Do it yourself自己動手
So great is our passion for doing things for ourselves, that we are becoming increasingly less dependent on specialized labour. No one can plead ignorance of a subject any longer, for these are countless do-it-yourself publications.
現在我們自己動手做事的熱情很高，結果對於專業工人的依賴越來越少了。由於出版了不計其數的教人自己動手做事的書報雜誌，沒有人再能說對某事一無所知。
🎈結構劃分：So（副詞句首，句子半倒裝） great is（be 動詞提前） our passion/（後置定語） for doing things for ourselves, /（結果狀語從句）that we are becoming increasingly less dependent on specialized labour.
原語序為Our passion for doing things for ourselves is so great that...
🎈do sth for oneself表示「自己動手做某事」, 下文的do-it-yourself 為複合形容詞表示「自己動手去做的」。
🎈be becoming increasingly +adj.越來越.，其中increasingly相當於more and more
🎈less dependent on不依賴於相當於be independent of
🎈plead [pli:d] v.找(藉口)，辯解，以某事為藉口
plead ignorance以不知道為藉口，此處No one can plead ignorance of a subject any longer沒有人再能以不知道某一件事為藉口→沒有人再能說對某事一無所知。
plead for sth.懇求，請求
plead with sb to do sth 懇求某人做某事
🎈ignorance ['ignәrәns] n.無知，不懂（貶義，應該知道的事情不知道）
be ignorant of...不知道..
ignore不理睬，漠視（主觀）
neglect 忽視（客觀）
Armed with the right tools and materials, newlyweds gaily embark on the task of decorating their own homes. Men, particularly, spend hours of their leisure time installing their own fireplaces, laying out their own gardens; building garages and making furniture.
新婚夫婦找來合適的工具和材料，喜氣洋洋地開始布置新房。特別是男人，常利用空閒時間安裝壁爐、布置花園、建造車庫、製作家具。
🎈armed with 表示裝備著，拿著.
🎈newlyweds n.新婚夫婦，新婚燕爾
🎈gaily相當於cheerfully或happily，表示「高興地，喜氣洋洋地」。
🎈embark on the task of doing sth.開始.的任務，開始做某事,其中embark on相當於start on 或set about sth.
🎈lay out...本意為「攤開，擺開.」，此處為「布置」，相當於arrange。
Some really keen enthusiasts go so far as to build their own computers. Shops cater for the do-it-yourself craze not only by running special advisory services for novices, but by offering consumers bits and pieces which they can assemble at home. Such things provide an excellent outlet for pent up creative energy, but unfortunately not all of us are born handymen.
有些熱衷於自己動手的人甚至自己組裝電腦。為了滿足自己動手熱的需要，商店不僅為初學者提供專門的諮詢服務，而且為顧客準備了各種零件，供他們買回家去安裝。這些東西為人們潛在的創造力提供了一個絕妙的用武之地。但不幸的是，我們並非人人都是能工巧匠。
🎈此處go so far as to ...中far表示程度而非距離，so ...as to 表示「以至於」
🎈build their own computers中的build 就相當於assemble，表示「組裝」，因此譯為「自己組裝電腦」。
🎈結構劃分：Shops cater for the do-it-yourself craze not only （方式狀語）by running special advisory services for novices, but by offering consumers bits and pieces （定語從句）which they can assemble at home.
🎈cater for...迎合.，滿足.
🎈novice ['nɔvis] n.新手，相當於beginner或learner。（nov→new新）,此處services for novices押尾韻。
🎈outlet ['aut-let] n.出路，出口
outlet for...表示（精力、強烈情感等的）發洩途徑→means of releasing energy,strong feelings,etc.
🎈pent-up表示「（情感，精力等）」被壓抑的，鬱積的→pent-up feelings or energy have not been expressed or used for a long time
🎈not與 all,every,everything, everyone,both 等連用多表示部分否定， not all of us are born handymen→並非人人都是能工巧匠
Some wives tend to believe that their husbands are infinitely resourceful and can fix anything. Even men who can hardly drive a nail in straight are supposed to be born electricians, carpenters, plumbers and mechanics.
妻子常常認為她們的丈夫無比聰明能幹。甚至那些連一枚釘子都釘不直的男人都被認為是天生的電工、木匠、水管工和機械師。
🎈tend to do表示「往往.，常常.」，還可以用have a tendency to do
🎈drive a nail in straight 中的drive表示「釘釘子」，把釘子釘直
🎈be born electricians, carpenters, plumbers and mechanics中的born表示「天生的」，相當於gifted或talented
When lights fuse, furniture gets rickety, pipes get clogged, or vacuum cleaners fail to operate, some woman assume that their husbands will somehow put things right. The worst thing about the do-it-yourself game is that sometimes even men live under the delusion that they can do anything, even when they have repeatedly been proved wrong. It is a question of pride as much as anything else.
每當電燈保險絲燒斷、家具榫頭鬆動、管道堵塞、吸塵器不動時，有些妻子認為丈夫總有辦法。自己動手的例子中最糟糕的是，有時甚至是男人儘管接連失敗卻還誤以為自己什麼都行，原因就是要面子。
🎈fuse作名詞的時候表示「保險絲，導火索」，此處為動詞，表示「（保險絲）斷掉，由於燒斷保險絲而短路」。
🎈rickety ['rikiti] a.要散架的，晃動的
🎈clog [klɔg] v.堵塞，pipes get clogged管道堵塞
clog sth （up） with...堵住了
🎈somehow表「用某種方式」→in some way, or by some means, although you do not know how，除此之外還可以表示「不知道怎麼搞的，出於未知的原因」→for a reason that you do not know or understand.
🎈put things right/in order使.恢復正常
put ...out of order使..出故障
🎈結構劃分：The worst thing （後置定語）about the do-it-yourself game is （表語從句） that sometimes even men live under the delusion （同位語從句）that they can do anything, （時間狀語從句）even when they have repeatedly been proved wrong.
🎈delusion [di'lu:ʒәn] n.錯覺
be/under the delusion/illusion that...有..的錯覺
🎈a question of ...表示「.問題」，相當於a matter of... ，此處a question of pride面子問題
🎈as much as anything else表示「非常非常大/多」,用於加強語氣。
Last spring my wife suggested that I call in a man to look at our lawn mower. It had broken down the previous summer, and though I promised to repair it, I had never got round to it. I would not hear of the suggestion and said that I would fix it myself.
今年春天，妻子讓我請人檢查一下我家的割草機。那臺割草機去年夏天就壞了，儘管我答應修，但一直沒抽出時間，我不願聽妻子的建議，說我自己會修。
🎈call sb in 表示「叫某人來幫忙」→to ask sb. to come and help you with a difficult situation
🎈look at 此處相當於examine「檢查」，還可用have a look at，下文的have a close look at表示「仔細檢查」
🎈lawn mower 割草機
🎈get round/around to sth/doing 表示「有時間/找到時間做某事」
🎈not hear of sth表示「不同意做某事」， not hear of the suggestion →我不願聽妻子的建議
One Saturday afternoon, I hauled the machine into the garden and had a close look at it. As far as I could see, it needed only a minor adjustment: a turn of a screw here, a little tightening up there, a drop of oil and it would be as good as new.
一個星期六的下午，我把割草機拉到了花園裡，仔細檢查了一番。在我看來，只需稍加調整即可。這兒緊緊螺絲，那兒固定一下，再加幾滴油，就會像新的一樣了。
🎈結構劃分：As far as I could see（狀語）, /it needed only a minor adjustment: /a turn of a screw here（同位語1）, /a little tightening up there（同位語2）,/ a drop of oil （同位語3）/（並列句）and it would be as good as new.
🎈adjustment [ә'dʒʌstmәnt] n.調整（小的調整，微調），a minor adjustment稍加調整
make adjustment to...
adjust A to B使適應.
adapt A to B 使適應.（大的調整，改編）
amend修改，修訂（文本上的）
🎈as good as 相當於almost 或nearly，表示「差不多，幾乎」，此處as good as new表示「像新的一樣了」。
Inevitably the repair job was not quite so simple. The mower firmly refused to mow, so I decided to dismantle it. The garden was soon littered with chunks of metal which had once made up a lawn mower.
事實上，修理工作遠不是那麼簡單。修完後割草機還是紋絲不動。於是，我決定把它拆開。一會兒工夫，割草機便被拆成一個個金屬零件，亂七八糟地堆在花園裡。
🎈dismantle [dis'mæntl] v.拆卸，此處 I decided to dismantle it相當於 I decided to take it apart
🎈be littered/cluttered with 雜亂無章地堆滿了.
🎈chunks of大塊的.
But I was extremely pleased with myself. I had traced the cause of the trouble. One of the links in the chain that drives the wheels had snapped. After buying a new chain I was faced with the insurmountable task of putting the confusing jigsaw puzzle together again.
但我卻非常高興，因為我找到了毛病所在。驅動輪子的鏈條斷了一節。我買來一根新鏈條後，面臨的就是如何把這些令人眼花繚亂的拼板重新組裝起來。
🎈trace the cause of 追根溯源，找到.的原因、根源，此處trace相當於track down
🎈snap [snæp] v.繃斷（啪的一聲斷了）
🎈insurmountable ['insә'mauntәbl] a.不能克服的，難以對付的
I was not surprised to find that the machine still refused to work after I had reassembled it, for the simple reason that I was left with several curiously shaped bits of metal which did not seem to fit anywhere.
等我裝完後，那臺割草機仍然一動不動，對此我倒並不感到吃驚。原因很簡單，因為還剩下幾個形狀奇特的零件似乎哪裡也裝不上去。
🎈結構劃分：I was not surprised /（不定式原因狀語）to find /（賓語從句）that the machine still refused to work /（時間狀語從句）after I had reassembled it, //（原因狀語從句）for the simple reason/（同位語從句） that I was left with several curiously shaped bits of metal /（定語從句）which did not seem to fit anywhere.
🎈for the simple reason that相當於simply because，原因很簡單
I gave up in despair. The weeks passed and the grass grew. When my wife nagged me to do something about it, I told her that either I would have to buy a new mower or let the grass grow.
我無可奈何，只好罷休。幾個星期過去了，草長了起來。妻子喋喋不休讓我想點辦法。我告訴她，要麼買一臺新割草機，要麼讓草長下去。
🎈in despair絕望地
despair of n./doing 對.很絕望
🎈nag [næg] v.嘮叨不休
nag sb 數落，嘮叨某人
Needless to say our house is now surrounded by a jungle. Buried somewhere in deep grass there is a rusting lawn mower which I have promised to repair one day.
不用說，我家現在已被叢林包圍。深草叢中的某個地方有一臺正在生鏽的割草機，那就是我曾答應某日要修理的割草機。
🎈Needless to say表示「不用說也知道」，相當於as you can imagine,...
🔥【New words and expressions】
plead [pli:d] v.找(藉口)，辯解
ignorance ['ignәrәns] n.無知，不懂
publication ['pʌbli'keiʃәn] n.出版物，出版
newlyweds n.新婚夫婦
gaily ['geili] ad.愉快地，高興地
leisure ['leʒә] n.空閒
keen [ki:n] a.熱心的，渴望的
advisory [әd'vaizәri] a.諮詢的
novice ['nɔvis] n.新手
consumer [kәn'sju:mә] n.消費者，顧客
assemble [ә'sembl] v.裝配，組裝
outlet ['aut-let] n.出路，出口
creative [kri(:)'eitiv] a.創造性的
handyman ['hændimæn] n.手巧的人，能工巧匠
resourceful [ri'sɔ:sful] a.足智多謀的
fuse [fju:z] v.由於燒斷保險絲而短路
rickety ['rikiti] a.要散架的，晃動的
clog [klɔg] v.堵塞
delusion [di'lu:ʒәn] n.錯覺
lawn mower 割草機
adjustment [ә'dʒʌstmәnt] n.調整
screw [skru:] n.螺絲釘
dismantle [dis'mæntl] v.拆卸
chunk [tʃʌŋk] n.(厚)塊
snap [snæp] v.繃斷
insurmountable ['insә'mauntәbl] a.不能克服的，難以對付的
jigsaw ['dʒigsɔ:] n.線鋸
nag [næg] v.嘮叨不休
rust [rʌst] v.生鏽
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