2017.10.4
Part 1 Words
1. Live up to
原文:He was trying to live up to this image of what he thought a husband should be, dominant, controlling.
解释:fulfil the requirements or expectations of , 原文中的意思应该为“做到”,这个词还有“不辜负”的意思~
例句:They try to live up to finish this year's target.
The son really lived up to his father's expectations,;he was great at his job.
2. Patriarch
原文:Dinky was trying to masquerade as this patriarch that he wasn't.
解释:a men who controls a family, tribe , group or government; patri(父)➕arch(统治),后面文章还提到了matriarch 女家长,意思相反
例句:The patriarch of the tribe is highly respected.
3.douse ...with
原文: Sibongile was right behind him with a pot of boiling water, cursing at him and threatening to douse him with it.
解释:(a fire) to stop burning By pouring or spraying water on it
例句:The fireman douses the fire with water.
4. Recourse
原文:In Soweto you were always hearing about men getting doused with pots of boiling water - often a woman's only recourse.
解释: an opportunity or chance to use or do something in order to deal with the problem or situation;
例句:His last recourse was to paint SOS on the rocks and hope a plane saw it.
Part 2. Thoughts in Chinese
整篇读完,感觉南非真的是一个非常迷信的地区。人为什么会迷信?一来是无知,二来是极度贫穷或者生活得很痛苦,因此人们往往依靠信仰度日,希望她们心中的神能保佑自己!
文中最精彩的部分莫过于,写他在家拉屎的经过,哈哈,奇葩啊,感觉在看王小波的小说一样,写了一大段,从拉屎可以说到平等,再到佩服他自己的聪明。“办事”中途,遭遇“陈咬金”,与其斗志斗勇,终于大事办完mission accomplished. 最后所有的一大群人和他自己还要为他的这坨屎祈祷,哈哈,真的是笑着看完,画面感很强!
叫好的同时,其实仔细想想,作者幽默背后,是对这种南非巫术的极端讽刺!也为我们展现一个活生生的南非悲惨现状和人们强大的生命力。
Part 3 Summary
The whole chapter was about the environment where Trevor lived . He grew up in a world by women. The same situation happened in other families. Apartheid had taken away most of men. Women and kids were left. Religion filled the void left by absent men. So praying meetings became their daily activities , which was very important. They believed God will help to cast demons away. They even thought that shit was also a demon . What a big irony!
Although life was so hard, local people also have a dream. Their dream was to transform the ghetto. They built house step by step , by save up money year after year. There was no car, yet almost everyone had a driveway. The story of Soweto is the story of the driveways. It is a hopeful place.