长难句释义

1. The town roared with laughter. Shields, sensitive and proud, boiled with indignation. (Para. 3)

Lincoln’s criticism made Shields the laughingstock of the whole town, who was outraged because his pride was hurt.

2. Time after time….Lincoln put a new general at the head of the Army of the Potomac, and each one in turn blundered tragically and drove Lincoln to pacing the floor in despair. (Para. 5)

Every time Lincoln appointed a new commander, he would be made restless and hopeless by their incompetence, defeated by the Confederate army.

3. But Lincoln, “with malice toward none, with charity for all,” held his peace. One of his favorite quotations was “Judge not, that ye be not judge.” (Para. 5)

Lincoln asked his people to forget whatever hard feelings may have arisen from the years of battle during the Civil War, and show kindness and goodwill towards those who have lost so much, approaching none with hate or ill will.

From Bible: Do not judge, so that you will not be judged, since you will be judged in the same judgment that you make, and you will be measured by the same standard you apply.

4. I do not believe you appreciate the magnitude of the misfortune involved in Lee’s escape. (Para. 9)

Lincoln criticized General Meade for not catching the golden opportunity to defeat Lee’s army, because the general would not understand the consequence militarily and politically.

5. Mark Twain lost his temper occasionally and wrote letters that turned the paper brown….

he once wrote to a …”The thing for you is a burial permit. You have only to speak and I will see that you get it” (Para. 12)

Make the newspaper angry. Letters which have so much anger in them that they almost burn the paper.

What you need in a burial permit because you really have no reason to live in this world. This is really cruel and insulting.

6. He ordered: “Set the matter according to my copy hereafter and see that the proofreader retains his suggestions in the mush of his decayed brain.” (Para. 12)

hereafter: from now on. Note that Mark Twain is very angry and he deliberately uses this

formal word to intimidate the proofreader.

Make sure the proofreader not to improve Twain’s manuscript again, just keeping it as it is. The stupidity of his useless brain is as in a mess of porridge.

7. Do you know someone you would like to change and regulate and improve? Good!

8. … that he was made American Ambassador to France. The secret of his success? “I will speak ill of no man,” he said… (Para. 16)

9. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving. (Para. 18)

10. The young man was sick with the agony of his mistake. (Para. 21)

The young man was overwhelmed by great worries, waiting for the possible punishment imposed.

He had just caused the loss of a very expensive plane and could have caused the loss of the test pilot as well.