【学习笔记】懂你英语 核心课 Level 6 Unit 3 Part 1（V）阅读 Meaning of Catch 22
One of the most interesting books of the 20th century was the novel, Catch 22.
In the novel, the term "a catch 22 situation" was introduced. 【跟读】
The term has nothing to do with catching anything.
It has a much deeper meaning, and it describes a kind of logical conundrum that's worth exploring.
First, it's important to put the phrase into context.
In the novel, a group of American bomber pilots is on an island in the Mediterranean.
They face death almost every day when they fly their bombing missions.
Many have already lost their lives. 【跟读】
The remaining pilots know that it is only a matter of time before they will be the next victims.
One of the characters in the novel is a doctor.
It is his job to see that the pilots are fit to fly.
In particular, there is a rule that says he has to ground anyone who is crazy.
To ground them means to remove them from active duty so that they don’t fly.
Some of the men believed in the principles they were fighting for.
They were willing to give their lives for their country.
But to others, this was crazy.
They thought the whole thing was insane.
One of them, Yossarian, wanted out.
He was friends with the doctor, and he wanted the doctor to ground him.【填空】
When Yossarian asked the doctor to ground him, the doctor replied: “You're wasting your time. You're not crazy.”
Yossarian told him to ask one of the other pilots, Clevinger, to tell him how crazy he was.
"There's no point. He's crazy," the doctor replied. "Crazy people can't decide whether you are crazy or not."
"Clevinger isn't crazy! He’s one of the sanest pilots here."
"So he's obviously out of his head,' said the Doc, "He’s got to be insane to keep on flying combat missions after all the close calls he's had."
"Well, if he's crazy, why don't you ground him?"【跟读】
“I can't unless he asks to be grounded. That's part of the rule."
"So all he has to do is ask?"
"No, then I can't ground him.”
"So there's a catch," said Yossarian, trying to get things straight.
"Sure, there's a catch," said the Doc, with a slight smile. "Catch 22.
If he asks, then he can't be crazy. Only those who are crazy are grounded".【填空】
"That's some catch,” observed Yossarian.
"It's the best there is," the Doc replied.
Catch-22
《第二十二条军规》是美国作家约瑟夫·海勒创作的长篇小说，该小说以第二次世界大战为背景，通过对驻扎在地中海一个名叫皮亚诺扎岛（此岛为作者所虚构）上的美国空军飞行大队所发生的一系列事件的描写，揭示了一个非理性的、无秩序的、梦魇似的荒诞世界。
在该小说中，根据“第二十二条军规”理论，只有疯子才能获准免于飞行，但必须由本人提出申请。但你一旦提出申请，恰好证明你是一个正常人，还是在劫难逃。第二十二条军规还规定，飞行员飞满25架次就能回国。但规定又强调，你必须绝对服从命令，要不就不能回国。因此上级可以不断给飞行员增加飞行次数，而你不得违抗。如此反复，永无休止。
《第二十二条军规》小说的英文名字“Catch-22”，已经成为英语中“难以逾越的障碍”或“无法摆脱的困境”的、自相矛盾的、“坑爹”的、荒谬的、带有欺骗忽悠性质的暗黑规则的代名词。
——百度百科
【选择】In this piece, the author...(3)
(1) argues against the craziness of world (2) gives some good reasons for grounding pilots (3) uses humor to make a serious point
【选择】Why coudn't the doctor ground Clevinger? -Clevinger hadn't asked to be grounded.
【选择】To get something straight means... to gain a clear understanding of .
【选择】A close call is ... a narrow escape from danger. 千钧一发
Please tap the first correct sentence to appear
1. What were some of the men willing to die for? -They were willing to give their lives for their country.
2. Why did the doctor say that he couldn't ground Clevinger? -“I can't unless he asks to be grounded. That's part of the rule."