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CBeijing
Joined: 27 Sep 2009
Posts: 2
Location: China
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 Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 3:26 pm Post subject: "Just more like" |
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In the following paragraph:
Another of [astronaut] Bean�s thoughts sums up the very essence of the Apollo missions, indeed of all human travel: that it isn�t about where you�re going, it�s about who you are. �Everybody came back just more like I knew them. I think maybe success doesn�t change you as much as reveal you.�
1. What does "Everybody came back just more like I knew them" mean?
2. a) Is "more" being used here to indicate comparison?
b) Or, instead, "more" here means something like "pretty much", "more or less"
Thanks a lot in advance. |
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dragn
Joined: 17 Feb 2009
Posts: 450
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| 1. What does "Everybody came back just more like I knew them" mean? |
The real key to the meaning lies in the second sentence:
"Everybody came back just more like I knew them. I think maybe success doesn�t change you as much as reveal you."
That is, success doesn't really change who you are; it reveals or brings out who you are. He is saying that guys he knew before they went on one of the Apollo missions were the same people after they came back, only more so. Their true characters had been revealed to a greater extent; elements of their characters that had perhaps been a bit under the surface had been made manifest and were clearly evident during these missions, missions that surely must have been as exhilarating as they were stressful. So, when they came back, they were more like the way Bean knew them before the mission.
That's about the best I can explain it.
| Quote: |
2. a) Is "more" being used here to indicate comparison? |
Yes, sort of. Bean is basically comparing how he knew them to be before the mission with how he knew them to be after the mission. For example, maybe one particular astronaut Bean knew before a mission had impressed Bean as being the kind of person who could stay calm in an emergency. Maybe Bean had never actually been in an emergency with that person, but that's just the kind of person Bean sensed he was. However, during the actual mission, maybe that guy really was involved in an emergency situation, and had actually demonstrated his ability to remain calm and get things under control. So, after the mission, it seems to Bean that he is even more able to remain calm in an emergency. That quality had been revealed to a greater extent. Bean felt he was that way before the mission, and now after the mission Bean knows him to be even more like that.
| Quote: |
| b) Or, instead, "more" here means something like "pretty much", "more or less" |
No, not really. That would almost negate what Bean is trying to say. He's not trying to say that they came back more or less the same; he's trying to say that they came back having revealed to a greater extent who they really were. Not the same thing.
Hope this is clear.
Greg
P.S. My gosh, is every single student in mainland China reading the exact same article?? I must have read and/or answered at least a dozen questions related to this piece at this and other forums.  |
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CBeijing
Joined: 27 Sep 2009
Posts: 2
Location: China
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 8:15 pm Post subject: Thank you! |
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Thank you very much for your explanation.
Regarding why so many people are recently asking questions about the same article, what happens is that there is an ongoing open nationwide English-Chinese translation contest and contestants must submit their translations of this particular article by October 8, 2009.
Again, thank you for your time, patience, and sharing your knowledge. |
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