《美国文化背景 第4版（汉英对照）》以阐释美国社会的传统基本价值观为出发点，将美国的发展历程、社会时事与大量研究结构、民调数据进行整合，阐释传统基本价值观的由来，以及这些价值观对美国的各种制度和生活，例如宗教、商业、政府、种族关系、教育、娱乐和家庭等方方面面的影响。 本书不仅介绍了美国文化的内涵、发展和变化，更具备精心设计的丰富学习内容，可提升读者的语言能力。在每一章前后都有注重词汇、阅读、写作、讨论等能力的练习，同时提供多种鼓励交流、创新的研究活动内容。参考译文、指导手册及参考答案的加入使阅读和学习过程更加得心应手。

Why is it that some writers struggle for months to come up withthe perfect sentence or phrase while others, hunched over akeyboard deep into the night, seem unable to stop writing? In TheMidnight Disease, neurologist Alice W. Flaherty explores themysteries of literary creativity: the drive to write, what sparksit, and what extinguishes it. She draws on intriguing examples frommedical case studies and from the lives of writers, from FranzKafka to Anne Lamott, from Sylvia Plath to Stephen King. Flaherty,who herself has grappled with episodes of compulsive writing andblock, also offers a compelling personal account of her ownexperiences with these conditions.

The cowboy that enigmatic, larger-than-life icon of our culturehas long been considered a figure of fast hands, steel nerves, andfew words. But according to Ramon Adams, cowboys, once amongthemselves, enjoyed a vivid, often boisterous repartee. You mightsay that around a campfire they could make more noise than ajackass in a tin barn. Here in one volume is a complete guide tocowboy-speak. Like many of todays foreign language guides, thishandy book is organized not alphabetically but situationally, lestyou find yourself in Texas at a loss for words. There are sectionson the ranch, the cowboys duties, riding equipment, the roundup,roping, branding, even square dancing. There are words and phrasesyoull recognize because theyve filtered into everyday language bluelightnin, star gazin, the whole shebang plus countless others that,sadly, are seldom heard in current speech: lonely as a preacher onpay night, restless as a hen on a hot griddle, crooked as a snakein a cactus patch. As entertaining as it is authoritati

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.

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.

本书收录了著名诗人吉狄马加近几年的诗歌力作以及有关诗歌的演讲和访谈，这些诗文具有很强烈的生命意识，同时也极具超前的世界视野和深厚的人类情怀，这些作品中有的是抒情短章，充满了哲理和睿智，同时收录了其富有代表意义的长诗，这些长诗大多是诗人对当下重要事件做出的反映，凸显了诗人浓郁的现实主义风格和强烈的“在场”书写特性，同时，很多作品被翻译成多种文字，在国际上产生了很大的影响。因此，本书是一本中英文对照版的诗文集，这既体现了作者国际性诗人的独特性，又体现了作者诗与文的力量和影响。

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.