---
url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-3/50-new-year-resolutions.md
description: 新概念英语第三册：New Year Resolutions。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。
---

# 50 · 新年的决心

### 第1段

The New Year is a time for resolutions. Mentally, at least, most of us could compile formidable lists of "dos" and "don'ts". The same old favorites recur year in year out with monotonous regularity. We resolve to get up earlier each morning, eat less, find more time to play with the children, do a thousand and one jobs about the house, be nice to people we don't like, drive carefully, and take the dog for a walk every day. Past experience has taught us that certain accomplishments are beyond attainment. If we remain inveterate smokers, it is only because we have so often experienced the frustration that results from failure. Most of us fail in our efforts at self-improvement because our schemes are too ambitious and we never have time to carry them out. We also make the fundamental error of announcing our resolutions to everybody so that we look even more foolish when we slip back into our bad old ways. Aware of these pitfalls, this year I attempted to keep my resolutions to myself. I limited myself to two modest ambitions: to do physical exercises every morning and to read more of an evening. An all-night party on New Year's Eve provided me with a good excuse for not carrying out either of these new resolutions on the first day of the year, but on the second, I applied myself assiduously to the task.
The daily exercises lasted only eleven minutes and I proposed to do them early in the morning before anyone had got up. The self-discipline required to drag myself out of bed eleven minutes earlier than usual was considerable. Nevertheless, I managed to creep down into the living room for two days before anyone found me out. After jumping about on the carpet and twisting the human frame into uncomfortable positions, I sat down at the breakfast table in an exhausted condition. It was this that betrayed me. The next morning the whole family trooped in to watch the performance. That was really unsettling, but I fended off the taunts and jibes of the family good-humouredly and soon everybody got used to the idea. However, my enthusiasm waned. The time I spent at exercises gradually diminished. Little by little the eleven minutes fell to zero. By January 10th, I was back to where I had started from. I argued that if I spent less time exhausting myself at exercises in the morning, I would keep my mind fresh for reading when I got home from work. Resisting the hypnotizing effect of television, I sat in my room for a few evenings with my eyes glued to a book. One night, however, feeling cold and lonely, I went downstairs and sat in front of the television pretending to read. That proved to be my undoing, for I soon got back to my old bad habit of dozing off in front of the screen. I still haven't given up my resolution to do more reading. In fact, I have just bought a book entitled How to Read a Thousand Words a Minute. Perhaps it will solve my problem, but I just haven't had time to read it!
The thing is, once you've known what love feels like, well, when you're without it, you feel lonely, like a huge something is missing.

中文理解：新年，是下决心的时候。至少在脑海里，我们大多数人都能列出一长串“要做”和“不做”的事情。年复一年，那些老愿望总以同样的节奏重复出现：每天早起，少吃一点，多陪孩子，处理家里数不清的杂事，对不喜欢的人也和气些，谨慎驾驶，每天遛狗。过去的经历告诉我们，有些事是做不到的。如果我们仍是戒不掉烟的老烟民，只因戒烟失败的挫败感已经经历过太多次。大多数人自我改善失败，是因为计划太宏大，根本没时间执行。我们还会犯一个根本性的错误：把自己的决心逢人便讲，等旧毛病一复发，就显得更加可笑。明白这些陷阱后，今年我决定悄悄行动，只给自己定了两个不大的目标：每天早晨锻炼，晚上多读点书。除夕夜一场通宵聚会，恰好给了我一个理由，让我元旦当天一项也没做。不过到了第二天，我便认认真真地开始执行。
每天的锻炼只需十一分钟，我打算趁家人还没起床，早早做完。要逼自己比平时早十一分钟离开被窝，所需的自制力可不小。不过，我还是成功地连续两天偷偷溜到客厅，没让人发现。在地毯上蹦蹦跳跳，把身体扭成各种不舒服的姿势后，我精疲力尽地坐上早餐桌。正是这副样子暴露了我。次日清晨，全家人一拥而来，围观我的“表演”。这真叫人不自在，但我还是好脾气地挡住大家的嘲弄，没多久，他们也就习惯了。可我的热情却逐渐退去，锻炼时间一点点缩短，十一分钟慢慢变成了零。到1月10日，我已经彻底回到原点。我给自己找理由：早晨少花些力气折腾，晚上下班回来，才有精神读书。为了抵抗电视的催眠，接连几个晚上，我独自坐在房间里，眼睛紧盯着书。可有一天夜里，我觉得又冷又孤单，便下楼坐到电视前，假装还在看书。这一下彻底坏了事，我很快又恢复了对着屏幕打瞌睡的老习惯。不过，多读书的决心我还没放弃。事实上，我刚买了一本《如何每分钟读一千词》。也许它能解决问题，只是我还一直没腾出时间看呢！
问题是，一旦体会过爱的滋味，失去它时，就会感到孤单，仿佛心里缺了很大的一块。

* **year in year out**：年复一年；强调长期重复，常含单调感。

* **resolve to**：下决心……；resolve to do，名词 resolution 后也可接 to do。

* **beyond attainment**：难以达到的；beyond + 名词表超出能力或范围；不把暂时难以达到说成永远不可能。

* **too ambitious**：目标过高；野心过大；too 暗示超出可行范围，要与资源或时限一起判断。

* **carry them out**：执行它们；代词置中，如 carry it out。

* **keep my resolutions to myself**：把决心留在心里，不告诉别人；keep something to oneself 表不对外说，与 keep a promise 的守约不同。

* **limited myself to**：把自己限定在……范围内；limit oneself to + 名词或 doing，to 是介词。

* **a good excuse for**：……的好借口；excuse for doing；本课有自嘲，不代表借口确实合理。

* **early in the morning**：一大早；一天的时段常用in；early说明时间早。

* **drag myself out of bed**：勉强爬下床；drag oneself 表费力克服不情愿，不是别人强行拖走。

* **an exhausted condition**：筋疲力尽的状态；in an exhausted condition，可简化为 exhausted 作补充描述。

* **got used to the idea**：慢慢接受了这个想法；get used to + 名词，强调逐渐适应，不是 used to do。

* **my enthusiasm waned**：我的热情消退了；enthusiasm 作主语 + wane，描述渐变而非突然讨厌。

* **Little by little**：逐渐地；突出一点点变化，既可改善也可退步。

* **fell to zero**：降为零；fall to + 终点，fall by + 变化量，注意区别。

* **keep my mind fresh**：保持头脑清醒；keep + 宾语 + 形容词，fresh 在此是精神状态。

* **in front of**：在……前面；与behind相对；别少掉of。

* **dozing off**：打起瞌睡；doze off 说进入浅睡，区别计划性 go to bed。

* **given up**：放弃了；不用 give up to do，放弃的内容跟在后面。

* **just haven't had time**：就是还没腾出时间；have time to do；完成时把缺时间延伸到现在。

* **you feel lonely**：你感到孤单；feel + 形容词写感受；这是原稿独立补充句，不接成新年决心的故事。

#### 原文注释 · The New Year is a time for resolutions.

注释：①mentally = in our minds/heads。②formidable = challenging, frightening。 ③recur year in year out = happen every year/year after year。④beyond attainment = cannot be achieved。⑤inveterate = firmly established in a bad habit。 ⑥frustration = feeling of annoyance and dissatisfaction。⑦carrying out = doing。

\[语法符号讲解] \[1]这里是because 引导的表语从句，该从句里面有一个that 引导的定语从句，故句末，表语从句的结束符号需要把定语从句的括号下面也予以标记虚线。

#### 原文注释 · The daily exercises lasted only eleven minutes and I proposed to do them early in the morning before anyone had got up.

注释：①这里 back 表示回到原状；to 后的 where 从句作介词补足语，意思是“回到了当初的起点”，不宜因为含有地点意义就一概称为地点状语从句。

#### 原文注释 · The thing is, once you've known what love feels like, well, when you're without it, you feel lonely, like a huge something is missing.

注释：①从once 到最后的missing 为表语从句。②在该表语从句中，包含两个时间状语从句（分别是once…feels like和when…lonely）和一个方式状语从句（like…missing）。

#### Summary 摘要

The writer exercised early in the morning for two days before anyone found out. When he sat at breakfast the second day, his condition betrayed him. His enthusiasm waned so that by January 10th, things were back to normal. However, he decided to keep his mind fresh for reading. He read on his own until one evening he went down and sat in front of the television, but he dozed off. He has now bought a book on speed reading! (80 words)

#### Composition 作文

\[1]Are New Year resolutions made to be broken? I think so. Some people are serious about them of course,but most know that they won't succeed in keeping them. That's probably why they make resolutions such as "I must be polite to Aunt Harriet" when they only see Aunt Harriet twice a year!—or "I must cut down on my smoking" when they only ever have a cigarette after a family lunch on Sundays! Such resolutions, then, are not only ridiculous, but hardly resolutions at all!

\[2]The last time I ever made a list of resolutions was five years ago. I remember now that I resolved always to do my college work on time, to keep my room tidy, to have nothing to do with the girls in the nearby girls' college, to write home at least once a week, to wash my dirty clothes regularly and to have a haircut once a month. What was I thinking of?! For most college students such resolutions would be impossible—and of course they were for me!

\[3]I kept three of the resolutions for a week, and a girlfriend from the nearby girls' college helped me to keep two more (the ones about keeping my room tidy and washing my dirty clothes regularly!) for another week. After that, I gave up in despair. Instead, I resolved just to try to be just a little bit more tidy and a little more thoughtful, generally.

\[4]I don't bother to make New Year resolutions any more since I have proved to myself and others that I can't keep them. There seems to be little point in breaking habits which have taken years to establish. (279 words)

## 学完这一课

用 Past experience has taught me that… 总结一条有实际依据的经验。

[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175—179页，2022年2月第3版。*