Lesson 71 A famous clock

【New words and expressions】(9)

parliament n. 议会,国会

erect v. 建起

accurate adj. 准确的

official n. 官员,行政人员

Greenwich n. 格林尼治

observatory n. 天文台

check v. 检查

microphone n. 扩音器,麦克风

tower n. 塔

【Text】

When you visit London, one of the first things you will see is Big Ben, the famous clock which can be heard all over the world on the B.B.C. If the Houses of Parliament had not been burned down in 1834, the great clock would never have been erected. Big Ben takes its name from Sir Benjamin Hall who was responsible for the making of the clock when the new Houses of Parliament were being built. It is not only of immense size, but is extremely accurate as well. Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day. On the B.B.C. you can hear the clock when it is actually striking because microphones are connected to the clock tower. Big Ben has rarely gone wrong. Once, however, it failed to give the correct time. A painter who had been working on the tower hung a pot of paint on one of the hands and slowed it down!

参考译文

当你游览伦敦时,首先看到的东西之一就是“大本”钟,即那座从英国广播公司的广播中全世界都可以听到它的声音的著名大钟。如果不是国会大厦在1834年被焚毁的话,这座大钟永远也不会建造。“大本”钟得名于本杰明.霍尔爵士,因为当建造新的国会大厦时,他负责建造大钟。此钟不仅外型巨大,而且走时也非常准确。格林尼治天文台的官员们每天两次派人矫正此钟。当大钟打点的时候,你可以从英国广播公司的广播中听到,因为钟塔上接了麦克风。“大本”钟很多出差错。然而有一次,它却把时间报错。在钟塔上干活的一位油漆工把一只油漆桶挂在了一根指针上,把钟弄慢了!

【课文讲解】

1、When you visit London, one of the first things you will see is Big Ben, the famous clock which can be heard all over the world on the B.B.C.

the B.B.C. =British Broadcasting Corporation 英国广播公司

2、If the Houses of Parliament had not been burned down in 1834, the great clock would never have been erected.

the Houses of Parliament 国会大厦(英国议会是由上议院(House of Lords)和下议院(House of Commons)组成)

burn down (使)烧成平地,烧毁

The hospital was burned down last month.

3、Big Ben takes its name from Sir Benjamin Hall who was responsible for the making of the clock when the new Houses of Parliament were being built.

take one’s name from 以……命名

Sir用于英国人的全名(或名字)之前时表示“爵士”(不单独用于姓之前),如Sir John Gilbert(约翰.吉尔伯特爵士)或Sir John(约翰爵士),但不能称为Sir Gilbert。

be responsible for 对……需负责任/承担责任的

Who is responsible for the accident?

John is responsible for the building of the bridge.

-ing形式前面无冠词时可直接跟宾语:making the clock;-ing前有冠词时则其后不能直接跟宾语,而必须用of:the making of the clock。

4、It is not only of immense size, but is extremely accurate as well.

be of… 表示人或物的特征

We are of the same age/size.

This letter is of great importance.

5、Big Ben has rarely gone wrong.

go wrong (机器等)发生故障,出毛病

My watch/the engine of the car has gone wrong.

Something has gone wrong with my car.

6、A painter who had been working on the tower hung a pot of paint on one of the hands and slowed it down!

slow down (使……)慢下来/减速(可分开使用)

He slowed his car down while driving in heavy traffic.

【Letter Writing】

常见开头语:

I wonder how you learnt that…

You will never guess who/what…

【Special Difficulties】 

Official, Employee and Shop assistant

official n. 官员,公务员,高级官员

Bank officials get high salaries.

Before he retired, Jeremy had been a government/city official.

employee n. 雇员,雇工(包括各个层次的)

Later he became a government employee.

shop assistant 零售店的店员(美语中用salesclerk)

The shop assistant who served her did not like the way she was dressed.

Hang/Hung and Hang/Hanged

hang(hung,hung) vt. 悬挂

I’m hanging this picture on the wall.

hang(hanged,hanged) vt. 绞死,吊死,上吊 

As he has murdered three men, he ought to be hanged.

I wonder why she hanged herself.

【语法 Grammar in use】

复习第60~69课部分语法

通过这几课的语法学习,我们知道在表示将来时的句子中,要在时间状语从句中使用现在时,同时也要在第1类条件句中用现在时来表示;学习了将来完成进行时和过去完成进行时的形式和用法;学习了第3类条件句、情态助动词 must, have to, should和ought to;学习了用于使役式的动词 have,以及用于介词+动名词结构中的被动语态:

The Thompsons will move to a new flat when their baby is born.

孩子出生以后,汤普森一家将搬到一套新的公寓去住。

By this time next week, I will have been working for this firm for twenty years.

到下星期此刻,我就已经为这家公司工作了20年了。(将来完成进行时通常要和某个时间状语连用,这个状语往往表示“到/截止……时候”)

Firemen had been fighting the forest fire for nearly three weeks before they could get it under control.

消防队员们同那场森林大火搏斗了将近三个星期才最后把火势控制住。(过去完成进行时与将来完成进行时一样,也要有时间状语;它们都强调动作的持续性)

If I had worked harder at school, I'd have got a better job.

要是我上学时勤奋一些,我就会有较好的工作了。(第3 类条件句表示与事实相反的虚拟语气)

We should/ought to arrest him, but we shall let him off this time.

我们应该逮捕它,但这次我们饶了它。

He should have known that the police would never allow this sort of thing.

他本该知道警察绝不会允许这类事情发生。(should+ have+过去分词表示过去应该做或完成而没有做的事)

The French authorities had the plane packaged and moved in parts back to France.

法国政府让人把飞机包装起来,一部分一部分地搬回法国。(have+名词/宾格代词+过去分词表示让别人为自己做某事)

After being robbed, the man called the police.

那人遭抢劫后给警方打了电话。(after+动名词的被动

形式相当于时间状语从句,但主语必须一致)


在英语中,单词的用法和含义是非常重要的。尤其是当一些单词有多个含义或者形式上相似但意义截然不同的时候,正确理解和使用它们就显得尤为关键。在这里,我们将详细探讨"official", "employee", "shop assistant", 以及"hang"和"hanged"的区别和用法。

Official

"Official"这个词通常用来指代那些在政府或其他组织中担任公职的人员。这些人可能是政府官员、公务员或者是在某些特定领域内具有权威和决策权的个人。例如,市长、议员、法官等都可以被称为officials。这个词还可以用来形容与官方有关的事务或者声明。

例句:

Employee

"Employee"是一个更为普遍的词汇,它指的是任何被雇佣的人,不论其职位的高低或者工作的性质。从办公室职员到工厂工人,都可以被称为employees。这个词强调的是雇佣关系,即某人为他人工作并因此获得报酬。

例句:

Shop Assistant

"Shop assistant"是一个特定于零售行业的词汇,它指的是在商店里帮助顾客选购商品和提供服务的员工。在美国,这个词通常被"salesclerk"所替代。Shop assistants通常是商店的前线工作人员,他们直接与顾客交流,帮助他们找到所需的商品或者解答他们的疑问。

例句:

Hang vs. Hanged

"Hang"和"hanged"这两个词在英语中有着截然不同的含义和用法,尽管它们的发音相同。


通过复习第60至69课的语法内容,我们可以巩固和深入理解英语中的一些重要语法结构和用法。以下是对这些语法点的详细解释和例句,以帮助我们更好地掌握它们。

1. 将来时的句子结构

在英语中,当我们谈论将来的事件时,通常会在时间状语从句中使用现在时来表示将来的动作或状态。这种结构简洁明了,是表达将来计划或安排的常用方式。

例句:

2. 将来完成进行时

将来完成进行时用来描述在将来某个时间点之前一直在进行的动作。这种时态强调动作的持续性和重复性,并且常常与表示时间段的状语连用。

例句:

3. 过去完成进行时

过去完成进行时描述在过去某个时间点之前一直在进行的动作。这种时态同样强调动作的持续性,并且需要有时间状语来指明具体的时间点。

例句:

4. 第3类条件句

第3类条件句,也就是虚拟条件句,用来表达与现实相反的假设或想象。这种句型通常包含“if”引导的条件从句和主句中的“would”, “could”, “might”等情态助动词。

例句:

5. 情态助动词

情态助动词如must, have to, should, 和ought to用来表达义务、必要性、建议或责任。这些词后面通常跟动词原形。

例句:

6. 使役式

使役式由“have”构成,用来表示让某人做某事。这种结构可以用于现在、过去和将来的各种时态。

例句:

7. 被动语态

被动语态用来强调动作的接受者而不是执行者。在动名词结构中,被动语态的形式通常与介词一起使用。

例句:

通过这些例句和解释,我们可以更好地理解和运用这些语法结构。掌握这些知识点对于提高英语水平和进行有效沟通至关重要。不断练习和应用这些语法规则,将有助于我们更自然、更准确地表达自己的想法。