Lesson56 Our neighbour, the river

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课文

The river which forms the eastern boundary of our farm has always played an important part in our lives.

形成我们农场东部边界的一条河流一直在我们生活中发挥着重要作用。

Without it we could not make a living.

要是没有这条河，我们就无法生存下去。

There is only enough spring water to supply the needs of the house so we have to pump from the river for farm use.

泉水只能满足家庭生活用水，因此我们必须从河里抽水以用于农业生产。

We tell the river all our secrets.

我们向那条河倾诉我们的秘密。

We know instinctively, just as beekeepers with their bees, that misfortune might overtake us if the important events of our lives were not related to it.

我们本能地懂得，就像养蜂人和他的蜜蜂那样，

We have special river birthday parties in the summer.

夏天，我们为这条河举办特殊的生日宴会。

Sometimes we go upstream to a favourite backwater, sometimes we have our party at the boathouse, which a predecessor of ours at the farm built in the meadow hard by the deepest pool for swimming and diving.

有时，我们溯流而上来到我们喜爱的回水河汊举办；有时在船坞举办。那船坞是农场一位前辈在一块草地上盖的，草地紧挨着一个专供游泳、跳水的深水池。

In a heat wave we choose a midnight birthday party and that is the most exciting of all.

天气炎热时，我们便选择在半夜举办生日聚会，这种聚会是最令人激动的。

We welcome the seasons by the riverside, crowning the youngest girl with flowers in the spring, holding a summer festival on Midsummer Eve, giving thanks for the harvest in the autumn, and throwing a holly wreath into the current in the winter.

我们在河边迎接一年四季。春天在河边为最年轻的姑娘戴上花冠，夏天在河边欢庆“仲夏前夜”，秋天在河边丰收而感恩，冬天往河中抛撒一个冬表花环。

After a long period of rain the river may overflow its banks.

久雨这后，河水会泛滥成灾，

This is a rare occurrence as our climate seldom goes to extremes.

但是在我们这里，气候很少发生异常，河水极少泛滥。

We are lucky in that only the lower fields, which make up a very small proportion of our farm, are affected by flooding, but other farms are less favourably sited, and flooding can sometimes spell disaster for their owners.

值得庆幸的是只有低洼的受到洪水影响，而低洼地在我们农场比例很小，其他农场地势欠佳，洪水有时会给农场主带来灾难。

One bad winter we watched the river creep up the lower meadows.

有一年冬天，天气不好，我们眼看着河水浸没了地势较低的草场。

All the cattle had been moved into stalls and we stood to lose little.

所有的牲口已提前转移到畜圈里，没有造成什么损失。

We were, however, worried about our nearest neighbours, whose farm was low lying and who were newcomers to the district.

不过，我们很为我们的近邻担心。他们的农场地势低洼，而且他们又新来乍到。

As the floods had put the telephone out of order, we could not find out how they were managing.

由于洪水造成了电话中断，我们无法了解他们情况。

From an attic window we could get a sweeping view of the river where their land joined ours, and at the most critical juncture we took turns in watching that point.

从顶楼窗口看去，我们农场与他们农场接壤处的那段河流一览无余，在最紧急的时刻，我们轮流监视那段河流的险情。

The first sign of disaster was a dead sheep floating down.

灾难的第一迹象是一只死羊顺流而下。

Next came a horse, swimming bravely, but we were afraid that the strength of the current would prevent its landing anywhere before it became exhausted.

接着一匹活马勇敢地与水搏击，但我们担心洪水力量将使它上岸之前就筋疲力尽了。

Suddenly a raft appeared, looking rather like Noah's ark, carrying the whole family, a few hens, the dogs, a cat, and a bird in a cage.

突然，出现了一只筏子，看起来很像诺亚方舟，上面载着他们全家老小，还有几只母鸡、几只狗，一只猫与一只鸟笼，那里头有一只小鸟。

We realized that they must have become unduly frightened by the rising flood, for their house, which had sound foundations, would have stood stoutly even if it had been almost submerged.

我们意识到他们一定是被不断上涨的洪水吓坏了，因为他们的房子地基牢固，即使洪水几乎灭顶也不会倒塌。

The men of our family waded down through our flooded meadows with boat hooks, in the hope of being able to grapple a corner of the raft and pull it out of the current towards our bank.

我家的男人们手拿船篙过被水淹没草场，

We still think it a miracle that they were able to do so.

至今我们仍认为这是个奇迹。

词汇讲解

boundary ['baʊndri] n. 分界线，边界

boundary n. dividing line 分界线，边界

The river forms a natural boundary of our farm.

The fence marks the boundary between my property and hers.

National boundaries are becoming increasingly meaningless in the global economy.

Electronic publishing is blurring the boundaries between dictionaries and encyclopedias.

【近义词】【扩展】专指“国境线”：

border / frontier

the Italian border / frontier

the border / frontier between China and Russia

overtake [əʊvə'teɪk] v. （坏事）突然降临

overtake overtook(past) overtaken (pp)

A sudden illness overtook him.

【近义词】【扩展】表达“（倒霉的事）发生在某人身上”：

visit / befall (befell befallen)

A sudden illness visited / befell him.

happen to

A sudden illness happened to him.

predecessor ['pri:disesə] n. 前辈，前任

【扩展】

successor n. 继承者；后续的事物

ancestor n. 始祖，祖先；被继承人

forefather n. 祖先；前辈

forebear n. 祖先；祖宗

descendant [C] n. 后裔；子孙 adj. 下降的；祖传的

He is a direct descendant of Confucius.

offspring [C] pl. (formal or humorous) n. 后代，子孙；产物

the conflict between parents and their offspring

posterity [U] n. 子孙，后裔；后代

These works of art are preserved for posterity.

meadow ['medəʊ] n. 草地；牧场

【扩展】

meadow n. 草地；牧场

lawn n. 草地；草坪

pasture n. 草地；牧场；牧草

prairie n. 大草原；牧场

savanna(h) n. [生态] 热带草原；热带的稀树大草原

grassland n. 草原；牧草地

the Inner Mongolian Grassland

occurrence [ə'kʌrəns] n. 事情，事件

【扩展】【近义词】

occurrence n. 发生；出现；事件；发现

occur vi. 发生；出现；存在

happening n. 事件；意外发生的事

happen vi. 发生；碰巧；偶然遇到

trifle n. 琐事；蛋糕；少量

incident n. 事件，事变；插曲

a border incident

a shooting incident

affair n. 事情；事务；私事；（尤指关系不长久的）风流韵事

current affairs

China’s internal affairs

love affairs

event n. 事件，大事；项目；结果

accident n. 事故；意外；[法] 意外事件；机遇

contingency n. 偶然性；[安全] 意外事故；可能性；[审计] 意外开支；

coincidence n. 巧合；一致；同时发生

proportion [prə'pɔ:ʃn] n. 比例

the proportion of sthA. to sthB. A和B的比例

What's the proportion of boys to girls in your class?

in proportion to sth. 与…成比例

Payment will be in proportion to the work done, not to the time spent doing it.

out of (all) proportion to sth. 与…不成比例

They earn salaries out of all proportion to their ability.

a high / large proportion of … 大多数

a small / tiny proportion of … 少数

【扩展】【近义词组】

a high / large percentage of ... 大多数

a small / tiny percentage of ... 少数

a / the majority of ... 大多数

a / the minority of ... 少数

site [saɪt] v. 使位于

【扩展】【近义词】

site vt. 设置；为…选址

locate vt. 位于；查找…的地点；vi. 定位；定居

situate vt. 使位于；使处于

The house is sited / located / situated on the hill.

【扩展】【近义词】名词形式

site

location

situation

juncture ['dʒʌŋktʃə(r)] n. （一般多强调重要时刻）时刻，关头

At this juncture it’s too late to say anything.

The battle had reached a critical / crucial juncture. 关键时刻

【扩展】【近义词】表达“时刻”

time

moment

point

instant

unduly [ʌn'dju:li] adv. 过分地，过度地

unduly = excessively adv. 过分地，过度地

The levels of pollution in this area are unduly high.

He did not sound unduly worried at the prospect.

【同根词】

undue = excessive adj. 过分的，过度的

The work should be carried out without undue delay.

We did not want to put any undue pressure on them.

【反义词】

due adj. proper, suitable 适当的

After due consideration, we have decided to appoint Mr. Davis to the job.

submerge [səb'mɜ:dʒ] v. 淹没，潜入水中

【扩展】

submerge v. 淹没，潜入水中

submarine n. 潜水艇；海底生物

【扩展】【近义词组】

dive n. 潜水；跳水；俯冲；扑

diver / frogman n. 潜水者

plunge into ... 跳入水中

go down / go under / go to the bottom 船只沉没

The tragic sinking of this great liner will always be remembered, for she went down on her first voyage with heavy loss of life.

课文讲解

（标题）

Our neighbour, the river

语法分析:

Our neighbour（同位语）, the river（中心名词）

知识点（1）

语法：同位语前置，突出同位语

man’s best friend, the dog

God Almighty, Jesus Christ

（第一段）

The river which forms the eastern boundary of our farm has always played an important part in our lives.

语法分析:

The river which forms the eastern boundary of our farm（定语从句） has always played an important part in our lives.

知识点（1）

play a … role / part in … 发挥某种作用

造句：西安市在中国历史上有至关重要的作用。

The city of Xi’an played a crucial role in the history of China.

造句：政府在促进人权方面应该发挥更显著的作用。

The government should play a more prominent part in promoting human rights.

Not all sounds made by animals serve as language, and we have only to turn to that extraordinary discovery of echo-location in bats to see a case in which the voice plays a strictly utilitarian role.

The fact of first-rate importance is the predominant role that custom plays in experience and in belief, and the very great varieties it may manifest.

John Dewey has said in all seriousness that the part played by custom in shaping the behavior of the individual, as against any way in which he can affect traditional custom, is as the proportion of the total vocabulary of his mother tongue against those words of his own baby talk that are taken up into the vernacular of his family.

Without it we could not make a living.

知识点（1）

语法：虚拟语气的省略、介词短语代替虚拟条件句

课文补全：

If we didn’t have it we could not make a living.

【复习】虚拟语气

If + S. + did / were …, S. + would / should / could / might + do …

There would be no living things without air.

There would be no living things if there were no air.

In his position, I would commit suicide.

If I were in his position, I would commit suicide.

知识点（2）

make / earn a living 赚钱、谋生

There is only enough spring water to supply the needs of the house so we have to pump from the river for farm use.

知识点（1）

house n.住在一所房子里的人；全家人

Be quiet or you’ll wake the house.

【扩展】表达“用地方指代住在这里的人”：

the village 全村人

the town 全镇人

the city 全城人

the country 全国人

the world 全世界人

entertain the world

The whole country was / were shocked at the news.

知识点（2）

irrigation n. 灌溉

irrigate vt. 灌溉

... we have to pump from the river for irrigation.

... we have to pump from the river to irrigate the fields.

We tell the river all our secrets.

We know instinctively, just as beekeepers with their bees, that misfortune might overtake us if the important events of our lives were not related to it.

语法分析:

We know instinctively, just as beekeepers with their bees（插入语）, that misfortune might（虚拟语气） overtake us if the important events of our lives were（虚拟语气） not related to it（if... 条件状语从句）. （that… 宾语从句）

知识点（1）

instinctively = by instinct 本能地

【扩展】

particularly = in particular 尤其地

accidentally = by accident 偶然地

carefully = with care 小心地

delightedly = with delight 高兴地

angrily = with anger 愤怒地

知识点（2）

课文写法替换：

... misfortune might visit / befall us ...

... misfortune might happen to us ...

知识点（3）

relate sth. to sb. 把某事将给某人

She related the events of the previous week to the police.

【辨析】

relate A to / with B 把A和B联系起来

【扩展】【复习】

report / recount / relate sth. to sb. 把某事讲述给某人

tell sb. (about) sth. 告诉某人某事

After telling several of his friends about the theft, Dimitri found out that his neighbour, Aleko, had suddenly acquired a new lamb.

课后题：Lesson 16

10. After ___b___ the theft to several of his friends ... (1.9)

(a) telling X搭配不对

(b) reporting 搭配正确

(d) counting X 含义不通顺，换成recounting就对了

（第二段）

We have special river birthday parties in the summer.

语法分析:

Sometimes we go upstream to a favourite backwater, sometimes we have our party at the boathouse, which a predecessor of ours at the farm（后置定语） built in the meadow hard by the deepest pool for swimming and diving（后置定语）. （which...定语从句，修饰boathouse）

知识点（1）

go / row / sail upstream 逆流而上

Learning is like rowing upstream: not to advance is to drop back.

go / row / sail downstream 顺流而上

知识点（2）

课文写法替换：

a predecessor of ours

one of our predecessors

知识点（3）

hard by … (fml.) adv. very near to …离得非常近

The cafeteria stands hard by our dormitory.

In a heat wave we choose a midnight birthday party and that is the most exciting of all.

知识点（1）

heat wave 酷暑时期

cold spell 严寒时期

【扩展】表达“天气热、冷”：（地道表达）

It’s a boiling / scorching / sizzling hot day. 特別热

It’s a bitterly / biting / freezing cold day. 特別冷

语法分析:

We welcome the seasons by the riverside, crowning the youngest girl with flowers in the spring（非谓语动词引导结果状语方式状语1), holding a summer festival on Midsummer Eve（非谓语动词引导结果状语方式状语2), giving thanks for the harvest in the autumn（非谓语动词引导结果状语方式状语3), and throwing a holly wreath into the current in the winter（非谓语动词引导结果状语方式状语4).

知识点（1）

表达“庆祝四季到来”：

We welcome the seasons…

课文写法替换：

We celebrate the arrival of the seasons.

知识点（2）

表达“季节时间”：

Midsummer Eve 仲夏夜

Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节

Dragon Boat Festival 端午节

知识点（3）

Thanksgiving Day: the fourth Thursday in November

the Puritans 清教徒

the Mayflower 五月花号

Columbus 哥伦布

American Indians / Native Americans 印第安人

the Pilgrims 新移民；朝圣者；朝圣客

the Pilgrim Fathers 清教徒前辈移民；清教徒们；移民先驱

roast turkey

apple pie

表达“感谢”：

I give thanks to my mother for supporting me all the time.

I give thanks to my math teacher for not flunking me.

After a long period of rain the river may overflow its banks. This is a rare occurrence as our climate seldom goes to extremes.

知识点（1）

This is a rare occurrence… （正式表达）

This rarely / seldom occurs. （不正式表达）

表达“…发生”：

a rare（很少） / common（经常） / regular（经常有规律的） / everyday（每天） occurrence …发生

Laughter was a rare occurrence in his classroom.

Unfortunately, computer errors are a common occurrence.

Street-fights are an everyday occurrence in this area of the city.

知识点（2）Lesson5

go to extremes 走极端

Editors of newspapers and magazines often go to extremes to provide their readers with unimportant facts and statistics.

表达“很少走极端”

seldom goes to extremes

课文写法替换：

Our climate is usually moderate.

语法分析:

We are lucky in that（= because 引导原因状语从句） only the lower fields, which make up a very small proportion of our farm（非限定性定语从句）, are affected by flooding, but（大并列） other farms are less favourably sited, and（小并列） flooding can sometimes spell disaster for their owners.

知识点（1）

表达“比例”：

a high / large proportion / percentage of … 大部分

a small / tiny proportion / percentage of …小部分

a majority of … 大多数

a vast/ great / overwhelming majority of … （绝大多数）

a minority of … 少数

a small / tiny minority of … 极少数

知识点（2）

spell v. 英文解释：to cause sth. bad to happen in the future 招致，导致

spell disaster（灾难） / trouble（麻烦） / danger（危险） for … 招致…

The lack of rain could spell disaster for farmers.

This cold weather could spell trouble for gardeners.

（第四段）

One bad winter we watched the river creep up the lower meadows.

知识点（1）Lesson50

creep v. 蹑手蹑脚地走

Nevertheless, I managed to creep down into the living-room for two days before anyone found me out.

写作：拟人

Curiosity swallowed him.

A gentle breeze caressed my cheeks and soothed my heart.

All the cattle had been moved into stalls and we stood to lose little.

知识点（1）

stall n. 英文解释：an enclosed area in a building for an animal such as a horse or cow 牲口棚，马厩，牛棚

知识点（2）

stand to do sth 英文解释：to be likely to do or have something 可能……

stand to gain（获得） / lose（输） / win（赢） … 有可能会…

Many small companies stand to lose financially if the new law is introduced.

知识点（3）

little adv. 这里修饰loose；几乎不

We were, however, worried about our nearest neighbours, whose farm was low lying and who were newcomers to the district.

语法分析:

We were, however（插入语）, worried about our nearest neighbours, whose farm was low lying（定语从句） and who were newcomers to the district（定语从句）.

知识点（1）

little adv. 这里指地势低地

The plane flew low.

【辨析】

lowly adj. humble 卑微地、谦卑的

a lowly servant

As the floods had put the telephone out of order, we could not find out how they were managing.

知识点（1）Lesson46

put … out of order 使…出故障

put … in order 修好了

put … right 修好了

When lights fuse, furniture gets rickety, pipes get clogged, or vacuum cleaners fail to operate, some women assume that their husbands will somehow put things right.

be out of order 出故障了、坏了

The bell had been out of order for many years.

【扩展】【复习】Lesson14

put … out of business 使…破产

put … out of work 使…失业

【扩展】

… out of … : 1在…之外

I am out of patience. 失去耐心

I am out of anger. 超出愤怒

The TV is out of repair. 没法修

… out of … : 2.出于… Lesson24

out of sympathy / pity 出于同情

out of interest 出于兴趣

out of respect 出于敬意

out of conscience 出于良心

out of necessity 出于必要

out of desperation 出于绝望

So let us begin anew—remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear（出于恐惧）, but let us never fear to negotiate. ——John F. Kennedy

知识点（2）

课文补全：

… find out how they were managing to deal with it.

From an attic window we could get a sweeping view of the river where their land joined ours, and at the most critical juncture we took turns in watching that point.

语法分析:

From an attic window（介词短语做地点状语） we could get a sweeping view of the river where their land joined ours（定语从句）, and（并列） at the most critical juncture（时间状语） we took turns in watching that point.

知识点（1）

… get a sweeping view 俯瞰

= … get a bird's eye view

知识点（2）

critical juncture 紧要关头

【扩展】

课文写法替换：

…, when the flood was at its height …

…, at the height of the flood

… the height of ... …的顶峰状态

August is the height of summer.

The storm is at its height.

课后题：Lesson 16

10. - and we ___B___ took turns in watching that point. (1.22)

(a) in the peak of condition

(b) in place of the most severe critic

(d) when the flood was at its height

知识点（3）

take turns (in) doing sth. 轮流…..

= take turns to do sth.

There is only one computer, so we have to take turns (in) using it.

There is only one computer, so we have to take turns to use it.

The first sign of disaster was a dead sheep floating down.

知识点（1）

【扩展】【近义词组】表达“迹象、征兆”：

sign

indication

omen

a good omen

a bad omen

Next came a horse, swimming bravely, but we were afraid that the strength of the current would prevent its landing anywhere before it became exhausted.

语法分析:

Next came a horse（全部倒装）, swimming bravely（后置定语，修饰horse）, but we were afraid that the strength of the current would prevent its landing anywhere before（直到） it became exhausted. （that… 形容词补足语）

知识点（1）Lesson10、17

语法：全部倒装（把全部谓语置于主语之前。）

表示位置或次序的状语置于句首，只要满足两个条件，要用全部倒装。

主语不是代词。

谓语动词不是及物动词。

这种倒装主要目的是为了突出句末的主语。

Now comes your turn.

On the hill stands a temple.

In came Miss Green.

There are two people.

There once stood a little village.

Next came a horse, …

不能倒装

Off he went. 主语不能是代词

On the hill John saw Mary. 谓语是及物动词

表语置于句首。这种倒装主要目的是为了避免头重脚轻（主语较长）。

Happy is he who has a sound mind in a sound body.

Gone are the days when my heart was young and gay.

知识点（1）

prevent its landing

课文写法替换：

… prevent it from landing anywhere …

【复习】语法：动名词属格

课后题：Lesson 22

5．He always insisted ___A___ in full. (1.9)

(a) on its being written out

(b) on writing it out

(d) that it would have to be written out

He always insisted on its being written out in full.

Suddenly a raft appeared, looking rather like Noah's ark, carrying the whole family, a few hens, the dogs, a cat, and a bird in a cage.

语法分析:

Suddenly a raft appeared, looking rather like Noah's ark（非谓语做插入语）, carrying the whole family, a few hens, the dogs, a cat, and a bird in a cage.（carrying… 可以看作伴随状语修饰appeared，也可以看作原因状语解释looking…）

知识点（1）

Noah’s ark 诺亚方舟

the Genesis 创世纪

the New Testament (Christians) 新约

the Old Testament 旧约

(Jews) deluge 大洪水

We realized that they must have become unduly frightened by the rising flood, for their house, which had sound foundations, would have stood stoutly even if it had been almost submerged.

语法分析:

We realized that they must have become（过去地肯定推测） unduly frightened by the rising flood（that…宾语从句）, for their house, which had sound foundations（非限定性定语从句）, would have stood（对过去地虚拟语气） stoutly even if it 对过去地had been（虚拟语气） almost submerged（if... 条件状语从句）. （for... 原因状语从句)

知识点（1）

sound adj. 英文解释：in good condition and not damaged in any way 完好的

The floor was completely sound. Is the building structurally sound?

知识点（2）

stout = sturdy adj. 英文解释：strong and thick 粗壮的，结实的

stout boots for climbing

a stout walking-stick

The men of our family waded down through our flooded meadows with boat hooks, in the hope of being able to grapple a corner of the raft and pull it out of the current towards our bank.

语法分析:

The men of our family waded down through our flooded meadows（地点状语） with boathooks（伴随状语）, in the hope（=because… 介词短语充当原因状语） of being able to grapple a corner of the raft and pull it out of the current towards our bank.

知识点（1）

wade n/v. 跋涉；可涉水而过的地方

trek n/v. 艰苦跋涉

知识点（2）

in the hope of / that … 有这样地希望…（引出同位语）

… in the hope that they would be able to …

Police are carrying out a house-to-house search in the hope of finding the missing girl.

The men of our family waded down through our flooded meadows with boathooks, in the hope of being (=because they hope to be) able to grapple a corner of the raft and pull it out of the current towards our bank.

The Swedes were the first to recognize that public officials like civil servants, police officers, health inspectors or tax-collectors can make mistakes or act over-zealously in the belief (=because they believe) that they are serving the public.

In the lift her thoughts were on lunch and a good rest; but when she got out at her own floor, both were forgotten in her sudden discovery (=because she suddenly discovered) that her front door was open.

They leave unwanted objects in drawers, cupboards and attics for years, in the belief that (=because they believe that) they may one day need just those very things.

Young men who have reason to fear that they will be killed in battle may justifiably feel bitter in the thought (=because they think) that they have cheated of the best things that life has to offer.

知识点（3）

grapple v. 英文解释：to take a firm hold of sb./sth. and struggle with them 紧紧抓住，扭住，扭打

They managed to grapple him to the ground.

We still think it a miracle that they were able to do so.

语法分析:

We still think it（形式宾语） a miracle that they were able to do so（真正宾语）.