Lesson 46 Do it yourself自己动手
Listen to the tape then answer the question below.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
Did the writer repair his lawn mower in the end? Why/Why not?
So great is our passion for doing things for ourselves, that we are becoming increasingly less dependent on specialized labour. No one can plead ignorance of a subject any longer, for these are countless do-it-yourself publications. Armed with the right tools and materials, newlyweds gaily embark on the task of decorating their own homes. Men, particularly, spend hours of their leisure time installing their own fireplaces, laying out their own gardens; building garages and making furniture. Some really keen enthusiasts go so far as to build their own computers. Shops cater for the do-it-yourself craze not only by running special advisory services for novices, but by offering consumers bits and pieces which they can assemble at home. Such things provide an excellent outlet for pent up creative energy, but unfortunately not all of us are born handymen.
Some wives tend to believe that their husbands are infinitely resourceful and can fix anything. Even men who can hardly drive a nail in straight are supposed to be born electricians, carpenters, plumbers and mechanics. When lights fuse, furniture gets rickety, pipes get clogged, or vacuum cleaners fail to operate, some woman assume that their husbands will somehow put things right. The worst thing about the do-it-yourself game is that sometimes even men live under the delusion that they can do anything, even when they have repeatedly been proved wrong. It is a question of pride as much as anything else.
Last spring my wife suggested that I call in a man to look at our lawn mower. It had broken down the previous summer, and though I promised to repair it, I had never got round to it. I would not hear of the suggestion and said that I would fix it myself. One Saturday afternoon, I hauled the machine into the garden and had a close look at it. As far as I could see, it needed only a minor adjustment: a turn of a screw here, a little tightening up there, a drop of oil and it would be as good as new. Inevitably the repair job was not quite so simple. The mower firmly refused to mow, so I decided to dismantle it. The garden was soon littered with chunks of metal which had once made up a lawn mower. But I was extremely pleased with myself. I had traced the cause of the trouble. One of links in the chain that drives the wheels had snapped. After buying a new chain I was faced with the insurmountable task of putting the confusing jigsaw puzzle together again. I was not surprised to find that the machine still refused to work after I had reassembled it, for the simple reason that I was left with several curiously shaped bits of metal which did not seem to fit anywhere. I gave up in despair. The weeks passed and the grass grew. When my wife nagged me to do something about it, I told her that either I would have to buy a new mower or let the grass grow. Needless to say our house is now surrounded by a jungle. Buried somewhere in deep grass there is a rusting lawn mower which I have promised to repair one day.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
plead/ pli:d/v.找(借口)，辩解
ignorance英['iɡnərəns] 美['ɪɡnərəns] n.无知，不懂
publication英[,pʌbli'keiʃən] 美[,pʌblɪ'keʃən] n.出版物，出版
newlyweds/ /n.新婚夫妇
gaily/ geili/ad.愉快地，高兴地
leisure/ leʒə/n.空闲
keen/ ki:n/a.热心的，渴望的
advisory 英[æd'vaɪzəri:] 美[æd'vaɪzəri] a.咨询的
novice英['nɔvɪs] 美['nɑvɪs] n.新手
consumer/ kən'sju:mə/n.消费者，顾客
assemble/ ə'sembl/v.装配，组装
outlet/ aut-let/n.出路，出口
creative/ kri(:)eitiv/a.创造性的
handyman/ hændimæn/n.手巧的人，能工巧匠
resourceful/ rɪ'sɔ:sfəl/a.足智多谋的
fuse/ fju:z/v.由于烧断保险丝而短路
rickety/ rikiti/a.要散架的，晃动的
clog/ klɔɡ/v.堵塞
delusion/ di'lu:ʒən/n.错觉
lawn mower/ /割草机
adjustment/ ə'dʒʌstmənt/n.调整
screw/ skru:/n.螺丝钉
dismantle/ dis'mæntl/v.拆卸
chunk/ tʃʌŋk/n.(厚)块
snap/ snæp/v.绷断
insurmountable/ ɪnsə'maʊntəbəl/a.不能克服的，难以对付的
jigsaw英['dʒɪg,sɔ:] 美['dʒɪɡ,sɔ] n.线锯
nag/ næg/v.唠叨不休
rust/ rʌst/v.生锈
参考译文
958. So great is our passion for doing things for ourselves, that we are becoming increasingly less dependent on specialized labour.
现在我们自己动手做事的热情很高，结果对于专业工人的依赖越来越少了。
959. No one can plead ignorance of a subject any longer, for there are countless do-it-yourself publications.
由于出版了不计其数的教人自己动手做事的书报杂志，没有人再能说对某事一无所知。
960. Armed with the right tools and materials, newlyweds gaily embark on the task of decorating their own homes.
新婚夫妇找来合适的工具和材料，喜气洋洋地开始布置新房。
961. Men, particularly, spend hours of their leisure time installing their own fireplaces, laying out their own gardens;
特别是男人，常利用空闲时间安装壁炉、布置花园、建造车库、制作家具。
962. building garages and making furniture. Some really keen enthusiasts go so far as to build their own computers.
有些热衷于自己动手的人甚至自己组装电脑。
963. Shops cater for the do-it-yourself craze not only by running special advisory services for novices,
为了满足自己动手热的需要，商店不仅为初学者提供专门的咨询服务，
964. but by offering consumers bits and pieces which they can assemble at home.
而且为顾客准备了各种零件，供他们买回家去安装。
965. Such things provide an excellent outlet for pent up creative energy, but unfortunately not all of us are born handymen.
这些东西为人们潜在的创造力提供了一个绝妙的用武之地。但不幸的是，我们并非人人都是能工巧匠。
966. Some wives tend to believe that their husbands are infinitely resourceful and can fix anything.
妻子常常认为她们的丈夫无比聪明能干。
967. Even men who can hardly drive a nail in straight are supposed to be born electricians, carpenters, plumbers and mechanics.
甚至那些连一枚钉子都钉不直的男人都被认为是天生的电工、木匠、水管工和机械师。
968. When lights fuse, furniture gets rickety, pipes get clogged, or vacuum cleaners fail to operate,
每当电灯保险丝烧断、家具榫头松动、管道堵塞、吸尘器不动时，
969. some woman assume that their husbands will somehow put things right.
有些妻子认为丈夫总有办法。
970. The worst thing about the do-it-yourself game is that sometimes even men live under the delusion that they can do anything, even when they have repeatedly been proved wrong.
自己动手的例子中最糟糕的是，有时甚至是男人尽管接连失败却还误以为自己什么都行，
971. It is a question of pride as much as anything else.
原因就是要面子。
972. Last spring my wife suggested that I call in a man to look at our lawn mower.
今年春天，妻子让我请人检查一下我家的割草机。
973. It had broken down the previous summer, and though I promised to repair it, I had never got round to it.
那台割草机去年夏天就坏了，尽管我答应修，但一直没抽出时间，
974. I would not hear of the suggestion and said that I would fix it myself.
我不愿听妻子的建议，说我自己会修。
975. One Saturday afternoon, I hauled the machine into the garden and had a close look at it.
一个星期六的下午，我把割草机拉到了花园里，仔细检查了一番。
976. As far as I could see, it needed only a minor adjustment:
在我看来，只需稍加调整即可。
977. a turn of a screw here, a little tightening up there, a drop of oil and it would be as good as new.
这儿紧紧螺丝，那儿固定一下，再加几滴油，就会像新的一样了。
978. Inevitably the repair job was not quite so simple.
事实上，修理工作远不是那么简单。
979. The mower firmly refused to mow, so I decided to dismantle it.
修完后割草机还是纹丝不动。于是，我决定把它拆开。
980. The garden was soon littered with chunks of metal which had once made up a lawn mower.
一会儿工夫，割草机便被拆成一个个金属零件，乱七八糟地堆在花园里。
981. But I was extremely pleased with myself.
但我却非常高兴，
982. I had traced the cause of the trouble.
因为我找到了毛病所在。
983. One of the links in the chain that drives the wheels had snapped.
驱动轮子的链条断了一节。
984. After buying a new chain I was faced with the insurmountable task of putting the confusing jigsaw puzzle together again.
我买来一根新链条后，面临的就是如何把这些令人眼花缭乱的拼板重新组装起来。
985. I was not surprised to find that the machine still refused to work after I had reassembled it,
等我装完后，那台割草机仍然一动不动，对此我倒并不感到吃惊。
986. for the simple reason that I was left with several curiously shaped bits of metal which did not seem to fit anywhere.
原因很简单，因为还剩下几个形状奇特的零件似乎哪里也装不上去。
987. I gave up in despair.
我无可奈何，只好罢休。
988. The weeks passed and the grass grew.
几个星期过去了，草长了起来。
989. When my wife nagged me to do something about it, I told her that either I would have to buy a new mower or let the grass grow.
妻子喋喋不休让我想点办法。我告诉她，要么买一台新割草机，要么让草长下去。
990. Needless to say our house is now surrounded by a jungle.
不用说，我家现在已被丛林包围。
991. Buried somewhere in deep grass there is a rusting lawn mower which I have promised to repair one day.
深草丛中的某个地方有一台正在生锈的割草机，那就是我曾答应某日要修理的割草机。