5月21日

strive to do sth

努力、奋斗（做某事）

The alpha male strives to maintain social harmony / within his troop.

雄性首领会努力维持族群的社会和谐

邓巴数（Dunbar's number），也称150定律，指能与某个人维持紧密人际关系的人数上限，通常人们认为是150。

on the basis of sth

在某事的基础上

It is discrimination on the basis of sex.

这是性别歧视。

be rooted in sth

起源于某事物

cradle 发源地

The country's economic troubles are rooted in a string of global crises.

这个国家的经济困境是源于一连串的全球危机。

engage in sth从事、参加

Even in prison, he continued to engage incriminal activities.

他甚至在监狱里还继续从事犯罪活动。

threshold  n.

常见义：作名词，“门槛、门口”；文中生义：作名词，“阈、界、起始点”。

I have a low / high boredom threshold.

我很容易／不容易感到厌倦。

division  n.

常见义：作名词，“分歧、分开、部门”；文中生义：作名词，“（军队）师”。

Several armoured divisions are being moved from Germany.

正从德国调动几个装甲师

今日短语·

speak about提起、讲述

convince sb to do sth说服、劝服某人做某事

after all毕竟、终归

prevent sb / sth (from doing sth)阻止某人（做某事）

a handful of少数人（或物）

adapt for使适应、使适合

risk sb’s life to do sth冒着某人的生命危险做某事

pay out付出（大笔款项）

·参考答案·

1 Everyone is striving to be their best versions.

每个人都在努力成为最好的自己。

2 It’s unavoidable for us to judge someone on the basis of his looking.

我们不可避免地会以貌取人。

3 This feeling of being rejected is often deeplyrooted in childhood.

这种被人排斥的感觉往往深深根源于童年。

5月22日

limited liability companies有限责任公司

revolve around sb / sth

围绕某人/某事、以某人/某事为中心

It all revolved around telling stories, and convincing people to believe them.

这种方法的核心就是讲故事并且让人相信这些故事。

Just like you or me, it is bound by the laws of the countries / in which it operates.

be bound by sth

被某事约束，必须做某事

affix sth to sth将某物附在某物上

The label should be firmly affixed to the package.

这张标签应该牢牢地贴在包裹上。

5月23日

stand a chance 有可能成功

When they got together, I didn’t stand a chance.

当她们站在同一阵营的时候，我根本没有希望胜过她们。

in all likelihood 

几乎肯定地、极可能地

In all likelihood, these shells got to the continental interior / through long-distance trade between different Sapiens bands.

极有可能，这些贝壳是随着不同智人部落之间的远距离贸易而传到（欧洲）大陆内部的。

from here on out  从现在开始

We have to tell each other the truth from here on out.

从现在开始 我们要坦诚相对。

in accordance with sth  按照（依照）某事物

to … extent  到…程度、在…程度上

5月23日

It stands to reason that they'll leave if you pay them enough.

这是明摆着的，你给他们足够的报酬，他们就走人。

It is necessary to take into account the interaction of ideas, images and fantasies as well.

还需要考虑到各种想法、图像和幻想之间的相互作用。

Raymond hopes that college students could be exempt from military service.

Raymond希望在校大学生可以免服兵役。

Knowledge is power, so it stands to reason that what you don't know can hurt you.

知识就是力量，这代表你会被未知的东西所伤害。

薄荷阅读 人类简史

5月25日

make a point of 

坚持、重视、特别注意

A good mother will make a point of having sex with several different men.

一个好母亲会特别注意与几个不同的男性发生性关系。

interact with  相互作用、相互影响

binge on  大吃大喝、狂欢作乐

on the spot  在场、当场

be composed of  组成、构成

center on  以…为中心

bear in mind  记住

consist of  由…组成

over the course of  在...过程中

a plethora of  过多、过量

make do with  将就

at a loss  困惑不解

delve into  探索、探究、查考

5月28日

by definition

根据自身特点、从本质上来说

The world of thought, belief, and feeling is by definition far more difficult to decipher.

从本质上讲，思想、信仰和感情的世界是很难去探究的。

5月29日

be based on  根据、以……为基础

tend to  倾向、趋向

instead of  代替、而不是

be filled with  被充满

as far as  就……而言

a handful of  少量的，一小撮

in other words  换句话说

5月31日

by choice

自己选择的、自愿的

Why banish oneself to Siberia by choice? 

他们为什么自愿把自己放逐到Siberia？

testify to sth

作为某事的证明、表明、说明

The human blitzkrieg across America / testifies to the incomparable ingenuity and the unsurpassed adaptability of Homo sapiens. 

人们能在美洲大陆上如同闪电战一般横行无阻，证明了智人已经拥有了无可比拟的聪明才智和适应能力。

6月2日

only to do 

不料却、没想到却

Archeologists have discovered / on even the tiniest islands / evidence of the existence of birds, insects, and snails / that lived there for countless generations, only to vanish / when the first human farmers arrived.

考古学家甚至在最小的那些岛屿上都找到了证据，证明鸟类、昆虫还有蜗牛此前在这繁衍后代、生生不息，而就在第一批人类农夫来此之际，没料到这些生物竟灭绝消失了。

around adv. / prep.

常见义：“围绕”；文中生义：“解决、克服、避免”。

You must find a way around these difficulties.

你们必须想办法克服这些困难。

薄荷阅读 人类简史

6月12日

incorporate into

把…并入、包含

From the moment they are born, you constantly remind them of the principles of the imagined order, which are incorporated into anything and everything.

从他们出生起，你就要不断提醒他们这套想象出来的秩序，当中的这些原则已经融入到一切事物中。

take shape

形成、有了模样

In modern architecture, this myth leaps out of the imagination to take shape in stone and mortar.

在现代建筑中，这种虚构的故事从想象中脱离出来，在石头和灰泥中（现代建筑）得以体现。

At least some of the commanders and soldiers must truly believe in something, be it God, honor, motherland, manhood, or money.

| 结构解析

be it God, honor, motherland, manhood, or money

首先，这里是一个倒装句，还原出来的句子是whether it be God, honor, motherland, manhood, or money。我们可以看到这其实是whether / whether...or...引导的让步状语从句，并且从句部分是主系表结构。这种句型，我们可以使用陈述语气，也可以使用虚拟语气，将be动词还原。再比如这个例句，Whether Fiona be right or wrong, we will support her，省略whether的倒装变形就是Be Fiona right or wrong，表示不管Fiona是对是错，我们都支持她。原文中的从句表达的是不管人们相信的是上帝、荣誉、祖国、男子气概，还是金钱。

Back then, to be addressed as ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’ / was a rare privilege reserved for the nobility, and often purchased with blood.

在当时，“先生”“女士”是少数贵族才能拥有的特权，并且往往通过极大的牺牲才能换来。

there is no chance that  没有什么可能、微小的机会

in accordance with  依照、依据

in time  及时、适时

sum up  总结、概述

make fun of  取笑

divide into  把…分成

be forbidden to  被禁止

take into account  考虑到、顾及

6月15日

set sb / sth apart

使某物或某人与众不同、优于（他人或他物）

What set apart Sumer, as well as Pharaonic Egypt, ancient China, and the Inca Empire, is / that these cultures developed good techniques of archiving, cataloguing and retrieving written records.

是什么让苏美尔、古埃及、古中国和印加帝国变得如此与众不同？原因就在于这些文化都发展出了一套有效的技术，能够将文字进行存档、编目和检索。Man's ability to reason sets him apart from other animals.

人的推理能力使他有别于其他动物

apply to 有关、涉及

这个短语的英语释义是“to concern or relate to sb / sth”，一般不用于进行时态。

What I am saying applies only to some of you.

我所说的只涉及你们中的一些人

薄荷阅读 人类简史

6月18日

strike a chord

引起同情或共鸣

These myths struck a chord in American culture and in Western culture generally.

这些神话在美洲文化和西方文化中引起了广泛的共鸣。

be built around

以…为基础

American aesthetic culture was built around white standards of beauty.

美国人的审美观以白人的美丽为基础。

6月21日

Women can match men / as far as hatred, greed and abuse are concerned, but when push comes to shove, the theory goes, men are more willing to engage in raw physical violence.

| 熟词生义

match  n. / v.

常见义：作名词，“比赛、赛事”；文中生义：作动词，“相匹配、和…不相上下”。

His strength is matched by his intelligence.

      他智力和体力相当。

这个单词通常指两者在价值、质量、大小、力量等方面相匹敌。文中指的是，女人跟男人在萌生仇恨的情感、贪婪的欲望等方面是势均力敌、不相上下的。

| 难点短语

as far as sth is concerned  就某事而论、至于某事

As far as money's concerned, there shouldn't be a problem.

      至于钱，应该没有问题。

这个短语在文中是指就产生仇恨、贪婪、欺凌这类想法来说，女人跟男人都差不多。

when push comes to shove  别无选择时、须孤注一掷时

这个短语的英语释义是“when there is no other choice and when everything else has failed”。

When push comes to shove, you can always sell the car.

      实在没有办法的时候，你总还可以把车卖掉。

这个短语在文中是指男人在别无他选、被逼急了的时候，会更加倾向于采取纯暴力的手段。

女人跟男人一样，也会产生仇恨的情感、贪婪的欲望和欺凌的想法，但流氓理论认为，当男人被逼得走投无路的时候，他们更倾向于采取纯暴力的手段。

7月2日

lead nowhere

没有产生结果、毫无成果

This discussion is leading us nowhere.

我们这场讨论将毫无结果。

make a case that

提出论点、理由 

这个短语的英文释义是“to state the reasons why something should be done or is or should be the case”，通常用于发表某种观点、阐明理由。

On the other hand you can make a case that oil demand might decline sharply.

      另一方面，你可以说石油需求量大大下降了。

on the grounds that

理由是、原因是

We oppose the bill, on the grounds that it discriminates against women.

我们反对这个议案，理由是它歧视妇女。

7月5日

Paul’s arguments fell on fertile ground

在这句话中，作者使用了暗喻的修辞手法，它的字面意思是“Paul的言论落在了肥沃的土地上”，实际上比喻Paul关于耶稣的言论很快就为各地所接受，并且被迅速地传播，在不同的地方扎根、发展，就像种子被撒在肥沃的土地上一般。

| 句子大意

Paul的那番话迅速在各地开枝散叶。

7月8日

without recourse to sth

不使用、不借助某事物

Without recourse to eternal souls and a Creator God, it becomes embarrassingly difficult for liberals to explain / what is so special about individual Sapiens.

没有了永恒的灵魂和造物主这两个概念，自由主义者就很难解释清楚那一个个智人有何特别之处。

break loose from sb / sth

（使）摆脱,挣脱

The only humanist sect / that has actually broken loose from traditional monotheism / is evolutionary humanism, whose most famous representatives are the Nazis.

人文主义教派中，唯一一个真正摆脱了传统一神论影响的就是演化人文主义，其中纳粹是最著名的代表。

7月10日

reduce sth to sth

将…概括为、简化为…

They attempt to reduce human history to the workings of biological, ecological or economic forces.

他们试图将人类历史简化为生物、生态或者经济力量的运作。

Every point in history is a crossroads. A single travelled road leads from the past to the present, but myriad paths fork off into the future

历史上的每一个时间节点都像是一个十字路口。虽然从过去到现在只有一条道路可走，但是通向未来的道路却有很多。

Her remarks have set me thinking about my future.

她的一番话引起了我对自己未来的思考。

7月15日

be that as it may

尽管如此

Be that as it may, as you read these lines, the US Department of Defense is transferring millions of dollars to nanotechnology and brain laboratories / for work on these and other such ideas.

尽管如此，当你在读这几行字时，美国国防部门可能正拨款数百万美元，投入到纳米技术的研发和相关的大脑实验中，以实现（仿生间谍苍蝇装置、脑波扫描仪）这样的想法。

every reason (to do sth)

（有）充分的理由（做某事）

We have every reason to feel optimistic.

我们完全有理由感到乐观。

7月16日

give thought to

认真考虑

Most empires did not rise thanks to technological wizardry, and their rulers did not give much thought to technological improvement.

大多数帝国的兴起并不是因为有非凡的科技，而且统治者也并没有认真考虑过要提升科技。

a case in point

恰当的例证、典型的例子

Poverty is another case in point.

贫穷是另一个典型例子。

7月20日

be in its infancy

处于发展初期、早期

The system is still in its infancy.

这个体系尚处于初期发展阶段。

Opinion polls were in their infancy.

民意测验依然处于初期阶段。

7月28日

strike sb as

给某人…的印象、让某人觉得…

This may not strike you as very original, because we all live in a capitalist world / that takes Smith’s argument for granted.

这个观点可能不会让你觉得很有新意，因为生活在一个资本主义的世界里，我们早就把亚当·斯密（Adam Smith）的理论视为理所当然了。

In comparison, 相比之下

capitalism creed  资本主义

关于创新的一段话

Inventions and innovations almost always come out of laborious trial and error.

Innovation is like soccer; even the best players miss the goal and have their shots blocked much more frequently than they score. The point is that the players who score most are the ones who take most shots at the goal -- and so it goes with innovation in any field of activity.

The prime difference between innovators and others is one of approach. Everybody gets ideas, but innovators work consciously on theirs, and they follow them through until they prove practicable or otherwise. What ordinary people see as fanciful abstractions; professional innovators see as solid possibilities.

第一句：

Inventions and innovations almost always come out of laborious trial and error.

发明和创新几乎总是来自艰苦的试验和试错。

第二句：

Innovation is like soccer; even the best players miss the goal and have their shots blocked much more frequently than they score.

创新就像足球；即使是最好的球员也会错失进球，他们的射门被扑出的次数也比他们进球的次数要多。

第三句:

The point is that the players who score most are the ones who take most shots at the goal -- and so it goes with innovation in any field of activity.

关键是进球最多的球员是那些在球门处射门最多的球员，在任何创新活动领域都是如此。

第四句：

The prime difference between innovators and others is one of approach.

创新者和其他创新者之间的主要区别在于方法上的不同。

第五句：

Everybody gets ideas, but innovators work consciously on theirs, and they follow them through until they prove practicable or otherwise.

每个人都有自己的想法，但创新者有意识地努力实现自己的想法，他们会一直实验自己的想法，直到他们证明可行或不可行。

第六句：

What ordinary people see as fanciful abstractions; professional innovators see as solid possibilities.

普通人眼中的抽象概念；专业的创新者视其为可靠的可能性。