Lesson54 Instinct or cleverness?
Book
课文
We have been brought up to fear insects.
我们自幼就在对昆虫的惧怕中长大。
We regard them as unnecessary creatures that do more harm than good.
我们把昆虫当作害多益少的无用东西。
We continually wage war on them, for they contaminate our food, carry diseases, or devour our crops.
人类不断同昆虫斗争，因为昆虫弄脏我们的食物，传播疾病，吞噬庄稼。
They sting or bite without provocation; they fly uninvited into our rooms on summer nights, or beat against our lighted windows.
它们无缘无故地又叮又咬；夏天的晚上，它们未经邀请便飞到我们房间里，或者对着露出亮光的窗户乱扑乱撞。
We live in dread not only of unpleasant insects like spiders or wasps, but of quite harmless ones like moths.
我们在日常生活中，不但憎恶如蜘蛛、黄蜂之类令人讨厌的昆虫，而且憎恶并无大害的飞蛾等。
Reading about them increases our understanding without dispelling our fears.
阅读有关昆虫的书能增加我们对它们的了解，却不能消除我们的恐惧的心理。
Knowing that the industrious ant lives in a highly organized society does nothing to prevent us from being filled with revulsion when we find hordes of them crawling over a carefully prepared picnic lunch.
即使知道勤奋的蚂蚁生活具有高度组织性的社会里，我们也无法抑制对它们的反感。当看到大群蚂蚁在我们精心准备的午间野餐上爬行时，
No matter how much we like honey, or how much we have read about the uncanny sense of direction which bees possess, we have a horror of being stung.
不管我们多么爱吃蜂蜜，或读过多少关于蜜蜂具有神秘的识别方向的灵感的书，我们仍然十分害怕被蜂蜇。
Most of our fears are unreasonable, but they are impossible to erase.
我们的恐惧大部分是没有道理的，但去无法消除。
At the same time, however, insects are strangely fascinating.
同时，不知为什么昆虫又是迷人的。
We enjoy reading about them, especially when we find that, like the praying mantis, they lead perfectly horrible lives.
我们喜欢看有关昆虫的书，尤其是当我们了解螳螂等过着一种令人生畏的生活时，就更加爱读有关昆虫的书了。
We enjoy staring at them, entranced as they go about their business, unaware (we hope) of our presence.
我们喜欢入迷地看它们做事，它们不知道（但愿如此）我们就在它们身边。
Who has not stood in awe at the sight of a spider pouncing on a fly, or a column of ants triumphantly bearing home an enormous dead beetle?
当看到蜘蛛扑向一只苍蝇时，一队蚂蚁抬着一只巨大的死甲虫凯旋归时，谁能不感到敬畏呢?
Last summer I spent days in the garden watching thousands of ants crawling up the trunk of my prize peach tree.
去年夏天，我花了好几天时间站在花园里观察成千只蚂蚁爬上我那棵心爱的桃树的树干。
The tree has grown against a warm wall on a sheltered side of the house.
那棵树是靠着房子有遮挡的一面暖墙生长的。
I am especially proud of it, not only because it has survived several severe winters, but because it occasionally produces luscious peaches.
我为这棵树感到特别自豪，不仅因为它度过了几个寒冬终于活了下来，而且还因为它有时结出些甘甜的桃子来。
During the summer, I noticed that the leaves of the tree were beginning to wither.
到了夏天，我发现树叶开始枯萎，
Clusters of tiny insects called aphides were to be found on the underside of the leaves.
结果在树叶背面找到成串的叫作蚜虫小虫子。
They were visited by a large colony of ants which obtained a sort of honey from them.
蚜虫遭到一窝蚂蚁的攻击，蚂蚁从它们身上可以获得一种蜜。
I immediately embarked on an experiment which even though it failed to get rid of the ants kept me fascinated for 24 hours.
我当即动手作了一项试验，这项试验尽管没有使我摆脱这些蚂蚁，却使我着迷了24小时。
I bound the base of the tree with sticky tape, making it impossible for the ants to reach the aphides.
我用一条胶带把桃树底部包上，不让蚂蚁接近蚜虫。
The tape was so sticky that they did not dare to cross it.
胶带极粘，蚂蚁不敢从上面爬过。
For a long time, I watched them scurrying around the base of the tree in bewilderment.
在很长一段时间里，我看见蚂蚁围着大树底部来回转悠，不知所措。
I even went out at midnight with a torch and noted with satisfaction (and surprise) that the ants were still swarming around the sticky tape without being able to do anything about it.
半夜，我还拿着电筒来到花园里，满意地（同时惊奇地）发现那些蚂蚁还围着胶带团团转。无能为力。
I got up early next morning hoping to find that the ants had given up in despair.
第二天早上，我起床后希望看见蚂蚁已因无望而放弃了尝试，
Instead, I saw that they had discovered a new route.
结果却发现它们又找到一条新的路径。
They were climbing up the wall of the house and then on to the leaves of the tree.
它们正在顺着房子的外墙往上爬，然后爬上树叶。
I realized sadly that I had been completely defeated by their ingenuity.
我懊丧地感到败在了足智多谋的蚂蚁的手下。
The ants had been quick to find an answer to my thoroughly unscientific methods!
蚂蚁已很快找到了相应的对策，来对付我那套完全不科学的办法！
词汇讲解
wage [weɪdʒ] v. 发动（战争等）
wage war（战争） / a campaign（战役） / a struggle（搏斗） / a battle（战斗） + on / against …
The US waged war on Iraq without UN authorization.
The government determined to wage a campaign against official corruption.
【扩展】【复习】Lesson14
declare war on … 像…宣战
be at war with … 与…正处于战争状态
Whenever the Italian city-states were at war with each other, Hawkwood used to hire his soldiers to princes who were willing to pay the high price he demanded.
provocation [prɒvə'keɪʃn] n. 激怒, 惹怒
at the slightest provocation 稍微一刺激就发怒
He’d fly into a rage at the slightest provocation.
without provocation 没人惹就发怒
The soldiers fired without provocation.
They sting and bite without provocation.
【词根】
“voc” = “voke” 喊叫
provoke vt. 驱使；激怒；煽动；惹起
provocative adj. 刺激的，挑拨的；气人的
evoke vt. 引起，唤起；博得
evocation n. 招魂；唤起；唤出
revoke vt. 撤回，取消；废除
revocation n. 取消；撤回；废除
Her license was revoked.
revulsion [rɪ'vʌlʃn] n. 厌恶
revulsion = disgust n. [U] 英文解释：a strong feeling of shock and very strong dislike 厌恶
She looked at him with revulsion.
He expressed his revulsion at / against / towards the whale hunting.
【同根词】
revolt v. 英文解释：to make someone feel unpleasantly shocked or disgusted 令人厌恶
be revolted by … 某人厌恶某事
We were revolted by the dirt and mess in her house.
revolting adj. 英文解释：extremely unpleasant 令人厌恶的
Picking your nose is a revolting habit.
【扩展】【近义词组】表达“厌恶”：
revolt vt. 使反感；使恶心
revolting adj. 叛乱的；背叛的；讨厌的
repel vt. 击退；抵制；使厌恶；使不愉快
repellent adj. 排斥的；防水的；弹回的；令人讨厌的
repulse vt. 拒绝；驱逐；憎恶
repulsive adj. 排斥的；令人厌恶的；击退的；冷淡的
disgust vt. 使厌恶；使作呕
disgusting adj. 令人厌恶的；令人极不能接受的
I was repelled by the smell.
The tourists were repulsed by the filthy conditions.
He claimed to be disgusted by the amount of violence in the film.
luscious ['lʌʃəs] adj. 美味的，甘美多汁的
luscious adj. 英文解释：having a pleasant sweet taste or containing a lot of juice 美味的，甘美多汁的
the luscious taste of ripe peaches
a luscious and fragrant dessert wine
【扩展】【复习】【近义词组】表达“好吃的、美味的”：
delicious adj. 美味的；可口的
appetizing adj. 开胃的；促进食欲的
heavenly adj. 天上的；神圣的；天国似的
tasteful adj. 雅观的；有鉴赏力的；趣味高雅的；有滋味的
tasty adj. 美味的；高雅的；有趣的
yummy adj. 好吃的；美味的；愉快的
yucky adj. 恶心的；讨人厌的；不愉快的
delicacy n. 美味；佳肴；微妙；精密；精美；敏锐，敏感；世故，圆滑
If you lived in the Mediterranean, for instance, you would consider octopus a great delicacy.
ingenuity [ɪndʒə'nju:əti] n. 机灵，善于发明创造
ingenuity n. [U] 英文解释： the ability to invent things or solve problems in clever new ways 机灵，心灵手巧， 善于发明创造
【同根词】
ingenious adj. 英文解释：having a lot of clever new ideas and good at inventing things 机灵的，心灵手巧的， 善于发明创造的
She's very ingenious when it comes to finding excuses.
Johnny is so ingenious ― he can make the most remarkable sculptures from the most ordinary materials.
【词根】
“gen” = 创造；生育
gene n. [遗] 基因，遗传因子
gender n. 性；性别；性交
general adj. 一般的，普通的；综合的；大体的
generate vt. 使形成；发生；生殖；产生物理反应
generation n. 一代；产生；一代人；生殖
genesis n. 发生；起源
genius n. 天才，天赋；精神
genuine adj. 真实的，真正的；诚恳的
pregnant adj. 怀孕的；富有意义的
课文讲解
（第一段）
We have been brought up to fear insects.
知识点（1）Lesson23
bring sb. ↔ up 把某人抚养大
have been brought up to do 【idiom】（用于完成时）从小就……
The sad truth is that most of us have been brought up to eat certain foods and we stick to them all our lives.
高考阅读：
I have been brought up to believe that it is proper to make contributions to charity.
6级阅读：
And perhaps all those successful college graduates would have been successful whether they had gone to college or not. This is heresy to those of us who have been brought up to believe that if a little schooling is good, more has to be much better.
We regard them as unnecessary creatures that do more harm than good.
知识点（1）
do more harm than good 【idiom】弊大于利
Raising speed limits may do more harm than good.
do … harm / do harm to … 对…有害
The occasional piece of candy doesn’t do you any harm.
Exhaust fumes has done considerable harm to the environment.
do sb. good 对某人有好处
I think a trip to the beach would do us all a lot of good.
in more ways than one 【idiom】有不只一方面的含义（Lesson19）
Considering the amount she paid, he was dear in more ways than one!
We continually wage war on them, for they contaminate our food, carry diseases, or devour our crops.
知识点（1）
【辨析】
continually adv. 不断地；频繁地
continuously adv. 连续不断地
These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which have gone mad.
Almost immediately he began to complain about the weather, for even though it was still summer, it rained continually and it was often bitterly cold.
be continually / always doing 老做某事（Lesson2）
知识点（2）
contaminate v. 英文解释：to make sth. dirty, polluted, or poisonous by adding a chemical, waste, or infection 污染……
Flies contaminate food.
Industrial sewage continues to contaminate our beaches.
知识点（3）
carry v. 英文解释：if a person, animal, or insect carries a disease, they can pass it to other people or animals even if they are not ill themselves 携带病菌，传播疾病
Many serious diseases are carried by insects.
carrier 带菌者，病媒
【扩展】
transmit （强调传播）
contagious adj. 感染性的；会蔓延的
infectious adj. 传染的；传染性的；易传染的
catching adj. 传染性的；有魅力的
catch vt. 赶上；抓住；感染；了解
知识点（4）Lesson33
devour v. 吞食；毁灭
Only two stray dogs benefited from all this confusion, for they greedily devoured what was left of the cake.
Insects would make it impossible for us to live in the world; they would devour all our crops and kill our flocks and herds, if it were not for the protection we get from insect-eating animals.
They sting or bite without provocation; they fly uninvited into our rooms on summer nights, or beat against our lighted windows.
语法分析:
They sting or bite without provocation（介词短语做状语）; they fly uninvited（adj. 修饰they，做主语补足语） into our rooms on summer nights（时间状语）, or beat against our lighted windows.
知识点（1）
uninvited adj. 未经邀请的
an uninvited guest / visitor不速之客
A few people showed up / turned up uninvited （不请自来）at the party.
知识点（2）Lesson41
语法：“上午、下午、晚上”如果有形容词或名词修饰限定的话，一般都用介词on
on a Monday night
on a sunny afternoon
知识点（3）
lighted adj. 含义1. a lighted window, room etc. is bright because there is a light on inside 亮着灯的
a lighted window / room
lighted adj. 含义2. a lighted candle, match etc. is burning at one end 点着的
a lighted candle / match
We live in dread not only of unpleasant insects like spiders or wasps, but of quite harmless ones like moths.
语法分析:
We live in dread not only（不但） of unpleasant insects like spiders or wasps（介词短语当后置定语）, but（而且） of quite harmless ones like moths（介词短语当后置定语）.
知识点（1）
dread sth. / doing 害怕做某事、某事反生
He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital.
dreadful adj. 可怕的, 糟糕的
All the things I had packed so carefully were soon in a dreadful mess.
live in dread of … 一直害怕……
I live in dread of losing her love.
【扩展】
stand in awe of … 对……充满敬畏
You can't help standing in awe of powerful people.
Who has not stood in awe at the sight of a spider pouncing on a fly, or a column of ants triumphantly bearing home an enormous dead beetle?
知识点（2）复习
语法：not only … but（aslso） 平行结构
Gifts poured in not only from unknown people, but from baby food and soap manufacturers who wished to advertise their products.
Shops cater for the do-it-yourself craze not only by running special advisory services for novices, but by offering consumers bits and pieces which they can assemble at home.
This hobby educates one not only in the chosen subject, but also in general matters which have some bearing on it.
Reading about them increases our understanding without dispelling our fears.
知识点（1）Lesson52
dispel v. 英文解释：to make sth. go away, esp. a belief, idea, or feeling 驱散，打消
dispel doubts（疑虑） / fears（恐惧） / worries（忧虑） / rumors（谣言） / hesitations（忧郁） / prejudice（偏见） … 驱散了… 、打消了…
This brief experiment would dispel any further doubts you might have.
Reading about them increases our understanding without dispelling our fears.
Knowing that the industrious ant lives in a highly organized society does nothing to prevent us from being filled with revulsion when we find hordes of them crawling over a carefully prepared picnic lunch.
语法分析:
Knowing（动名词主语） that the industrious ant lives in a highly organized society（that… 动名词主语内的宾语从句） does nothing to prevent us from being filled with revulsion when we find hordes of them crawling over a carefully prepared picnic lunch（非谓语）. （when... 时间状语从句）
知识点（1）Lesson49
industrious: diligent 勤奋的
Aunt Harriet could not find words to praise Bessie's industriousness and efficiency.
industrial adj. 工业的, 产业的
industrial revolution
industrial workers
知识点（2）
do nothing to do sth. 做某某方面没用
not do anything to do sth. 在某方面根本没用
造句准备：
Precautions of this sort are necessary, …
prevent … from … 阻止
造句：这些预防措施在阻止这种疾病蔓延方面没有任何作用。
The precautions did nothing / did not do anything to prevent the disease from spreading.
【扩展】
do little to do sth.在某方面没多大作用
do much / a lot / a great deal to do sth. 在某方面有很大作用
Though he was technically a prizefighter, Mendoza did much to change crude prizefighting into a sport, for he brought science to the game.
知识点（3）Lesson48
be filled with … 充满了某种情绪
be filled with anger（愤怒） / fear（恐惧） / dread（恐惧） / horror（惊恐） / joy（快乐） / happiness（快乐、幸福） / doubt（怀疑） / alarm（惊恐） / revulsion（厌恶） / admiration（敬佩） / remorse（悔恨） … 充满了某种情绪…
All at once, I noticed that my wife seemed to be filled with alarm.
Their faces were suddenly filled with fear.
I am filled with admiration for your bravery.
Knowing that the industrious ant lives in a highly organized society does nothing to prevent us from being filled with revulsion when we find hordes of them crawling over a carefully prepared picnic lunch.
No matter how much we like honey, or how much we have read about the uncanny sense of direction which bees possess, we have a horror of being stung.
语法分析:
No matter how much we like honey（让步状语从句）, or（并列两个让步状语从句） how much we have read about the uncanny sense of direction which bees possess（定语从句） （让步状语从句）, we have a horror of being stung.
知识点（1）复习
sense of direction（方向） / humor（幽默） / danger（危险） / justice（正义） / pride（自豪） / honor（荣誉） / accomplishment（成就） / responsibility（责任） / superiority（优越） / inferiority（自卑） … …感
The sense of humor is mysteriously bound up with national characteristics.
He simply had no sense of danger at all.
知识点（2）
have a horror of … 害怕
= be afraid / frightened / scared of ...
She has a horror of cockroaches.
She is afraid / frightened / scared of cockroaches.
Most of our fears are unreasonable, but they are impossible to erase.
知识点（1）Lesson13
… they are impossible to erase…
语法：形容词后加动词不定式作补语，用主动表被动的含义
He is easy to fool.
She is extremely difficult to please.
The machine is awkward to handle.
The man is hard to work with.
知识点（2）【课文仿写】
造句：我害怕开车是没有道理的, 但这种感觉无法消除。
My fear of driving is unreasonable, but it is impossible to erase.
At the same time, however, insects are strangely fascinating.
知识点（1）Lesson9
fascinating adj. 迷人的
fascinate vt. 迷住……
Cats never fail to fascinate human beings.
fascination n. 魅力，吸引力
Antique shops exert a peculiar fascination on a great many people.
课文写法替换：
At the same time, however, insects exert a peculiar fascination on us.
At the same time, however, insects never fail to fascinate us.
We enjoy reading about them, especially when we find that, like the praying mantis, they lead perfectly horrible lives.
语法分析:
We enjoy reading about them, especially when we find that, like the praying mantis（插入语）, they lead perfectly horrible lives（that… 宾语从句）. （when... 时间状语从句）
知识点（1）
perfectly adv. 英文解释：completely ― used to emphasize what you are saying（用于加强语气）完全， 非常，极其
It's perfectly normal to feel like this.
To be perfectly honest, I didn't want to go anyway.
We enjoy staring at them, entranced as they go about their business, unaware (we hope) of our presence.
语法分析:
We enjoy staring at them, entranced as（as… 时间状语从句） they go about their business, unaware (we hope) of our presence（unaware非谓语动词做后置定语,修饰go about）.（entranced… 非谓语动词做伴随状语）
知识点（1）
entrance vt. 令人着迷，陶醉
I’m completely entranced by / with the music.
The children sat silent on the carpet, entranced by the puppet show.
知识点（2）
go about one’s business 做自己的事
The villagers were going about their business as usual.
go about sth. 着手做某事
I want to learn German but I don't know the best way to go about it.
知识点（3）Lesson30
be (un)aware of … 意识到/没有意识到
He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
知识点（4）
presence n. 出席，在场
in the presence of sb. 某人在场的情况下
= in sb.’s presence
Harry is very thrifty, but in the presence of his friends he never shows this side of his life.
造句：我在场时请别抽烟。
Please don't smoke in my presence.
Everything around him was full of her presence（似乎存在）, continually reopening the wound.
His daughter's presence seemed to fill her empty bedroom.
Everything around me is full of his / her presence（他/她的身影似乎存在）, continually reopening the wound.
【扩展】【复习】
absence n. 不在场，缺席
in the absence of sb.
in sb.’s absence 在某人不在场的情况下
In my absence he will be in charge.
造句：在老师不在的时候，学生们都在忙自己的事。
In the absence of their teacher, the students were all going about their business.
Who has not stood in awe at the sight of a spider pouncing on a fly, or a column of ants triumphantly bearing home an enormous dead beetle?
语法分析:
Who has not stood in awe at the sight of a spider pouncing on a fly（非谓语动词做后置定语,修饰spider）, or a column of ants triumphantly bearing home an enormous dead beetle（非谓语动词做后置定语,修饰ants）? （at … 时间状语）
知识点（1）
stand in awe (of ...)（对……）充满敬畏
知识点（2）Lesson11
pounce on … 猛扑向……
He had spotted a tiny bottle at the bottom of my case and he pounced on it with delight.
知识点（3）Lesson48
column n. 英文解释：a long moving line of people or things（人或事物的）队伍
a column of soldiers
a column of refugees
Who has not stood in awe at the sight of a spider pouncing on a fly, or a column of ants triumphantly bearing home an enormous dead beetle?
知识点（4）Lesson37
triumph n. 胜利，成功（的喜悦）；v. 获得成功，取胜
There was a note of triumph in my voice when I told him that it was there in black and white.
Arch of Triumph
知识点（5）第一段总结、Lesson37
语法：rhetorical question 修辞疑问句；不用回答；多用于结尾
We often speak of tramps with contempt and put them in the same class as beggars, but how many of us can honestly say that we have not felt a little envious of their simple way of life and their freedom from care?
O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind? ‘Ode to the West Wind’— P. B. Shelley
Who among us has not dreamed of that?
What is the use of our studying grammar if we can't put the grammatical rules into practice?
Could any spectacle, for instance, be more grimly whimsical than that of gunners using science to shatter men‘s bodies while, close at hand, surgeons use it to restore them?
（第二段）
Last summer I spent days in the garden watching thousands of ants crawling up the trunk of my prize peach tree.
知识点（1）Lesson16、23
prize: valued; treasured; cherished
One of Mary's prize possessions was a little white lamb which her husband had given her.
The idea never appealed to me very much, but one day, after heavy shower, I happened to be walking in my garden when I noticed a huge number of snails taking a stroll on some of my prize plants.
The tree has grown against a warm wall on a sheltered side of the house.
知识点（1）
sheltered adj. 可避风雨的
We found a sheltered spot to have a picnic.
I am especially proud of it, not only because it has survived several severe winters, but because it occasionally produces luscious peaches.
知识点（1）Lesson9
survive vt. 经历……而幸存
A cat's ability to survive falls is based on fact.
知识点（2）Lesson31
severe adj. 严重的，严酷的，严厉的
a severe injury
a severe winter
Recognizing who the customer was, the manager was most apologetic and reprimanded the assistant severely.
知识点（3）Lesson47、52
produce v. 含义1. make, create 制造
When you come to think about it, there are only four ways you can deal with rubbish: dump it, burn it, turn it into something you can use again, attempt to produce less of it.
produce v. 含义2. to grow sth. or make it naturally 出产（农场品），产（仔）
The tree produces fruit.
A cow produces milk.
A hen produces eggs.
produce v. 含义3. if you produce an object, you bring it out or present it, so that people can see or consider it 出示，拿出
Produce your ticket!
They made no effort to hide their amusement whenever I produced a packet of sweets from my pocket.
She produced all sorts of weird concoctions, but none of them met with Harry's requirements.
During the summer, I noticed that the leaves of the tree were beginning to wither.
Clusters of tiny insects called aphides were to be found on the underside of the leaves.
知识点（1）
cluster n. 英文解释：a group of things of the same kind that are very close together （密密匝匝的）一簇， 一团
a cluster of red berries
知识点（2）
be to be found / heard / seen 能够被找到 / 看到 / 听到
Such books are to be found in the library.
Not a sound was to be heard.
Not a soul was to be seen.
【复习】Lesson40
语法：be to do (fml.) 的四种用法
用法①： 打算
I’m to see her tomorrow.
用法②：命令
You’re to be back by 10 o’clock.
No one is to leave the building.
用法③：能够
How am I to pay such a debt?
We are not to be bullied.
用法④：应该
Such men are to be pitied rather than despised.
Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. — Francis Bacon
They were visited by a large colony of ants which obtained a sort of honey from them.
知识点（1）
colony n. 英文解释：a group of animals or plants of the same type that are living or growing together（住在一起的）一群动物或植物
a colony of ants a seal colony
知识点（2）复习
语法：形式定语从句
They were visited by a large colony of ants which obtained a sort of honey from them.
They were visited by a large colony of ants because the ants obtained a sort of honey from them.
We can read of things that happened 5,000 years ago in the Near East, where people first learned to write.
We can read of things that happened 5,000 years ago in the Near East, because people first learned to write there.
Don’t sit on the chair because it has a broken leg.
Don’t sit on the chair which has a broken leg.
I have to be very careful not to offend the manager because he could give me the sack at any time.
I have to be very careful not to offend the manager who could give me the sack at any time.
知识点（3）Lesson12
a sort of = a kind of … 1.一种、某种…；2.有些像……的；……般的 ；（此处课文指得是第2种含义）
We sometimes imagine a desert island to be a sort of paradise where the sun always shines.
In spite of this, the Italians regarded him as a sort of hero.
Libraries made education possible, and education in its turn added to libraries: the growth of knowledge followed a kind of compound interest law, which was greatly enhanced by the invention of printing.
I immediately embarked on an experiment which even though it failed to get rid of the ants kept me fascinated for 24 hours.
语法分析:
I immediately embarked on an experiment which, even though it failed to get rid of the ants（让步状语从句）, kept me fascinated for twenty-four hours. （which...定语从句，修饰）
知识点（1）Lesson46
embark on / upon sth. 1.上船；2.开始某个工作、任务
Armed with the right tools and materials, newlyweds gaily embark on the task of decorating their own homes.
知识点（2）Lesson28
get rid of … 赶走……，打发走……
It took me over half an hour to get rid of him.
I bound the base of the tree with sticky tape, making it impossible for the ants to reach the aphides.
知识点（1）
base of …的底部
At the base of the gold cap, the words 'made in the U.S.A' had been nearly inscribed.
The tape was so sticky that they did not dare to cross it.
For a long time, I watched them scurrying around the base of the tree in bewilderment.
知识点（1）
scurry v. run with short quick steps 小步快跑
The mouse scurried across the floor.
知识点（2）Lesson38
bewilder v. 令人迷惑，令人晕头转向
bewildering adj. 令人迷惑的，令人昏头转向的
Films, videos, CDs and CD-ROMS are just some of the bewildering amount of information they will have.
语法注意：表示“感情”的名词和介词在一起做状语，大多数用in
in bewilderment / confusion
in surprise
in horror in despair
in a panic …
I even went out at midnight with a torch and noted with satisfaction (and surprise) that the ants were still swarming around the sticky tape without being able to do anything about it.
语法分析:
I even went out at midnight with a torch and noted with satisfaction (and surprise)（状语前置） that the ants were still swarming around the sticky tape without being able to do anything about it. （that… 宾语从句）
知识点（1）
with satisfaction = satisfiedly
After consulting my railway timetable, I noted with satisfaction that there was an express train to Westhaven.
with ease = easily
His few material possessions make it possible for him to move from place to place with ease.
with delight = delightedly
He had spotted a tiny bottle at the bottom of my case and he pounced on it with delight.
with a smile = smilingly
'But it isn't perfume,' I said. 'It's hair gel.' Then I added with a smile, 'It's a strange mixture I make myself.'
with pride = proudly
with attention = attentively
with confidence = confidently
with reluctance = reluctantly
知识点（2）
swarm v. 英文解释：When insects swarm, they come together in a large group 昆虫聚集
知识点（3）
do something about …英文解释：to do something in order to deal with a problem or difficult situation 解决，处理（问题或困难）
When my wife nagged me to do something about it, I told her that either I would have to buy a new mower or let the grass grow.
【复习】Lesson2
there is nothing … can do about … 对某问题某人无能为力
'That's the trouble, vicar,' answered Bill. 'It's working all right, but I'm afraid that at one o'clock it will strike thirteen times and there's nothing I can do about it.'
I got up early next morning hoping to find that the ants had given up in despair.
语法分析:
I got up early next morning hoping to find that the ants had given up in despair （that… 宾语从句）（非谓语动词做原因状语).
Instead, I saw that they had discovered a new route.
知识点（1）Lesson24
Instead of …, however, … 本该……，结果却……
Instead of becoming a doctor, however, he became a successful writer of detective stories.
instead (,) … 结果却……
I gave him fifty pence yesterday and advised him to save it. Instead he bought himself fifty pence worth of trouble.
They were climbing up the wall of the house and then on to the leaves of the tree.
知识点（1）
on to … = onto … 到……上面去
I realized sadly that I had been completely defeated by their ingenuity.
The ants had been quick to find an answer to my thoroughly unscientific methods!
知识点（1）Lesson21
be quick to do: 【idiom】英文解释：to react quickly to what someone says or does 很快就……
He was quick to notice the mistake.
He offered to train Mendoza and his young pupil was quick to learn.
知识点（2）
an answer to sth英文解释： a solution to sth. 问题的解决方案
There is no easy answer to the problem.