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.

New words and expressions 生詞短語
psychologistn. 心理學(xué)家
gifted adj. 有天才的
spasm n. 一陣(感情)發(fā)作
catch hold of 抓住
futileadj. 無用的
insinuatevt. 使?jié)撊?暗示
convulsiveadj. 起痙攣的
illuminationn. 啟發(fā),照明
undue adj. 不適應(yīng)的
gripn.緊張
improvisevt. 臨時(shí)作成
sedulouslyadv.孜孜不倦地
tendvt.照管
aggravatevt 加劇.
broadly speaking 大體上說
toilvt.勞累
trifling adj.微小的
gratifyvt.使?jié)M意
capricen.任性
satiationn.滿足
in vain 徒勞
frantically adv.狂亂地
avengevt.替…報(bào)復(fù)
boredom n.厭煩
cluttern.喧鬧的談話
sustenance n.生計(jì)
keen adj.強(qiáng)烈的
appetiten.欲望
favouredadj.受到偏愛的
grudgevt.怨恨
absorbing adj.引人入勝的
banishvt.排除,放棄
pastimen. 消遣

單詞解析:
1. psychologistn. 心理學(xué)家
[聯(lián)想]psychology n.心理學(xué)
psywar 心理戰(zhàn)
psychoanalysis 心理分析
2.gifted adj. 有天才的 eg. He is gifted. 他很有天賦。
[聯(lián)想] 表示聰明、有天賦的詞還有:
talented adj.天才的; adroit adj. 靈巧的,敏捷的;
geniusn. 天才;brilliant adj.有才氣的,聰明的;
smartn.聰明的(可用于口語)
3. spasm n. 一陣(感情)發(fā)作
用法: …a spasm of wild joy… 狂喜a spasm person 被慣壞的人
4. futileadj. 無用的;(土地)貧瘠的.
[反義] fertile adj. (思想)睿智的;(土地)肥沃的
[近義] voidadj. 沒用的; pointless adj. 無意義的
5. insinuatevt. 使?jié)撊?暗示
[記] 作為一個(gè)使動(dòng)詞的用法:be + adj. ; v. + oneself
eg. ~ oneself into one`s favour / the crowd 向某人獻(xiàn)媚、示愛/ 擠進(jìn)人群
He always insinuates himself into his boss`s favour.
他經(jīng)常向他的頭兒獻(xiàn)媚。
eg. He insinuated his doubt of the answer. 他對(duì)這個(gè)答案稍有疑問。(vt.暗示)
6. illuminationn. 啟發(fā),照明
[近義]enlightenment n. 啟迪 edification n.啟發(fā),教誨instruction
n.教育,知道
7.grip n.緊張;v.抓
eg. I have read a gripping story.我剛讀了一篇扣人心弦的故事。
I have a sound grip of English.我對(duì)英語掌握的很熟。
8. improvisevt. 臨時(shí)作成(抽象詞)
eg. improvise speech /a poem/a painting 即興發(fā)言 / 做詩(shī) / 做畫
9. sedulouslyadv.孜孜不倦地
[近義] diligent adj. 勤奮的toiling adj. 勤奮的
industrious adj. 勤勉的 assiduous adj. 勤勉的
backbreaking adj. 辛勞的 painstaking adj. 辛勞的,辛苦的
10.gratifyvt.使?jié)M意
[聯(lián)想] gratitude n. 滿意,感激 satisfied adj.感到滿足的 pleased adj.滿意的
cater to 滿足,迎合 eg. It is gratifying to learn English. 學(xué)英語是一件令人很興奮的事。
11. caprice n.任性
[聯(lián)想] capricious adj. 反復(fù)無常的changeable adj. 善變的
fickle adj.(脾氣)無常的,易變的impulse n. 沖動(dòng)
12. satiation n.滿足
[聯(lián)想] satiate v.滿足satiable adj.可滿足的 insatiable adj. 不可滿足的

I just saw there is an article in Newsweek that many officials in many countries are
insatiable.我剛才在新聞周刊里看到一篇文章里說許多小國(guó)家的官員都貪得無厭。
13. avenge vt.替…報(bào)復(fù)
eg. avenge my comrade in arms 為我的戰(zhàn)友報(bào)仇
avenge myself on the enemy 我向敵人報(bào)復(fù)
14. appetiten.欲望
[近義] lust / thirst / hunger 渴望
[用法] appetite/ lust / thirst / hunger for sth.對(duì)…有強(qiáng)烈欲望
eg. He has strong appetite for fame. 他對(duì)名聲充滿了渴望。
15. favoured adj. 受到偏愛的
[用法]play favourites with sb. 對(duì)某人很偏愛
eg. The mother plays favourites with her elder son.媽媽對(duì)大兒子比較偏愛。
16. absorbing adj.引人入勝的`
[聯(lián)想]gripping adj.扣人心弦的fascinating adj. 迷人的
captivating adj.迷人的 spell binding (念了咒語般)使人入迷的
entertaining adj.令人愉快的
17.banish vt.排除,放棄
[區(qū)別] banish 抽象的思想上的除去,后面一般接 horror,worry 等。
eg.
discard
v.丟棄,放棄 ,后接具體事物,如 furniture 等。

Notes on the text 課文注釋
Worry is a spasm of the emotion 憂慮是情緒的突然發(fā)作。
It is useless to argue with the mind in this condition.
1) agrue with 爭(zhēng)論
2) the mind 指人,而不是人腦.
eg.Great minds think alike.英雄所見略同。
3. One can only gently insinuate something else into its convulsive grasp.
1)insinuate = to push 慢慢灌輸
2)its 指代 minds
3)grasp 抓住不放,這里指 minds.
[譯]我們只能對(duì)他溫柔的灌輸其他思想到他痙攣的腦子里。
4. …..,if it is really attended by the illumination of……the process of recuperation and
repair begins.
1)attend vt.輔佐,輔助
2)by 通過某種手段
3)recuperation = recovery 恢復(fù)
5. The cultivation of a hobby and new forms of interest is therefore a policy of first
importance to a public man.
1) cultivation = to build up 培養(yǎng),建立
1.
2.
2) therefore adv. 所以 (承接上文)
3)policy :method 方法
4)first importance 第一位的重要性
5)public man :go out to work;參與社會(huì)工作的人
[譯] 對(duì)一個(gè)公眾人士而言,你需要培養(yǎng)興趣愛好,這是至關(guān)重要的。
6. The growth of alternative mental interests is a long process.
1) alternative adj. 二中選一的
alternative interests 替換型興趣,指的是工作之外的興趣
[譯] 替換型的智力興趣的培養(yǎng)需要一個(gè)很長(zhǎng)的過程。
7. 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. (推薦記憶)
此句用了一個(gè)暗喻 metaphor(延伸:明喻 simile)
interests 比喻為 seeds
vivify vt.給與生氣,生動(dòng),使活躍
8. It is no use starting late in life to say:….
論述句型: it is no using doing…
it is no point doing …
eg. it is no using crying over the spilt milk.覆水難收。
9.
It is no use doing what you like, you have got to like what you do.(推薦記憶)
have got to [英]= have to [美]
[譯] 只想做你想做的事是沒用的,你必須喜歡你所做的事。
10. 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.
offer sb.sth. 雙賓語
sweat and effort 辛勤勞動(dòng)
with = because of 因?yàn)?由于
11. As for the unfortunate people…. a new excitement is only an additional satiation.
as for….= about 談及,關(guān)于
additional satiation :多余的滿足
12. For them discipline in one form or another is the most hopeful path.
discipline:約束
[譯]對(duì)他們而言,生活有規(guī)律才有獲得興趣的可能。
13.But fortune's favoured children belong to the second class.
fortune's favoured children 天子驕子
14. Each day is a holiday, and ordinary holidays when they come are grudged as enforced
interruptions in an absorbing vocation.
1) ordinary holidays 正常的假日
2)
3)
4)
grudge = regard with hatred 憎惡
enforced 被迫地
vocation 天職/vacation 假期
[譯]每天都是假日,而且當(dāng)正常的假日到來時(shí),他們都把它當(dāng)作對(duì)其投入的天職所進(jìn)行的一
種被迫的打攪。
15. Yet to both classes the need of an alternative outlook,…
an alternative outlook 理解為這兩類人的想法可以轉(zhuǎn)換(替換)一下
16. 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.
1) it may well be that……或許事情正是這樣
2) at intervals 不時(shí),間隔一段時(shí)間
3)banish = get rid of 去除
4) means = method ,way
17. Catch hold of, 抓住……;let … go, 放掉……。
18. Lay one’s hands on, 得到……,抓到……。
19. Fortune’s favoured children 中的 Fortune 是指“命運(yùn)女神”。