The Words under the Words

The words you choose can change the decisions people make. Psychologists call the mechanics of this choice “framing.” They’ve found, for example, that more people will decide to have a surgery if they are told that the “survival rate is 90%” than if they are told that the “mortality rate is 10%.” They’ve also found that having to pay a “surcharge” for using a credit card rankles people more than if they were simply told they would get a “discount” for using cash. They’ve even found that people enjoy meat labeled “75% lean” more than they do the same meat labeled “25% fat.” Framing, it seems, extends all the way to taste buds.

Think about more than just the straightforward definition of the words you use. Think about the connotations of those words as well—the ideas they might evoke, the reactions they might elicit, the images and emotions they could stir up.

--- Patrick Barry, Good with Words: Writing and Editing, 2019.

How To Read A Book

Read the title. Define every word in the title; look up any unknown words. Think about what the title promises for the book. Look at the table of contents. This is your “menu” for the book. What can you tell about its contents and structure from the TOC?

Read a book from the outside in. Read the foreword and introduction (if an article, read the first paragraph or two). Read the conclusion or epilogue if there is one (if an article, read the last one or two paragraphs). After all this, ask yourself what the author’s thesis might be. How has the argument been structured?

Read chapters from the outside in. Quickly read the first and last paragraph of each chapter. After doing this and taking the step outlined above, you should have a good idea of the book’s major themes and arguments.

You are now finally ready to read in earnest. Don’t read a history book as if you were reading a novel for light pleasure reading. Read through the chapters actively, taking cues as to which paragraphs are most important from their topic sentences. (Good topic sentences tell you what the paragraph is about.) Not every sentence and paragraph is as important as every other. It is up to you to judge, based on what you know so far about the book’s themes and arguments. If you can, highlight passages that seem to be especially relevant.

Take notes: Many students attempt to take comprehensive notes on the content of a book or article. I advise against this. I suggest that you record your thoughts about the reading rather than simply the details and contents of the reader. What surprised you? What seemed particularly insightful? What seems suspect? What reinforces or counters points made in other readings? This kind of note taking will keep your reading active, and actually will help you remember the contents of the piece better than otherwise.

source: https://courses.bowdoin.edu/writing-guides/reading/how-to-read-a-secondary-source/

Tricky Phrases

1. Lover 情人（不是：爱人）
2. Sporting house 妓院（不是：体育室）
3. Dead president 美钞（不是：死了的总统）
4. Service station 加油站（不是：服务站）
5. Rest room 厕所（不是：休息室）
6. Busboy 餐馆勤杂工（不是：公汽售票员）
7. Dry goods <美>纺织品 <英>谷物（不是：干货）
8. Heart man 换心人（不是：有心人）
9. Tea shop 茶馆；小吃店（不是：茶叶店）
10. Senior citizen 老年人（不是：高级公民）
11. Wash one’s hands 上厕所（不是：洗手）
12. A busy body 爱管闲事的人（不是：忙人）
13. A black sheep 害群之马（不是：一只黑羊）
14. Be taken in 受骗，上当（不是：被接纳）
15. Pull sb’s leg 开玩笑（不是：拖后腿）
16. African American 美国黑人（不是：非洲美国人）
17. Eat one’s words 收回前言，改正错话（不是：食言）
18. Mad doctor 精神病科医生（不是：发疯的医生）
19. Eleventh hour 最后时刻（不是：十一点）
20. Personal remark 人身攻击（并非个人评论）
21. Sweet water 淡水（不是：糖水或者甜水）
22. Confidence man 骗子（不是：信得过的人）
23. Criminal lawyer 刑事律师（不是：犯罪的律师）
24. Dressing room 化妆室（不是：试衣间或者更衣室）
25. Horse sense 常识（不是：马的感觉）
26. Capital idea 好主意（不是：资本主义思想）
27. Familiar talk 庸俗的交谈（不是：熟悉的谈话）
28. Black tea红茶 (不是：黑茶）
29. Green hand 新手 （不是：绿手）
30. Have a fit 勃然大怒（不是：试穿）
31. Black art 妖术（不是：黑色艺术）
32. White coal （作动力来源用的）水
33. Chinese dragon 麒麟（不是：中国龙）
34. Red tape 官僚习气（不是：红色带子）
35. China policy 对华政策（不是：中华政策）
36. White man 忠实可靠的人（不是：皮肤白色的人）
37. Black stranger 完全陌生的人(不是：陌生的黑人)
38. Eat ones words 收回前言（不是：食言）
39. An apple of love 西红柿（不是：爱情之果）
40. Handwriting on the wall 不祥之兆（不是：大字报）
41. Bring down the house 博得满堂喝彩（不是：推倒房子）
42. Blind date（由第三者安排的）男女初次见面（并非盲目的约会或者是瞎
43. 约会）
44. Roadside business 汽车饭店；汽车旅馆；汽车影院（不是：路边店 ）
45. American Dream 美国的生活方式，美国人的自由民主观念（不是：美国梦）
46. Yellow book 黄皮书（法国政府报告书，以黄纸为封，不是：黄色书籍）
47. Blue stocking 女学者，女才子（不是：蓝色长筒袜）
48. American beauty 一种玫瑰，名叫美丽动人（不是：美国美女）
49. English disease 软骨病（不是：英国病）
50. Indian summer 愉快宁静的晚年（不是：印度的夏日）
51. Greek gift 害人的礼品（不是：希腊的礼物）
52. Spanish athlete 吹牛的人（不是：西班牙的运动员）
53. French chalk 滑石粉（不是：法国粉笔）
54. In ones birthday suit 赤身裸体（不是：穿着生日礼服）
55. Make ones hair stand on end 令人毛骨悚然，恐惧（不是：令人发指，气愤）
56. Think a great deal of oneself 高看或者看重自己（不是：为自己想的很多）
57. Pull up ones socks 鼓起勇气（不是：提上袜子）
58. Have the heart to do 用于否定句，忍心做（不是：有心做或者有意做）
59. What a shame 多可惜，真遗憾（不是：多可耻）
60. You don’t say 是吗？（不是：你别说）
61. You can say that again 说的好（不是：你别说）
62. I haven’t slept better 我睡得很好（不是：我从未睡好过）

成语之最（转载）