二、课文精解
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1.Wystan H.Auden：威斯坦·休·奥登（Wystan Hugh Auden，1907—1973年），英裔美国诗人，是继托马斯·艾略特之后最重要的英语诗人。毕业于牛津大学。30年代崭露头角，成为新一代诗人代表和左翼青年作家领袖。1939年移居美国，后入美国籍并皈依基督教。前期创作多涉及社会和政治题材，后期转向宗教。以能用从古到今各种诗体写作著称。代表作有《西班牙》、《新年书信》、《忧虑的时代》等。
2.In a society where slavery in the strict sense has been abolished,whether what a man does has social value depends on whether he is paid money to do it,but a laborer today can rightly be called a wage slave.在一个严格意义上已废除奴隶制的社会里，一个人做的事情是否具有社会价值取决于他是否为完成此项工作得到了报酬。然而，今天的劳动者可以被称为名副其实的工资奴隶。
句中but连接两个并列分句；in a society引导地点状语，其中where引导定语从句，修饰society；前一个分句的谓语动词是depends on，主语和宾语都是whether 引导的名词性从句。
in the strict sense从严格意义上说，严格来讲。例：
So far the discussion has centered entirely around mutation in the strict sense.到目前为止，严格来讲，讨论完全集中于围绕突变问题上。
wage工资；报偿。与salary的区别是：salary按月发放的工资，领工资者常是有专门技能和知识的人。wage按星期或按天发放的工资才页工资者常是体力劳动者。例：
Congress has legislated a new minimum wage for workers.国会制定了一项新的关于工人最低工资的法律。
The government has decided to increase salaries for all civil servants.政府已决定给所有公务员加薪。
3.A man is a laborer if the job society offers him is of no interest to himself but he is compelled to take it by the necessity of earning a living and supporting his family.如果社会给一个人提供一份他本人不感兴趣的工作，他出于养家糊口的需要不得已才从事这项工作，那这个人就是一个劳动者。
句子的主干为：A man is a laborer…；if引导条件状语从句，其中but连接两个并列句，在第一个分句中society offers him是定语从句，修饰job。
be compelled to不得不…；被强迫…。例：
The enemy were compelled to lay down their arms.敌人被迫放下武器。
compel与force均有“强迫；迫使”之意，区别：compel指在法律、权力、力量或行动等的驱使下被迫而为。force指用个人意志、权力、权威或暴力等，迫使他人改变看法或做本不愿做的事。例：
The law can compel fathers to make regular payments for their children.这项法律可强制父亲定期支付子女的费用。
You shall never force him to suppress the facts of his life.你绝对不能强迫他把过去生活中的那些事实隐瞒起来。
earn a living谋生；赚钱过活。例：
Nowadays it is very easy to earn a living.现今谋生很容易。
4.The difference does not,for example,coincide with the difference between a manual and a mental job;
a gardener or a cobbler may be a worker,a bank clerk a laborer.这种差异与体力劳动和脑力劳动之间的差异并不吻合。譬如，一个园丁或者鞋匠也许就是一个工作者，而一个银行职员则可能是一个劳动者。
句子的主干为：The difference does not coincide with the difference between a manual and a mental job…；for example为插入语，分号后面为作者给出的例子。
coincide with与…一致；相符，符合。例：
His tastes and habits coincide with those of his wife.他的爱好跟习惯恰好和他的妻子相同。
mental脑力的；精神上的，心理上的。短语make a mental note of意为“记在脑子里；把…牢记在心”，例：
I made a mental note of the phrase.我牢牢记住了那个短语。
5.At a guess I would say sixteen per cent,and I do not think that figure is likely to get bigger in the future.我估计大概有16％，而且，我认为这个数字将来也不会增加。
at a guess据推测；凭猜想。例：
At a guess he's been dead for two days.据猜测，他已死了两天。
与guess相关的其他短语：
①keep sb.guessing让（人）捉摸不定。例：
The author's intention is to keep everyone guessing until the bitter end.这位作家打算把悲惨结局的悬念一直保留到最后。
②guess what你猜怎么着；想不到吧。例：
Guess what,I just got my first part in a movie.你猜怎么着，我刚刚得到了自己的第一个电影角。
be likely to倾向于，很有可能。例：
Train fares are likely to remain unchanged.火车票价很可能会保持不变。
6.Technology and the division of labor have done two things:by eliminating in many fields the need for special strength or skill,they have made a very large number of paid occupations which formerly were enjoyable work into boring labor,and by increasing productivity they have reduced the number of neces
sary laboring hours.技术和劳动的分工成就了两件事：通过在许多领域取消了特别才能和技术的需要，把过去本来令人愉快的大量受雇职业的工作变成了令人厌倦的劳动；通过提高生产力，缩短了劳动所需的时间。
句子的主干为：Technology and the division of labor have done two things；这“两件事”分别是：they have made a very large number of paid occupations into boring labor和they have reduced the number of necessary laboring hours；句中有连个由by引导的介词短语作方式状话，说明技术进步和劳动分工造成这两件事的手段；定话从句which formerly were enjoyable work修饰occupations。
division of labor分工，劳动分工。例：
They do not take advantage of the division of labor and other forms of specialization.他们不能利用劳动分工以及其他形式的专业化。
division除了表示“分开；分配”之意外，还有“分歧；除法；部门”之意。例：
division of wealth财产的分配。division of business营业部。
make…into表示“使…转变为，使成为；把…做成”，相当于change…into。例：Bees gather nectar and make it into honey.蜂采花蜜制成蜂蜜。
7.Again,the masses cannot go in for hunting,for very soon there would be no animals left to hunt.再者，广大民众也不会再去狩猎，因为，要不了多久可供猎取的动物就没有了。
句子的主干为：the masses cannot go in for hunting；for very soon…为原因状语。
the masses意为“民众；普通老百姓”，例：
It’s necessary for leading cadres to keep frequent contacts with the masses.领导应和众经常见面。
a mass of许多；一堆；一大（人）。例：
After the crash the car was a mass of twisted metal.那辆车撞成了一堆扭曲的废铁。
There is a mass of people in the cafeteria today.今天自助餐厅里有很多人。
in the mass总体上，总的说来。例：
The design in the mass is good.这个设计总体上还是好的。
go in for参加(比赛等)；从事；爱好。例：
Most students in our class go in for scientific activities.我们班上大多数学生参加各项科学活动。
They go in for tennis and bowls.他们爱打网球和保龄球。
hunt句中意为“打猎”，相关搭配：①hunt for搜寻；寻。例：
基督教歌曲视频大全A forensic team was hunting for clues.法医小组正在寻线索。
②hunt down对…穷追到底，追捕到。例：
Last December they hunted down and killed one of the gangsters.去年12月他们追捕到其中一名匪徒并将其击毙。
8.For other aristocratic amusements like gambling,dueling,and warfare,it may be only too easy to find equivalents in dangerous driving,drug-taking,and senseless acts of violence.至于贵族们其他的消遣项目，比如赌博、决斗和战争，人们可以轻而易举地从危险驾驶、吸食和毫无理性的暴力行为中到同样的乐趣。
gambling意为“赌博”，动词形式为gamble，相关搭配：
①gamble sth.away赌掉，输光。例：
He was out of his head to gamble all of his money away.他失去理智把钱全部输光了。
②gamble on sth.对…做冒险投资；对…打赌；碰运气。例：
Few firms will be willing to gamble on new products.很少有公司愿意冒险开发新产品。
take a gamble(on)冒险从事（某事）。例：
I don't know if I can rely on him,but I'm willing to take a gamble.我不知道是否能信任他，不过我愿冒一下险。
only too很，完全，非常。例：
Tom was only too pleased to come.汤姆非常愿意来。