---
url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-3/31-a-lovable-eccentric.md
description: 新概念英语第三册：A Lovable Eccentric。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。
---

# 31 · 可爱的怪人

### 第1段

True eccentrics never deliberately set out to draw attention to themselves. They disregard social conventions without being conscious that they are doing anything extraordinary. This invariably wins them the love and respect of others, for they add colour to the dull routine of everyday life.
Up to the time of his death, Richard Colson was one of the most notable figures in our town. He was a shrewd and wealthy businessman, but most people in the town hardly knew anything about this side of his life. He was known to us all as Dickie and his eccentricity had become legendary long before he died.
Dickie disliked snobs intensely. Though he owned a large car, he hardly ever used it, preferring always to go on foot. Even when it was raining heavily, he refused to carry an umbrella. One day, he walked into an expensive shop after having been caught in a particularly heavy shower. He wanted to buy a £300 watch for his wife, but he was in such a bedraggled condition that an assistant refused to serve him. Dickie left the shop without a word and returned carrying a large cloth bag. As it was extremely heavy, he dumped it on the counter. The assistant asked him to leave, but Dickie paid no attention to him and requested to see the manager. Recognizing who the customer was, the manager was most apologetic and reprimanded the assistant severely. When Dickie was given the watch, he presented the assistant with the cloth bag. It contained £300 in pennies. He insisted on the assistant's counting the money before he left— 30,000 pennies in all! On another occasion, he invited a number of important critics to see his private collection of modern paintings. This exhibition received a great deal of attention in the press, for though the pictures were supposed to be the work of famous artists, they had in fact been painted by Dickie. It took him four years to stage this elaborate joke simply to prove that critics do not always know what they are talking about.

中文理解：真正的怪人，从不会刻意引人注意。他们不把社会习俗放在心上，也不觉得自己做了什么不同寻常的事。这样的人总能赢得别人的喜爱和尊重，因为他们为单调的日常生活增添了色彩。
理查德·科尔森在世时，一直是我们镇上最有名的人物之一。他是个精明而富有的商人，但镇上的多数人几乎不了解他的这一面。我们都管他叫迪基，他那些古怪的事迹，在去世很久以前就已成了传奇。
迪基非常讨厌势利眼。他虽然有辆大汽车，却几乎不用，总喜欢步行，哪怕下着大雨，也不肯打伞。有一天，他被一场暴雨淋得浑身湿透，随后走进一家高档商店，想给妻子买一块三百英镑的手表。可他那副湿淋淋、狼狈不堪的样子，让一名店员拒绝接待。迪基一言不发地离开，回来时提着一大只布袋。袋子实在太重，他砰地把它放在柜台上。店员叫他出去，他却不予理会，要求见经理。经理认出这位顾客后，连连道歉，还严厉训斥了店员。拿到手表后，迪基把布袋交给店员，里面竟是三百英镑的便士硬币。他坚持要等店员把钱数完才走，一共三万枚！还有一次，他邀请一批重要的艺术评论家，参观自己私人收藏的现代绘画。展览引起了媒体的广泛关注，因为这些被认作名家之作的画，其实全是迪基自己画的。他花了四年精心安排这场玩笑，只为证明：评论家并不总是懂得自己在说什么。

* **draw attention to**：引起对……的注意；反身对象可说 draw attention to oneself。

* **social conventions**：社会习俗；惯常规矩；follow / disregard social conventions，常与个人性格形成对照。

* **add colour to**：给……增添趣味；colour 可比喻趣味与活力，不必逐字译成颜色。

* **Up to the time of**：一直到……的时候；明确一个截止点；其余时态依叙述参照选择。

* **long before**：早在……之前很久；before 给参照，long 只拉开时间距离，不自行决定完成时。

* **on foot**：步行；固定用 on，不说 by foot。

* **refused to**：拒绝做；偏偏不；人可拒绝，拟人时也可形容机器不肯运转。

* **without a word**：一言不发地；leave / return / listen without a word，适合以行为呈现情绪。

* **paid no attention to**：没有理会；to 是介词，否定范围在 no。

* **presented the assistant with**：把……交给售货员；present + 人 + with + 物，区别 present something to someone。

* **counting the money**：清点钱款；insist on 后接 doing；count 与 pay 的动作不同。

* **in all**：总共；放在数量附近汇总，区别all in all总体而言。

* **On another occasion**：另一次；occasion是某次场合；时间介词用on。

* **a great deal of**：大量；接time或excitement等，不直接接可数复数people。

* **do not always know**：并不总是知道；not always 是部分否定，不可改成从来不知道。

#### 原文注释 · True eccentrics never deliberately set out to draw attention to themselves.

注释：①deliberately = on purpose, intentionally。②disregard = ignore。 ③conventions = habits, rules。④conscious = aware。

\[语法符号讲解] \[1]本句without being…为介词短语作状语，该状语中，又有一个 that 引导的宾语从句，故我们予以细分，最后状语的中括号不需要包含点句号，而宾语从句的横线则要把点句号包括进来。

#### 原文注释 · Up to the time of his death, Richard Colson was one of the most notable figures in our town.

注释：①notable figures = famous people。②shrewd = clever。

#### 原文注释 · Dickie disliked snobs intensely.

注释：①paid no attention to = turned a deaf ear to。②elaborate = detailed, carefully planned。

\[语法符号讲解] \[1]分词所作的原因状语中，有一个who 引导的宾语从句作 recognize 的宾语，who 在从句中作表语，所以我们在who 下，先画横线，表示宾语从句的开始，再画虚线，表示其本身为表语。

\[2]这里也是在to prove 引导的目的状语中，含有that 引导的宾语从句，而在该宾语从句中，又有what 引导的宾语从句，所以最后about 这个单词是两个宾语从句的共同结束点。另外，对于第二个宾语从句，我们在what 下标记做了拆分，w 表示宾语从句的开始，at 表示what 本身也在该宾语从句中作宾语。

#### Summary 摘要

Dickie had been caught in a heavy shower when he walked into an expensive shop. He wanted a £300 watch for his wife, but he was so bedraggled the assistant refused to serve him. He left the shop and returned with a heavy cloth bag which he dumped on the counter. Dickie asked for the manager. When he was given the watch, he gave the assistant the bag which contained £300 in pennies, which the assistant had to count. (80 words)

#### Composition 作文 A True Eccentric 一个如假包换的怪人

\[1]Mr. Chew is a man who has lived in our small town for years. He is a large man (some would say "fat"), he has a round face, a big black moustache and a bald head. He always wears the same clothes—black trousers, a white shirt and a red waistcoat, and is always polite to everyone he meets.

\[2]He owns an antiques shop near the river, and he lives "over the shop". No one knows where he gets his things, but there are always lots of diffecent interesting antiques in the shop window every week.

\[3]Mr. Chew is interested in politics, too. Every week he puts up strange notices in his shop window to passers-by. Usually the notices are trying to make people save a local building or stop a plan to build a road through the town. Every time there is a national election, he automatically stands for parliament and gives speeches almost every day in the town park saying what he would do if he were Prime Minister. (He usually says he would make sure that antiques dealers did not have to pay Income Tax and that no cars should be allowed into our little town at all.) Every year he gets a few votes, but not enough to worry the serious candidates.

\[4]For most people Mr. Chew is a harmless eccentric, and everyone likes talking to him. After all, he is someone who adds colour to the dull routine of their daily lives. (248 words)

## 学完这一课

用 without being conscious that… 描写一个自己没察觉的习惯。

[Nce · 本册复习台](/new-concept/book-3/review) · [三册选择地图](/new-concept/)

*译文依据整理稿，由本站按中文表达重新校订；解析据吴应时、何景霖整理资料及首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第103—105页，2022年2月第3版。*