Seeing People Off学习任务答案与篇章讲解赏析
十期答案
1. Explain the following words and expressions （highlighted in blue） in English.
（1） feat， lamentably （Para. 2）
a） feat： If you refer to an action， or the result of an action， as a feat， you admire it because it is an impressive and difficult achievement.
b） lamentably： very unfortunately or disappointingly
（2） farce （Para. 3）
a） farce： If you describe a situation or on event as a farce， you mean that it is so disorganised or ridiculous that you cannot take it seriously.
（3） assumed （Para. 5）
a） assumed： If you assume a particular expression or way of behaving， you start to look or behave in this way.
（4） integral （Para. 8）
a） integral： essential
（5） at length （Para. 9）
a） at length： finally
（6） unhinge （Para. 10）
a） unhinge： If you say that an experience has unhinged someone， you mean that it has affected them so deeply that they have become mentally ill.
（7） footing， pump up （Para. 14）
a） footing： Here footing refers to social position.
b） pump up： Here it means to shed.
2. Look up the underlined words in your dictionary， examining their multiple meanings. （Note down the meaning of each word in the context， and another meaning that the word often expresses.）
a） … with a fit of coughing… （Para. 5） A fit of coughing is a sudden short period of coughing that one cannot control. When we describe something as a good fit， however， we mean it fits well.
b） His fine profile was vaguely familiar to me… （Para. 6）十期答案
Your profile is the outline of your face as it is seen when someone is looking at you from the side. Profile also means a short article or programme in which ones life and character are described. c） “I suppose，” he said presently… （Para. 11）
You use presently to indicate that something happened in quite a short time after the time or event that you have just mentioned. Also， if you say that something is presently happening， you mean that it is happening now.
3. Why is bidding farewell at the railway station more “difficult” than doing that at a farewell party？
Because the act of bidding farewell at a farewell party is more easily reciprocated in terms of emotional expression and empathy： The person who is departing and people who say goodbye to him or her can well exchange their affection. However， this is not that easy in the context of a railway station — the physical distance between the departing person who is on board and people who stand on the platform makes such emotional reciprocation less easy.篇章講解赏析
本文是很好的叙事文本，故事的部分非常值得品读。读者不妨仔细斟酌作者描述事件过程中所用的各种动词，体会它们的精准和生动。除此以外，从一个事件到另一个事件、从一个场景到另一个场景、从一种视角过渡到另一种视角的转换，作者的处理都非常精妙，也值得读者精细地学习、欣赏。
但这只是本文的特色之一。本文的另一个特色是很有深度。这种深度并非玄学式的抽象、不可理解，而在于我们常常忽视的日常的某种情感体验，无法一下就体会到文章的主旨。我们会觉得这个故事很离奇，甚至会觉得第一人称的“我”被那个站台表演的人骗了，因为这送人离开的“服务”实在不合情理。但转念一想，这种服务的存在又不无合理性。其实，当我们需要“表演”的时候，我们已经不再处于与他人的情感互动中了，而是让个体的私人感受占了上风。当我们无法与他人在互动中获得情感的交流以及某种相互的“报偿”时，在特定的社会环境下，我们或许就只能“表演”了。
（北京外国语大学 徐浩）
