新概念英语85年上外美音版第四册 第58课：
Painting as a Pastime
Lesson 58 Painting as a Pastime 绘画消遣
A gifted American psychologist has said, 'Worry is a spasm of the emotion; the mind catches hold of something and will not let it go.' It is useless to argue with the mind in this condition. The stronger the will, the more futile the task. One can only gently insinuate something else into its convulsive grasp. And if this something else is rightly chosen, if it is really attended by the illumination of
another field of interest, gradually, and often quite swiftly, the old undue grip relaxes and the process of recuperation and repair begins.
The cultivation of a hobby and new forms of interest is therefore a policy of first importance to a public man. But this is not a business that can be undertaken in a day or swiftly improvised by a mere command of the will. The growth of alternative mental interests is a long process. The seeds must be carefully chosen; they must fall on good ground; they must be sedulously tended, if the vivifying fruits are to be at hand when needed.
To be really happy and really safe, one ought to have at least two or three hobbies, and they must all be real. It is no use starting late in life to say： 'I will take an
interest in this or that.' Such an attempt only aggravates the strain of mental effort. A man may acquire great
knowledge of topics unconnected with his daily work, and yet
hardly get any benefit or relief. It is no use doing what you like, you have got to like what you do. Broadly speaking, human beings may be divided into three classes： those who are toiled to death, those who are worried to death, and those who are bored to death. It is no use offering the manual labourer, tired out with a hard week's sweat and
effort, the chance of playing a game of football or baseball on Saturday afternoon. It is no use inviting the politician or the professional or business man, who has been working or worrying about serious things for six days, to work or worry about trifling things at the week-end.
As for the unfortunate people who can command everything they want, who can gratify every caprice and lay their hands on almost every object of desire for them a new pleasure, a new excitement is only an additional satiation. In vain they rush frantically round from place to place, trying to escape from avenging boredom by mere clatter and motion. For them discipline in one form or another is the most hopeful path. It may also be said that rational, industrious, useful human beings are divided into two classes： first, those whose work is work and whose pleasure is pleasure; and
secondly, those whose work and pleasure are one. Of these the former are the majority. They have their compensations. The long hours in the office or the factory bring with them as their reward, not only the means of sustenance, but a keen appetite for pleasure even in its simplest and most modest forms. But fortune's favoured children belong to the second class. Their life is a natural harmony. For them the working hours are never long enough. Each day is a holiday, and ordinary holidays when they come are grudged as enforced
interruptions in an absorbing vocation. Yet to both classes the need of an alternative outlook, of a change of atmosphere, of a diversion of effort, is essential. Indeed, it may well be that those whose work is their pleasure are those who most need the means of banishing it at intervals from their minds. psychologist n. 心理学家 gifted adj. 有天才的 spasm n. 一阵（感情）发作 catch hold of 抓住 futile adj. 无用的
insinuatevt. 使潜入，暗示 convulsive adj. 起痉挛的 illumination n. 启发，照明 undue adj. 不适合的 grip n. 紧张
improvise vt. 临时作成 sedulously adv.孜孜不倦地 tend vt.照管 aggravate vt加剧.
broadly speaking 大体上说 toil vt.劳累
trifling adj.微小的
gratify vt.使满意 caprice n.任性 satiation n.满足 in vain徒劳
frantically adv.狂乱地 avenge vt.替…报复 boredom n.厌烦 clutter n.喧闹的谈话 sustenance n.生计 keen adj.强烈的 appetite n.欲望
favoured adj.受到偏爱的 grudge vt.怨恨
absorbing adj.引人入胜的 banish vt.排除，放弃 pastime n. 消遣 单词解析：
1. psychologist n. 心理学家 [联想] psychology n.心理学 psywar 心理战
psychoanalysis 心理分析
2.gifted adj. 有天才的eg. He is gifted. 他很有天赋。 [联想] 表示聪明、有天赋的词还有：
talented adj.天才的； adroit adj. 灵巧的，敏捷的； genius n. 天才； brilliant adj.有才气的，聪明的； smart n.聪明的（可用于口语） 3. spasm n. 一阵（感情）发作
用法： …a spasm of wild joy… 狂喜 a spasm person 被惯坏的人
4. futile adj. 无用的；（土地）贫瘠的.
[反义] fertile adj. （思想）睿智的；（土地）肥沃的 [近义] void adj. 没用的； pointless adj. 无意义的 5. insinuatevt. 使潜入，暗示
[记] 作为一个使动词的用法：be + adj. ; v. + oneself eg. ~ oneself into one`s favour / the crowd 向某人献媚、示爱/ 挤进人群
He always insinuates himself into his boss`s favour. 他经常向他的头儿献媚。
eg. He insinuated his doubt of the answer. 他对这个答案稍有疑问。(vt.暗示)
6. illumination n. 启发，照明
[近义] enlightenment n. 启迪edification n.启发，教诲 instruction n.教育，知道
新概念英语85年上外美音版第四册 第58课：Painting as a Pastime
