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Unit8WhyNothingWorksbyMarvinHarrisphonographphonographCassetterecorderCDPlayerWalkmanCDWalkmanMp3PlayerMP4•Haveyoueverboughtsomething,likeafountainpen,acassetterecorder,orawatch,whichbrokedownorwentoutofordershortlyafteruse?Wereyoufrustratedbythisfeelingthatyou’dbeencheated?Whodidyounormallyblameforthis?Whatdidyouthinkarethecausesforsuchproblem?•Whatdopeopleusuallythinkarethefactorsrelatedtogoodqualityinproducts?Whatdotheythinkarethecausesforshoddygoods?Howdoestheauthorofthepresenttextthinkdifferently?Warm-upquestions•What’stheissuebeingdiscussedinthepresenttext?Doyouthinktheissuerelevanttousornot?•Regardingtheproblemofshoddygoods,whatfactorsarespecifiedbytheauthor?Whichfactordoesheregardasprimary,humanortechnology?Why?Doyouagreewithhim?•Whatisthemessagethattheauthorintendstogetacrosstous?Canyoufindthemessageexplicitlystatedintext?Whatdoyouthinkisthethesisstatementofthetext?•Towhatextentdoyouagreeordisagreewiththeauthor’sargument?•MarvinHarris(1927–2001)wasananthropologyprofessoratColumbiaUniversityfrom1953until1980,including3yearsasdepartmentchairman.From1980until2000,heheldagraduateresearchprofessorshipattheUniversityofFlorida.•Hecalledhisapproach“culturalmaterialism”(allhumancultureisshapedmostsignificantlybytheenvironmentinwhichhumanslive).Author•Thistextinformsthereaderofthefactthattherelationshipbetweenproducersandconsumershasbecomemoreandmoreloosened(松散).ThisfactleadstotheresultthattheMurphy’sLawtakeseffecteverywhere.IntheendtheauthorexpresseshisconcernabouttheeffectofMurphy’slawongoodsintoday’sindustrialsociety.MainIdea•PartⅠ:(para.1)Theauthorintroducesthetheme(主题)ofthearticlebyquoting(引用)Murphy’sLaw.•PartⅡ:(para.2-4)Theauthorattemptstoillustratehispointthatthequalityofcertaingoodsrevealtherelationshipbetweenproducerandconsumer.•PartⅢ:(para.5)TheauthorexpresseshisconcernabouttheeffectofMurphy’sLawonthequalityofthegoodsintoday’sindustrialsociety.StructureTextAnalysisParagraph11.accordingtoalawattributedtothesavantknownonlyasMurphy,…•attributedto:consideredorbelievedtobedoneorcausedby认为某事物属于某人，认为某事物由某人引起或产生•e.g.ThisplayisusuallyattributedtoShakespeare.这个剧本通常认为是莎士比亚作的。•attributesth.tosb./sth.•attribute:n.aqualityorfeature,especiallyonethatisconsideredtobegoodoruseful•E.g.Whatattributesshouldagoodmanagerpossess?•译:根据一位仅知其名为墨菲的学者所归纳的法则，“任何东西如果会出毛病的话，它迟早要出毛病的。”•2.CorollariestoMurphy’sLawsuggestthemselvesascluestotheshoddygoodsproblem:corollary:Acorollaryofsomethingisanidea,argument,orfactthatresultsdirectlyfromit.必然的结果，自然的结果e.g.Blindjealousyisafrequentcorollaryofpassionatelove.盲目的嫉妒往往是热恋所致。Thecorollaryofthissimplisticanalysisisthatifreformsstopnow,sowillgrowth.根据这种单纯的分析得出的推论是，如果现在停止改革，经济增长也将停顿。•Paraphrase:FromMurphy’sLawwemayfindanswerstotheproblemofbadlymadegoods.•译：据此得出的推论可以有助于解释次品问题：会出故障的终归要出故障；会停止运转的终归要停止运转。虽然墨菲的理论不能被完全推翻，但是效应通常可以推迟发生。shoddy:cheapandinferior(inquality)•e.g.shoddyworkmanship劣等工艺•Chinastillsufferfromthe“MadeinChina”label,andthefactthatmostpeoplethinkthingsfromChinaarefake,orrough,orshoddy.Murphy'slaw•Thisisahumorousmaxim,declaringthatingeneral,ifanythingcangowrong,itwill.(墨菲法则:一种认为凡有可能出差错的事终将出差错的俏皮法则)•Thelaworiginatedin1949withCaptainEDMurphy,anaircraftengineer.Referringtoatechnician,hesaid,“ifthereisanywaytodoitwrong,hewill.”Theprojectmanager,GeorgeE.Nichols,assignedthename“Murphy’sLaw”tothatandsimilarstatement.•AdditionalformsofMurphy’sLawinclude:•Nothingisaseasyasitlooks.•Everythingtakeslongerthanyouthinkitwill.•Friendscomeandgo,butenemiesaccumulate.（朋友有来有去，仇人则有增无减。意即：交友不易，能够持久的朋友更难，但仇人容易累积，易结不易解）•Ifyou’refeelinggood,don’tworry,you’llsoongetoverit.（如果你自己觉得很得意，别忙，你的感觉很快就会成为过去。意即：应宠辱不惊）•Ashortcutisthelongestdistancebetweentwopoints.（抄近路是两点之间最长的距离。抄近路，有时省不少时间，但有时在比较陌生的地方，反而会迷路，走许多冤枉路）•Otherlinealwaysmovesfaster.排队时另一条永远走得快些。•Toknowyourselfistheultimateaggression.(意为:战胜别人容易，而知道自己、认识自己，敢于面对现实，才会克服自身的弱点，才是大勇。)•Youwillalwaysfindsomethinginthelastplaceyoulook.Oftwopossibleevents,onlytheundesiredonewilloccur.•Thenicersomeoneis,thefartheraway(s)heisfromyou.•Ifyouexplainsoclearlythatnobodycanmisunderstand,somebodywill.•3.WhileMurphy’sLawcanneverbewhollydefeated,itseffectscanusuallybepostponed.•译：虽然墨菲的理论不能被完全推翻，但是效应通常可以推迟发生。•4.Muchofhumanexistenceconsistsofeffortsaimedatmakingsurethatthinsdon’tgowrong,fallapart,breakdown,orstoprunninguntiladecentintervalhaselapsedaftertheirmanufacture.•decent:proper;sociallyacceptable•e.g.decentbehavior/decentclothing•Inthiscontext,adecentintervalsuggeststhattheamountoftimeshouldbelongenoughforpeopletoacceptasproper.•elapse:usedtoindicatethepassingoftime(时间)消逝,过去,流逝•e.g.Threeweeks/Fourmonths/twoyearshaveelapsed.Forty-eighthourshaveelapsedsincehisarrest.从他被捕至今已经过去48小时了。…untiladecentintervalhaselapsed:untilasufficientlylongperiodoftimehaspassed.•Paraphrase:Peoplespendmuchoftheirlifetimetryinghardtokeepthingsingoodshape.Theythinkaproduct,afterleavingitsfactory,shouldlastatleastareasonablylongperiodbeforeceasingtowork.•译：人类在其生存中花费大量的时间和精力，力图保证其生产的物品能在尽可能长时间里不发生故障，不破碎或者不停止运转。•5.ForestallingMurpgy’sLawasappliedtoproductsdemandintelligence,skill,andcommitment.•forestal