L.8 Hurry Up or Slow Down?

L.8 Hurry Up or Slow Down?

• Beginning:

• There was a father and his son. Both of them were farmers but they had very different characters. Several times a year they would go to the nearest city to sell their produce.


One morning, the father and son started on the long journey. On the way to the market, the son kept urging his father to walk faster, but his father took his time.


After walking for four hours, they came to the father’s brother’s house and stayed there for an hour. The son thought they were wasting too much time and urged his father to move on. As they approached a fork in the road, the father chose to go to the right, where there was prettier scenery. Disagreeing with his father’s decision, the son ignored the beautiful scenery and was full of anger, impatience and anxiety.


At twilight, they came to a huge, colorful garden. The father decided to stay overnight. The son angrily said, “You’re more interested in looking at scenery than making money. This is the last trip I’m taking with you.”


Before sunrise they hurriedly packed up and went on. About a mile down the road they met another farmer whose cart was in a ditch. The father suggested that they should help the farmer to get his cart out, but the son was unwilling to do that.


Once the cart was back on the road, they saw a great flash splitting the sky and heard thunder. The sky grew dark and it seemed to be raining in the city. The son grumbled that they had spent too much time on the journey. The farmer counseled the young man, “Take it easy….You’ll last longer. And you’ll enjoy life so much more.”


• Ending:

• In the late afternoon, they got to a hill overlooking the city. Fortunately, they had missed the strike of an American atomic bomb. The son finally understood what his father had been saying to him.


• ”The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong.”(Eccl. 9:11)

• There was once a fellow who, with his dad, farmed a little piece of land. Several times a year they would load up the old ox-drawn cart with vegetables and go into the nearest city to sell their produce.


• (1) to the swift: 對 the swift 有偏愛，這是古文 to 的語意。

• (2) the swift 迅速者• the + adj. → N ，表「全體」，如： the we

ak, the poor 等，更多例子請參見本課 Word Power 。

• (3) not A or B = neither A nor B 既非 A 也非 B

• 例： He's not a doctor or a pharmacist.

• 2. fellow n. [C] 傢伙；同一組織的成員• fellow adj. 身分相同的（只能用在名詞

前面）• fellow citizens/workers 同胞／同事• fellow passengers/travelers 同行的乘客

／旅客• 例： He's a nice old fellow.

• My dear fellow students, today I'm here to share with you an inspiring experience I had during the summer vacation.

• My fellow passengers and I were nervous when the plane began to shake.

• load v. [T] 把物品裝上車或容器，上貨；負荷• load n. [C] 負荷；載重• load something onto/into a vehicle 上貨• load a vehicle (up) with something 使承載某物• be loaded down with something 裝載某物使負

荷過重 • a load off one's mind 心中憂慮的解除，心中石

頭落了地• loads of/a load of 大量；許多• 例：


• Load the produce into the van. • The sailors loaded their ship up with food,

and started off on their long journey. • Students nowadays are loaded down with

schoolwork. • When I heard the typhoon would not come

to Taiwan, it was a load off my mind. • You can find loads of useful information at

this website.


• ox n. [C] (pl. oxen) 閹牛（尤指舊時用作奴役或食用的）

• 英文中用來形容牛隻有許多字彙，除了 ox/oxen之外，尚有 bull （未閹割的公牛）， cow （母牛）， calf （小牛）， cattle （牛的總稱）。牛肉為 beef ，牛排為 steak ，有這麼豐富的字彙，可見牛在西方生活中的重要性。

• take the bull by the horns 勇敢地面對困難或危• 例： You're always letting him tell you what to do.

I think you should take the bull by the horns for once.


• cart n. [C] 馬車，牛車；手推車• shopping/baggage cart 購物／行李推車• the ox-drawn cart

• = the cart which was drawn by an ox

• ox-drawn 為一複合形容詞。• 文法／句型複合形容詞的形成方式有以下

幾種：


• 3. 形容詞 + 名詞 -ed 　 a kind-hearted lady, an old-fashioned hat

• 4. 形容詞 + 現在分詞　 a good-looking person, a stinky-smelling dish

• 5. 副詞 + 過去分詞　 a well-behaved child, a badly-wounded soldier

• 6. 副詞 + 現在分詞　 a fast-moving object, a hard-working father


• 1. 名詞 + 過去分詞 a heart-broken girl, a snow-covered mountaintop

• 2. 名詞 + 現在分詞 a peace-loving people, an English-speaking country

• 3. 形容詞 + 名詞 -ed 　 a kind-hearted lady, an old-fashioned hat

• 4. 形容詞 + 現在分詞　 a good-looking person, a stinky-smelling dish


• 5. 副詞 + 過去分詞　 a well-behaved child, a badly-wounded soldier

• 6. 副詞 + 現在分詞　 a fast-moving object, a hard-working father


• Except for their name and the patch of ground, father and son had little in common. The old man believed in taking it easy. The boy was usually in a hurry---the go-getter type.


• except for/apart from/aside from/other than + N/V-ing 除了……之外

• besides/in addition to/apart from/aside from + N/V-ing 除了……之外還有


• 例： During those two months, she hadn't done anything productive except for going to school.

• Besides English, he is also good at Italian and French.

• patch n. [C] 小塊土地；補釘；斑，塊；保護受傷眼睛的眼罩

• patch v. [T] 修補；打補丁• patchwork n. [U] 拼布；拼湊的東西• patch something up 修理某物（尤指草草修理）；

解決（紛爭）• 例： My pet is a white dog with a black patch aro

und one eye. • The doctor told me to wear a patch over my injur

ed eye. • The mother patched the hole in the boy's pants. • This store sells patchwork quilts, bedcover, etc. • They finally patched up their differences and wer

e able to get along again.


• go-getter n. [C] 積極而有幹勁者• go-getting adj. 積極有幹勁的• 例： Go-getters are usually enthusiastic, t

ough-minded, and alert; on the other hand, they may get frustrated easily by rules.

• We want to hire someone who is go-getting and has a positive attitude toward work.


• a go-getter 積極而有幹勁者 • a fortune teller 算命師 • a lady-killer 令女人傾心的男子 • a law maker 立法委員 • a hotshot 成功而有自信的人 • a bookworm 書呆子 • a chatterbox 話匣子一開就停不了的人 • a pickpocket 扒手


• One morning, bright and early, they hitched up the ox to the loaded cart and started on the long journey. The son figured that if they walked faster and kept going all day and night, they’d make the market by early the next morning. So he kept prodding the ox with a stick, urging the beast to get a move on. “Take it easy, son,” said the old man. “You’ll last longer.”


• hitch v. [T] 栓住，套住；搭便車• hitch n. [C] 故障；障礙• hitchhike v. [I] 搭便車旅行• without a hitch 沒有閃失，非常成功• hitch up 向上拉


• prod v. [T] 戳，刺；督促，激勵• prod n. [C] 戳，刺； [sing.] 督促，激勵• 例： She gave him a sharp prod in the bac

k with a pen.

• If she hasn't booked the train tickets, give her a prod.


• “But if we get to market ahead of the others, we’ll have a better chance of getting good prices,” argued the son.

• No reply. Dad just pulled his hat down over his eyes and fell asleep on the seat. Itchy and irritated, the young man kept goading the ox to walk faster. His stubborn pace refused to change.

• itchy adj. 急切的（想轉換環境或做別的事）；發癢的

• itch v. [I] 發癢• itch n. [sing.] 癢；渴望• be itching to V/for N 迫切想要……• the seven year itch 七年之癢• itchy fingers 手癢想偷東西• 例： Mom, I have an itch on my back. Could you

scratch it for me? • At this time of the day, everybody is itching to go

home. • You could see the little boy getting itchy fingers

when he noticed the bowl full of candy.


• goad v. [T] 刺激；激勵• goad n. [sing.] 鞭策，驅使• 例： These weekly tests are a goad to me

to keep studying hard.


• stubborn adj. 頑固的，頑強的；難纏的 • be as stubborn as a mule 跟驢子一樣頑固

（形容非常頑固） • stubborn stains 頑垢 • stubborn resistance 頑強的抵抗 • a stubborn cough 久咳不癒


• Four hours and four miles down the road, they came to a little house. The father woke up, smiled, and said, “Here’s your uncle’s place. Let’s stop in and say hello.” “But we’ve lost an hour already,” complained the hotshot.


• stop in/by 短暫停留；順道拜訪• stop off （ at/in + 地方）在中途短暫停留• stop over 途中在某地過夜，盤桓數日• 例： Please stop off at the grocery store

on your way home and get some milk.

• We'll stop over in Malaysia for one night on our way to Turkey.


• hotshot n. [C] 成功且有自信的人• hotshot adj. 紅牌的（只能用在名詞前面）• a hotshot at 某一個領域的好手、大紅人• 例： The hotshot lawyer makes millions of

dollars a year.

• He's quite a hotshot at tennis.

• “Then a few more minutes won’t matter. My brother and I live so close, yet we see each other so seldom,” the father answered slowly.

• The boy fidgeted and fumed while the two old men laughed and talked away almost an hour. On the move again, the man took his turn leading the ox. As they approached a fork in the road, the father led the ox to the right.

• fidget v. [I] 坐立不安，煩躁• fidget n. [usu. pl.] 煩躁；坐立不安• fidgety adj. 坐立不安的，煩躁的• get the fidgets 坐立不安，煩躁• 例： What is he fidgeting about?

• He's such a fidgety person, both physically and mentally. It's hard for him to sit still and even harder to quiet down his mind.

• I always get the fidgets during long lectures.

• fume v. [I] 發火，發怒；冒煙；煙燻（木材）

• fumes n. [pl.] 廢氣；（煙、煤氣、新油漆等所發出的）難聞的氣味

• fume at somebody or something 對某人或某事發火

• fume over something 對某事發火• fume with rage 勃然大怒• 例： Mr. Lin fumed with rage at our delay.• 　 Open the windows while you're painting.

The• fumes could make you sick.

• fork n. [C] 分岔處，交岔點；叉子

• forked adj. 分岔的• 例： The Chinese eat with chopsti

cks while Westerners eat with knives and forks.

• A bird with a forked tail landed on his shoulder.

• “The left is the shorter way,” said the son.

• “I know it,” replied the old man, “but this way is so much prettier.”

• “Have you no respect for time?” the young man asked impatiently.

• “Oh, I respect it very much! That’s why I like to use it to appreciate beauty and enjoy each moment to the fullest.”

• The winding path led through graceful meadows, past wildflowers, and along a rippling stream---all of which the young man missed as he churned within, preoccupied and boiling with anxiety. He didn’t even notice how lovely the sunset was that day.

•

• winding adj. 蜿蜒的• wind [waInd] v. (wind, wound, wound) [I] 蜿蜒；蜿蜒前進；上發條

• wind (something) up 結束• wind up 最後……（ = end up ） • 例： She wound her way through the bushes.• Have you wound the antique clock?• Before I wind up, do you have any questions?• We planned to go shopping, but we wound up sit

ting in a café chatting away the whole afternoon.

•【比較】• wind [wind] n. [U, C] 風• wind v. (wind, winded, winded) [T] 給……吹風；使（人）喘氣

• windy [1wIndI] adj. 多風的• windless [1wIndlIs] adj. 無風的• in the wind 即將發生• like the wind 極快；像一陣風似的• 例： A gust of wind blew the paper out the

window.


• The weather that day was windy and rainy.

• It was a windless day.

• I sensed something was in the wind.

• The boy went by like the wind on his bike.


• meadow n. [C, U] 草地，草皮 • 【補充】 • grass 青草，牧草 • weed 雜草，野草 • hay （用作飼料的）乾草 • straw 稻草 • herb 香草，藥草


• ripple v. [I] 發出潺潺聲；泛起漣漪• ripple n. [C] 潺潺聲；漣漪• ripple effect 漣漪效應（指一個事件擴展而帶來牽連的影響）

• 例： The mass dismissals had a ripple effect

• throughout the company.


• churn v. [I] 翻攪，翻騰； [T] 用力攪拌• churn n. [C] 攪乳器• 例： It takes a lot of time and energy to ch

urn milk into butter if you are doing it by hand.

• This milk churn must be an antique.


• within adv. 內心裡；在內部裡• within prep. 在……之內；不到……• within reach (of) 在可及……的範圍內• within (a) budget 在預算內• within sight 在視線範圍內• within walking distance 走路可到的距離• live within one's means 過量入為出的生活

• 例： The hotel lies within easy reach of a train station and bus stops.

• I tried to keep my spending within my budget during the trip.

• We walked for three hours, and the hotel finally came within sight.

• Is the restaurant within walking distance or should we take a taxi?

• Eddie has to move to a cheaper apartment so that he can live within his means.


• preoccupied adj. 心事重重的；出神的• preoccupy v. [T] 佔據心神• preoccupation n. [U, C] 費神，全神貫注；

令人費神的事務• be preoccupied with 滿腦子都是……• 例： Christie is preoccupied with making

money to buy a new house.

• Twilight found them in what looked like a huge, colorful garden. The old man breathed in the aroma, listened to the bubbling brook, and pulled the ox to a halt. “Let’s sleep here,” he sighed.


• twilight n. [U] 薄暮時分；黃昏• twilight year 晚年，遲暮之年• 例： Doris still had an active social life in h

er twilight years.

• aroma n. [C] 香氣，芳香• aromatic adj. 芳香的• a fruity aroma 果香• a delicious aroma 引人垂涎的香味• aromatic herbs 香草• 【補充】• 香氣的區別：• aroma 多半指食物或飲料發出的香味• 例： the aroma of freshly baked cookies

• 。


• scent （天然的）香味• 例： the scent of flowers• perfume （天然的）香味（同 scent ）• 例： the perfume of roses• fragrance 香味• 例： the fragrance of shampoo • scent、 perfume、 fragrance 也都有「香水」的含意

• halt n. [sing.] 停止• halt v. [I, T] （使）停止• bring something to a halt 使停頓• come to a halt 停止• (a vehicle) screech to a halt 緊急煞車• 例： Your Internet service will be halted if

you don't pay the bill.

• The project was brought to a halt due to lack of money.

• A carriage came to a halt at the gate.


• “This is the last trip I’m taking

with you,” snapped his son. “You’re more interested in watching sunsets and smelling flowers than in making money!”


• snap v. [T, I] 怒喝；厲聲說話；啪的一聲折斷 n. [C] 啪噠聲

• 例： "You're late again!" the teacher snapped.

• The twigs snapped when I stepped on them.

• The chopsticks broke with a snap.


• “Why, that’s the nicest thing you’ve said in a long time,” smiled the dad. A couple of minutes later he was snoring---as his boy glared back at the stars. The night dragged slowly; the son was restless.


• snore [snor] v. [I] to make a loud breathing noise when asleep 打鼾

• My father snores loudly when he’s sleeping.

• glare [始 Er] v. [I] to look at someone or something angrily 怒視

• The two girls sat down in their seats, glaring at each other.


• restless [1rEstlIs] adj. unable to stay still because of boredom, impatience, or anxiety; fidgety 坐立難安的，煩躁的

• restlessness [1rEstlIsnIs] n. [U] 坐立不安；心神不定

• After two hours, the audience at the ceremony were becoming restless.

• The children showed their restlessness by moving around in their seats.


• 當句子裡出現 this/that/it is the first/second ...best/worst/only ... 等諸如此類的結構時，要用現在完成式。

• 例： This is the most wonderful dinner I've ever had.

• That's the first phone call he has answered this morning.

• in a long time 這麼久以來；長久以來• 例： For the first time in a long time I felt relaxed.


• drag v. [I, T] （時間等）拖長；走得很慢；（物品）在地上拖著；拖拉

• drag one's feet 拖著腳步• 例： The days in the hospital dragged on li

ke years.

• The police dragged the protesters away.

• Hungry and tired, Mr. Lin dragged his feet as he walked out of the office.


• “Let’s give him a hand,” whispered the old man.

• Before sunrise the young man hurriedly shook his father awake. They hitched up and went on. About a mile down the road they happened upon another farmer--a total stranger---trying to pull his cart out of a ditch.


• “And lose more time?” the boy exploded.

• “Relax, son... You might be in a ditch sometime yourself. We need to help others in need—don’t forget that.” The boy looked away in anger.


• ditch [dIt?] n. [C] a passage dug into the ground, esp. for supplying or removing water 溝，渠

• The Environmental Protection Bureau ordered all drainage ditches to be cleared before the typhoon season begins.


• explode v. [I] to fly into a rage 大發雷霆；to blow up 爆炸

• explosion n. [C] 爆炸（聲） • explosive adj. 爆炸（性）的 • explosive n. [C] 炸藥 • My father exploded with anger when he le

arned I had broken his antique vase.


• A bomb exploded on a bus, killing five passengers and injuring twenty.

• The noise of the explosion could be heard several kilometers away.

• The old sailor has an explosive temper.

• Terrorists planted explosives on an airplane, causing it to blow up in the air.


• (1) look away/up/down/inside/around • 向別處／往上／往下／往裡頭／四處看• look後面可接副詞，點出所看的方向， loo

k後面也可以接介系詞，形成片語。• look after 照顧• look forward to + N/V-ing 期盼• look down on somebody 看不起某人• look up to somebody 尊敬某人


• It was almost eight o’clock that morning by the time the other cart was back on the road. Suddenly, a great flash split the sky. What sounded like thunder followed. Beyond the hills, the sky grew dark.

• “Looks like a big rain in the city,” said the old man.


• “If we had hurried, we’d be almost sold out by now,” grumbled his son.

• “Take it easy... You’ll last longer. And you’ll enjoy life so much more,” counselled the kind old gentleman.


• grumble v. [I] to complain quietly but in a bad-tempered way 喃喃抱怨

• Don’t just grumble about everything around you. Look on the bright side of things.


• It was late afternoon by the time they got to the hill overlooking the city. They stopped and stared down at it for a long, long time. Neither of them said a word.


• Finally, the young man put his hand on his father’s shoulder and said, “I see what you mean, Dad.” They turned their cart around and began to roll slowly away from what had once been the city of Hiroshima.


• (The Japanese city of Hiroshima was devastated on August 6, 1945, by a U.S. atomic bomb.)


• devastate v. [T] to destroy 摧毀；重創 • devastating adj. 毀滅性的 • devastation n. [U] 毀滅；重創 • The small village was devastated by the fl

oods.

• Hurricane Katrina was a devastating storm. It left countless people in New Orleans homeless.

L.8 Hurry Up or Slow Down?

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Transcript of L.8 Hurry Up or Slow Down?