Words and Expressions

1.gusto

"I love symbols!" Dr.Brock exclaimed, and he described with gusto the joys of weaving them through his work.

gusto:enthusiasm and energy in doing sth （做某事的）热情，兴致，精力

eg. They sang with gusto

2.fiddle

others can't write the second paragraph until they have fiddled endlessly with the first.

fiddle: v.  ①fiddle with sth: 不断摸弄，摆弄

                ②篡改，伪造

                ③to play music on the violin

               fiddle about/around : to spend your time doing things that are not important 虚度光阴

              fiddle with Rome burns  大难临头莫不关心；隔岸观火

              eg. with the world's population growing fast and millions getting hungrier every day, the leaders of the rich nations just seem to be fiddling while Rome burns.

           n.欺诈；修理；难事

    这里fiddle 的意思是不断地修改

3.emerge ???

They sit down on commit an act of literature, and the self who emerges on paper is far stiffer than the person who sat down to write.

emerge有浮现，显露的意思。在这个情境中，我还不能很好地理解这个词，望大家解惑。

这个话中的 the self= the person,这个表达可以积累。

4.pompous

We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constrcutions, pompous frills and meaningless jargon.

pompous: 虚华的；言辞浮夸的

eg. His manner was informal, without a trace of pomposity.

5.muddy

It's impossible for a muddy thinker to write good English.

muddy: 这里的意思是 confused and not clear

6.“Not if I can help it”

"Do you put symbolism in your writing?" a student asked me.

“Not if I can help it” I replied.

eg. It couldn't be helped (=there was no way of avoinding it and we must accept it.) 这是不可避免的

“Not if I can help it” means i will not use it, if it is necessary. 作者这样写可以说是非常简洁到位了。

My thinking

1.作者通过和他人想法的对照来开篇，既能吸引人的注意力又很好地阐释了自己的观点。值得学习。

2.写作过程中要头脑清晰，问自己“what am i trying to say?” 而不是 "have i said it?"

3. 写作要反复反复修改。写论文的时候你也要这样做。

4.不要给自己的偷懒找借口，像写作一样hard的事还很多，要有规划。不要太把自己的兴趣当回事，换句话说，有些你不那么感兴趣的事可能能帮助你更好地突破自己。