最近和一群英文书友一起读书
《虎妈赞歌》英文版
虎妈，本名蔡美儿（Amy Lynn Chua），女，1962年生，祖籍福建。其父获麻省理工学院博士，就职于加利福尼亚大学。蔡美儿幼年随父母移民美国，获哈佛大学文学学士、法学博士，现任耶鲁大学法学院终身教授。
蔡美儿为两个女儿制定十大戒律，自称“采用咒骂、威胁、贿赂、利诱等种种高压手段，要求孩子沿着父母为其选择的道路努力”。7岁的女孩，因为一首钢琴曲弹不好就被强迫从晚饭后一直练到夜里，中间不许喝水或上厕所。这种教育子女的方式在中国一些父母的身上可以看到。
但是，这种苛刻的教育方法，被一位美国耶鲁大学华裔教授蔡美儿写在自己育儿经的一本书上，这本名为《虎妈战歌》（Battle Hymn of theTiger Mother）的书籍一出版，引爆了全世界对东西方教育方式的大讨论。
这本书还是蛮有意义的，东方人身处西方世界，作者以特殊的东方教育方法，培育出了两个优秀的女儿，很值得观看！！
学习流程：
一般都是先听音频数遍，大致明白文章大意然后开始看书，在记录自己不懂的生词或短语或者自己喜欢的句子。
今天是坚持的第16天。
大致情节概述：
上篇讲到姐姐Sophia开始星光璀璨的音乐旅途，这次轮到妹妹Lulu啦！根据Vamos夫人建议的那样，露露参加位于纽约的朱莉亚音乐学院的大学预科课程，这个课程仅对年龄大约在7~18岁才华横溢的孩子开放，并且能被录取的名额少者又少。虎妈当然是很希望自己的女儿能够有机会到好学校继续进修啦，也对女儿很有信心。但是Lulu自己都不知道自己能不能应付得来，而爸爸Jed则是不是很赞成，担心茱莉亚著名的高压氛围和竞争激烈的心态，露露作为一个孩子，到这样的一个环境下学习可心理承受能力还不够，反而不利于孩子的成长。文中有介绍到虎妈和爸爸自己的爱情故事，Jed以前在戏剧学院，刚介绍给作者爸妈时，他们还不同意两人在一起，理想中父母希望作者找个不太英俊的中国人。Jed叛逆，转到法学院，后来后来就终于一起啦！妹妹要开始准备试演，妈妈又多请老师来陪Lulu练习。最后收到消息Sophia在比赛中第一名，有机会去卡内基大厅演奏啦！但是又和妹妹的试演日期很近。总之要恭喜虎妈，大女儿成功的喜悦！
印象最深的句子：
“As I've said, raising kids the Chinese way is much harder than raising them the Western way. There is simply no respite. Just as I'd finally finished working with Sophia around the clock for two months on her pieces, I had to turn right around and do the same for Lulu.”
“以中国的方式来养孩子真的比西式的艰难很多。真的是一刻都没发休息.....”
虎妈养两个孩子真的不容易呀，超棒的妈妈
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
Day16 核心笔记整理
一、疑难句子理解
1.原句：As Mrs. Vamos had suggested, Lulu would audition for the Pre-College program at the Juilliard School in New York, open to highly talented kidsbetween the ages of roughly seven and eighteen.
疑难点：这句语法怎么理解？
讨论：as引导的是一个非限制性定语从句。as常用“正如”含义，常用的结构有as we know（众所周知）；as often happens（正如常发生的那样）；as is often the case（情况常常如此）; as we all can see（正如我们看到的）; be announced/expected/known/imagined/mentioned/said/shown/reported等。这些结构常放句首，偶尔也可以放句中或句末。which引导的非限制性定语从句，这里应该是which is open to highly ...系表结构，省略which is；open to highly talented kids between the ages of roughly seven and eighteen后置定语修饰program；翻译为对那些年龄大约在7~18岁的才华横溢的孩子开放的项目。
参考翻译：就像Vamos夫人曾建议的那样，露露会参加位于纽约的朱莉亚音乐学院的大学预科课程，仅对年龄大约在7~18岁才华横溢的孩子开放。
2.原句：Every year, thousands of high-achieving kids from all over the world—especially Asia and most recently Russia and eastern Europe—try out for a handful of spots.
疑难点：try out for a handful of spots这里怎么理解？
讨论：try out for :为取得（职位，会员资格）而进行竞争，参加选拔；a handful of sth：a very small number of people or things 几个人[物]，少数人[物]；spots [口语]职位，职务，这里指入学名额a handful of spots：这里指极少的进入茱莉亚音乐学院参加大学预科项目的名额。
3.原句：But what he was really worried about was thepressure-cooker atmosphere and sometimes dog-eat-dog mentality that Juilliard is famous for.
疑难点： the pressure-cooker atmosphere and sometimes dog-eat-dog mentality 这里怎么理解？
讨论：pressure-cooker：N-COUNT A pressure cooker is a large metal container with a lid that fits tightly, in which you can cook food quickly using steam at high pressure. 高压锅；【非正式用语】压力重重：充满困难，压力或焦虑的情形或气氛；pressure-cooker atmosphere：高压的氛围（英语中很常见的名词修饰名词）；dog-eat-dog：自相残杀的，竞争激烈的；dog-eat-dog mentality：竞争激烈的心态。但是杰德真正担心的是茱莉亚著名的高压氛围和竞争激烈的心态，让露露到这样的一个环境下学习可能会对孩子来说，心理承受能力还不够，不利于孩子的成长。
参考翻译：但他真正担忧的是朱莉亚音乐学院出了名的高压氛围，以及有时让人产生自相残杀心态的环境。
4.原句：I could tell he had a picture in his head of Jed in a booth stamping forms at the Department of Motor Vehicles.
疑难点：如何理解这句话？
参考理解：Department of Motor Vehicles: DMV是美国负责管理机动车辆，颁发驾驶执照部门的基本称呼；booth: A booth is a small area separated from a larger public area by screens or thin walls where, for example, people can make a telephone call or vote in private.小隔间，电话亭，投票间；在这里应该指的是办公的小隔间；stamp: VERB If you stamp a mark or word on an object, you press the mark or word onto the object using a stamp or other device.盖(章)，打(戳记)；stamp forms在这里应该理解为给别人办证，在申请表格上盖章之类的。
参考翻译：我知道，他脑海里肯定会幻想一张图像——Jed在美国车辆管理局给工作，在小隔间里给别人盖章办证。
5.原句：It was especially hard to help Lulu prepare, because she was still maintaining that she would never in a million years do the audition.
疑难点：如何理解she would never in a million years do the audition？
参考理解：in a million years即一百万年；audition: a short performance given by an actor, a singer, etc., so that sb can decide whether they are suitable to act in a play, sing in a concert, etc.(拟进行表演者的)试演,试唱,试音
参考翻译：（就算）过了一百万年，她也不会去试音。
二、自由提问
1.原句：There’s also something about insubordinationand getting kicked out that Americans love. By contrast, when we told the story to my parents, it didn’t go over
well at all.
疑难点：如何理解？
讨论：insubordination: N-UNCOUNT Insubordination is a refusal to obey someone of higher rank. 不服从 getting kicked out:被开除，getting kicked out名词短语。go over: To gain acceptance or approval: a new style that didn't go over.获得认可
这句话是说美国人崇尚叛逆精神，也喜欢听到有人被学校开除这样的戏码（参考Bill Gates, Steve Jobs，都是退学创业），然而Amy把Jed这些经历告诉她爸妈时，他们根本不认可。
2.原句：Two days later, Jed was told by the chairman of the Drama Division (who happened to be married to the director Jed had offended) that he should find something else to do. After a year of waiting tables in New York, that something turned out to be Harvard law school.
疑难点：如何理解最后一句话？that什么成分？
讨论：that something指代的前文的something else to do，Jed被学院开除后，被说去找找别的事情做，Jed在纽约当了一年的侍应生之后，就去了哈佛法学院。
3.原句：The names Val Kilmer and Kelly McGillis didn’t seem to mean anything to my parents.
疑难点：如何理解这句话？
讨论：指的是这些明星的名字对Amy父母来说似乎毫无意义。
三、生词、短语 New Words and Phrases
1. get up to speed
moving, operating, or functioning a normal or desired rate. 跟上进度
原句：Kiwon wasn’t sure Lulu was quite ready technically, but I was confident we could get up to speed.
2. try out for
to audition for a part in some performance or other activity requiring skill. 竞争；参加选拔
原句：Every year, thousands of high-achieving kids from all over the world—especially Asia and most recently Russia and eastern Europe—try out for a handful of spots.
3. dog-eat-dog
A dog-eat-dog situation is one in which people are willing to harm each other or to use dishonest methods in orderto achieve what they want.残酷的；凶狠的，你死我活的，自相残杀的，
4. mentality /mɛnˈtælɪtɪ/
Your mentality is your attitudes and your way of thinking. 心态
原句：But what he was really worried about was the pressure-cooker atmosphere and sometimes dog-eat-dogmentality that Juilliard is famous for
5. notorious /nəʊˈtɔːrɪəs/
To be notorious means to be well known for something bad. 声名狼藉的
原句：After graduating from Princeton, he’d been accepted to Juilliard’s Drama Division, notoriously even harder to get into than their world-famous Music Division.
6. alexander technique
a technique for developing awareness of one's posture and movement in order to improve it 亚历山大健身技术; 通过增强对姿势和动作的意识对其进行促进的技术
原句：He dated ballet dancers, learned the Alexander Technique, and played the lead role in King Lear.
7. kick out
to kick someone out of a place or an organization means to force them to leave it. 撵走; 开除
8. insubordination /ˌɪnsəbɔːˌdɪˈneɪʃən/
Insubordination is a refusal to obey someone of higher rank. 不服从
原句：And then Jed got kicked out—for “insubordination.”
9. out of the blue
晴天霹雳地;出乎意外地;突然地[亦作 out of a clear (blue) sky]
10. sneer /snɪə/
If you sneer at someone or something, you express your contempt for them by the expression on your face or by what you say. 嘲笑
原句：Several weeks later, out of the blue at a rehearsal, she became furiously angry at Jed, snapping pencils in half, declaring that she couldn’t work with someone who “just stands there, sneering at me, criticizing every word I say.”
11. embellish /ɪmˈbɛlɪʃ/
If you embellish a story, you make it more interesting by adding details that may be untrue. 添油加醋
原句：I’ve told this story at party after party, where it’s always a big hit, especially after I embellish it.
12. spring on
To present or disclose something to someone unexpectedly or suddenly突然向…提出(或宣布等)：
原句：After hiding him for two years, I had finally sprung on my parents that I was seriously dating Jed, and they were in shock.
13. anguished /ˈæŋɡwɪʃt/
Anguished means showing or feeling great mental suffering or physical pain. 极为痛苦的
原句：“Kicked out?” she said, throwing my father an anguished glance.
14. burst out
If someone bursts out laughing, crying, or making another noise, they suddenly start making that noise. You can also say that a noise bursts out. 突然爆发出
原句：“Eighty percent!” my mother burst out.
15. indelible /ɪnˈdɛlɪbəl/
impossible to remove or forget难以去掉的；难以忘记的；永恒的
原句：This last word she spat out, as if it carried an indelible moral stain.
16. respite /ˈrɛspɪt/
A respite is a short delay before a very unpleasant or difficult situation which may or may not take place. 暂缓
原句：As I’ve said, raising kids the Chinese way is much harder than raising them the Western way. There is simply no respite.
17. concertmaster /ˈkɒnsətˌmɑːstə/
the most important violin player in an orchestra 〔管弦乐队中的〕首席小提琴手
原句：The Pre-College violin faculty includes big names like Itzhak Perlman and the New York Philharmonic’s concertmaster Glenn Dicterow, as well as some of the most prominent teachers of young violinists in the world.
18. hunker down
to bend your knees so that you are sitting on your heels very close to the ground蹲坐，蹲
原句：But I hunkered down. “It will be your decision in the end, Lulu,”
19. pontificate [pɒn'tɪfɪkeɪt]
to give your opinion about something in a way that shows you think you are always right武断地谈论，自以为是地发表意见
原句：I would pontificate at other times.
超级推荐看这本书哦，体会中国母亲教育路上的良苦用心❤️
