Words & Expressions

All a traveler could do was to confide the care of his soul to God, because there was nothing else he could do about it.

confide

v . 1.to tell someone you trust about personal things that you do not want other people to know 吐露〔自己的隐私〕...confide to sb that... (confide in sb. )

eg. He confided to his friends that he didn’t have much hope for his marriage.

2.formal to give something you value to someone you trust so they look after it for you 【正式】 〔将贵重物品〕托付给〔自己信任的人保管〕confide sth to sb

eg. He confided his money to his brother’s safekeeping.

When officials were traveling, soldiers were stationed at proper intervals with red flags in their hands to ...

be stationed at

v.  [usually passive 一般用被动态 ]1.to send someone in the military to a particular place for a period of time as part of their military duty 部署〔某人〕于；安置；使驻扎

eg. I was stationed overseas at the time.

2.formal  to move to a particular place and stand or sit there, especially in order to be able to do something quickly, or to cause someone to do this 【正式】 （使）站岗；派往，安置在

eg. A security guard was stationed near the door.

She saw that of the three men, her husband was decidedly the excitable, irrepressible, talkative one.

irrepressible

这个单词在本章节最后描写苏东坡时又出现了。词根：press 按、压

adj  full of energy, confidence, and happiness so that you never seem unhappy 【书面】 开朗乐观的；充满精力的

eg. When I was studying at the university, I met an irrepressible optimist. After that, we bcame colleages.

The Sung neo-Confucianists might look askance at such a regrettable lapse from austere filial piety.

look askance (at sb / sth)

if you look askance at someone or something, you do not approve of them or think they are good 〔以鄙视的眼光〕（对某人/某物）侧目，瞟视

eg. A waiter looked askance at Ellis’s jeans.

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Excerpts

Tseyu was taller, thin, and not as robust as his brother, while Tungpo, bore with very prominent cheekbones and a well-proportioned jaw, was handsome and had a more muscular build.

一句话叫就直指兄弟二人的不同于彼此的外貌特征, 使人脑海中立马浮现二位文豪的年轻的样子。

The Sus passed through the East Dashing Rapids where the water surged and billowed and tossed the boat about like a dry leaf in a small whirlpool, and when they thought they had gone through the worst, they came upon the even more dangerous Roaring Rapids.

连用三个动词和一个比喻，非常形象切的写出河水的湍急，已经小船在河里犹如一片树叶，飘摇，旋转不定。

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Main Ideas

本章节主要描写苏家三人携家眷在此进京，在路途中的所见所感。相比之前那次的入京时的忐忑和紧张，此行更多的是轻松欢快的。我们常说：蜀道难，难于上青天。而苏家在进京选择的水陆交通工具，途中也是凶险无比。文章中出现大段篇幅的写景描写，让读者看了都心惊肉跳。这也得益于林老先生对于中国文化的了解和深厚的文化功底。

只是有个存疑之处在于：标题和本章节内容好像不够贴切？？？