1. Vocabulary
1.1 The prescient parent or fortuneteller who knows exactly how his son's marriage is going to turn out, even if arranged by him, does not exist.
prescient /ˈprɛsɪənt/
If you say that someone or something was prescient, you mean that they were able to know or predict what was going to happen in the future. 预知的
仿写：
She was prescient in predicting the crisis.
1.2 On the west at Loyang, about a hundred and thirty miles away, was the Western Capital, which was established as a bulwark guarding the approach from the northwest through the strategic Tungkuan Pass.
bulwark /ˈbʊlwək/
A bulwark against something protects you against it. 防护; 堡垒
仿写：
The Great Wall was founded as a bulwark against the enemy.
1.3 This threw the old man into consternation. By that time he had developed a phobia about all examinations.
consternation /ˌkɒnstəˈneɪʃən/
Consternation is a feeling of anxiety or fear. 恐慌
仿写：
His decision caused consternation in the community.
phobia /ˈfəʊbɪə/
A phobia is a very strong irrational fear or hatred of something. 恐惧症
仿写：
The man had a phobia about flying.
2. Guiding Questions
2.1 Q：What did Su Tungpo experience during his adolescent?
A: Arranged by the parents, Su Tungpo, at the age of eighteen，married Miss Wang Fu, aged fifteen. They lived a happy life. Soon after his younger brother's marriage, the brothers and father set out for the imperial examination. At the age of twenty, Su Tungpo came out second in the examinations. Ouyang Shiu gave him a high evaluation, and said "Mark my word, thirty years from now nobody will talk about me."
2.2 Sentences
The young brothers spent their time looking at the gay streets, eating at the famous restaurants, and standing in the cold watching with great admiration the renowned ministers passing by in their carriages.
这里再次出现gay, gay当名词是同性恋者，而作形容词有快乐的、放荡的、华美的意思，如本书名the gay genius便是快乐的意思，而此句中是指华美的街市。这句话还写出苏氏兄弟刚到京城，有些目不暇接，看什么都新鲜，看见乘坐马车而过的大官，心里充满羡慕。
All around the city ran a moat a hundred feet wide, planted on both banks with elms and willows, revealing the white parapeted walls and vermilion gates behind.
城外有护城河围绕，河宽百尺，河的两岸种有榆树杨柳，朱门白墙掩映于树木的翠绿之间。vermilion朱红色的，parapeted walls带有栏杆的护墙
The approach to this most critical moment of a scholar's life was always filled with keen excitement, tense hope, and a nervous fear of failure.
在读书人一生这个紧要关头到来之际，大家心中都是紧张激动，患得患失。古时候的科举考试和现在高考差不多，都是决定命运的时刻。
It was the moment to which all his years of grinding labor and hours of burning the midnight oil were supposed to lead.
过去多年来三更灯火五更鸡的苦读，都是为了这一时刻。grinding让人难以忍受的，burning the midnight oil 挑灯夜读
3. Reflection
In principle, early marriages, though not quite as early as those of the Su brothers, tend to save the young people a great waste of time and energy and emotional confusion in trying to select and attract a desirable match.
以前的婚恋观和现在真是不同，先成家后立业。苏东坡十八岁娶了十五岁的王弗，弟弟子由十六岁结婚，妻子比他还小两岁。古时候，父母认为早婚可以避免青年人把大好时间浪费在感情的纷扰上，所以婚姻的事越早解决越好。
It is not by any means implied that mistakes were not made by parents in arranging their children's marriages, or that a higher percentage of happy marriages ensued; all marriages, however arranged, are a gamble and an adventure upon an uncharted sea.
苏家兄弟婚后都很美满。但这并不是说有父母为儿女安排的婚姻不会出毛病，也不是说这样的婚姻大都幸福。所有的婚姻，任凭怎么安排，都是赌博，都是茫茫大海上的冒险。
林语堂不但是一位卓有成就的作家，而且地理、历史也研究得也十分透彻。当时宋朝设计了周密的军事防御计划，共有四个都城，开封为首，称为东都；洛阳为西都，用以扼制自西北而来的进犯；商丘为南都，防御自南部而来的敌人；河北南部的大名府，建立了北京，遏止北方异族的南侵。但是这样周密的计划，最终也没有挡住金人的入侵。北宋靖康年间，金军攻破开封，俘虏宋徽宗、宋钦宗，靖康之耻也导致北宋的灭亡。北宋王朝由盛而亡，只经历短短100年时间。