Day 20：Vocabularies and expressions：
1. 写作表达积累：
1）those words rang out across the Internet 网络舆论
2）address the factual and conceptual errors commited by sb
3）Statistics provide firm answers, but not necessarily to the right questions. 数据对一个问题的针对性
4）两方面原因，着重强调其一：
the art’s exalted status was as much the result of global politics as of middle-class tastes. 艺术的崇高地位既与全球政治有关，又与中产阶级的品味有关
5）以偏概全：The doomsayers also like to cherry-pick a few crisis-ridden institutions anduse them to generalize about the art form itself.
6）重视一件事情的价值：(rarely) consider the value in having...
7）让步：的确，但是...
Granted, .... But ...
2. 词组积累：
1）complete with：包括...（原形）
This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.
an article complete with drawings and illustrations
2）... emerged from a fifteen-month lockout crisis
emerge from：to survive a difficult situation
3）lassical music is inherently better than any other kind of music
4）professes to be alarmed that：觉得很震惊
5）the market share has hovered around three per cent
6）整体：the sum of ...
This is the sum of my achievements so far.
7）无与伦比的体验：an experience like no other
There is nothing to compare with it.
8）以...结束：concluded with...
3. hoary：
1）old-fashioned and no longer interesting
a hoary old joke，the hoary cliche of sb，the hoary old problem
2）（especially hair）grey or white because a person is old
What medicaments can treat a teenager effectively hoary-headed symptons？
= graying audience
4. obituary：the notice of someone's death
5. fold：熟词新义
v. （of a company, a play）to close because it is not successful
New York City Opera folded last fall.
6. lockout：a situation when an employer refuses to allow workers into their place of work until they agree to various conditions
The employer used a lockout to break up the employee strike.
7. So what brought on this latest spasm of morbidity?
1）bring on：make wth develop, usually sth unpleasant
He was suffering from stress brought on by overwork.
2）spasm：a sudden and often painful contracting of a muscle, which you cannot control
a muscle spasm
引申义：anything that occurs suddenly and lasts a short while
a spasm of anxiety/anger/pain
3）adj. morbid：describe anyone who spends too much time thinking about unpleasant things, especially death or disease
If the first section of the newspaper you read is the obituaries, you could be considered morbid
Some people have a morbid fasination with crime.
n. morbidity：the quality of being unhealthful
Morbidity can also mean "fixated on death or having an abnormally gloomy state of mind," like the increasing morbidity of an older person whose family and friends have all passed on.
8. Why is the American media so fixated on the supposedly imminent demise of classical music?
1）fixate：pay attention to exclusively and obsessively
The media are fixating on Princess Diana's death
2）imminent：(especially unpleasant things) likely to happen very soon
the imminent threat of invasion
The system is in imminent danger of clooapse.
An announcement about his resignation is imminent.
3）demise：the end or failure of an institution, an idea, a company
death：his imminent/ sudden demise
9. eloquent：
able to use language and express your opinions well, especially when you are speaking in public
an eloquent speech/speaker
10. superfluous：more than required
<有趣的解释>a fifth wheel on a car or a fifth person on a double date, call it superfluous
For a climb over a glacier, the very thickest shoes are absolutely necessary; beyond these, all else seems superfluous to me.
11. kick the bucket：(informal, or humorous) to die
12. There is a creepy bloodlust to the doom-mongering of classical music, as though an autopsy were being conducted on a still-breathing body.
非常血腥的比喻啊：现在人们对于古典音乐有一种令人毛骨悚然的杀戮欲望，这就像是在给一个依然呼吸的活体做尸体解剖一样。
1）bloodlust：a strong desire to kill or to be violent
2）monger：
n. a seller, especially of something specific like a fish monger or an iron monger
v. to sell or peddle
drug companies have a vested interest in disease-mongering.
在制造疾病中获得了既得利益
3）autopsy：the dissection of a dead human body to figure out the cause of death
13. ensemble：
a small group of musicians, dancers or actors who perform together
a brass/wind/string ensemble 铜管乐器，管乐器，弦乐器合奏组
14. profile：
1）a description of sb/sth
build up a detailed profile of our customers and their requirements
a profile of a discovery
2）the general impression that sb/sth gives to the public（=image）
raise the company's international profile.
15. how real people make careers in a purportedly comatose industry
传言处于昏迷状态的产业
1）purport：v. want to convince people about something that might not be true, like when you purport that the dog ate your homework
n. the general meaning of sth：If the speech was long and hard to follow, you might be lucky just to get the purport
adj. purported：传言的
the purported author of the story，purported benefits
adv. purportedly：a letter purportedly written by Mozart
2）comatose：Being comatose is being in a coma, unconscious and unable to communicate, often for long periods of time.
when you feel comatose after a chemistry lecture — assuming chemistry's not your thing.
16. Instead, classical-music concern-trolls toss poorly aimed barbs.
1）troll：
n. a supernatural creature who is either very big or very small, ugly, and not very nice
v. to search for or try to get sth
He trolled the Internet for advice on the disease.
<Annie的回答> 网络水军
2）barb：
1. the point of an arrow or a hook that is curved backwards 倒钩，倒刺
<记忆> Barb comes from the Latin word barba, which means “beard.” Beards offer protection from things like cold and wind, but as Mommy found out when she kissed Santa Claus, they can also be quite scratchy. Perhaps this is why, when it comes to talking about beards, some people speak nothing but barbs.
2. a remark that hurts one's feelings
17. Why all the abstruse rules of conduct?
abstruse：things are difficult to understand because they are so deep and intellectually challenging
the technology that goes into making the Internet function is abstruse
an abstruse argument
18. There seems to be a deeper savagery at work, one that maniacally insists that a functioning industry reflect on itself, as though orchestra managers and opera intendants were oblivious to their own problems.
1）savagery：behaviour that is very cruel and violent
the savagery of the attacks
2）at work：have an effect on sth
She suspected that secret influences were at work.
2）maniac：a crazy person
maniacal：adj.anything that seems wildly crazy
It's the maniacal screaming from the fans that sticks in my head
maniacally：adv.he was maniacally obsessed with jealousy
3）intendant：监督者，管理者
4）oblivious (of/to sth)：not aware of sth
oblivious of the damage he had caused
You eventually become oblivious to the noise.
19. pundit：an expert
20. I have the stats（=statistics）.
21. What supports these jeremiads is the implicit idea that classical music is an aberration in the United States, something to be regarded with suspicion.
1）jeremiad：a long, sad list of complaints
Many letters to the editors of newspapers and comments on websites are jeremiads, and someone addressing a city council or school board might make a verbal jeremiad — speaking for a long time about their many grievances
2）implicit：adj.
1. sth is not clearly stated（=implied）
implicit criticism
<有趣的例句> 有些事情还是讲清楚了好
You might think you and your boyfriend might have an implicit understanding that you are going to get married, but it's probably better to talk it through.
2. complete without any doubt
we have implicit trust or confidence in someone
3）aberration：n. something strange that rarely occurs
<有趣的例句> 现在的反常行为，也许在先前很正常呢，就像一夫多妻哈哈
Today, you'd say it was an aberration to send little children to work in coal mines and factories and not to school, which was common in the nineteenth century. There's a very old poem called "The Chimney Sweep" about a boy who cleans chimneys and is only about five years old
�22. agitate：means to stir up
1. v. to argue strongly for sth you want, especially for changes in social conditions
political groups agitated for social change/better conditions
Her family are agitating to have her transferred to a prison in the UK.
n. agitator：a person tries to persuade people to take part in political protest
The authorities arrested the main agitator of the movement.
agitators for Beethoven and Brahms helped secure it an increasing stake on American soil.
2. to make sb feel angry, anxious or nervous
If you watch a horror movie at bedtime, you may be too agitated to sleep. Movies like that can agitate all sorts of adrenaline（肾上腺素） responses in the body.
3. make sth move around by stirring or shake it
a washing machine agitates dirty clothes in warm soapy water to drive away the dirt.
23. bust：
v. to break sth：bust the camera/door
n. a statue of a person's head and upper shoulders
There's also the kind of bust that might sit on your piano, like a bust of Mozart or Bach
adj. broken：My watch is bust
go bust=go bankrupt
24. the blaze is palpable
adj. that is easily noticed by the mind or the senses
<非常好的解释>Palpable is usually reserved for situations in which something invisible becomes so intense that it feels as though it has substance or weight. When the towers came down, the sense of sadness was so great, it was palpable
a palpable sense of relief
The tension in the room was almost palpable
25. It is not a profession for the apathetic.
apathetic：adj. show no interest or enthusiasm
Maybe you feel apathetic because nothing around you stirs your interest, or maybe it’s because you need some coffee.
The illness made her apathetic and unwilling to meet people.
26. It’s also not an industry full of naïve devotees without business acumen.
1）devotee：n. a person who admires and is very enthusiastic about sb/sth, or a very religious person
they are huge devotees of the musicians they love
2）acumen：the ability to understand and decide things quickly and well
business/ commercial/ financial acumen
27.
地位上升：
1）exalted status
exalted：of high rank, position or great importance
rise to an exalted position
at the exalted level of Olympic competition
2）ascendant superpower
3）reigning supreme
地位下降：
split from popular culture
popular culture were an exclusively American affair
lost the central position it held in American culture
28. mockery：
n. comments or actions that are intended to make sb/sth seem ridiculous, or the act of making fun of sb
She couldn't stand any more of their mockery.
comedians often get laughs with mockery, by pretending to be famous politicians and exaggerating the way they talk or gesture.
make a mockery of：make sth seem ridiculous or useless
The trial made a mockery of justice.
29. Classical music was for pretentious snobs in 1935, according to the movies; classical music is for pretentious snobs in 2014, according to television.
1）pretentious：
adj. try to appear more important and intelligent than they really are in order to impress other people
<记忆> pretend to be more important and intelligent
It's just an ordinary house-- nothing prentious.
2）snob：a person who think they are better than other people because they are intelligent
an intellectual snob
a person who admires people with high social status and has no respect for people in the lower social classes
30. pen：v. write：pen a letter
31. blare：make a loud noise
the NBC Symphony Orchestra blared through home radios
The radio was blaring rock music
32. cultural prowess：great skill at doing sth
academic/ sporting prowess
33. Time covers and “Modern Family” should not be the benchmark for success in the wide expanse of the American cultural landscape.
benchmark：a standard that other similar items can be compared to — that way everything is measured against a common standard
A particular item is selected as a benchmark, and other similar items are compared to the benchmark.
The truck industry is a benchmark for the economy.
Tests at the age of seven provide a benchmark against which the child's progress at school can be measured.
34. play the numbers game
the numbers game：a way of considering an activity, that is concerned only with the number of people doing sth, things achieved, not with who or what they are.
35. a cursory glance at industry report：
cursory：done quickly and without giving attention to details
a cursory glance/examination/inspection
36. Yes, it’s a niche market, but so is most music in our polyglot society—not reigning supreme is not the same as ceasing to exist.
古典音乐虽然是小众市场，但是除此之外大多数音乐在如今的多元化社会都是这样的——不占统治地位不代表就不存在了。
1）niche：
n. an activity or role in life that is particularly suited a person’s interests or talents.
He eventually found his niche in sports journalism.
n. an opportunity to sell a particular product to a particular group of people
They spotted a niche in the market, with no serious competition.
a niche market：aim products at particular groups
2）polyglot：adj./n. multilingual
<哈哈，我居然看得懂两句话>Ni hao! Comment allez-vous? Estoy bien, gracias. Sayōnara! If you understood everything you just read, you’re probably a polyglot— a person who understands multiple languages.
apolyglot neighborhood：full of people from many different cultures
the polyglot crowd at the Olympic games
37. The doomsayers also like to cherry-pick a few crisis-ridden institutions and use them to generalize about the art form itself.
1）cherry-pick：to choose the best people or things from a group and leave those which are not as so good,
cherry-pick their best players
2）-ridden：full of a particular unpleasant things
a diease-ridden slum
a class-ridden society等级森严的社会
She was guilt-ridden at the way she had treated him.
38. Classical music is the sum of all its institutions, performers, and listeners, plus a thousand-year-old cultural lineage; it can’t be snuffed out through any combination of bankrupt orchestras and mediocre album sales.
1）lineage：the series of families that sb comes from originalty
多么痛的领悟：Mozart had six children, but none of them had children of their own, so the composer’sl ineage ended after one generation.
但是音乐精神永久存在：If you put an adjective like artistic or spiritual before lineage, it becomes clear you're talking about people who are related by ideas or attitude, not by blood. There are many composers, even today, who trace their musical lineage to Mozart, even though his actual lineage ended in the 19th century.
cultural lineage：文化传承
2）snuff：=extinguish
1. snuff it=die
He was about to snuff it.
2. snuff out：destroy sth completely
An innocent child's life has been snuffed out by this senseless shooting.
3）mediocre：not very good, of only average standard
a mediocre musician/talent/performance
39. What’s most remarkable, perhaps, is that the industry remains relatively vibrant in the face of an American media culture that appears so determined to marginalize it.
vibrant：
1. Vibrant was originally intended to describe sounds. Sound waves vibrate, and when they vibrate more rapidly, they sound brighter.
vibrant rhythms
2. adj. full of life and energy：a vibrant city
3. vibrant colors are bright
marginalize：When you push people to the edge of society by not allowing them a place within it, you marginalize them.
marginalize the local authority sector
we have always been marginalized
40. civic
adj. connected with the people who live in a town or city
a sense of civic pride= pride that people feel for their town or city
the civic pride that the citizens of Chicago and Minnesota take in their symphonies
civic duties/ responsibilities
41. synphony n. 交响乐
42. the lifelong bonds forged between musicians and their audience
forge：
<记忆> Forge has also taken on the more general sense of creating something 创造东西：建立link/bond，创造一个假的东西——伪造，锻造新的器械
v. to put effort into making sth successful or strong so that it will last
a move to forge new links between management and workers
forge a new career in the music business
v. make an illegal copy of sth in order to cheat people
forge a passport/banknote/cheque/one's signature
v. shape metal by heating it in a fire and hitting it with a hammer
swords forged from steel
43. canny：
intelligent, careful and showing good judgement, especially in business or politics
If you're a canny investor, you know how to spend money to make money
同义词1：prudent：sensible and careful when you make judgements and decisions, avoiding unnecessary risks
a prudent businessman
a prudent decision/ investment
It might be more prudent to get a second opinion before going ahead.
同义词2：shrewd
uncanny：strange and difficult to explain
I had an uncanny feeling that I was being watched.
It was uncanny really, almost as if she knew what I was thinking.
44. American classical music launched in earnest on Christmas Day of 1815.
in earnest：
1. more seriously and with more force or effort than before
The work on the house will begin in earnest on Monday.
2. be serious about what you are saying
You may laugh but I'm in deadly earnest.
I could tell she spoke in earnest.
45. unveiled excerpts from European oratorios
An oratorio is a musical piece that is usually lengthy and based on some Biblical or religious event. 清唱剧，神剧
It is a performance for voice and orchestra, but the story is told through the music, and not with scenery, costumes, and action.
46. a rousing “Hallelujah” chorus
rousing：full of energy
a rousing cheer，a rousing speech
47. How many other American phenomena have endured for two centuries? 某个现象持续多久
48. Those are not the sounds of death throes you hear; they are a steady heartbeat.
throes：Did your team just lose the Super Bowl or the World Series? You're probably in the throes of despair — experiencing intense feelings of suffering and agitation.
Day 21：Mindmap
Day 22：Summary
这次的文章结构清晰，文笔非常好，是一篇值得学习的文章，下面谈一下我对文章的简单理解吧
I want to talk about the arrangement of this article today, which appears coherent and clear to me, and I regard it as a combination of listing problems and announcing the real fact.
At the very beginning, the author stated the purpose of this passage clearly, which is to strongly disapprove the idea that classical music in America is dead, and questioned why the American media fixated on the supposedly imminent demise of this kind of art. He quoted the statements of Charles and Andy as for unveiling the fact that the death of classical music is an continuing tradition. He furtherly noted that the usage of the word "death" was inapproporate for the whole industry was still "breathing" , with young composers and new ensembles showing up continuously.
Secondly, the writer pointed that the doomsayers blamed business and culture for the death of classical music, which is backed up by the idea that classical music is an aberration in the U.S. and is completely nonsense. To argue against the so-called cultural reasons, the author explained that classical music has endured because it has been made American, and the fire is still burning in the heart of people involved in this industry. As for those business reasons, he argued that the failure of individual institutions do not mean the collapse of the whole system.
Thirdly, in the face of the statement that classical music split from popular culture, the writer confessed that it has indeed lost the central position it held before, which was the result of global politics and middle-class tastes. Besides, when talking about the number games Vanhoenacker played, the writer stated that the low but stable market share is a sign of health for the whole industry. There are vairous types of music in our polyglot society, and it is not uncommon that different people have different tastes for music.
Finally, the writer claimed that classical music is the sum of all its institutions, all people involved and a thousand-year-old cultural lineage, answering why it is not reasonable to regard the failure of several institutions as the failure of the whole industry. At the end of the passage, the writer penned a sentence which serves as the most suitable conclusion for the whole passage——Those are not the sounds of death throes you hear; they are a steady heartbeat.
