新概念英語Lesson 40 Themes and Variations 主旋律與變奏曲[筆記]
Populations increase and decrease relatively not only to one another, but also to natural resources. In
most parts of the world, the relation between population and resources is already unfavourable and
will probably become even more unfavourable in the future. This growing poverty in the midst of
growing poverty constitutes a permanent menace to peace. And not only to peace, but also to
democratic institutions and personal liberty. For overpopulation is not compatib1e with freedom. An
unfavourable relationship between numbers and resources tends to make the earning of a living
almost intolerably difficult. Labour is more abundant than goods, and the individual is compelled to
work long hours for little pay. No surplus of accumulated purchasing power stands between him and
the tyrannies of unfriendly nature or of the equally unfriendly wielders of political and economic
power. Democracy is, among other things, the ability to say 'no' to the boss. But a man cannot say
'no' to the boss, unless he is sure of being able to eat when the boss's favour has been withdrawn.
And he cannot be certain of his next meal unless he owns the means of producing enough wealth,
for his family to live on, or has been able to accumulate a surplus out of past wages, or has a chance
of moving to virgin territories, where he can make a fresh start. In an overcrowded country, very few
people own enough to make them financially independent; very few are in a position to accumulate
purchasing power; and there is no free land. Moreover, in any country where population presses
hard upon natural resources, the general economic situation is apt to be so precarious that
government control of capital and labour, production and consumption, becomes inevitable. It is no
accident that the twentieth century should be the century of highly centralized governments and
totalitarian dictatorships; it had to be so for the simple reason that the twentieth century is the
century of planetary overcrowding.
New words and expressions 生詞短語
precarious a. 不穩(wěn)定的perilous 山勢險(xiǎn)惡的，危險(xiǎn)的
poverty n.貧困
I live in poverty. / I’m poverty-stricken. / My family is poverty-stricken.
constitute vt. 構(gòu)成 constitute a menace 構(gòu)成威脅
compatible with 和……處的來
incompatible
The meal is tolerable. 這飯還說的過去。
The meal is intolerable 這飯真差。
virgin work 處女作 virgin soil 處女地 virgin voyage 處女航 Virgin Mary 圣母瑪利亞
apt a.易于 apt to / be apt to theme song 主題歌
新概念英語（第二版第四冊）新概念英語Lesson 40
Notes on the text 課文注釋
populations 表示各地的人口
to one another 相互之間有關(guān)系
to natural resources 和自然資源也有關(guān)系
the growing poverty in the midst of growing poverty=people become poorer and poorer
e.g. The growing prosperity in the midst of growing prosperity enables men to travel worldwide.
permanent=long time, enduring 長期的，永久的(lasting)
permanent love 永久的愛 / permanent friendship 持久的友誼 / permanent member 永久會(huì)員
And not only to peace, but also to democratic institutions and personal liberty. (無謂句)
liberty 自由度，個(gè)人自由
I love my sister, my brother…also my grandmother. (強(qiáng)調(diào) grandmother)強(qiáng)調(diào)句
…, constitutes a permanent menace to peace, also to democratic institutions and personal
liberty.(語氣較弱)
freedom 用途很廣 I enjoy freedom. 今天我休息。
liberty 政治上的自由 Statue of Liberty 自由女神像
numbers=population
dog-eat-dog 人吃人
lucrative job 肥缺 / cut figure out 嶄露頭角
tend 強(qiáng)調(diào)無意識(shí)的 e.g. He tends to rise early. 他習(xí)慣于早起。
intend 強(qiáng)調(diào)有意識(shí)的 e.g. He intends to rise early. 他愛早起。
labour force 勞動(dòng)力
surplus 剩余 surplus value 剩余價(jià)值 labour surplus 剩余勞動(dòng)力
purchasing power 購買力
accumulated 堆積的，蓄積的（open-handed）
tyranny n. 殘暴
political and economic power=countries
wielders 統(tǒng)治者
此句話的意思可表示為：It is impossible for him/for individual to get anything under the ruthless
nature and the merciless government.
power: America is a superpower. 美國是超級(jí)大國。
above all 首要 = among other things 表示強(qiáng)調(diào)說法democracy:
to build a government of the people, by the people and for the people. (Lincoln)
(民有、民治、民享)
unless=if…not
favour: 恩惠 in the boss’s favour. 這是老板的大紅人 He is the boss’s favourite. (很吃香)
- 110 –
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新概念英語（第二版第四冊）新概念英語Lesson 40
He is a diplomat. 他左右逢源，很會(huì)來事。
withdraw: 取走
and: 句式連接
My mother is a doctor, and my father is a driver.
My mother is a doctor. And my father is a driver.
be certain=be sure of
means 手段，方法 by means of 通過……手段
live on: 依靠……而生活 I live on rice/noodle.
live by one’s hands 靠勞動(dòng) live by the mountains 靠山吃山，靠水吃水
feed on
out of 從……出來 out of reason / He did out of impulse. 他出于沖動(dòng)。
virgin territories 新的國度
make a fresh start 重新開始
financially independent 經(jīng)濟(jì)獨(dú)立 = economically independent
financially dependent on my parents 需要父母給錢
Mentally I would rather you stay. 打心眼里我是真舍不得你走。
be in a position to=be able to
這位教授有資格能對(duì)這個(gè)事件發(fā)表看法。
The professor is in a position to air on this topic.
press upon=press on 施加壓力給……
be apt to=tend to
government control 政府控制
capital 資本
it is no accident 決不是偶然
centralized : (I want to build a cradle for security. (Stalin))
Aldous Huxley (奧爾德斯?赫胥黎) (1894-1963 英國作家，他作品 Brave New World (美
麗新世界)描繪了以科學(xué)方式組織的理想社會(huì)的恐怖情景)
Aldous Huxley is No. 1 humorist in Britain. (林語堂)
Arnold 阿諾德：英國作家（Aldous Huxley’s uncle）
Tomas Huxley (嚴(yán)復(fù)《天演論》，Aldous Huxley’s grandfather)
The Statue of Liberty: 碑銘(1886 年，法國送給美國)
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched
refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the Homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp
beside the golden door!”
“給我你那勞累，貧窮，蜷曲渴望呼吸自由的身軀，可憐被遺棄在你們海岸的人群們，交給
我吧，那些無家可歸的、顛簸流離的人們，我在金色之門高舉明燈迎接他們”
Populations increase and decrease relatively not only to one another, but also to natural resources. In
most parts of the world, the relation between population and resources is already unfavourable and
will probably become even more unfavourable in the future. This growing poverty in the midst of
growing poverty constitutes a permanent menace to peace. And not only to peace, but also to
democratic institutions and personal liberty. For overpopulation is not compatib1e with freedom. An
unfavourable relationship between numbers and resources tends to make the earning of a living
almost intolerably difficult. Labour is more abundant than goods, and the individual is compelled to
work long hours for little pay. No surplus of accumulated purchasing power stands between him and
the tyrannies of unfriendly nature or of the equally unfriendly wielders of political and economic
power. Democracy is, among other things, the ability to say 'no' to the boss. But a man cannot say
'no' to the boss, unless he is sure of being able to eat when the boss's favour has been withdrawn.
And he cannot be certain of his next meal unless he owns the means of producing enough wealth,
for his family to live on, or has been able to accumulate a surplus out of past wages, or has a chance
of moving to virgin territories, where he can make a fresh start. In an overcrowded country, very few
people own enough to make them financially independent; very few are in a position to accumulate
purchasing power; and there is no free land. Moreover, in any country where population presses
hard upon natural resources, the general economic situation is apt to be so precarious that
government control of capital and labour, production and consumption, becomes inevitable. It is no
accident that the twentieth century should be the century of highly centralized governments and
totalitarian dictatorships; it had to be so for the simple reason that the twentieth century is the
century of planetary overcrowding.
New words and expressions 生詞短語
precarious a. 不穩(wěn)定的perilous 山勢險(xiǎn)惡的，危險(xiǎn)的
poverty n.貧困
I live in poverty. / I’m poverty-stricken. / My family is poverty-stricken.
constitute vt. 構(gòu)成 constitute a menace 構(gòu)成威脅
compatible with 和……處的來
incompatible
The meal is tolerable. 這飯還說的過去。
The meal is intolerable 這飯真差。
virgin work 處女作 virgin soil 處女地 virgin voyage 處女航 Virgin Mary 圣母瑪利亞
apt a.易于 apt to / be apt to theme song 主題歌
新概念英語（第二版第四冊）新概念英語Lesson 40
Notes on the text 課文注釋
populations 表示各地的人口
to one another 相互之間有關(guān)系
to natural resources 和自然資源也有關(guān)系
the growing poverty in the midst of growing poverty=people become poorer and poorer
e.g. The growing prosperity in the midst of growing prosperity enables men to travel worldwide.
permanent=long time, enduring 長期的，永久的(lasting)
permanent love 永久的愛 / permanent friendship 持久的友誼 / permanent member 永久會(huì)員
And not only to peace, but also to democratic institutions and personal liberty. (無謂句)
liberty 自由度，個(gè)人自由
I love my sister, my brother…also my grandmother. (強(qiáng)調(diào) grandmother)強(qiáng)調(diào)句
…, constitutes a permanent menace to peace, also to democratic institutions and personal
liberty.(語氣較弱)
freedom 用途很廣 I enjoy freedom. 今天我休息。
liberty 政治上的自由 Statue of Liberty 自由女神像
numbers=population
dog-eat-dog 人吃人
lucrative job 肥缺 / cut figure out 嶄露頭角
tend 強(qiáng)調(diào)無意識(shí)的 e.g. He tends to rise early. 他習(xí)慣于早起。
intend 強(qiáng)調(diào)有意識(shí)的 e.g. He intends to rise early. 他愛早起。
labour force 勞動(dòng)力
surplus 剩余 surplus value 剩余價(jià)值 labour surplus 剩余勞動(dòng)力
purchasing power 購買力
accumulated 堆積的，蓄積的（open-handed）
tyranny n. 殘暴
political and economic power=countries
wielders 統(tǒng)治者
此句話的意思可表示為：It is impossible for him/for individual to get anything under the ruthless
nature and the merciless government.
power: America is a superpower. 美國是超級(jí)大國。
above all 首要 = among other things 表示強(qiáng)調(diào)說法democracy:
to build a government of the people, by the people and for the people. (Lincoln)
(民有、民治、民享)
unless=if…not
favour: 恩惠 in the boss’s favour. 這是老板的大紅人 He is the boss’s favourite. (很吃香)
- 110 –
文字錄入：wuwuandjian 整理發(fā)布：kaiziliu
新概念英語（第二版第四冊）新概念英語Lesson 40
He is a diplomat. 他左右逢源，很會(huì)來事。
withdraw: 取走
and: 句式連接
My mother is a doctor, and my father is a driver.
My mother is a doctor. And my father is a driver.
be certain=be sure of
means 手段，方法 by means of 通過……手段
live on: 依靠……而生活 I live on rice/noodle.
live by one’s hands 靠勞動(dòng) live by the mountains 靠山吃山，靠水吃水
feed on
out of 從……出來 out of reason / He did out of impulse. 他出于沖動(dòng)。
virgin territories 新的國度
make a fresh start 重新開始
financially independent 經(jīng)濟(jì)獨(dú)立 = economically independent
financially dependent on my parents 需要父母給錢
Mentally I would rather you stay. 打心眼里我是真舍不得你走。
be in a position to=be able to
這位教授有資格能對(duì)這個(gè)事件發(fā)表看法。
The professor is in a position to air on this topic.
press upon=press on 施加壓力給……
be apt to=tend to
government control 政府控制
capital 資本
it is no accident 決不是偶然
centralized : (I want to build a cradle for security. (Stalin))
Aldous Huxley (奧爾德斯?赫胥黎) (1894-1963 英國作家，他作品 Brave New World (美
麗新世界)描繪了以科學(xué)方式組織的理想社會(huì)的恐怖情景)
Aldous Huxley is No. 1 humorist in Britain. (林語堂)
Arnold 阿諾德：英國作家（Aldous Huxley’s uncle）
Tomas Huxley (嚴(yán)復(fù)《天演論》，Aldous Huxley’s grandfather)
The Statue of Liberty: 碑銘(1886 年，法國送給美國)
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched
refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the Homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp
beside the golden door!”
“給我你那勞累，貧窮，蜷曲渴望呼吸自由的身軀，可憐被遺棄在你們海岸的人群們，交給
我吧，那些無家可歸的、顛簸流離的人們，我在金色之門高舉明燈迎接他們”