1 - 阅读感悟
（1）本章写了苏东坡的上升期，面对失而复得的权利与富贵，表现得宠辱不惊。文中关于苦与乐的探讨，发人深省，值得细品。
As a matter of fact,there is not very much difference in actual happiness between living a luxurious life and a simple one.
On Happiness and Unhappiness 《乐与苦》
"One desires pleasure and fears a hard life. These are sentiments one entertains before leading the so-called pleasurable or hard life. After one is in it, one tries to think of the envy and the fear and finds that they are gone. Then where are the pleasurable and unpleasurable moments after they are past They seem to be like a sound, a shadow, a breeze, or a dream. Even these four things are somehow more tangible. Besides, how is one ever going to find happiness by countering one illusion with another illusion I wish I could express this deep truth to you, but I cannot. August 5, 1088."
“乐事可慕，苦事可畏，皆是未至时心尔。及苦乐既至，以身履之。求畏慕者初不可得况，既过之后复有何物。此之寻声捕影系风迩梦尔。此四者犹有仿佛也。如此推究，不免是病，且以此病对治彼病。彼此相磨安得乐处。当以至理语君，今则不可。元祐三年八月五日书”
（2）说到物质，林语堂随后又写到“There are decided and material advantages in being a high official.”古代文人墨客，若不当官，甘愿淡漠名利就意味着贫穷。这照应了十八章开篇第一句，人在官场身不由己，若有别的选择，就尽量不要走上仕途。
事难两全，就好比现在找工作，公务员铁饭碗可能意味着工资低，出来闯荡可能工资高，又怕风险和不稳定。
（3）信息流决定人生的质量。
Perhaps it was because they were women that they were able to retain an elementary sense of right and wrong and a simple, clear-cut judgment o£ the good and bad men at the court. For while living in the palace, they did not hear enough about the scholars' involved and learned arguments over policies to be confused by them, and yet they heard enough to know the general trend of public opinion.
太后之前因为远离朝政，能听到民众的声音，所以才能贤明，伟大。
（4）本章还体现了苏东坡“玩童”的形象：“Su Tungpo indulged in a great deal of joking and funmaking with his friends.”
2 - Words
（1）fasting ceremony 斋戒典礼
斋戒：在中国，斋戒主要用于祭祀、行大礼等严肃庄重的场合,以示虔诚庄敬。斋戒包含了斋和和戒两个方面。“斋”来源于“齐”，主要是“整齐”，如沐浴更衣、不饮酒，不吃荤。戒主要是指戒游乐，比如不与妻妾同寝，减少娱乐活动。后以此指称相似的宗教礼仪。在佛教中，清除心的不净叫做“斋”，禁止身的过非叫做“戒”，斋戒就是守戒以杜绝一切嗜欲的意思。
（2）far cry
原文：...a far cry from the farm at Huangchow。
意思：①a long distance 长距离；
②something notably different 差别悬殊。
例句：The effects of the new law were a far cry from what was intended.
（3）significantly
原文：At this the Emperor smiled and looked significantly at Su Tungpo.
【张振玉译文】这时皇上微微一笑，向苏东坡看来一眼。
【宋碧云译文】皇帝听了会心一笑，还特意回头看看苏东坡。
就这句话而言，宋碧云译得比张振玉好些，因为张振玉完全没有翻译出significantly要表达的意思：
in a way that seems to have a special meaning 意味深长地，别有含意地。
例句：George paused, and glanced significantly in my direction.乔治停顿了一下，意味深长地向我这边看了一眼。
