Lesson 18 Electric currents in modern art 现代艺术中的电流

【New words and expressions】 生词和短语

　　◆current n. 电流

　　◆sculpture n. 雕塑

　　◆mistaken adj. 错误的

　　◆gallery n. 美术馆

　　◆exhibit n. 展品，陈列品

　　◆oddly adv. 古怪的

　　◆attach v. 连，系

　　◆sphere n. 球体

　　◆magnetize v. 使磁化

　　◆repel v. 排斥

　　◆flicker v. 闪烁

　　◆emit v.放射

　　◆flash v. 闪光

　　◆prehistoric adj. 史前的，老掉牙的

　　◆electronic adj. 电子的

　　◆peculiar adj. 奇异的

　　◆shock v.令人震惊，刺激人

　　◆emotionally adv. 感情上

　　

　　★current n. 电流

　　current n. the flow of electricity 电流

　　 a continuous movement of water 水流

　　 adj. 目前的，现在的； current affairs 时事

　　currency n. 流通（货币）

　　currently adv. 普遍地，通常地，现在，当前

　　

　　★sculpture n. 雕塑

　　sculptural adj. 雕刻的，雕刻般的

　　sculptor n. 雕刻家

　　

　　★mistaken adj. 错误的

　　mistaken adj. incorrect; wrong; misunderstood

　　Eg.: The teacher has mistaken opinion of his pupil. He doesn’t use simple plain language and he is often mistaken.

　　make a mistake / by mistake 弄错了

　　He took my umbrella by mistake.

　　and no mistake 确实如此(口语)

　　Eg: He is honest and no mistake.

　　mistake vt.

　　mistake sb. for 把某人误认为

　　Eg.: Yesterday, I mistook him for my classmate.

　　

　　★gallery n. 美术馆

　　★exhibit n. 展品，陈列品

　　exhibit: show in public

　　exhibition n. 展览会

　　Eg.: Yesterday we went to an exhibition to visit exhibits.

　　

　　★oddly adv. 古怪的

　　oddly: strangely

　　odd adj. 古怪的

　　strange adj. 因为陌生而奇怪的

　　queer adj.奇特的

　　Eg.: Look, he is wearing a queer hat.

　　fantastic adj.奇妙的

　　eccentric adj.怪癖的；He is an eccentric person.

　　

　　★attach v. 连，系

　　attach vt. 系，拴，粘上，贴上

　　attach to

　　Eg.; he attached the lamb to a tree.

　　attach to sb. for sth. 因为某事而把......加在某人身上

　　Eg.: We didn’t attach blame to him for his failure.

　　attach importance to sth. 对某事非常重视

　　Eg.: We attach importance to education.

　　be attached to sth. 喜欢，喜爱

　　Eg.: I’m very attached to her.

　　attachment n. 固定，爱慕，友情，附着

　　

　　★sphere n. 球体

　　★magnetize v. 使磁化

　　magnetized vt.

　　Eg.: The iron was magnetized.

　　He speech magnetized the listeners.

　　

　　★repel v. 排斥

　　repel vt.: to drive back; cause feelings of dislike

　　Eg.: the different sexes attract each other and the same sexes repel on the contrary.

　　Let me go at once, you repel me. 让我走，你真让我恶心。

　　

　　★flicker v. 闪烁

　　★flash v. 闪光

　　flicker v. shine unsteadily

　　flash v. shine for a moment

　　

　　★emit v.放射

　　emit v. give off

　　emit sound / emit smell / emit light / emit heat / emit smoke

　　

　　★prehistoric adj. 史前的，老掉牙的

　　peculiar adj. strange and unusual

　　Eg.: The food has peculiar taste.

　　I’m feeling rather peculiar.

　　

　　★electronic adj. 电子的

　　◆peculiar adj. 奇异的

　　peculiar adj. stange and unusual

　　Eg.: The food has peculiar taste.

　　I’m feeling rather peculiar.

　　

　　◆shock v.令人震惊，刺激人

　　get shocked 受震动

　　At the news, he got shocked.

　　shock n. 震惊；get a big shock

　　

　　◆emotionally adv. 感情上

　　emotional adj. 易激动的，情绪的，感情脆弱的

　　Eg.: I think you agree with me, women are often said to be more emotional than men.

　　反义词 unemotional

　　emotion: n. 感情：

　　Eg.: love,hatred, and grief are emotions.

　　feeling n. 某时的内心感受

　　Eg. : I can’t describe my feeling now.

　　emotive adj.引起情绪反应的

　　The word home is more emotive than house.

　　emotionally; emotional; unemotional; emotive; emotion; feeling

　　

　　【Text】

　　§Lesson 18 Electric currents in modern art 现代艺术中的电流

　　Q: How might some of the exhibits have been dangerous?

　　

　　Modern sculpture rarely surprises us any more. The idea that modern art can only be seen in museums is mistaken. Even people who take no interest in art cannot have failed to notice examples of modern sculpture on display in public places. Strange forms stand in gardens, and outside buildings and shops. We have got quite used to them. Some so-called ‘modern‘ pieces have been on display for nearly fifty years.

　　In spite of this, some people--in-cluding myself--were surprised by a recent exhibition of modern sculpture. The first thing I saw when I entered the art gallery was a notice which said: ‘Do not touch the exhibits. Some of them are dangerous!‘ The objects on display were pieces of moving sculpture. Oddly shaped forms that are suspended from the ceiling and move in response to a gust of wind are quite familiar to everybody. These objects, however, were different. Lined up against the wall, there were long thin wires attached to metal spheres. The spheres had been magnetized and attracted or repelled each other all the time. In the centre of the hall, there were a number of tall structures which contained coloured lights. These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which have gone mad. Sparks were emitted from small black boxes and red lamps flashed on and off angrily. It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment. These Peculiar forms not only seemed designed to shock people emotionally, but to give them electric shocks as well!

　　

　　参考译文

　　现代雕塑不再使我们感到惊讶了。那种认为现代艺术只能在博物馆里才能看到的观点是错误的。即使是对艺术不感兴趣的人也不会注意到在公共场所展示的现代艺术品。公园里、大楼和商店外竖立着的奇形怪状的雕塑，对这些，我们已经司空见惯了。有些所谓的“现代”艺术品在那里已经陈列了近80年了。

　　 尽管如此，最近举办的一次现代雕塑展览还是使一些人（包括我在内）大吃了一惊。走进展厅首先看到的是一张告示，上面写着“切勿触摸展品，某些展品有危险！”展品都是些活动的雕像。人们所熟悉的是悬挂在天花板上、造型奇特、随风飘荡的雕塑品。这些展品却使人大开眼界。靠墙排列着许多细长的电线，而电线又连着金属球。金属球经过磁化，互相之间不停地相互吸引或相互排斥。展厅中央是装有彩色灯泡的许多高高的构件，灯泡一刻不停地闪烁着，就像失去了控制的红绿灯。小黑盒子里迸出火花，红色灯泡发怒似地忽明忽暗。这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。好像设计这些奇形怪状的展品不仅是为了给人感情上的强烈刺激，而且还想给人以电击似的！

　　

　　【课文讲解】

　　rarely: seldom

　　We are not surprised at moden sculpture...

　　that引导同位语从句，修饰限定the idea的内容。

　　Eg. : The idea that one can learn English well in English-speaking countryes is mistaken.

　　重点句式结构

　　who take no interest in art 修饰说明 people

　　take interest in 对......感兴趣

　　take delight in 对......感到高兴

　　take pride in 对...... 感到骄傲

　　show interest in 显示对......的兴趣

　　

　　cannot; failed to 双重否定意味着肯定；加强语气

　　he must have passed his examination last week.

　　He cannot have failed to pass hsi examination last week.

　　

　　You must keep your promise.

　　You can’t fail to keep your promise.

　　

　　On display / on show

　　

　　We can see sculptures everywhere.

　　

　　用夸张的口吻表明事实

　　

　　in spite of this 尽管如此

　　作者表明了自己的观点

　　

　　重点句型

　　The first thing I saw when I entered the art gallery was a notice which said:

　　The first thing... was a notice which said...

　　定语从句省略that

　　The sculpture can move

　　

　　Oddly...

　　

　　Oddly shaped forms that are suspended from the ceiling and move in response to a gust of wind are quite familiar to everybody.

　　Oddly...that...

　　that 引导的定语从句用来限定shaped forms

　　are ...familiar to...谓语

　　

　　句子主干：Oddly shaped forms are familiar to everybody

　　that 定语从句中：in response to / in reaction to 作为对......的反应

　　

　　be familiar to sb. 对某人来说很熟悉

　　Eg.: The house is familiar to him.

　　I don’t really remember where I have seen him before, but he looks very familiar to me.

　　

　　be familiar with 熟悉，熟知

　　Eg.: Are you familiar with the play of Shakespeare?

　　I ‘m familiar with that book too.

　　be familiar to sb. / be familiar with sth.

　　

　　lined up 过去分词做状语，与 long thin wires 为被动关系

　　

　　attached to metak spheres 过去分词做定语，修饰long thin wires

　　

　　定语从句

　　there were long thin wires that were attached to metal spheres.

　　

　　ther center of the hall 展厅的中央

　　coloured lights 彩色灯泡

　　

　　continuously adv. 不停止的

　　

　　ga mad 发疯，发狂 run mad

　　Eg. : he must have gone mad to do such a thing.

　　

　　on and off: continuously

　　Eg: It has been raining on and off since noon.

　　

　　It was rather like===It was more like 看起来更像

　　

　　Key structure

　　...not only seemed designed to do sth.

　　not only... but ... as well

　　seem 系动词+名词/形容词/分词