1. Vocabulary
1.1 Indefatigable writers of memoirs, like Wang Mingching and Shao Powen.
indefatigable /ˌɪndɪˈfætɪɡəbəl/
You use indefatigable to describe someone who never gets tired of doing something. 不知疲倦的; 不屈不挠的
仿写：
His indefatigable spirit helped him to cope with his illness.
1.2 Owing to the imbroglio over Wang Anshih's state capitalism and the heat and excitement of the political battles that extended through Su Tungpo's lifetime.
imbroglio /ɪmˈbrəʊlɪˌəʊ/
An imbroglio is a very confusing or complicated situation. 纷乱; 错综复杂的局面
仿写：
Try to avoid the imbroglio on money.
1.3 Such a trend of things could not escape Su Tungpo's perspicacious mind and was a little too much even for his sense of humor.
perspicacious /ˌpɜːspɪˈkeɪʃəs/
Someone who is perspicacious notices, realizes, and understands things quickly. 敏锐的; 有洞察力的
仿写：
He was one of the most perspicacious and perceptive historians of that period.
1.4 There were dishonest reporters who thought it expedient to maintain a strict silence on the bad features of the socialist regime.
expedient /ɪkˈspiːdɪənt/
If it is expedient to do something, it is useful or convenient to do it, even though it may not be morally right. 权宜的
仿写：
He will agree if it is politically expedient to do so.
2. Guiding Questions
2.1 The central question that the author answered in this chapter is why he wrote the biography just for Su Dongpo. There are two reasons. First, it comes from Su Tungpo’s excellence in writing, painting, medicine and so on. The second reason is that there is a more complete record of Su Tungpo’s life than of other Chinese poets.
2.2 Sentences
Considering how incomplete our knowledge usually is of people who live in the same city with us, or even of the private life of the mayor, it seems sometimes easier to know a dead man than a living one.
作者指出评价和我们生活在同一年代的人很难，因为我们无法预测接下来会发生什么，而很多秘密只有死后才会揭晓。听闻，若想评价一个人，至少要等其死后三十年；所以，评价几百年前甚至上千年前的人要容易的多。
The human spirit in Su Tungpo was mellowed, not soured, by his many troubles, and we love him today because he suffered so much.
这句话写出苏东坡虽饱经忧患，但性格更趋温和，并没有变得尖酸刻薄，这也正是我们喜爱他的缘故。
But the hindsight of biographers is always better than the foresight of astrologers.
传记家的马后课却总比星象家的马前课可靠。hindsight 和 foresight 一对反义词。
3. Reflection
苏东坡生活年代正是北宋从繁荣走向衰败的时期。苏东坡生于仁宗年间（仁宗为北宋最好的皇帝），做官是在善良但野心勃勃的神宗年间，而被贬是在愚笨的哲宗即位时，逝世是在金人征服北宋的二十五年前。我想苏东坡还是幸运的，其后出生的北宋词人李清照、辛弃疾、陆游等，莫不赶上金人入侵，生逢乱世，不得已流落南方，颠沛流离。苏东坡虽说生于太平时期，但也经历了朋党之争，数次被贬，看到百姓流离失所，为民疾呼，当朝皇帝却听而不聪，所见不明，苏东坡纵有治国奇才，却也无可奈何。
作者讲到偏爱苏东坡的原因，一是苏东坡的卓越才华都深深地印刻在他的作品当中，如他所绘的《墨竹》时隔千年，还依然闪耀照人，落笔仿佛只是在顷刻之前；二是，苏东坡的生活资料比较完整，远非其他诗人可比。我想也正是这些史料，让我们有幸认识这位伟大的诗人。
4. 苏诗鉴赏
Four years has Tungpo lived at Huangchow,
Strange that he never mentioned Li Chi.
Exactly like Tu Fu of the West River;
Of the best flower, begonia, he sang the least.
东坡四年黄州住，何事无言及李琪。却似西川杜工部，海棠虽好不吟诗。