Lesson FourDarken your Greying Hair, and Hide your

FrightAnonymous

I. About the Ground Great Depression

In October 1929 the stock market crashed, wiping out 40 percent of the paper values of common stock. Even after the stock market collapse, however, politicians and industry leaders continued to issue optimistic predictions for the nation's economy.

But the Depression deepened, confidence evaporated and many lost their life savings. By 1933 the value of stock on the New York Stock Exchange was less than a fifth of what it had been at its peak in 1929. Business houses closed their doors, factories shut down and banks failed. Farm income fell some 50 percent. By 1932 approximately one out of every four Americans was unemployed.

Many people date the beginning of the Depression at October 24, 1929, Black Thursday, the day the stock market crashed. This was indeed a traumatic day for those who owned stock as sales volume broke all records.

Black Thursday

In the 1970s, Americans experienced an oil crisis. In 1973 and 1979, a pair of sudden price increases awakened the industrial world to its dependence on cheap crude oil. Prices first tripled. They nearly doubled again .Many analysts warned that these crises proved that the world would soon run out of oil.

Economic crisis in the 1970’s

Negotiations following World War II created a Zionist state, Israel, as a place for Jews after the war. Israel proclaimed independence in 1948, claiming land from the British-controlled territory known as "Palestine". The settlement was controversial and has produced a long-standing conflict that continues today.

The Energy Crisis in the 1970’s

The controversy resulted from the fact that the Jews agreed to the resolution but the local Arabs refused to acknowledge the Israeli State. The Arabs then initiated numerous attacks on Israel in the year 1949. Americans now refer to this eruption of violence as the "Suez-Sinai War."

As the conflicts continued and grew charged with opposition on each side, the international interest in the problem inflated and other countries began to actively take sides, creating alliances that still exist today. For example, the United States allied with Israel, against the Arab forces in Palestine. Arab forces united against Israel, and the Soviet Union backed the Arabs with technology.

With Western countries like Britain, France and the Netherlands on Israel’s side as well, the conflict naturally grew to an enormous scale, and the Arabs responded in 1973 with a revolt against Western powers in the oil embargo.

The 1973 oil crisis did not wholly cause the energy crisis, though it is important to understand its impact and its catalyzing component. Actually, many sources emphasize that the actual “crisis” in the United States stemmed more from Americans own domestic political and social circumstances than any single event that might have occurred overseas.

a winged monster with the head of a woman and the body of a lion that destroyed all those unable to answer its riddle. (Riddle of the Sphinx)

Sphinx

1972 “Beetle”

About the Story

This essay was written in 1977 when the economy was first going into a slump. In the nearly two decades since, the problem has become far more serious, so serious that the tragic situation depicted in "Darken Your Graying Hair" has become all too common.

One major oversight on the part of the anonymous author is the class issue. Judging from his lifestyle, it is obvious that the author (the person who has lost his job) is middle class. Certainly, since the late 1970's, many middle class Americans have experienced job loss and the associated problems and anxieties of prolonged unemployment. One cannot diminish the suffering they have had to endure.

However, the story is not truly representative of the problem of unemployment because the working class has been hit much harder in at least three ways; (1) by far the greatest proportion of those who have lost their jobs are working class;

(2) when working class people lose their jobs, they generally suffer more because they have less to start with and therefore cannot sustain themselves as well or as long! and (3) they usually have fewer opportunities for alternative future long-term employment.

About the Words

affablea. 和蔼可亲的 , 友善的 , 殷勤的 diffusing warmth and friendliness [ 同 ] cordial, genial, , amiableShe is affable to everyone. How the beautiful silk is affable,genial to everyone. My father is affable to us.

barringprep.unless something happensBarring a miracle, he won't walk again.

compensation

n. 补偿 , 赔偿金 , 薪资 something (such as money) given or received as payment or reparation (as for a service or loss or injury)

When the exposure compensation has been set. 曝光补偿已被设定

It's better for us to do total compensation trade. 对我们来说最好用全额补偿。

compensate

vt. vi. 偿还 , 补偿 , 付报酬 make amends for; pay compensation for[ 同 ], indemnify, recompense,

She was compensated for the loss of her arm in the accident The hunter compensated the farmer for killing his cow. Nothing can compensate her for the loss of her husband. You must compensate the loss by labor. The factory compensates the workers for working overtime.

compulsory

a. 强迫的 , 强制性的 , 义务的　 required by rule[ 同 ] mandatory, required

I think compulsory education is obligatory. I think it is compulsory to look over the hous

e . Attendance at evening prayers is not compul

sory.

contradict

vt. 反驳 , 与…抵触 , 与…矛盾 be in contradiction with[ 同 ] belie, negate

Pardon me for [Pardon my] contradicting you. The eyewitness contradicted earlier testimony.

He contradicts himself sometimes in the same sentence.

You contradict yourself.

derive

vt. 导出 , 派生出 ; 取得 , 得到 vi. 由来 , 起源于 reason by deduction; establish by deduction; obtain[ 同 ] deduct, infer ,gainderive pleasure from one's garden

Derive a conclusion from facts. The river derives its name from an Indian chief. You derive your temper from your grandfather. The Teutonic languages derive from Primitive Germ

anic. The custom derives its origin from Buddhism.

induce

vt. 引诱 , 招致 , 感应 cause to arise; cause to act in a specified manner[ 同 ] bring on ,stimulateAlcohol can induce a loosening of the tongue. Nothing would / will induce me to leave now. Nothing will induce me to support her.

We couldn't induce the old lady to travel by air. Nothing shall induce me to go.

lethal

a. 致命的 of an instrument of certain death[ 同 ] deadly [ 例 ] – lethal weapon – a lethal injection

Pot-holes can be lethal for the unwary ( 不小心 )cyclist.

frown

vi. 皱眉 , 蹙 vt. 皱眉蹙额对…表示不满 look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval She looked up from her exam paper with a worried frown.

Her frown gave him a speechless message. Don't frown at me like that. Peter frowned at the noise coming from the boys' be

droom.

rejuvenation

n. 返老还童 ; 回春 the phenomenon of vitality and freshness being restored[ 例 ] – the annual rejuvenation of the landscape

All this signs rejuvenation of agriculture. 所有这些都预示着农业将复苏。

ridicule

vt. 嘲笑 , 嘲弄 , 愚弄 subject to laughter or ridicule

[ 同 ], jest at, laugh at, make fun, poke fun, rib, ridicule, roast[ 例 ]

– The satirists ridiculed the plans for a new opera house To ridicule or satirize in or as if in a lampoon. Your conduct subjects you to public ridicule. Their ridicule stung him into making a sharp reply. To expose to ridicule and abuse. His foolish actions exposed him to ridicule.

stupor

n. 无感觉 , 人事不省 , 麻木 the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally[ 同 ] daze, shock,

His mother's death left him in a daze Someone stole his wallet while he was in a drunken stupor

va·can·cy

n.being unoccupied [ 同 ] emptiness, vacuum, void

Nobody was going to repair the vacancy in him.

The vacancy has been filled. We have vacancies for typists/in the typing pool. Jack is the best man to fill the vacancy.

About the Phrases

wipe out v. 消灭 , 垮台 ,( 滑雪等时的 ) 翻倒 ,[ 电信 ] 封闭 kill in large number

s[ 同 ] decimate, eliminate, eradicate, extinguish, annihilate, carry off, wipe out[ 例 ]

– the plague wiped out an entire population The typhoon wiped out the town.

Many species have been wiped out through sublime ignorance.许多物种由于人们的极端无知而灭绝了。

They wiped out an enemy division( 师 ). Whole villages were wiped out in the bombing raids. They have wiped out the enemy's major military targets.

work against

对…不利 The workers rebelled against overtime work.

工人们厌恶

in pursuit of

追求 , 寻求 He is in pursuit of her. His life is spent in the pursuit of pleasure. He is inflexible in pursuit of his own cause. They showed untiring zeal in the pursuit of t

ruth. He is unswerving in pursuit of his aims.

bother with

为 ... 而费心 , 以 ... 而烦扰 Don’t be bothering father with all these silly

questions. I can't bother him with my little affairs. Don't bother me with such petty things. I haven't time to bother with such things. I am sorry to bother you with all this .

have(many) irons in the fire

to have a lot of activities going on at the same time 揽在手里的事过多 , 要办的事太多

Don't bother him because he has many irons in the fire.

Some people even like to have many irons in the fire.

About the Text

Darken Your Graying HairGray: v. to become or turn grayFor most people, graying hair is a visible sign of aging.Usually, people dye their gray or graying hair in order to hide their age.

Anonymous

The name is not made known. Nor is it necessary to be, because the problem is not personal, but social. The author is sure that the experience he described can happen, and is happening to hundreds of thousands of people in the same age group.

I have undergraduate and graduate degrees from…degrees:

Explain the following degrees in English and then in Chinese B.A. Bachelor of Arts 文学士 B.S. Bachelor of Science 理学士 M.A. Master of Arts 文学硕士 M.S. Master of Science 理学硕士 Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy 哲学博士或其它文理科博士 M.D. Doctor of Medicine 医学博士 D.L. Doctor of Law 法学博士 L.D Doctor of Letters 文学博士

… from two reasonably well-known Eastern institutions.

reasonably: quite or to a satisfactory degree, but not completely

Eastern institutions refer to colleges and universities in the eastern part of the United States, which traditionally represents the cultural center of the nation

I have a wife…for which I paid cash.

(1) a mortgaged home mortgage: v. to give sb. a claim on one’s pro

perty as security for payment of debt or loan n. a temporary, conditional pledge o

f property to a creditor as security for performance of an obligation or repayment of a debt

A mortgaged home is a house bought through a mortgage. If a person wants to buy a house but has only a small sum in cash, he can raise a mortgage form a bank, a loan association, etc. He will first have to pay a sum (called a down-payment) and then promise to pay the rest within a set time-limit. The bank, after considering his earning credibility, etc. will agree to give him a house.

Thus, the person now partially owns a house and is called a homeowner. If he eventually succeeds in paying the entire sum, he owns the house free and clear ( 没有义务或牵连 , 自由而明确 ) . However, if he fails to meet the deadline or cannot pay the full sum, not only will the house be taken away by the bank, but also the money he has paid will be lost to the bank.

(2) a 1972 “Beetle ”

◎ Beetle: a German automobile model called Volkswagen which resembles a beetle. It is small, sturdy (substantially made or built) and gas-saving, popular among people with limited means.

(3) … for which I paid cash

In the American context, you own something free and clear if you pay cash for it. Much like the word “mortgage”, the expression “pay cash” immediately tells people how you have obtained certain goods and property.

Whereas I once earned over $ 400 a week

(1) Whereas The conjunction “whereas” is usually used for introdu

cing an opposite or a contrast. Years ago, tourism was unheard of whereas now i

t has become almost everybody’s pastime. Whereas the old enjoy watching a Beijing opera o

n TV, the young prefer watching a game of soccer.

(2) New York State now provides… in unemployment benefits.

Unemployment benefits: money distributed weekly by an employer or some social security institution to those who are unemployed. It is otherwise known as the dole. In the U.S. the unemployment benefits are paid out by each state government.

(3) One is sphinx

◎ a winged monster in Greek mythology, having the head of a woman and the body of a lion that destroyed all who could not answer its riddle.

◎ In the text it means a person who is mysterious and does not show her feelings.

◎ The picture of sphinx. (See picture)

The other day he said he knew …

to go through — to suffer or experience China will always remember what it went throu

gh during the “cultural revolution”. It is impossible to convince the old man that m

ankind is peace-loving, because eh has gone through too many wars.

The scientist is determined to go through trouble and difficulty to get his theory accepted.

... that physically, fiscally and spiritually

I. . . had been wiped out. = Unemployment was like a crushing blow to my family. We had been deprived of regular income and had been left with little means. My family and I had to suffer a great deal physically, financially and mentally. We were in despair.

... there is an entire literature on the art of job-hunting.

literature—the body of writing, giving information on a particular subject

art: trick, a skilful method of doing sth. the art of pleasing one's superiors/ the art of t

elling barefaced ( 厚颜无耻的 ) lies

Barring a gin-induced stupor, how can. . . = Except when a person is drunk and is hardly conscious he cannot help being nervous (he can't feel relaxed) during these interviews.

barring: prep. except for gin: A strong, colorless alcoholic beverage m

ade by distilling or redistilling rye or other grain spirits and adding juniper berries or aromatics such as anise, caraway seeds, or angelica root as flavoring. 姜酒，金酒，琴酒：一种无色的烈性酒，由蒸馏的或再蒸馏的裸麦或其它粮谷加入杜松子或香料制成的，如大茴香、芷茴香子或白芷根作佐料

stupor: an almost unconscious condition caused usually by overdrinking or illness, exhaustion or drugs

gin-induced: caused by drinking too much gin induce: to bring about or stimulate the occurr

ence of; cause

And why that noun? Why not “interrogation”?

Why does the author think that "interrogation" is a better word? What is he hinting at?

The author hints to us that these interviews were conducted in a very formal and serious atmosphere. Sometimes very harsh ( 苛刻 ) and insulting questions were asked so that the applicant would feel nervous and even guilty.

I used to ridicule lesser beings who drank martinis with their dinners. = I used to laugh at those I considered inferior to myself because they were such alcoholics that they could not take their meals without martinis.

lesser beings: persons who are not so important as others; ordinary people

Martinis: a cocktail made of gin and dry vermouth ( 味美斯酒 , 苦艾酒 ) . It is an alcoholic drink and usually taken before, not with, a meal.

I know what I'm inviting (or may already have). = I know what trouble I'm heading for (or may already have landed myself in.)

I should say get to sleep. Because it seldom lasts. = Excessive drinking only helped him fall asleep. He could not sleep for long, though, because he would soon be jolted (shake) out of his sleep by his nightmares.

…just as I'm within reach.

to be within reach: to be near enough so that one can get hold of sth. or get to a place. The expression is often used in two ways:

a) Sb. is within reach of something His home is within easy reach of the railway

station. The child is within reach of that stove. Stop hi

m.

b) Sth. is within one's reach Fire extinguishers should be within everybod

y's reach in big buildings. The new washing machine is easy to operate,

and the price is within most people's reach.

... I talk to him friend-to-friend about...

friend-to-friend adj. , adv. as between friends, as one friend to another. Many other expressions are formed in the same manner:

person-to-person contact / a station-to-station call / a face-to-face confrontation / a house-to-house visit

'paranoia: a mental disorder under which a person is over-suspicious that others are hostile to or jealous of him.

One interviewer eventually turned me down. . . I lack eye-ball contact.

Eye contact: Eye contact is important because insufficient or excessive eye contact may create communication barriers. It is important in relationships because it serves to show intimacy, attention, and influence.

=At the end of the long interview, the interviewer said I was no good because I did not look him often enough in the eye to show him how honest and straightforward I was.

The job went to a young woman.

Generally men will be favored for managerial positions over women. One reason why the job went to a young woman this time was because of the Affirmative Action, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race or sex. Businesses and universities are required to set quotas ( 配额 , 限额 )for "minorities" (blacks and women). To fulfil their quotas they have to take on some blacks and women even though they are less qualified. Or it was because she was younger.

Hiring a man in his middle forties means that a company will have to pay more for him. As he grows older, he may also need more medical and dental care.

... it' s an easy matter to skim off the four of five most outstanding candidates.

"Skim off" means to take and keep the best f

or oneself. Here it is used to mean that it is easy to choose the best 4 or 5 people from the applicants.

... their total compensation packages

compensation packages: various benefits included in a compensation scheme, such as retirement payments, medical benefits.

.. .one seems almost removed, and one sees it all.

removed:- withdrawn/ reserved ( 孤独的 , 含蓄的 , 话少的 )

see it all: She is fully aware of the situation but keeps quiet.

There are times when I wonder. ..

The "when" clause describes the noun "times". Thus, it is an attributive clause.

Examples; a) There was a time when floods turned this area int

o no-man's land. b) 1848 was the year when Europe was again shake

n by waves of revolution. c) They will never forget the days when they toiled all

the year round only to find themselves deeper in debt.

Junk mail

junk: things that are regarded as worthless junk mail: commercial mail that you have not

sought for, e.g. advertisements, subscription slips, etc.

... in those unearthly hours between sleep and wakefulness, I have visions.

= At dusk, when I am in a trance ( 恍惚 ) or intoxicated ( 喝醉 )from too much alcohol, my mind seemed lost in a mysterious, horrifying world, and I began to think of situations that might happen.

Lethal, but, I hope, quick and comparatively painless.

= The author was thinking of committing suicide with a pistol.

lethal; adj. causing death, lethal weapons

... whether my death is preferable to my despair

= Whether my wife and daughters would prefer to have me dead rather than in such despair

When I first lost my job, ... but four others.

= When I was out of work for the first time, the most painful moment was when I came to realize that I had badly let down not only myself but four others.

... the family fabric (framework) is intact, . .

= We still remain one whole family. Such family problems asdivorce, separation or split-up have not yet occurred to us.

About the Excercises

Explain the following sentences. Many months ago he told me I had outlived

my usefulness. → He told me that I had ceased to be of any use to him.

… my age, sex, and salary needs work against me. So of course, does the shortage of jobs. →

= I am no longer young. I am a man, and I have a wife and three daughters to support. These put me in an unfavorable position on the job-market. To make things worse, there are far fewer jobs than there are people competing for them.

One book… offered a few how-to’s on rejuvenation…→

= One book tried to advise people how to make themselves look younger by offering a few helpful tips.

Barring a gin-induced stupor, how can anyone be relaxed during an interview? →

= Except when a person is drunk and is hardly conscious he cannot help being nervous during these interviews.

I used to ridicule lesser beings who drank martinis with their dinners. →

=I always laughed at those I considered inferior to myself because they were such alcoholics that they could not take their meals without martinis.

I know what I’m inviting…→ =I know what trouble I’m heading for.

One interviewer eventually turned me down because, he said, I lack eyeball contact. →

=AT the end of the long interview, the interviewer said I was no good because I did not look him often enough in the eye to show him how honest and straightforward I was.

I’m never sure just how the children are taking it. →

=I never know how the children feel about my being unemployed.

But they all know my countenance and can interpret it…→

=However, my facial expression betrayed my bad situation and they understand what it implies.

… but my friend’s books offer little release, less escape. →

=but the books from my friends could not make me feel better and I was still trapped in my job nightmare.

At dusk, in those unearthly hours between sleep and wakefulness, I have visions. I see pictures of small-bore pistols. →

= At dusk, when I am in trance or intoxicated from too much alcohol, my mind seemed lost in a mysterious, horrifying world, and I began to think of situations that might happen.

… that the family fabric is intact, that I have a half-dozen irons in the fire. →

=We still remain one whole family. I have a few jobs right now.

III. Useful phrases, collocations and idioms

to pay cash 付现 to earn money 挣钱 to provide somebody with something 向某人提供什

么 the other day 前几天 to encounter a person 碰到某人 on the eve of 在什么的前夕 to go through hardships 经受了艰难困苦 to wipe out 彻底摧毁 in the fire 有许多事要做

to have trouble doing something 难于做什么事 to work against somebody 对某人不利 to be in trouble 遇到麻烦，处于困难的境地 to be relaxed放轻松 used to do something 过去常常做什么事 in pursuit of 追踪，追求 to the within (beyond) one’s reach够得做，够不着

to bother with 为 ... 而费心 , 以 ... 而烦扰 to turn somebody down拒绝 because of因为 to be / get in touch with somebody 与什么人保持联系

to fill the position填补一个岗位 after all毕竟

to be impressed by给人留下深刻的印象 to take something seriously很严肃地对待什

么事 to be alike是相同的 by mail通过发函 to supply somebody with something给人提

供什么

at dusk 在黄昏（傍晚） to be preferable to更喜欢什么 to be better off 境况好 to have many irons

Word studyWord formation

: 1)Prefix: ①re-:ⅰ) 回、向后 return, recall, rebound（弹回，跳回）

ⅱ) 再、重复，重新 reprint, rearm, rebroadcast

ⅲ) 相反、反对 reaction, rebel, resent

②mis-: 误、错、恶、不 mishear, 误闻 misspell, misdoing, misfortune

③out-: ⅰ)胜过，超过 outdo（胜过，战胜） , outeat,outliv

e ⅱ) 过度，太甚 outspend, outgrow, outsit ⅲ)外，出 outdoor, out-party, outwork ⅳ)除去 outroot, outlaw(夺去法律上的权利 ) ， outg

as

2) Suffix: ① -tion: [名词后缀 ]构成抽象名词，表示行为、行为的过程或结果、状态、情况，与 -ion

attention, reduction, production

②-sion: [名词后缀 ] 表示行为、行为的过程或结果、情况、性质，与 -ion 同。它所构成的名词大多由以 -d,-de,-t 为结尾的动词派生而来（如： expand→expansion, decide→decision）

conclusion, division, suspension

Give the meaning of the following.

a) revisit重游 rewrite重写 rebuild重建 reconstruct改造 rearm重新武装 reconsider重新考虑 recharge 再充电 reorganize改组 reunite(使 ) 再结合 recreate (使 ) 得到休养 rearrange重新整理 readjust 重新调整 reeducate 再教育 reproduce 再生 reload 再装 refill 补充 ,

b) mistake 误解 misspell拼错 mispronounce 发错音 misguide误导 mislead 误导 misprint 印错 mistreat虐待 misjudge判断错

Translate:

B c) It’s getting late. It’s time we turned in. d) This sort of music doesn’t turn me on. e) Because of the cultural differences, many f

oreigners are turned off at the sight dog meat and snake meat.

l) I must turn over a new leaf from today on. First of all, I will drop/ quit/ stop smoking.

m) This was only a minor victory. But it turned his head and made him proud.

n) At that time, he turned a deaf ear to all those warnings and criticisms.

p) What good will this do us?

r) We must do him justice. He may not be very capable, but he does work hard.

v) This wooden box/crate can do for a desk. x) Wow! It’s hot. I could do with a water melo

n. y) Friendship is precious. No one can do with

out it.

C

a) Mr. Blume used to tell his grandchildren what he had gone through during the Depression.

c) Their honeymoon travels wiped out their savings of several years.

d) The average height of the Chinese team members worked against them in their recent game.

e) They had a lot of trouble getting the child out of the burning house.

j) The experts put forward quite a number of suggestions to improve traffic in the capital.

l) The local government failed in their attempt to prevent the workers from striking.

n) Besides, he has to provide for his mother and blind sister.