Words and expressions
1.The dismal truth is that it’s very hard.
dismal: bad and unsuccessful
仿写: The team’s record so far is pretty dismal.
2. The mere agglomeration of detail is no free pass to the reader’s interest.
agglomeration: a large collection of things that do not seem to belong together.
3. Nowhere else in nonfiction do writers use such syrupy words and groaning platitudes.
syrupy: too nice or kind in a way that seems insincere ——used in order to show disapproval
platitude: a statement that has been made many times before and is not interesting or clever – used to show disapproval
仿写:Why couldn't he say something vital and original instead of just spouting the same syrupy platitudes?
4.A master of this feat of detection was the English author V. S.Pritchett, one of the best and most versatile of nonfiction writers.
versatile: someone who is versatile has many different skills
仿写: He had been one of the game's most versatile athletes.
5. It took a long time for me to disengage myself from this excitement, and on the blindest, most visceral level, I never really have, and never will.
disengage: to move so that you are not touching or holding someone
仿写: Sally found it difficult to disengage herself from his embrace.
Reflection
在这章作者提到了游记的写法，看似简单的描述一个地方，但真正要吸引读者，从千篇一律，陈词滥调的游记中脱颖而出还是不容易的。如何让自己的游记不同于别人，在于抓住某个细节，展现自己的风格，作者提到了一句Distill the important from the immaterial. 很遗憾的是，由于我阅历实在有限，作者文中提到的好多例子，好多书籍都没有看过。
