Lesson 52
Mud is mud
实事求是
Listen to the tape then answer the question below.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
Why did Harry decide to give up his little game?
My cousin, Harry, keeps a large curiously-shaped bottle on permanent display in his study. Despite the fact that the bottle is tinted a delicate shade of green, an observant visitor would soon notice that it is filled with what looks like a thick, grayish substance. If you were to ask Harry what was in the bottle, he would tell you that it contained perfumed mud. If you expressed doubt or surprise, he would immediately invite you to smell it and then to rub some into your skin. This brief experiment would dispel any further doubts you might have. The bottle really does contain perfumed mud. How Harry came into the possession of this outlandish stuff makes an interesting story which he is fond of relating. Furthermore, the acquisition of this bottle cured him of a bad habit he had been developing for years.
Harry used to consider it a great joke to go into expensive cosmetic shops and make outrageous requests for goods that do not exist. He would invent fanciful names on the spot. On entering a shop, he would ask for a new perfume called 'Scented Shadow' or for 'insoluble bath cubes'. If a shop assistant told him she had not heard of it, he would pretend to be considerably put out. He loved to be told that one of his imaginary products was temporarily out of stock and he would faithfully promise to call again at some future date, but of course he never did. How Harry managed to keep a straight face during these performances is quite beyond me.
Harry does not need to be prompted to explain how he bought his precious bottle of mud. One day, he went to an exclusive shop in London and asked for 'Myrolite', the shop assistant looked puzzled and Harry repeated the word, slowly stressing each syllable. When the woman shook her head in bewilderment, Harry went on to explain that 'myrolite' was a hard, amber-like substance which could be used to remove freckles. This explanation evidently conveyed something to the woman who searched shelf after shelf. She produced all sorts of weird concoctions, but none of them met with Harry's requirements. When Harry put on his act of being mildly annoyed, the assistant promised to order some for him. Intoxicated by his success, Harry then asked for perfumed mud. He expected the assistant to look at him in blank astonishment. However, it was his turn to be surprised, for the woman's eyes immediately lit up and she fetched several bottles which she placed on the counter for Harry to inspect. For once, Harry had to admit defeat. He picked up what seemed to be the smallest bottle and discreetly asked the price. He was glad to get away with a mere twenty pounds and he beat a hasty retreat, clutching the precious bottle under his arm. From then on, Harry decided that this little game he had invented might prove to be expensive. The curious bottle, which now adorns the bookcase in his study, was his first and last purchase of rare cosmetics.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
permanent
adj. 永久的
tint
v. 给……染色
delicate
adj. 淡色的
shade
n. 色度
observant
adj. 观察力敏锐的
dispel
v. 驱散，消除
outlandish
adj. 稀奇古怪的
acquisition
n. 获得
cosmetic
n. 化妆品
outrageous
adj. 无理的，令人不能容忍的
fanciful
adj. 想像出来的
insoluble
adj. 不可溶解的
prompt
v. 敦促，激励
exclusive
adj. 专售高档商品的
syllable
n. 音节
bewilderment
n. 迷惑，糊涂
freckle
n. 雀斑
evidently
adv. 显然的，明显地
weird
adj. 奇异的，古怪的
concoction
n. 调制品
intoxicate
v. 陶醉，得意忘形
blank
adj. 无表情的，茫然的
discreetly
adv. 谨慎地
clutch
v. 抓住
adorn
v. 装饰，打扮

我的堂兄哈里在他的书房里一直摆着一只形状古怪的大瓶子。尽管那只瓶子呈淡绿色，但细心的客人很快就会发现瓶里装的是一种看上去黏稠，颜色发灰的东西。要是你问哈里瓶里装着什么，他会告诉你是香水泥。如果你表示怀疑或惊奇，他会立即请你闻一闻，然后取出一些抹在你的皮肤上。这一简单的试验会消除你可能存有的一切疑虑。瓶里装的的确是香水泥。哈里如何得到这种稀奇古怪的东西的，这里有个有趣的故事，而且他挺爱把它讲给别人听。此外，得到这瓶香水泥还治好了他多年的一个坏习惯。 哈里曾认为走进一家名贵化妆品商店，荒唐地提出要买一种根本不存在的商品是件开心的事儿。他会当场编造出一些稀奇古怪的货名。他走进商店后，会提出要一种名叫“香影”的新型香水或什么“不溶浴皂”。要是女售货员告诉他从未听说过这些东西，他会装出十分遗憾和不安的样子。他爱听售货员说他想像出来的那种东西暂时脱销，于是他就煞有介事地许诺改天再来光顾。当然，他再也不会来了。我实在想像不出哈里在这些表演中是怎样装出一本正经的样子的。 毋须暗示哈里就会向你讲起他买下那瓶珍贵香水泥的经过。一天，他去伦敦一家高级商店要买一种叫“密诺莱特”的东西，店员露出诧异的神色。哈里又慢慢地，一字一顿说了一遍这个词，那个女售货员还是迷惑不解地摇了摇头。哈里便进一步解释“密诺莱特”是一种质地坚硬、状似琥珀的东西，可以用来除去雀斑。他的解释显然对女售货员有些启示。她一个货架接着一个货架地寻找，拿出各种各样稀奇古怪的化妆品，但没有一样能够符合哈里的要求。哈里装出不高兴的样子时，女售货员答应为他定货。哈里为他的骗术而感到洋洋得意，又提出要买香水泥。他原想女售货员会惊奇地望着他，不知所措，没料到这回该轮到他自己吃惊了。因为那女售货员听完哈里的话后，马上眼睛一亮，拿出几瓶东西放在柜台上让哈里挑选。哈里只好认输。他挑出一个看上去最小的瓶子，谨慎地问了价。他庆幸自己只破费了20英镑便得以脱身。他把那宝贵的瓶子放在腋下夹着，溜之大吉。从那以后，他认识到自己发明的小小恶作剧是要付出很大的代价的。在他书房的书柜里摆着那瓶形状古怪的香水泥就是他第一次也是最后一次购买的稀有化妆品。

◆permanent adj. 永久的
permanent job / house
temporary 临时的

◆tint v. 给……染色
tint the paper yellow 把纸染成黄色 （双宾语）

◆delicate adj. 淡色的
Eg: I like the delicate dress. 我喜欢淡颜色，比较雅致的裙子。

◆shade n. 色度
shade 荫凉
in the shade 在荫凉处
shady adj.
in the shady street 在有荫凉的街道上
in the shady spot 在有荫凉的地方

◆◆observant adj. 观察力敏锐的

◆greyish adj. 浅灰色的
light grey

◆dispel v. 驱散，消除

◆outlandish adj. 稀奇古怪的
odd
strange
fantastic
queer
peculiar
weird
eccentric
L31
Eg: I can’t get along well with the weird.
outlandish: queer
strange and unpleasant
weird: strange and unnatural
difficult to understand

L52-01 end 5’35”

L52-02 begin 12’21”

◆◆◆acquisition n. 获得
acquire
acquire confidence
acquire courage
acquire knowledge
acquire skills
acquisition: the act of acquiring
Eg: He devotes his time to the acquisition of knowledge.他把全部的精力都用在知识的获得上。
the acquisition of sth. (通常形式)
Eg: Acquiring confidence is essential.
The acquisition of confidence is essential.
The acqisition of skills is necessary in the modern society.
acquirement: 仅指精神上的获得
acquisition: 可以指泛泛的概念
the acquisition / acquirement of knowledge 知识的获得
the acquisition of money 金钱的获得
Eg:The acquisition of money is what a large number of people run after.

◆cosmetic n. 化妆品
◆outrageous adj. 无理的，令人不能容忍的
He found my offer outrageous
unreasonable
irrational
illogical
ridiculous
unpleasant
unpleasing
(L28)

◆fanciful adj. 想像出来的
imaginable
imagining doing
fancying doing

◆insoluble adj. 不可溶解的
solve 解决
insolve 不可溶解

◆◆◆prompt v. 敦促，激励
vt. urge sb. to do sth.
persuade sb. to do sth.
prompt sb. to do
Eg: What prompted him to be so generous.
Our discussion prompted some questions. 我们的讨论引出了几个问题。
lead to; cause; result in;
Eg: What prompts you to study English so hard?
promptly adv.
prompt: quick
take measure 采取措施
Eg: He took a prompt measure. 他作出了一个果断的决定。
He made a prompt decision.
swift 没有任何干扰，一点也不费力地连续不断地迅速，形容相当快
Eg: His rise to fame was swift.
The car is going fast.
The car is going swiftly.
He made rapid / swift progress.
rapid 迅速的 （某事发生的速度快）
rapid recovery 快速康复
Eg: He is still young, so his recovery is rapid.
speedy
don’t do it in such a speedy way.
haste
more haste less speed. 欲速则不达
hasty 匆匆忙忙，草率
Eg: Sometimes we make a decision hastily.
Sometimes we make a decision in a haste way.

◆exclusive adj. 专售高档商品的
◆syllable n. 音节
◆bewilderment n. 迷惑，糊涂
bewilder : puzzle

L52-02 end 12’21”

L52-03 begin 12’11”

Eg: Your question puzzled me.
bewilder: 令人眼花缭乱
Eg: Yesterday I went shopping, but countless beautiful dresses bewildered me.
in bewilderment

◆freckle n. 雀斑
◆evidently adv. 显然的，明显地
evident 显眼的，突出的
Eg: She is evident at party.
in evidence 相当于evident, 也相当于evidently

◆weird adj. 奇异的，古怪的
◆concoction n. 调制品
◆intoxicate v. 陶醉，得意忘形
excite greatly beyond self-control
be intoxicated by
be intoxicated with
Eg: When we pass out important examinations, we are intoxiacated with our success.
intoxicate 喝醉
Eg: If you drink too much whiskey, you will get intoxicated.
get drunk
become intoxicated.
intoxicating 令人陶醉的
Eg: He failed in his examination, but he was intoxicated with that, and his intoxication was beyond my understanding.

◆blank adj. 无表情的，茫然的
◆discreetly adv. 谨慎地
discreet ==careful in speech and action
Eg: He’s discreet in giving his opinion.
He’s discreet in airing his views.
When you have to make a big decision, particularly in front of a large number of people, you must be discreet.
be discreet in doing sth.
careful 细心的 （不表示谨慎）
Eg: Whatever we do, we must be careful.
Be careful, a car is rushing towards you.
cautious 谨慎的 （既表示细心，又表示谨慎）
Eg: He is a cautious person, so whatever he does, he is not only discreet but careful as well.
considerate: 考虑周到的，细心的 （thoughtful）
Eg: You will live easily if you have a considerate friend with you.
prudent 慎重的
Eg: You must make a prudent decision.
wary 小心翼翼的
tactful 机智的，考虑周全的
tact 机智
discreet / careful / cautious / considerate / prudent

L52-03 end 12’11”

L52-04 begin 12’29”

◆clutch v. 抓住
snatch
seize
grasp
clutch
clasp

◆adorn v. 装饰，打扮
well decorated walls 装饰得很漂亮的墙壁
adorn 打扮，佩戴
Eg: We adorn our rooms with flowers.
decorate: 装修
Eg: Newly weds embark on the task of decorating their new house.新婚夫妇忙着装修自己的新房子。
adorn 装点
Eg: He adoned his story with all sorts of adventures that never happened.
She adorned her dress with a lace.
ornament v. 增添细节或装饰物
Eg: The dress is ornamented / adorned with lace.
a woman adorned in jewelry and fur 一位珠光宝气、穿着皮衣的妇女
in jeans 穿着牛仔裤
in jewelry 佩戴首饰
in fur 穿着裘皮大衣
a miss adorned in mink coat 一位穿着貂皮大衣的小姐
a beautifully adorned room
a beautifully decorated house

这是一篇记叙文
keep sth. on permanent display
duriously-shaped 形状奇怪的
wine bottles of all shapes and sizes
despite the fact that 尽管事实如此
in spite of the fact that
used to 过去常常而现在不
would现在有可能存在
Eg: He would often have clas in the morning.
if you should 和 if you were to 可以互换
should + 动词原形 可能性大
were to + 动词原形 可能性极小
L52-04 end 12’29”
Lesson52A end 42:29

Lesson52B begin 39:06
L52-05 begin 12’10”

背熟：If you expressed doubt or surprise
背熟：This brief experiment would dispel any further doubts you might have.
brief: 简单的 simple
does 用来加强语气
背熟：How Harry came into the possession of this outlandish stuff makes an interesting story which he is fond of relating.
come into the possession of sth. 获得的过程
Eg: How harry married his beautiful wife makes an interesting story. 哈里是怎么样娶了这样一位漂亮的妻子还有一段有趣的故事。
he is fond of relating == he is fond of talking about
stuff==material == substance
furthermore == what is more == moreover
背熟：the acquisition of this bottle cured him of a bad habit he had been developing for years.
own habits by heart 积习难改，本性难移

背熟：Harry used to consider it a great joke to go into expensive cosmetic shops and make outrageous requests for goods that do not exist.
consider it a great joke to do sth. 把做某事看作是巨大的乐趣
consider it great fun
consider it great amusement
consider it a great joy

He would invent fanciful names on the spot. == He would invent names imaginable on the sopt.
on the sopt 当场，当时
on entering a shop== as soon as he enters a shop

背熟：he would pretend to be considerably put out.
pretend to do 装做......
put out == upset == annoy
Eg: He was put out by my rude words.
imaginary 虚构的，想象的
out of stock 脱销

L52-05 end 12’10”

L52-06 begin (56-03) 13’29”

背熟：he would faithfully promise to call again at some future date
faithfully permise 信誓旦旦地说
at some future date == some day == one day

背熟：How Harry managed to keep a straight face during these performances is quite beyond me.
keep a straight face == keep serious
is quite beyond me == is quite beyond my understanding == is quite beyond my imagination

重点：how引导主语从句
keep sth. on permanent display 永远展示，陈列
Eg: We don’t know how he came into ( the ) possession of the farm.

Paragraph 3
You needn’t encourage him to explain his story.
of his own accord 自然而然地，相当于willingly

背熟：Harry does not need to be prompted to explain
exclusive shop: only wealthy people can visit such expensive shop
exclusive right to publish their stories
exclusive: 独家的，独占的；不相容的
The school is exclusive.
exclusive shop 专售高档商品的商店

背熟：the shop assistant looked puzzled and Harry repeated the word，slowly stressing each syllable.
puzzled 茫然不知所措
bewildered
stressing 加重每一个音节

go on to do sth. 继续做别的事情
cat-like; dog-like
amber-like 象琥珀一样的
be used to do 被用来干 ......
be used to doing 习惯于做......

背熟：This explanation evidently conveyed something to the woman who searched shelf after shelf.
shelf after shelf == one shelf after another
produced == showed
He produced a cigaret to me. 他拿出了一颗烟给我。

背熟：She produced all sorts of weird concoctions, but none of them met with Harry's requirements.
meet with sb’s requirments / need 满足某人的需要
requirments == demands

When Harry put on his act of being mildly annoyed
put on his act of doing 装模作样
put on == pretend
Eg: She said that she felt ill, but she was just putting it on.
He put on the act of understanding me / what I said. 他装出理解我的话的样子。
He pretends to be wealthy.
He put on an act of being wealthy.

L52-06 end 13’29”

L52-07 begin 13’35”

背熟：Intoxicated by his success, Harry then asked for perfumed mud.

in blank astonishment 茫然惊奇地

背熟：However, it was his turn to be surprised, for the woman's eyes immediately lit up and she fetched several bottles which she placed on the counter for Harry to inspect.
surprised == amazed 惊奇地
Eg: The custom officer’s face lit up as soon as he saw the tiny bottle on the bottom of my suitcase.
inspect ==choose == select
admit defeat == take a beating 认输
My aunt Harriet found piles of bottles of all shapes and sizes in what had been Bessie’s wordrobe.
what was in those days enlighted policy 当时所谓的开明政策
seemed to be == looked like

discreet 言行小心

背熟：He was glad to get away with a mere twenty pounds and he beat a hasty retreat,
不定式to 表示原因
retreat 撤退
beat a retreat 溜走
hasty == speedy
Eg: He left the shop as quickly as possible.

clutching现在分词做伴随状况状语
Eg: I got away with pricious chalk marks on my luggage. (L11)
pay the price 付出代价

‘The curious bottle, which now adorns the bookcase in his study, was his first and last purchase of rare cosmetics.’
非限制性定语从句
Eg: The girl studies English well who lives in my neighbourhood.
The girl, who lives in my neighbourhood, studies English well.

重点结构表达：
admit defeat 认输
beat a hasty retreat 匆忙溜掉
stress each syllable 加强音节
in bewilderment
in blank astonishment

1
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