新概念英语第二册指定背诵大赛课文详解第38课

Lesson 38

Everything except the weather

Background knowledge

    英国天气实在太古怪了。也许这一刻阳光普照，下一刻就有可能刮风下雨，也可能会下大雪；今天是夏天，明天有可能就变成冬天，也可能是春天。说变就变，刚才还是晴空万里，转眼间就乌云密布，当你还在犹豫出门是不是应该带伞的时候，雨水已经开始亲吻大地了。有时候雨会断断续续下很久，因为常是小雨或中雨，淋一下不要紧。而雨大时风也太大，很容易就能把伞掀翻吹破，所以英国人不爱撑伞，都直接让雨淋着，偶尔看见有撑伞的，也只是上了年纪的老太太。他们和平时一样，迈着同样的步伐，怀着同样的心情，并没有因为天气而发生变化。 

    英国人见面寒暄以“今天天气”为开场白，和中国人以“吃了么”打招呼一样自然，表明了长期以来，英人对天气的关心程度不亚于国人对吃饭问题的关心。不过现在这种传统似渐渐消失，并非天气变好了，而是交通工具发达，暖气设施无处不在，防水外套花样也不少，人们出门带不带雨具，穿多穿少没多大关系。

New words and expressions

except   prep. 除…之外

比较：except 和 besides

except   prep. 除…之外 (不包含该介词的宾语在内)

All the students go to park, except John. 除了约翰以外，所有的学生都去公园了。（约翰没去）

We go to school every day except Sunday. (星期日不上学)

besides  prep. 除…之外还有（包含该介词的宾语在内）

All the students go to park, besides John. 除了约翰以外，所有的学生都去公园了。（约翰也去了）

We go to school every day besides Sunday. (星期日也要上学)

比较：except, except for 和apart from

except 不可放在句首，放在句首用 Except for, 或者是Apart from .

Except for (Apart from) some spelling mistakes, his composition is excellent.

 Mediterranean  n.地中海（= the Mediterranean Sea, 位于欧, 亚, 非三大洲之间）,地中海沿岸的居民

adj.地中海的, 地中海民族的

 complain v. 抱怨, 悲叹, 控诉

They complained that the price of books had increased.

complain of … 诉说

The patient complained of headache.

complain about/at sth. 抱怨

They always complain about the weather.

complaint n. 诉苦, 抱怨, 牢骚, 委屈, 疾病

I have no complaints to make.

 continually adv. 不断地, 频繁地

比较：continually 和 continuously

continually 时断时续，在一段时间内多次发生

It rained continually. (雨下会停会，总的来说，一直在下)

continuously 没有间断，连续不断的

It rained continuously. (雨一直下，从不停顿)

 bitterly adv. 苦苦地, 悲痛的, 厉害的

cry bitterly 痛哭

The students complain bitterly about their living conditions. 学生们对其住宿条件十分不满。

bitter adj. 苦的, 痛苦的, 怀恨的  

bitter tears 辛酸泪，血泪；bear bitter hardships 含辛茹苦

If he failed, it could be a bitter disappointment to his parents. 如果他失败，那将会使他的父母失望。

n. 苦味  

taste the sweets and bitters of life 备尝人生的甘苦

 sunshine n. 阳光

构词形式：n. + n. 

The land will start dry with some sunshine. 阳光使地面开始变干。

sunrise n. 日出  

We got up at sunrise. 我们在日出时起床。

sunset n. 日落, 晚年  

the sunset of life 晚年

The builders stop work at sunset. 施工人员在日落时停止了工作。

We sat on the beach and watched the sunset. 我们坐在海滩上看日落。

 Notes on the Text 

1. My old friend, Harrison, had lived in the Mediterranean for many years before he returned to England. 

1) 主句谓语动词 had lived 为过去完成时，表示live 这个动作发生在过去之过去；before 引导的从句中的谓语动词 returned 是一般过去时。

   The thieves had already gone before Mr. Smith came downstairs. 

    在史密斯先生下楼前，小偷已经跑了。

2) my old friend 和 Harrison 为同位语。

    I have just received a letter form my brother, Tim. (Lesson 4)

    He has just bought an Australian car and has gone to Alice Springs, a small town in the center of Australia. (Lesson 4)

 2. He had often dreamed of retiring in England and had planned to settle down in the country.

1) 这句话是以 and 连接的并列句，句中的两个谓语动词（had dreamed & had planned）均为过去完成时。

2) dream of 梦见；幻想，向往

    I little dreamed of it. 我做梦都没有想到。

I always dream of returning home. 我经常想到回家乡的情景。  

3)  plan to do 计划做

We plan to spend our holiday in Europe. 我们打算去欧洲度假。

4) settle down 定居, 平静下来, 专心于

    settle (oneself) down to work 

 3. He had no sooner returned than he bought a house and went to live there.

1)  no sooner…than 一…就：no sooner 引导的部分用过去完成时；than 引导的部分用一般过去时。如果把No sooner 放到句首，它引导的部分要主谓倒装。

   I had no sooner left the house, than it began to rain. 我一出门就下雨了。

   We had no sooner hung the picture on the wall, than it fell down. = No sooner had we hung the 

picture on the wall, than it fell down. 我刚把照片挂到墙上，它就掉了下来。

 

4. 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.

1) “almost immediately he began to complain about the weather”是整句话的主句，for 在句子中是连词，表示“因为”，引导原因状语从句 “for even though it was still summer, it rained continually and it was often bitterly cold”，在这个从句中 “it rained continually and it was often bitterly cold”是主句，“even though it was still summer”为让步状语从句，句中 “even though” 意思是“即使，虽然”。

2)  even though = even if “即使，虽然”

    I will not finish the work, even if (though) I don’t sleep tonight. 

即使（就算）晚上不睡觉，我也完成不了工作。

 5. He acted as if he had never lived in England before. 

1) as if/though 引导方式状语从句，译为“好像”。

    He speaks English as if (though) he were an Englishman. 

他说英语就好像他是英国人一样。

He raised his hand as if (though) to take off his hat. 他举起手好像要摘下他的帽子。

 6. In the end, it was more than he could bear. 

1) in the end 最后，终归

   In the end we won the battle. 我们最终赢得了战役。

2) more than 超过…的范围

   He is more than pleased. 他十二分高兴。

 7. He had hardly had time to settle down when he sold the house and left the country.

1)  hardly…when 一…就：hardly 引导的部分用过去完成时；when 引导的部分用一般过去时。如果把Hardly 放到句首，它引导的部分要主谓倒装。比较no sooner…than.

   I had hardly left the house, when it began to rain.

   We had hardly hung the picture on the wall, when it fell down. = Hardly had we hung the picture on the wall, when it fell down.