文章主旨

We live with contradictions in our own behavior—and the behavior of others—every day.

词汇短语

➡️Superdeluxe=super-deluxe

de·luxe

/dɪˈluks/ ADJ[usually before noun一般用于名词前] of better quality and more expensive than other things of the same type高级的；豪华的；

luxury:

a deluxe hotel豪华旅馆

The deluxe model costs a lot more.豪华型要贵很多。

➡️Good things come in smallpackages.

Meaning:

The meaningof this proverb is opposite to that of "The bigger, the better." Youuse this proverb to say that the size of things doesn't always indicate theirquality, and small things often have better quality than big ones.

Ifsomeone says, "Good things come in small packages," he/she means thatsomething is small, but it has better quality than big ones.

Example:

A: Whydid you decide to buy such an important thing from such a small store? Theydon't have a wide selection of engagement rings.

B:Well, I know big stores offer wider selections, but, I found that store sellsonly the best products. They never sell second-class products. Good things comein small packages, you know.

➡️cyclo∙tron

/ˈsaɪkləʊtrɒn; NAmEˈsaɪkloʊtrɑ:n​/ noun (physics物) a machine which makes atoms or  ELECTRONS move more quickly, using

electrical and  MAGNETIC FIELDS回旋加速器

➡️spunk /spʌŋk/ noun

1 [U](informal) courage; determination勇气；胆量；决心

2 [U](BrE, taboo, slang) =  SEMEN

3 [C]

(informal, AustralE, informal) a sexually attractive person性感的人

➡️solitude

[N-UNCOUNT不可数名词] (尤指平静愉快的)独居，独处；Solitude is the state of being alone, especially whenthis is peaceful and pleasant.

Heenjoyed his moments of solitude before the pressures of the day began...

他喜欢在白天的压力到来之前享受独处的时光。

Imaginelong golden beaches where you can wander in solitude.

想象一下那长长的金色海滩吧，在那里你可以独自徜徉。

➡️tin∙gle /ˈtɪŋgl/ verb

[V]

1(of a part of your body身体部位) to feel as if a lot of small sharp points are pushing into it感到刺痛

Thecold air made her face tingle.

冷空气冻得她的脸发痛。

atingling sensation

刺痛感

note at  HURT

2 ~ with sth to feel an emotion strongly强烈地感到

Shewas still tingling with excitement.

她仍然兴奋不已

➡️thatched

/θætʃt;θætʃt/ ADJ

a thatched roof is made with dried STRAW, REEDS, leaves etc茅草屋顶的：

a thatched cottage (=one with a thatched roof)茅草屋

➡️hut

/hʌt;hʌt/ N[C]

a small simple building with only one or two rooms〔简陋的〕小屋，棚屋，茅舍；

shack:

a wooden hut小木屋

➡️consecrate

1[VERB动词]为…祝圣;使圣化；When a building, place, or object isconsecrated, it is officially declared to be holy. When a person isconsecrated, they are officially declared to be a bishop. [be V-ed] [V n]

Thechurch was consecrated in 1234...

这个教堂于1234年祝的圣。

Hedefied Pope John Paul II by consecrating four bishops without his approval.

他违抗教皇约翰·保罗二世的旨意，未经他的批准就给4位主教举行了祝圣仪式。

➡️pro·pul·sion

/prəˈpʌlʃən;prəˈpʌlʃ$n/ N[U] technical

the force that drives a vehicle forward【术语】〔车辆等的〕推进力；

propel :rocket/wind/nuclear/jetpropulsion火箭/风/核能/喷气推进力research into liquid

hydrogen as a means of propulsion对液态氢作为一种动力方式进行研究

—propulsive /-sɪv;-sɪv/ ADJ

➡️but·tress

/ˈbʌtrɪs;ˈbʌtrəs/ N[C]

a brick or stone structure built to support a wall扶壁，撑墙，扶垛

buttress

V[T] formal

to support a system, idea, argument etc, especially by providing money【正式】〔尤指通过出钱〕支持〔某一体制、主张、论点等〕:

The evidence seemed to buttress their argument.证据似乎支持他们的论点。

➡️guild /gɪld/ noun [C + sing./pl. v.]

1．an organization of people who do the same job or who have the same interests or aims（行业）协会

the Screen Actors' Guild电影演员协会

2．an association of skilled workers in the

Middle Ages（中世纪的）行会，同业公会

➡️le∙gion /ˈli:dʒən/ noun

1．a large group of soldiers that forms part of an army, especially the one that existed in ancient Rome（尤指古罗马的）军团

the French Foreign Legion法国军队中的外籍军团Caesar's legions凯撒军团

2．(formal) a large number of people of one

particular type大量，大批（某类型的人）

legions of photographers众多的摄影师

➡️le∙gion /ˈli:dʒən/ adj.

[not before noun] (formal) very many很多；极多SYNNUMEROUS

The medical uses of herbs are legion.草本植物的医药效用数不胜数。

➡️ter∙mite

/ˈtɜ:maɪt;NAmE ˈtɜ:rm-​/ noun

an insect that lives in organized groups, mainly in hot countries. Termites doa lot of damage by eating the wood of trees and buildings.白蚁

atermite colony

白蚁群

➡️sub∙lime

/səˈblaɪm/adj.

1.of very high quality and causing great admiration崇高的；壮丽的；宏伟的；令人赞叹的

sublimebeauty

令人赞叹的美

asublime combination of flavours

搭配巧妙的几种味道

2.(formal, often disapproving) (of a person's behaviour or attitudes人的行为或态度) extreme, especially in a way that shows they are not aware of what they are doing or are not concerned about what happens because of it极端的；极端而盲目的；一味的

the sublime confidence of youth

年轻人目空一切的自信

sub∙lime∙ly adv.

sublimelybeautiful

美得令人赞叹

She was sublimely unaware of the trouble she had caused.

她压根儿没察觉自己闹出了乱子。

sub∙lim∙ity/səˈblɪməti/ noun [U]

sub∙lime/səˈblaɪm/ noun

the sublime [sing.] something that is SUBLIME崇高的事物；壮丽的景象；绝妙的东西

He transforms the most ordinary subject into the sublime.

经他一点化，极普通的题材也能变得令人叫绝。

IDMfrom the sublime to the ri'diculous used to describe a situation in which sthserious, important or of high quality is followed by sth silly, unimportant orof poor quality.

短语

➡️a kno tin the stomach

[N-COUNT:oft N of n] If you feel a knot in your stomach, you get an uncomfortable tightfeeling in your stomach, usually because you are afraid or excited.

There wasa knot of tension in his stomach.

➡️lump

/lʌmp;lʌmp/ N[C]

1．a small piece of something solid, without a particular shape〔不定形的〕块：

Strain the custard to remove lumps.滤去牛奶蛋糊里的面块。

[+ of ]

Melt a lump of butter in your frying-pan.把一块黄油放入煎锅里化开。

2．a small hard swollen area that sticks out

from someone’s skin or grows in their

body, usually because of an illness〔身体上的〕肿块：

You should never ignore a breast lump.千万不能忽视乳房肿块。

3．a small square block of sugar方糖：

One lump or two?加一块方糖还是两块？

4．a lump in/to sb’s throat If you say that you have a lump in your throat, you mean that you have a tight feeling in your throat because of a strong emotion such as sorrow or gratitude.某人喉咙哽住，某人哽咽欲泣：

There was a lump in Elizabeth’s throat as she gazed at the child.伊丽莎白看着孩子，哽咽欲哭。

➡️vault

/vɔ:lt/noun

1．a room with thick walls and a strong door, especially in a bank, used for keeping valuable things safe（尤指银行的）金库，保险库

2．a room under a church or in a CEMETERY , used for burying people（教堂的）地下墓室；（坟地的）墓穴

3．a roof or ceiling in the form of an ARCH or a series of  ARCHES拱顶；穹隆

4．a jump made by VAULTING撑物跳高；撑杆跳

—seealso  POLE VAULT

vault

/vɔ:lt/verb

~ (over) sth to jump over an object in a single movement, using yourhands or a pole to push you（用手支撑或撑杆）跳跃，腾跃

[V]

She vaulted over the gateand ran up the path.

她用手一撑跃过栅栏门沿着小路跑了。[VN]

to vault a fence

跃过篱笆墙

—see also  POLEVAULT

➡️ˌnon-'combat∙ant

noun

1．a member of the armed forces who does not actually fight in a war, for example an army doctor（军队中的）非战斗人员

2．in a war, a person who is not a member of the armed forces（战争时期的）平民，非军事人员SYNCIVILIAN

➡️in∙fi∙del

/ˈɪnfɪdəl/ noun (old use) an offensive way ofreferring to sb who does not believe in what the speaker considers to be thetrue religion异教徒

➡️cat·e·chis·m

/ˈkætəˌkɪzəm/

N[singular单数]

a set of questions and answers about the Christian religion that people learn in

order to become full members of a church〔基督教的〕教理问答，教义问答：

We were taught to recite the catechism.有人教我们把教义问答的内容背诵出来。

➡️cloverleaves

n.（名詞）

Ahighway interchange at which two highways, one crossing over the other, have aseries of entrance and exit ramps resembling the outline of a four-leaf cloverand enabling vehicles to proceed in either direction on either highway.

苜蓿葉式立體交叉的公路：兩條高速公路的立體交叉道，一條穿過另一條，有一系列入口和出口坡道，與四葉苜蓿的外形相似，車輛在兩條高速公路上均可駛入任一的兩個方向。

背景知识补充

1.Phil Donahue

Phillip John "Phil" Donahue (born December 21, 1935) is an American media personality, writer, and film producer best known as the creator and host of The Phil Donahue Show. The television program, also known as Donahue, was the first talk show format that included audience participation. The show had a 29-year run on national television in America that began in Dayton, Ohio, and ended in New York City in 1996.

His shows have often focused on issues that divide liberals and conservatives in the United States, such as abortion, consumer protection, civil rights and war issues. His most frequent guest was Ralph Nader, for whom Donahue campaigned in 2000. Donahue also briefly hosted a talk show on MSNBC from July 2002 to March 2003. In 1996, Donahue was ranked #42 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.

2.Charles Lindbergh

Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974), nicknamed Slim, Lucky Lindy, and The Lone Eagle, was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, explorer, and environmental activist. At age 25 in 1927, he went from obscurity as a U.S. Air Mail pilot to instantaneous world fame by making his Orteig Prize–winning nonstop flight from Long Island, New York, to Paris. He covered the  33 1⁄2-hour, 3,600 statute miles (5,800 km) alone in a single-engine purpose-built Ryan monoplane, Spirit of St. Louis. This was the first solo transatlantic flight, and the first non-stop flight between North America and mainland Europe. Lindbergh was an officer in the U.S. Army Air Corps Reserve, and he received the United States' highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for the feat.

His achievement spurred interest in both commercial aviation and air mail, and Lindbergh himself devoted much time and effort to promoting such activity. Lindbergh's historic flight and instantaneous world fame led to tragedy. In March 1932, his infant son, Charles Jr., was kidnapped and murdered in what was widely called the "Crime of the Century" and described by H. L. Mencken as "the biggest story since the resurrection." The case prompted the United States Congress to upgrade kidnapping from a state crime to a federal crime once the kidnapper had crossed state lines with his victim. By late 1935 the hysteria[一群人的情绪失控，狂野情绪的爆发；Hysteria among a group of people is a state of uncontrolled excitement, anger, or panic.]surrounding the case had driven the Lindbergh family into voluntary exile in Europe, from which they returned in 1939.

Before the United States formally entered World War II, some people accused Lindbergh of being a fascist sympathizer. An advocate of non-interventionism he supported the antiwar America First Committee, which opposed American aid to Britain in its war against Germany, and resigned his commission in the United States Army Air Forces in 1941 after President Franklin Roosevelt publicly rebuked him for his views. Nevertheless, he publicly supported the U.S. war effort after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and flew fifty combat missions in the Pacific Theater of World War II as a civilian consultant, though Roosevelt refused to reinstate his Air Corps colonel's commission. In his later years, Lindbergh became a prolific prize-winning author, international explorer, inventor, and environmentalist.

Lindbergh had six children with his wife Anne Morrow Lindbergh. In 2003 (two years after the death of his wife) it was revealed that, beginning in 1957, he had engaged in covert sexual affairs with three European women, with whom he fathered seven children who did not learn of their father's identity until a decade after his death in 1974.

3.Chartres Cathedral

Chartres Cathedral(沙特尔主教座堂), also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres), is a Gothic Catholic cathedral of the Latin Church located in Chartres, France, about 80 kilometres (50 mi) southwest of Paris. The current cathedral, mostly constructed between 1194 and 1220, is the last of at least five which have occupied the site since the town became a bishopric in the 4th century.

It is designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, which calls it "the high point of French Gothic art" and a "masterpiece".

The cathedral has been well preserved. The majority of the original stained glass windows survive intact, while the architecture has seen only minor changes since the early 13th century. The building's exterior is dominated by heavy flying buttresses which allowed the architects to increase the window size significantly, while the west end is dominated by two contrasting spires – a 105-metre (349 ft) plain pyramid completed around 1160 and a 113-metre (377 ft) early 16th-century Flamboyant spire on top of an older tower. Equally notable are the three great façades, each adorned with hundreds of sculpted figures illustrating key theological themes and narratives.

Since at least the 12th century the cathedral has been an important destination for travellers – and remains so to the present, attracting large numbers of Christian pilgrims, many of whom come to venerate its famous relic, the Sancta Camisa, said to be the tunic worn by the Virgin Mary at Christ's birth, as well as large numbers of secular tourists who come to admire the cathedral's architecture and historical merit.

4. Wernher von Braun

Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun韦纳·冯·布劳恩(March 23, 1912 – June 16, 1977) was a German, later American, aerospace engineer and space architect credited with inventing the V-2 rocket for Nazi Germany and the Saturn V for the United States. He was one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany, where he was a member of the Nazi Party and the SS.

Following World War II, he was secretly moved to the United States, along with about 1,500 other scientists, engineers, and technicians, as part of Operation Paperclip, where he developed the rockets that launched the United States' first space satellite Explorer 1, and the Apollo program manned lunar landings.

In his twenties and early thirties, von Braun worked in Germany's rocket development program, where he helped design and develop the V-2 rocket at Peenemünde during World War II. Following the war, von Braun worked for the United States Army on an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) program before his group was assimilated into NASA. Under NASA, he served as director of the newly formed Marshall Space Flight Center and as the chief architect of the Saturn V launch vehicle, the superbooster that propelled the Apollo spacecraft to the Moon. In 1975, he received the National Medal of Science. He continued insisting on the human mission to Mars throughout his life.