Lesson76 April Fools’ Day 愚人节
What was the joke?
‘To end our special news bulletin,’ said the voice of the television announcer, ‘we’re going over to the macaroni fields of Calabria. Macaroni has been grown in this area for over six hundred years. Two of the leading growers, Giuseppe Moldova and Riccardo Brabante, tell me that they have been expecting a splendid crop this year and harvesting has begun earlier than usual. Here you can see two workers who, between them, have just finished cutting three cartloads of golden brown macaroni stalks. The whole village has been working day and night gathering and threshing this year’s crop before the September rains. On the right, you can see Mrs. Brabante herself. She has been helping her husband for thirty years now. Mrs. Brabante is talking to the manager of the local factory where the crop is processed. This last scene shows you what will happen at the end of the harvest: the famous Calabrian macaroni-eating competition! Signor Fratelli, the present champion, has won it every year since 1991. And that ends our special bulletin for today, Thursday, April 1st. We’re now going back to the studio.’
New words and expressions 生词和短语
- fool (title) /fuːl/ n. 傻瓜
- bulletin (1.1) /ˈbʊlətɪn/ n. 新闻简报
- announcer (1.2) /əˈnaʊnsə/ n. (电视、电台)播音员
- macaroni (1.3) /ˌmækəˈrəʊni/ n. 通心面，空心面条
- leading (1.4) /ˈliːdɪŋ/ adj. 主要的
- grower (1.4) /ˈɡrəʊə/ n. 种植者
- splendid (1.5) /ˈsplendɪd/ adj. 极好的
- stalk (1.8) /stɔːk/ n. 梗
- gather (1.9) /ˈɡæðə/ v. 收庄稼
- thresh (1.9) /θreʃ/ v. 打（庄稼）
- process (1.11) /ˈprəʊses/ v. 加工
- Signor (1.13) /ˈsiːnjɔː/ n. (意大利语)先生
- present (1.13) /ˈpreznt/ adj. 目前的
- champion (1.13) /ˈtʃæmpiən/ n. 冠军
- studio (1.14) /ˈstjuːdiəʊ/ n. 播音室
Notes on the text 课文注释
- April Fools’ Day, 愚人节，4月1日。根据西方国家的风俗，这一天人们往往在往往以戏弄别人为乐事，本文所述的通心粉长在地里便是一个例子。
- between them 是”由于他们共同努力的结果”的意思。
- the September rains, 9月的雨季。
参考译文
“作为我们特别新闻简报的结尾，”电视播音员说道，”我们现在转播卡拉布利亚的通心面田。通心面在这个地区已经种植了600多年了。两个主要种植者，朱塞佩·莫尔多瓦和里卡多·布拉班特告诉我，他们一直期待着今年会有一个极好的收成，而且收割工作已经比往常提前开始了。在这里你可以看到两个工人，他们合作收割了三车金黄色的通心面茎。整个村子都在日夜不停地收割打磨今年的收成，以赶在9月的雨季之前完成。在右边，你可以看到布拉班特夫人本人。她已经帮助她的丈夫工作了30年了。布拉班特夫人正在和当地加工厂的经理交谈，收成就是在那里加工的。最后这个场景向你展示了收获结束时将会发生的事情：著名的卡拉布利亚通心面大赛！现任冠军弗拉特利先生自1991年以来年年都赢得比赛。这就是我们今天，4月1日星期四的特别新闻简报。现在我们回到演播室。”
Lesson77 A successful operation 一例成功的手术
Did the doctors find out how the woman died?
The mummy of an Egyptian woman who died in 800 B.C. has just had an operation. The mummy is that of Shepenmut who was once a singer in the Temple of Thebes. As there were strange marks on the X-ray plates taken of the mummy, doctors have been trying to find out whether the woman died of a rare disease. The only way to do this was to operate. The operation, which lasted for over four hours, proved to be very difficult because of the hard resin which covered the skin. The doctors removed a section of the mummy and sent it to a laboratory. They also found something which the X-ray plates did not show: a small wax figure of the god Duamutet. This god which has the head of a cow was normally placed inside a mummy. The doctors have not yet decided how the woman died. They feared that the mummy would fall to pieces when they cut it open, but fortunately this has not happened. The mummy successfully survived the operation.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
- mummy (1.1) /ˈmʌmi/ n. 木乃伊
- Egyptian (1.1) /iˈdʒɪpʃən/ adj. 埃及的
- temple (1.3) /ˈtempəl/ n. 庙
- mark (1.3) /mɑːk/ n. 斑点
- plate (1.4) /pleɪt/ n. (照相)底片
- disease (1.5) /dɪˈziːz/ n. 疾病
- last (1.6) /lɑːst/ v. 持续
- prove (1.7) /pruːv/ v. 显示出
- resin (1.7) /ˈrezɪn/ n. 树脂
- skin (1.8) /skɪn/ n. 皮，皮肤
- section (1.8) /ˈsekʃən/ n. 切片
- figure (1.9) /ˈfɪɡə/ n. (人的)体形，人像
- normally (1.10) /ˈnɔːməli/ adv. 通常地
- survive (1.12) /səˈvaɪv/ v. 幸免于
Notes on the text 课文注释
- 800 B.C., 公元前800年。B.C. 是 Before Christ 的缩略语。
- … plates taken of the mummy, taken 是过去分词作定语修饰 plates, take the plates of … 作”给……拍片子”讲。
- die of …, 因（患）……而死。
- The operation, which lasted for over four hours, proved to be very difficult. 手术持续了4个多小时，非常难做。在这句话中 which 引导的从句是一个非限定性定语从句，用来修饰前面的名词 operation。但这是一个非限定性定语从句，它与主句用逗号隔开，它所提供的仅是补充信息，可以略去而不影响主句所表达的意思。
- fall to pieces, 散掉，成为碎片。
参考译文
死于公元前800年的一位埃及妇女的木乃伊刚刚接受了一次手术。这是曾在底比斯神殿里当过歌手的舍彭穆特的木乃伊。由于在给这个木乃伊拍摄的X光片子上有奇怪的斑点，所以，医生们一直试图搞清楚这位妇女是否死于一种罕见的疾病。为此唯一的办法就是动手术。手术持续了4个多小时，非常难做，因为木乃伊上覆盖着坚硬的树脂。医生们从木乃伊身上取下一个切片，送到实验室化验。他们还发现了X光片子上没有显示出来的东西：一个蜡制的杜阿穆特特神像。这个长着牛头的神像通常被放在木乃伊里面。医生们至今还未确定这位妇女的死因。他们原先担心在切开木乃伊时它会散掉，但幸运的是这种情况并没有发生。这具木乃伊成功地经受住了手术。
Lesson78 The last one? 最后一支吗？
For how long did the writer give up smoking?
After reading an article entitled ‘Cigarette Smoking and Your Health’ I lit a cigarette to calm my nerves. I smoked with concentration and pleasure as I was sure that this would be my last cigarette. For a whole week I did not smoke at all and during this time, my wife suffered terribly. I had all the usual symptoms of someone giving up smoking: a bad temper and an enormous appetite. My friends kept on offering me cigarettes and cigars. They made no effort to hide their amusement whenever I produced a packet of sweets from my pocket. After seven days of this I went to a party. Everybody around me was smoking and I felt extremely uncomfortable. When my old friend Brian urged me to accept a cigarette, it was more than I could bear. I took one guiltily, lit it and smoked with satisfaction. My wife was delighted that things had returned to normal once more. Anyway, as Brian pointed out, it is the easiest thing in the world to give up smoking. He himself has done it lots of times!
New words and expressions 生词和短语
- entitle (1.1) /ɪnˈtaɪtl/ v. 以……为名
- calm (1.2) /kɑːm/ v. 使镇定
- nerve (1.2) /nɜːv/ n. 神经
- concentration (1.2) /ˌkɒnsənˈtreɪʃən/ n. 集中，专心
- suffer (1.5) /ˈsʌfə/ v. 受苦，受害
- symptom (1.5) /ˈsɪmptəm/ n. 症状
- temper (1.6) /ˈtempə/ n. 脾气
- appetite (1.6) /ˈæpɪtaɪt/ n. 胃口，食欲
- produce (1.8) /prəˈdjuːs/ v. 拿出
- urge (1.10) /ɜːdʒ/ v. 力劝，怂恿
- satisfaction (1.11) /ˌsætɪsˈfækʃən/ n. 满意，满足
- delighted (1.11) /dɪˈlaɪtɪd/ adj. 欣喜的
Notes on the text 课文注释
- an article entitled …, 题名为……的文章。
- as I was sure that this would be my last cigarette, 因为我确信这是我最后一支烟。as 是”因为”的意思。
- I had all the usual symptoms of someone giving up smoking …, 戒烟的人通常表现的一切症状，我都有……。someone giving up smoking 是独立主格结构，作 of 的宾语。someone 是逻辑主语，giving up smoking 是逻辑谓语。
- kept on offering me cigarettes and cigars, 不断给我递香烟和雪茄。keep on doing 是”持续不断做”的意思。
- They made no effort to hide, 他们毫不掩饰。make no effort, 根本不作努力。
- seven days of this, 其中 this 是指戒烟后的情况。
- as Brian pointed out, 正如布赖恩所指出的，as 是关系代词，作 pointed out 的宾语，代替后面整个句子。
参考译文
读完一篇题为《吸烟与健康》的文章后，我点上一支烟来镇定一下自己的神经。我聚精会神地吸着这支烟，感到很愉快，因为我确信这是我最后一支烟了。整整一个星期我根本没有吸烟，在此期间，我的妻子深受其害。我出现了戒烟者通常会有的所有症状：脾气暴躁，食欲旺盛。我的朋友们不断地向我递香烟和雪茄。每当我从口袋里掏出一包糖果时，他们都毫不掩饰自己的愉快心情。这样过了7天后，我去参加一个聚会。我周围的人都在吸烟，我感到非常不自在。当我的老朋友布赖恩力劝我接受一支烟时，我再也忍不住了。我内疚地接过一支烟，点上，心满意足地抽起来。妻子见到一切又恢复了正常，感到十分高兴。不管怎么说，就像布赖恩指出的那样，戒烟是世界上最容易的事情。他自己就已经戒了好几次了！
Lesson79 By air 乘飞机
Why did the plane turn back?
I used to travel by air a great deal when I was a boy. My parents used to live in South America and I used to fly there from Europe in the holidays. A flight attendant would take charge of me and I never had an unpleasant experience. I am used to travelling by air and only on one occasion have I ever felt frightened. After taking off, we were flying low over the city and slowly gaining height, when the plane suddenly turned round and flew back to the airport. While we were waiting to land, a flight attendant told us to keep calm and to get off the plane quietly as soon as it had touched down. Everybody on board was worried and we were curious to find out what had happened. Later we learnt that there was a very important person on board. The police had been told that a bomb had been planted on the plane. After we had landed, the plane was searched thoroughly. Fortunately, nothing was found and five hours later we were able to take off again.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
- parent (1.1) /ˈpeərənt/ n. 父（母）亲
- flight attendant (1.3) /ˈflaɪt-əˌtendənt/ 空中乘务员
- frightened (1.5) /ˈfraɪtnd/ adj. 害怕，担惊
- curious (1.10) /ˈkjʊəriəs/ adj. 急于了解，好奇的
- bomb (1.11) /bɒm/ n. 炸弹
- plant (1.11) /plɑːnt/ v. 安放
Notes on the text 课文注释
- take charge of me, 照顾我。
- I am used to travelling by air, 我现在乘飞机出门已经习惯了。 be used to doing sth. 是”习惯于做某事”，后接名词、代词、动名词。
- only on one occasion have I ever felt frightened, 只有一次把我吓坏了。这是一句倒装句，即 have I 放在主语 I 之前。如果 only 加上一个状语放在句首，那么就要用倒装语序。
- take off, 起飞。
- gain height, (飞机)爬高。
- touch down, (飞机)着陆。
- on board, 在……（如飞机）上。
参考译文
我在幼年的时候，曾多次乘飞机旅行。我的父母曾经住在南美洲，所以假期里我常从欧洲乘飞机到他们那里。我总是由一位空中乘务员照管，从未遇到过不愉快的经历。我习惯了乘飞机旅行，只是有一次把我吓坏了。起飞之后，我们在城市上空低低地飞行，慢慢爬升，这时飞机突然调转头来，飞回了机场。在我们等待着陆时，一位空中乘务员让我们保持镇静，飞机一着陆就让我们悄悄下飞机。机上的人都很着急，我们都急于想知道究竟出了什么事。后来我们得知机上有一位很重要的人物。警方获悉飞机上安放了一枚炸弹。我们降落之后，对飞机进行了彻底搜查。幸运的是，什么也没有找到，5个小时后我们又起飞了。
Lesson80 The Crystal Palace 水晶宫
How many people visited the Great Exhibition of 1851?
Perhaps the most extraordinary building of the nineteenth century was the Crystal Palace, which was built in Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition of 1851. The Crystal Palace was different from all other buildings in the world, for it was made of iron and glass. It was one of the biggest buildings of all time and a lot of people from many countries came to see it. A great many goods were sent to the exhibition from various parts of the world. There was also a great deal of machinery on display. The most wonderful piece of machinery on show was Nasmyth’s steam hammer. Though in those days, travelling was not as easy as it is today, steam boats carried thousands of visitors across the Channel from Europe. On arriving in England, they were taken to the Crystal Palace by train. There were six million visitors in all, and the profits from the exhibition were used to build museums and colleges. Later, the Crystal Palace was moved to South London. It remained one of the most famous buildings in the world until it was burnt down in 1936.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
- palace (title) /ˈpælɪs/ n. 宫殿
- extraordinary (1.1) /ɪkˈstrɔːdənəri/ adj. 不平常的，非凡的
- exhibition (1.3) /ˌeksɪˈbɪʃən/ n. 展览
- iron (1.4) /ˈaɪən/ n. 铁
- various (1.7) /ˈveəriəs/ adj. 各种各样的
- machinery (1.8) /məˈʃiːnəri/ n. 机器
- display (1.8) /dɪˈspleɪ/ n. 展览
- steam (1.9) /stiːm/ n. 蒸汽
- profit (1.11) /ˈprɒfɪt/ n. 利润
- college (1.12) /ˈkɒlɪdʒ/ n. 学院
Notes on the text 课文注释
- which was built in Hyde Park, 是一个非限定性定语从句，修饰 the Crystal Palace。
- the Great Exhibition, 世界博览会。
- it was made of iron and glass, 它是用钢和玻璃建成的。be made of … 用……制造（指原材料没有发生化学上的变化）。
- of all time, 空前的。
- on display = on show, 展出。
- on arriving in England, 一到英国。
- in all,总共。
参考译文
19世纪最不寻常的建筑也许要数水晶宫了，它是为1851年的”世界博览会”而建在海德公园的。这座水晶宫不同于世界上所有其他建筑，因为它是用钢和玻璃建成的。它是有史以来最大的建筑物之一，许多国家的人们都来参观。大量物品从世界各地运来参展。还展出了大量机器。展出的最精彩的机器是内史密斯的蒸汽锤。虽然在那个年代旅行不像今天这样容易，但蒸汽轮船还是载运了成千上万的参观者从欧洲大陆横渡英吉利海峡。他们到达英国后，乘火车被送往水晶宫。参观者总计达600万人，展览会的收入被用来建造博物馆和学院。后来，水晶宫被移到了伦敦南部。它一直是世界上最著名的建筑物之一，直到1936年被焚毁为止。