On Writing Well by William Zinsser

PART 1 Expressions

1. It also adds a certain kind of information -- not hard facts, but enjoyable lore.

lore: knowledge or information about a subject, for example nature or magic, that is not written down but is passed from person to person 口头传说

According to lore, a ghost still haunts the castle.

2. Besides explaining the genesis of the trip, that paragraph does one other job.

genesis: [ˈdʒɛnɪsɪs] the beginning or origin of sth

the genesis of the myth/ the universe

His speech was an exposition of the genesis of the conflict.

3. Another throwaway phrase is the line about beating the crowd.

throwaway:

1. throwaway products 一次性产品，SYN disposable, eg. a throwaway cigarette lighter

2. throwaway remark/ line/ comment etc, something that sb says or writes quickly, without thinking carefully about it

It was only a throwaway comment.

He claims people overacted to a few throwaway lines in the article.

4. At last a merciful muse gave me Medicare.

muse: (v.) ponder; (n.) 1. 缪斯女神；2. source of one's inspiration

However difficult she might have been, this book exalts her as both mother and muse.

I have to thank my lovely muse.

5. But I didn't begrudge a minute of it.

begrudge: [bɪˈɡrʌdʒ]

1. to feel angry or upset with sb because they have sth that you think they do not deserve 嫉妒(begrudge sb sth)

We shouldn't begrudge her this success.

2. too feel annoyed or unhappy that you have to pay sth, give sb sth etc 不情愿地付出 (begrudge sb sth, begrudge doing sth)

The farmer's wife never begrudged him a meal at the end of the day.

I begrudge spending so much money on train fares.

6. Our thoughts were fixed on our rendezvous with the salt caravan at Timbuktu.

rendezvous: [ˈrɑ:ndɪvu:]  (n.) 约会；约会场所；集结地

He made a rendezvous with her in Times Square.

Boats picked us up at pre-arranged rendezvous.

a popular rendezvous for media people

(v.) too meet sb at a time or place that was arranged earlier

We'll rendezvous with James in Nicosia.

7. Used in moderation, making yourself gullible -- or downright stupid -- gives the reader the enormous pleasure of feeling superior.

gullible: [ˈgʌləbl] 易上当的；易受骗的

What point is there in admitting that the stories fed to the gullible public were false?

gullibility: (n.)

类似表达： credulity [krɪˈdu:ləti]

Advertisers were accused of exploiting consumers' credulity.

8. The total task seems less formidable, and panic is staved off.

stave: (过去式 stove/ staved) （v.）穿孔；压碎

stave sth off: to keep sb or sth from reaching you or affecting you for a period of time

She brought some fruit on the journey to stave off hunger.

stave sth in: to break sth inwards

The ship's side was stove in when it went onto the rocks.

9. Mainly our reaction was one of amazement that the canons of truth-in-advertising had been so brazenly disregarded.

brazen: [ˈbreɪzn] (a.) 1. 黄铜做的； 2. 无耻的，厚脸皮的 used to describe a person, or the actions of a person, who is not embarrassed about behaving in a wrong or immortal way

her brazen admission that she was cheating on him

brazenly: (ad.) doing sth openly, without showing or feeling any shame

She smiled at him brazenly.

10. As a postscript, there's one last decision I'd like to mention.

postscript: (abbreviation PS) 1. 附笔 a message written at the end of a little after you have signed your name.

2. extra details or information that you add after a story or an account 

There's an interesting postscript to this tale.

我之前一直以为文末的PS是plus来着 ^_^!!   

PS: prescript 药方；规则；法令

PART 2 Thoughts

Getting on the plane has taken me to unusual stories all over the world and all over America, and it still does. That isn't to say I'm not nervous when I leave for the airport; I always am -- that's part of the deal. (A little nervousness gives writing an edge.) But I'm always replenished when I get back home.

上周我在读书群里消失了几天，因为我一时兴起买了一张机票一个人去香港待了三天，没有任何事由，就是突然有一天感觉累了无聊了想去另一个城市换上一个心境。在同一个城市里长久地生活，会渐渐对生活的变化变得麻木，会觉得时间和季节的变化没有太多的真实感，仿佛突然有一天天凉了要添衣了然后才意识到原来已经换季了。我个人觉得，旅行的意义并不是去见识很多新鲜的事物，而是给自己一个逃离的空间，抛下一些烦恼，重新打开自己的眼睛和耳朵，让自己的心重启一次。在旅行的途中，你会对美有更多的感知，你会更多地感受人与人之间的善意和温情，并且从中汲取力量和灵感。我时常在忙碌之后想起这样一个画面，那时去年在香港的时候，酒店在山顶上，下午四点左右我在山上漫步，远处传来钢琴声，在弹奏着巴赫的曲子。那一刻，斜阳暖暖的，山上有满目的苍翠，有鸟鸣，有琴声，一切显得格外美好。

附上一段陶立夏的散文《天地尽头的一杯咖啡》里的一段话，文字非常美好，也道出了旅行的意义：

“可能以后不会再来这家咖啡馆了，但肯定会在某个时刻想起她来，也记起这一路的奔波劳累和美丽景色。那或许会是在世界另一头的繁华都市，或许是在某个酷热的热带岛屿，又或者是在某个赶稿的寻常春日夜晚。我想起Simbahllin，想起她吱呀作响的老旧木地板和泛着时间光泽的咖啡桌，想起空气里华夫饼的香气，像挂念一个远方的故知。她性格沉稳又古怪，虽然不能常见面，却让你觉得心安，因为她代表着一份遥不可及的温柔。我喜欢这种可望不可即的寄托，这就是旅行带给我们的，最长久也最真切的美好。”