How do we know a cat is a cat? And why do we call it a cat? Howmuch of our perception of things is based on cognitive ability, andhow much on linguistic resources? Here, in six remarkable essays,Umberto Eco explores in depth questions of reality, perception, andexperience. Basing his ideas on common sense, Eco shares a vastwealth of literary and historical knowledge, touching on issuesthat affect us every day. At once philosophical and amusing, Kantand the Platypus is a tour of the world of our senses, told by amaster of knowing what is real and what is not.
美国南北战争前夕，南方农场塔拉种植园的千金斯嘉丽在得知自己一直爱慕的另一个农场主的儿子阿什利将要娶妻，于是勇敢向他示爱，遭到拒绝，为了报复，她嫁给了自己不爱的男人——阿什利妻子梅兰妮的弟弟查尔斯。？ 战争期间，斯嘉丽成为寡妇，生下幼子，在经历亚特兰大的城破被焚之日后，她带着刚生产完毕、身体虚弱的梅兰妮回到了塔拉，本以为是回到温馨的家，不想面前景象一派残破——母亲去世，父亲深受打击失智，两个妹妹也在死亡的边缘徘徊，棉花被毁——她挑起生活的重担，不再是当初的千金小姐。战争结束后，她为了种植园不落入他人之手，四处觅钱，甚至不惜抢了自己妹妹的未婚夫。同时，她为了撑死亚特兰大的小家，更为了塔拉的大家，她不得不在怀孕期间仍撑着办理锯木厂，却遭受他人口实。而在第二任丈夫被枪杀之后，她又再
Originally published as two distinct collections, "Depraved andInsulting English" brings to light the language's most offensiveand obscene words--words that have fallen out of today's lexiconbut will no doubt delight, amuse, and in some cases provesurprisingly useful. Who hasn't searched for the right word todescribe a colleague's maschalephidrosis (runaway armpitperspiration) or a boss's pleonexia (insane greed)? And what betterway is there to insult the scombroid landlord (resembling amackerel) or that tumbrel of a brother-in-law (a person who isdrunk to the point of vomiting) than by calling him by his rightfulname? A compact compendium of ingenious words for anyone who's beentongue-tied, flabbergasted, or dumbfounded, "Depraved and InsultingEnglish" supplies the appropriate vocabulary for any occasion. Wordlovers, chronic insulters, berayers, bescumbers, and bespewers needfear no more--finding the correct word to wow your friends orsilence your enemies just got a whole lot easier.
This is the book on all of Tolkien's invented languages,spoken by hobbits, elves, and men of Middle-earth -- a dicitonaryof fourteen languages, an English-Elvish glossary, all the runesand alphabets, and material on Tolkien the linguist.
《汤姆·索亚历险记》 汤姆·索亚是一个聪明但调皮的男孩。他因父母双亡而住在严厉但十分疼他的波莉姨妈家里。他活泼好动，有着许多精灵鬼点子，而且不爱学习，总是逃学。他甚至喜欢上了一个名叫贝基·撒切尔的女孩，并想尽办法来"追求"她。 一日半夜，当汤姆和哈克贝利·费恩去坟地"试验"用死猫治疣子的方法时，意外地遇上了一场谋杀案——去盗尸的罗宾逊医生、印第安·乔和酒鬼莫夫·波特三个人发生争执，一怒之下，印第安·乔把罗宾逊医生杀了，并把罪行赖到了争执中被打晕的波特身上。因为害怕乔会杀他们灭口，汤姆和哈克发誓绝口不提此事。就这样，波特被关进了监狱，而汤姆在很长一段时间里一直很不安。 后来，汤姆由于贝基和他怄气而与好友乔·哈珀以及哈克一起离家出走，他们坐木筏到一个小岛上去当"海盗"。镇上的人不知
