Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits.
Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking. (Albert Einstein)
关键词：马云、6.19伦敦恐袭、北漂、波兰反移民政策、卡塔尔危机
1. Bruce said the rags-to-riches tale of the Chinese billionaire came as no surprise to him, as he knew from the very beginning that the charismatic teenager was unlike his peers. (2017/6/22 CGTN) [1]
据中国环球电视网 (CGTN) 报道，马云最近在底特律出席美国中小企业论坛时，与布鲁斯·西伦 (Bruce Thelen) 重逢，上演“老友记”。原来，37年前那个夏天，16岁的马云为了练口语，曾在杭州为布鲁斯担任过义务导游，两人自此结下友谊。
布鲁斯在新闻中说，马云从当年的穷小子变成今天的亿万富豪，他却一点也不感到惊讶，因为在他眼里，当年的马云极具魅力，与同龄人有别。
回到原句中，"the rags-to-riches tale" 所对应的就是这样一个“白手起家的故事”。其中，rags指“破旧衣服”，突出“穷”，riches 为“财富，财宝”之义，强调“富”，然后就有了上面这个形容词以及 from rags to riches（从一贫如洗到家财万贯）这个词组。
rags-to-riches:
a rags-to-riches story is about someone who becomes very rich after starting life very poor [2]
【权威例句】
(1) It was the old rags-to-riches fantasy.[3]
那是一夜成巨富的古老幻想。
(2) He likes to tell people of his rise from rags to riches. [4]
他喜欢给人讲他白手起家的故事。
【仿写】
(3) Many people are daydreaming about rising from rags to riches and could probably end up a loser.
很多人做着一夜暴富的白日梦，最后却很可能一事无成。
(4) Inspiring as Jack Ma's rags-to-riches tale is, we are not him and we do not really know him well, so we cannot follow in his steps.
马云白手起家的故事虽然很励志，但我们不是马云，也并非真的很了解他，所以他的成功很难复制。
2. The assault comes on the heels of an attack at London Bridge, in which three men rammed a van into pedestrians and went on a stabbing spree at nearby bars and restaurants, killing eight people. (2017/6/20 CNN) [5]
6月19日凌晨，在伦敦北部芬斯伯里公园清真寺附近，一辆货车撞向行人，目前已造成1人死亡，10人受伤，与6月3日晚发生的伦敦大桥货车恐袭仅相隔半月，恐袭事件的集中程度可见一斑。
正因为如此，美国有线电视新闻网 (CNN) 在报道时并未用 follow，而是采用 come on the heels of 这一词组，表达“紧随其后，接踵而至”的意思。
(hard/hot/close/) on the heels of:
following close behind someone or something [6]
【权威例句】
(1) TV camera teams arrived hot on the heels of the police. [7]
警察到后，电视台摄制组紧跟着就过来了。
(2) Her remarks came **hard on the heels of **a statement by the President. [8]
总统发表声明之后，紧接着就是她的评论。
【仿写】
(3) Gaokao, university entrance examinations, China's equivalent of America's SAT, came on the heels of the Dragon Boat Festival this year.
今年端午节一过，紧接着就是高考。
(4) A row between Cainiao, e-commerce giant Alibaba's logistics affiliate, and Shunfeng Express came hard on the heels of the Children's Day.
儿童节刚过，菜鸟和顺丰就怼起来了。
3. The recent discovery of around 400 people living underneath an upscale Beijing apartment complex has shone fresh light on the Chinese capital's housing crunch. (2017/6/20 BBC ) [9]
这条新闻出自英国广播公司 (BBC) 中国专栏，说北京一高档公寓楼地下室住了400人，更新了人们对首都住房短缺问题的看法。
我们要注意两个词组：
- shine frsh light on
- housing crunch
cast (new/fresh/) light on something:
to provide information that helps people understand something more clearly [10]
shine (或cast) frsh light on 可理解为“提供信息，从而使某人对某事有更清晰的认识”。
crunch: shortage
<an energy crunch> [11]
housing crunch，即“住房短缺” (housing shortage)，类似的表达还有：a lack of housing 或 a shortage of housing等。
【权威例句】
(1) Human genome research is casting new light on Alzheimer’s disease. [12]
人类基因组研究正让人们进一步了解阿耳茨海默氏病（老年痴呆症）。
(2) The neutron observations may help cast new light on solar flares and solar activity. [13]
对中子的观察结果或有助于进一步解释太阳耀斑等太阳活动现象。
【仿写】
(3) Research government policies may help** cast new light on** the stock market.
对政府政策的研究或有助于进一步了解股市。
(4) Google’s AI AlphaGo defeated Ke Jie, the world’s number one Go player, which has cast fresh light on how scary self-learning AI is.
谷歌的人工智能机器人AlphaGo（“阿尔法狗”）击败世界排名第一的围棋选手柯洁，这进一步说明了具备自我学习能力的人工智能现在到底有多恐怖。
4. "In today's troubled times, Auschwitz is a great lesson that everything must be done to defend the safety and the lives of citizens," Ms Szydlo said.
The remarks were interpreted as defending her nationalist government's migrant policy.
But a government spokesman said they had been taken out of context. (2017/6/15 BBC) [14]
新闻中提到，今年6月正值首批犯人运往奥斯威辛-比克瑙纳粹集中营77周年，波兰总理贝娅塔·希德沃 (Beata Szydlo) 在仪式上发表演讲，却遭政敌指责是在为拒绝接收难民的移民政策辩护。随后，政府发言人回应称总理讲话被断章取义。
... they (the remarks) had been taken out of context.
上面这一句中的粗体字所对应的正是成语“断章取义”，也就是脱离全文，别有用心地选取部分段落或词句。
【权威例句】
(1) The papers took my remarks completely out of context. [15]
我的言论完全被这些报纸断章取义了。
(2) The production is deliberately styleless, and this takes the play out of its historical context. [16]
这一制作有意不突出风格，这就使得该戏剧脱离了其历史背景。
【仿写】
(3) Foreign media often take Chinese leaders' statements out of context.
西方媒体常对我国领导人的话断章取义。
(4) Celebrities' remarks can be easily taken**** out of context by paparazzi.
狗仔队很容易对明星的言论断章取义。
5. Anwar Gargash, UAE's minister of foreign affairs, said Qatar's diplomatic isolation could "last years".
"We do not want to escalate, we want to isolate," Gargash told journalists during a visit to Paris. (2017/6/19 Al Jazeera) [17]
6月19日，阿联酋外长安瓦尔·加尔贾什 (Anwar Gargash) 访问巴黎期间对媒体记者表示，与卡塔尔断交是为了孤立卡塔尔，从而迫使其与恐怖主义划清界限。
"We do not want to escalate, we want to isolate,"...
［拙译］“我们不想让事态升级，我们只想让卡塔尔陷入孤立。”
从修辞角度来看，escalate 与 isolate 尾音均为 [-leɪt]，构成尾韵，不仅读起来朗朗上口，还加强了句子的语气。这也说明，要想完全读懂英语新闻，你得会点修辞才行。
【权威例句】
(1) Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening (by Robert Frost)
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
森林又暗又深真可羡，
但我还要守一些诺言，
还要赶多少路才安眠，
还要赶多少路才安眠。（余光中译）
(2) Every mayor and city council of a sleepy hamlet would love to figure out the formula for urban resurrection, even if it's a risky, costly proposition. (2016/7/27 CNN) [18]
每个小城的市长和议会都喜欢找到重振城市的办法，即使该办法风险大，成本高。
【仿写】
(3) I consider my upcoming resignation to be an evolution, a big transition which is going to be painful.
我把即将到来的辞职视为一场革命，一次重大而痛苦的转型。
(4) Qatar sees no justificaton for its continuing political isolation, though the Saudi-led bloc has claimed it is due to the Gulf state's support of terrorism.
尽管沙特所领导的多国集团已声称断交原因在于卡塔尔支持恐怖主义，但这一海湾国家仍然认为该国所遭遇的持续政治孤立毫无道理。
小 结
1. 白手起家，从一贫如洗到家财万贯
Bruce said the rags-to-riches tale of the Chinese billionaire came as no surprise to him, as he knew from the very beginning that the charismatic teenager was unlike his peers.
2. 接踵而至
The assault comes on the heels of an attack at London Bridge, in which three men rammed a van into pedestrians and went on a stabbing spree at nearby bars and restaurants, killing eight people.
3. 使某人对某事有更清晰的认识；住房短缺
The recent discovery of around 400 people living underneath an upscale Beijing apartment complex has shone fresh light on the Chinese capital's housing crunch.
4. 断章取义
But a government spokesman said they had been taken out of context.
5. 尾韵：升级 vs 孤立
"We do not want to escalate, we want to isolate," Gargash told journalists during a visit to Paris.
谢谢阅读。
参考文献
[1] CGTN: Why did a US lawyer insist on meeting Jack Ma in Detroit?
https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d637a4d7751444e/share_p.html
[2] 《朗文当代高级英语辞典 (英英--英汉双解) 》(第5版)
[3]《新牛津英汉双解大词典》(第2版)
[4]《朗文当代高级英语辞典 (英英--英汉双解) 》(第5版)
[5] CNN: London mosque attack suspect named, according to media outlets
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/18/europe/urgent---london-vehicle-collision/index.html
[6] Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners (Second Edition)
[7] Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners (Second Edition)
[8] Macmillan English Dictionary 2nd Edition
[9] BBC: Subterranean home for 400 found in Beijing basement
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-40325773
[10] Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners (Second Edition)
[11] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th Edition)
[12] Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners (Second Edition)
[13] British National Corpus (BYU-BNC)
http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/
[14] BBC: Polish PM Beata Szydlo criticised for Auschwitz speech
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40287170
[15] Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary (Third Edition)
[16] Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary (Third Edition)
[17] Al Jazeera: UAE minister says Qatar's blockade could 'last years'
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/qatar-diplomatic-crisis-latest-updates-170605105550769.html
[18] CNN: Could Pokemon Go save a city's economy?
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/27/opinions/south-korea-pokemon-go-opinion-danny-cevallos/index.html
