参考例句:
  • The flowers were put on the table for ornament.花放在桌子上做装饰用。
  • She wears a crystal ornament on her chest.她的前胸戴了一个水晶饰品。
30 frugally 0e414060360630ce582525831a3991c7     
adv. 节约地, 节省地
参考例句:
  • They lived frugally off a diet of porridge and lentils. 他们生活节俭,只吃燕麦粥和小扁豆。
  • The enterprise is in live frugally, common people criterion enclasp pocket. 企业在节衣缩食,老百姓则握紧了口袋。
31 hindrance AdKz2     
n.妨碍,障碍
参考例句:
  • Now they can construct tunnel systems without hindrance.现在他们可以顺利地建造隧道系统了。
  • The heavy baggage was a great hindrance to me.那件行李成了我的大累赘。
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