新编英语教程第五册Unit 8(有备注)

Murphy‘ Law.

Unit 8Text 1 Why Nothing Works

Murphy‘ Law.

This

is a humorous maxim,declaring that in general, if anything can go wrong, it will. The law originated in 1949 with Captain ED Murphy, an aircraft engineer. Referring to a technician, he said, “if there is any way to do it wrong, he will.”

Murphy‘ Law.

The

original Murphy s law reads: If there are two or more ways to do something, and one of those ways can result in a catastrophe (大灾难), then someone will do it.

Murphy‘ Law.

“Nothing is as easy as it looks.” “Everything takes longer than you think it will.” “A short cut is the longest distance between two points.” “The other line always moves faster.”

Murphy‘ Law.

Murphy s

Law Parkinson's Law The Peter Principle

Murphy‘ Law.

This text informs the reader of the fact that the relationship between producers and consumers has become more and more loosened (松散). This fact leads to the result that the Murphy s law (墨菲法 则) takes effect everywhere. In the end the author expresses his concern about the effect of Murphy s law on goods in today s industrial society.

Murphy‘ Law.

What

role does Murphy s law play in this article?

Murphy‘ Law.

Main The

idea

author raises the topic of shoddy goods problem by referring to Murphy s law and the inference from it, thus leading to the argument of whether technology or human input plays a decisive role in quality control.

Murphy‘ Law.

attribute

to: regard something as belonging to, caused by or produced by 认为某事物属于某人，认为某事物由 某人引起或产生 This

play is usually attributed to Shakespeare.

这个剧本通常认为是莎士比亚作的。

Murphy‘ Law.

savant:

a person having great knowledge of some subject 专家，学者，博学之士

Murphy‘ Law.

corollary:

an idea, an argument, or a fact that naturally follows something else 必然的结果， 自然的结果 Neither

他们两人并不知道这回事，因此一定是另外 有人泄露了秘密。 shoddy: of poor quality or badly made 劣质 的；粗制滥造的 shoddy workmanship 劣等工艺

of them knew about it, and the corollary of that is that someone else revealed the secret.

Murphy‘ Law.

Much

of human existence consists of efforts [aimed at (making sure that <things don t go wrong, fall apart, break down, or stop running until a decent interval has elapsed after their manufacture.>)]

Murphy‘ Law.

until

a decent interval has elapsed: until a sufficiently long period of time has passed.

Murphy‘ Law.

elapse:

(time) pass by (written) three weeks / four months / two years have elapsed.

Murphy‘ Law.

forestalling

Murphy s Law: preventing Murphy s Law from taking effect / operating forestall: prevent or defeat (a person or his plans) by acting first(用先发制人的手段) 预先阻止 Before

he had time to explain what he proposed to do, his plan was forestalled. The police forestalled the burglar’s attempt to break into the jeweler’s.

Murphy‘ Law.

commitment:

(in this context) obligation or

determination to forestall Murphy s Law. Originally commitment refers to the act of pledging or devoting (oneself) to a course of action (承诺，许诺). The

teacher’s commitment (responsibility) is more than imparting knowledge.

A person

is committed if he devotes himself to a certain cause, e.g., a committed educationist (忠诚的教育家).