大家好,我是英语干货君,马拉松阅读的发起者,精读精析自学英语的实践者。
今天是On Writing Well马拉松阅读的第16天,精读精析的是第三章Clutter。这部分的精读由学友团的Zhouting负责,在此特别感谢!

【第6段原文】
Clutter is the ponderous euphemism that turns a slum into a depressed socioeconomic area, garbage collectors into waste-disposal personnel and the town dump into the volume reduction unit. I think of Bill Mauldin's cartoon of two hoboes riding a freight car. One of them says, "I started as a simple bum, but now I'm hard-core unemployed." Clutter is political correctness gone amok. I saw an ad for a boys' camp designed to provide "individual attention for the minimally exceptional." 
【第6段精读】
Clutter is the ponderous euphemism(委婉语) that turns a slum(贫民窟) into a depressed socioeconomic(萧条的社会经济区) area, garbage collectors(清除垃圾的人;清洁工) into waste-disposal personnel(废物处理人员) and the town dump into(把...倾倒入) the volume reduction unit. I think of Bill Mauldin's cartoon of two hoboes (流浪汉)riding a freight car(运货车辆). One of them says, "I started as a simple bum(乞丐), but now I'm hard-core(中坚的,顽固不化的) unemployed." Clutter is political correctness gone amok(发疯的). I saw an ad for a boys' camp designed to provide "individual attention for the minimally exceptional." 
精析1:dump into:把...倾倒入;向...推销。另外,有关dump的词组:dump sb./sth. on sb. 丢下;抛弃;推卸。关于dump的习语:dump on sb. 非难某人;亏待某人。
精析2:bum:流浪汉;无业游民。bum作名词时,有关词组有:give sb./get the bum's rush 赶走某人;被撵走。bums on seats观众(或听众)的数量大(尤用于强调吸引大量观众的需要或愿望)。bum作动词时,有关词组有:bum sb. out使不安;使灰心。bum sth. off sb. 乞讨。bum作形容词时,意为:劣质的;错误的;没用的。有关词组有:a bum deal不合算的交易。

【第7段原文】
Clutter is the official language used by corporations to hide their mistakes. When the Digital Equipment Corporation elimi-nated 3,000 jobs its statement didn't mention layoffs; those were "involuntary methodologies." When an Air Force missile crashed, it "impacted with the ground prematurely." When General Motors had a plant shutdown, that was a "volume-related pro-duction-schedule adjustment." Companies that go belly-up have "a negative cash-flow position." 
【第7段精读】
Clutter is the official language(官方语言) used by corporations(公司;法人;社团) to hide their mistakes. When the Digital Equipment Corporation eliminated 3,000 jobs its statement didn't mention layoffs(裁员;解雇); those were "involuntary methodologies(无意识的方法论)." When an Air Force(空军) missile crashed, it "impacted with the ground prematurely(过早地)." When General Motors had a plant shutdown(停工,关闭), that was a "volume-related pro-duction-schedule adjustment(调整)." Companies that go belly-up(垮台;破产;结束) have "a negative cash-flow position." 
精析1:official language意为官方语言,例如:加拿大的官方语言为英语、法语;墨西哥的官方语言为西班牙语。
精析2:Air Force为空军,陆军为Army,海军为Navy。
精析3:adjustment调整,是adjust的名词形式。有关adjust的词组有:adjust sth. to sth. 调整,调节。adjust to sth./to doing sth. 适应,习惯。

【第8段原文】
Clutter is the language of the Pentagon calling an invasion a "reinforced protective reaction strike" and justifying its vast bud-gets on the need for "counterforce deterrence." As George Orwell pointed out in "Politics and the English Language," an essay written in 1946 but often cited during the Vietnam and Cambodia years of Presidents Johnson and Nixon, "political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible. . . . Thus political language has to consist largely of euphemism, question-begging and sheer cloudy vagueness." Orwell's warning that clutter is not just a nuisance but a deadly tool has come true in the recent decades of American military adventurism in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world. 
【第8段精读】
Clutter is the language of the Pentagon(五角大楼:美国国防部的办公大楼) calling an invasion(入侵,侵略) a "reinforced(强化) protective reaction(反应) strike(打击;罢工)" and justifying its vast budgets(预算) on the need for "counterforce(反作用力) deterrence(威慑)." As George Orwell pointed out in "Politics and the English Language," an essay written in 1946 but often cited during the Vietnam and Cambodia years of Presidents Johnson and Nixon, "political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible(站不住脚的). . . . Thus political language has to consist largely of euphemism, question-begging and sheer(必须) cloudy vagueness(模糊不清)." Orwell's warning that clutter is not just a nuisance(麻烦) but a deadly tool(致命的工具) has come true(实现) in the recent decades of American military adventurism(军事冒险主义) in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world. 
【第8段精析】
精析1: Politics and the English Language是George Orwell写的,意在抨击巧言令色的政客如何用不规范的语言来歪曲掩盖事实或为自己的目的提供正当化的理由。
精析2:reaction意为:反应。有关reaction的词组有:reaction to sb./sth.反应;回应。 allergic reaction 过敏反应 a chemical/nuclear reaction化学/核反应。
精析3:strike意为打击,罢工。相关习语有:①be strike by/on/with sb./sth.被某人(或某物)打动;迷恋某人(或某物) ②strike a balance(between A and B)(在对立二者之间)找到折中办法;平衡(对立的双方) ③strike a bargain/deal达成(对双方都有利的)协议 ④strike a blow for/against/at sth. 维护(或损害)某种信念或原则等 ⑤strike fear into sb./sb.’s heart使某人感到恐惧 ⑥strike gold 打开成功(或财富)之门;踏上通往成功(或财富)之路 ⑦strike it rich 暴富,(意外)发大财 ⑧strike (it) lucky 交好运 ⑨strike a pose/an attitude 摆出某种姿态 ⑩strike while the iron is hot 趁热打铁 ⑪within striking distance (of sth.) 近在咫尺
精析4:budget作名词使用,意为预算。有关词组有:budget sth.把...编入预算。Budget作形容词时,意为廉价的。有关词组有:a budget flight/hotel廉价航班/旅馆。

今天的精读精析就到这里结束,希望大家能有所收获!
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