Detailed Reading

1.Difficult Sentences

Out of the way of what? … Out of the way of human life, tenderness, or the glance of heaven?

What role does the sentence play?

(=In the first paragraph the author asks a question to arouse the readers’ interest and point out the main idea of the whole essay. This is a good way to begin and to develop an essay.)

Beneath us the brown Napo River was rising, in all silence; it coiled up the sandy bank and tangled its foam in vines that trailed from the forest and roots that looped the shore.

Translate the sentence and enjoy the aesthetic side of English.

(=在我们下方，褐黄色的纳波河水正在涨潮。万籁俱寂：惟见河水沿着沙岸蜿蜒流过，水沫裹挟在蔓生在森林里的藤蔓间以及盘绕岸边的树根上。)

All at once, in the thatch house across the clearing behind us came the sound of a recorder, playing a tune that twined over the village clearing, muted our talk on the bankside, and wandered over the river, dissolving downstream.

1.    Pay attention to the structure of the sentence.

(=If the prepositional phrase is at the beginning of a sentence, the following subject and the predicate should be of inverted order. Note the parallel construction of three verbs: twined, muted and wandered.

2. Translate the sentence into Chinese.

(=突然，我们身后空地旁的茅屋里，传出了录音机的声音，一首乐曲在村子空地之上缭绕，减弱了我们在河畔谈话的声音，然后又传至河面，随流飘去。)

This will do, I thought. This will do, for a weekend, or a season, or a home.

1. What does “do” mean?

(=Be sufficient in meeting the needs. )

2.    What’s the role of the sentences?

(=By the sentences the author summarizes the first part and expresses her true and deep feeling: her love for this beautiful place.)

3. Translate the sentence into Chinese.

(=人生遇此情景足矣，我暗想。在此度过周末足矣，在此小住数月足矣，在此安家足矣。)

“It makes me wonder,” he said, “what I’m doing in a tent under a tree in the village of Pompeya, on the Napo River, in the jungle of Ecuador.” After a pause he added, “It makes me wonder why I’m going back.”

1. What does the structure of “wonder what/why/if/how…” mean?

(=不知道，感到疑惑/好奇，想知道

More examples:

* I was just wondering how to do it.)

  * I wonder if you could post this letter for me.）

2. What’s the implied meaning of the sentence?

(=They enjoy the peaceful life here very much and don’t want to go back to the modern world.)

What is there is interesting.

Pay attention to the structure.

(=Here “what is there” is used as a subjective clause with the meaning: 那里的一切.)

Only later did he learn what they were doing: they were getting warm.

Analyze this sentence.

(=This is an inverted sentence. When “only   adverbial” is used at the beginning of the sentence, the following subject and predicate should be partially inverted.

More examples:

* Only in this way can you solve the problem.

* Only when we had studied the data again did we realized that there was a mistake.)

There was all the time in the world.

1. Translate the sentence into Chinese.

(= 我们毋庸为时间担忧，可以从容地欣赏周围的一切。)

2. What can you infer from the sentence?

(=Life here is quiet, peaceful and happy. There isn’t much tension and pressure, so we can enjoy and relax ourselves.)

The two nuns in their dazzling white habits—the beautiful-boned young nun and the warm-faced old—would glide to the open cane-and-thatch schoolroom in darkness, and start the children singing.

1. Word formation.

(=The two adjectives: beautiful-boned and warm-faced are formed by adjective  noun-ed, with the meaning: 身材姣好的，慈眉善目的.)

2. Scan the text and find more examples: （先出现绿色的字，红色的点击出现）

deep-leaved (L.6)          树叶茂密的

sweet-meated (L.54)     肉质鲜美的

open-mouthed (L.79)     张开大口的

high-pitched (L.100)      声调高昂的

clear-voiced (L.104)       声音清脆的

palm-leafed (L.105)        棕榈叶铺的

3. What does the structure “start/get/have/set somebody doing…” mean?

(=让某人做某事。

More examples:

* The news started me thinking.

* The sudden noise set the dog barking.

* His behavior got people complaining.

* We can’t have you going everywhere by taxi.)

2. Words and Expressions

now…now…: at one time...at another time...

* What mixed weather, now sunny, now cloudy.

 (=The market is very unstable, with the price now rising, now falling.)

Collocation:

before now                           以前                

by now                                  到现在，至今

now and again/then               时而，偶尔

from now on                         从现在起，今后

Now or never!                       机不可失, 时不再来!

now that                                既然, 由于

up to now/till now                  到现在为止, 迄今

 in (all) silence：with (complete) absence of sound or noise

* 我们不能对这件不公平的事不闻不问。

 (=We should not pass over this unfair thing in silence.)

                     * The boys listened to the story in silence.

tangle:

1. v.

1) catch in or as in a net, trap; mix together or intertwine in a confused mass

* My long hair’s so tangled that I can’t comb it.

* Don’t move. You’re tangling them up.

2) be involved in a fight or quarrel

                 * I tangled with her over the mathematic homework.

                   * They tangled heatedly over the problem.

2. n. confused mass or disordered state

                     *他的思想陷于困惑之中。

(=His mind was in a tangle.)

    (= The traffic was in a terrible tangle because of the power failure.)

Collocation:

tangle over              对…发生争论

tangle up                 缠在一起，弄乱

tangle with sb.         与某人发生纠纷，与某人发生口角，与某人打架

be in a tangle          纠缠不清，陷于混乱之中

trail:

1. vi.

1) extend over a surface

* We like very much the vines trailing through the garden.

* The tablecloth trails on the floor.

2) walk tiredly     

* 被打败的军队疲惫地走过我们的身边。

                      (=The defeated army trailed past us.)

2. vt.

1)    drag, pull

                     * The child was trailing a toy dog, screaming happily.  

       * The nun trailed her gown through the mud.

2)    follow the tracks of

* The policemen trailed the suspect for several days and finally to his hiding-place.

* The hunters trailed a tiger for hours.

         3. n. mark, trace

* 受伤的动物在身后留下一道血迹。

(=The wounded animal left a trail of blood behind it.)

* Follow the trail until you come to the camp.

Collocation:

trail after                            追随

trail off/away               变弱，逐渐缩小

blaze a /the trail          (在森林中)在树上刻出指路的标志；开辟道路

follow the trail             追踪

in trail                          成一列纵队

off the trail                  失去踪迹；偏离目标

on the trail                   跟踪，追赶

              CF: trail, follow, chase & pursue

这些词都可用作动词，都可以表示“追随，跟踪”的意思。

trail指根据某种踪迹进行追寻。例如：

    * The ground was soft and wet so we were able to trail her to the house. 地面松软潮湿，所以我们能够沿着脚印跟踪到她家。

follow中性词，跟随的用意对被跟随者来说可好可坏。例如：

       * Don’t keep following me about everywhere I go. 不要老是我走到哪里你就跟到哪里。

       * The dog followed her all the down the street. 这只狗一路跟着她沿街走去。

chase强调追赶者的速度和决心，其动机常为不甚友善，也可能是出于好玩或取乐。例如：

       * The Johnsons' cat likes to chase the mice as if it were playing with them.

约翰逊家的猫喜欢追逐老鼠，好像它在跟它们闹着玩似的。

       * We are trying to chase down all possible clues to the theft.我们正在设法寻找这起盗窃案的一切可能得到的线索。

pursue不重视追随者的用意好坏，但其决心和速度比较明显。例如：

    * The police are pursuing an escaped prisoner. 警方正在追捕一个在逃的犯人。

    * We have always pursued a friendly policy towards the people all over the world. 对世界人民我们一贯奉行友好政策。

loop:

1.    v. form or bend into a loop

(插入图像文件loop )

* The airman looped the loop three times and won the cheer in chorus from the spectators.

（=飞行员驾机翻了三圈获得了观众们的齐声喝彩。）

* Loop that end of the rope through this and knot it.

* I have to loop the rope round the gate of the garden.

2.    n. circle

* She put a loop of rope around the horse's neck.

* The loop of string makes a handle for the parcel.

Pattern: loop the loop （飞机、风筝等）在高空翻筋斗；（在游乐园）乘坐绕环滑车

mute: v. reduce or stop the sound of

       * We muted our voices at the sight of the national flag.

* 他不语但瞪着他的父亲以表示抗议。

（=He muted but stared at his father to protest.）

dissolve: v.

1) fade away, disappear

* His strength dissolved.

* The view dissolved in mist.

2) become liquid

* 水溶解盐。

(= Water dissolves salt.)

* 盐溶解于水中。

(= Salt dissolves in water.)       

 (=Heat dissolved the candle into a pool of wax in a few minutes.)

        3) bring to end

* They dissolved the business partnership, so did the friendship between them.               

* 政府解散了该国议会并暂停一切政治活动。

(=The government dissolved the country’s parliament and suspended all political activity.)

loose:

1.    v. untie, release

* He loosened his collar of his overcoat.

* Wine loosed his tongue.

* 远足者们在营地解下背包。

（=Hikers loosed their packs at camp.）

2.    adj.  

1)    not fastened; free from control

2)    not bound together

3)    not tight

4)    not exact

5)    without morals

(Directions:) Match the above definitions with the phrases below.

a loose hour                闲暇时间            

a loose package          松散的包裹          

a loose woman            放荡的女人          

loose coffee               散装咖啡             

loose shoes                宽松的鞋             

loose papers               散页纸                 

a loose translation       意译                    

Collocation:

let loose               放任，放开

at loose end         无所事事

on the loose         自由，放纵，逍遥法外

slump:

1.    v.

1) sit or fall down heavily

  * She slumped exhaustedly onto the sofa.

  * The boy's feet slumped through the ice.

2) go down in number or strength

         * Business slumped after the holidays.

         * Sales have slumped badly in the last week.

2.    n. general drop in prices, trade activity, etc; business depression

* a stock market slump

* a slump in farm prices

 (=The slump certainly had some impact on inflation.)

be dying to do sth. / for sth.: desire (to do) sth. eagerly

* We are dying to know what happened.

* I feel like a cup of tea but he’s dying for a cup of coffee.

get one’s hands on: catch hold of, find or get (sth)

* The ole women keeps everything she can get her hands on.

* 我是有这本书的，就是现在找不到。

(=I have the book, but now can’t get my hands on it.)

NB: get one’s hands =lay one’s hands on

 take apart: separate into its different parts

* He took the clock apart to repair it.

* When I was little boy, I liked to take the toys apart and put them together again and again.

Collocation:

lay/put/set sth. apart for            把(某物)留给…

know/tell apart                           区分开

apart from                                 离开；除…之外；要不是                                      

spectacular: adj. extraordinary; very attractive or impressive

* Because of a spectacular achievement in science, he is now world famous.

* We enjoyed a spectacular display of fire works on Tian’anmen Square.

       fringe: n. the outer edge or limit of sth.

* It was easier to move about on the fringe of the crowd.

* 这是一个很广阔的领域, 我在这里只能谈个大概。

(=This is an enormous field of which l can here touch only the fringe.)

CF: fringe, border, edge & rim

这些词都是名词，都有“边界”、“边缘”的意思。

fringe指衣服、地毯或其他饰物的须边，或指事物的最外边，或离中心位置最远的边缘。例如:

* A fringe of trees stood round the pool.　池塘的四周耸立着一圈树木。

* She was wearing a white silk scarf with a fringe at each end. 她披了一条白色丝绸围巾，其两端带有须边。

border指围定范围的界线或最接近外缘的地带，也可用以比喻。 例如:

* I could hear birds singing at the border of the wood. 我能听到鸟儿在林边鸣叫。

* The refugees live on the border of starvation. 我们生活在饥饿的边缘。

edge指任何物体较窄的边缘或两个平面的交接线。例如:

* I put the cup at the edge of the desk so I can reach it. 我把茶杯放在桌边以便能够够着。

                     * We turned back to the sea’s edge yesterday. 昨天我们回到了海边。

rim常指圆或曲面的边缘。例如:

* The lady’s hat had a wide rim. 这个女士的帽子有一个宽帽沿。

* The boy wore funny-looking pair of glasses with blue rim. 男孩戴了一副样子很逗的蓝边眼镜。

hollow: n. a space sunk into something

         (= More sand is needed to fill the hollow in the driveway. )

* Let’s have a picnic down in the hollow.

       in detail: with specifics

* The CEO explained her proposal in great detail.

* We will talk about the accident in more detail later on.

       flock:

1. n.

1)    a group of certain animals

* a flock of geese/duck/sheep/ pigeons /wild geese 

* 这家庭靠养羊和牛群为生。

(=The family keeps flocks and herds to make living.)

2)    (informal) a crowd, large number of people

*人们成群结队地来参观水坝旁边新建的水电站。

（=People came in flocks to see the new hydraulic power station beside the dam.）

* It is a small flock that has not a black sheep. (=(谚语)人多必有败类。)

Pattern: in flocks 成群的   

2. v. gather or move in large crowds

（=It rarely happened that people in the town flocked to the theatre to see the new opera.）

* 物以类聚，人以群分。 (=Birds of a feather flock together.)                

              CF: flock, herd, school & swarm

这些词都可用作名词，都可以表示“群”的意思。

flock主要指鸟群、羊群，有时也可指较小的其它动物，如兔、鹅、鸭，还可指人。例如：

    * a large flock of pigeons 一大群鸽子

    * People came in flocks to see the new building. 人们成群结队地来看这个新建筑。

herd主要指较大的动物，如牛、马、象等陆地动物或鲸、海豹等水上动物，也可指人，但有时含有贬义。例如：

       * The turtles meet together in great herds every year. 海龟每年都大群大群地聚在一起。

       * A herd of elephants are grazing in the grassland. 一群大象在草地上吃草。

school指一群同类的鱼或其它的海洋生物。例如：

       * Whales like to swim together in large school. 鲸鱼喜欢大群大群地在一起游泳。

swarm主要指移动的较小的动物，如蜜蜂、蚂蚁，也可指人，但为非正式用词。例如：

    * There were thousands of bees in swarms in the tree. 树上有几千只成群的蜜蜂。

       dart: v. move suddenly and rapidly

* Swallows were darting through the clouds.

* The dog darted across the street.

* The squirrel darted its head from side to side before scampering up the tree.

strip: n. a long narrow region of land or body of water; a long narrow piece

* About 30 million people live along the Californian coastal strip.

我们看着飞机从简易跑道起飞。

(=We watched the plane taking off from the landing strip.)

（=The room was bare, apart from a strip of carpet.）

       out of sight: no longer in view

* Keep out of my sight.     

* Out of sight, out of mind.

（=（谚）人别情疏；眼不见，心不烦。）

Collocation:

at first sight                乍看起来，初次看见

at the sight of              一看…就

in sight                        可见，看得见；在望；不远

keep sight of              保持在视线内，记住

lose sight of                看不见；失去联系；忘记

on sight                       一看见立刻

           fuss:

1. v. bustle about; give too much attention to small and unimportant matters (often followed by around/about/over)

* Don't fuss; we're sure to catch our train.

* She fussed about, unable to hide her impatience.

2. n. unnecessary nervous state, esp. about unimportant things

* Everyone made a fuss over the new baby.

* What a fuss about nothing!

* 他们发现窗子打破后一定会有麻烦。

(=There's sure to be a fuss when they find the window's broken.)

Pattern:       fuss over/about/around　

make a fuss         激动，大惊小怪

       slap:　v.

1) hit with something flat

                     * slap in the face一记耳光

* slap on the back 鼓励

* 医生拍了拍那个歇斯底里发作的孩子，使他安静一点。

(=The doctor slapped the hysterical child to make him calmer.)

2) shoot, throw with force（常与down连用）

* She slapped the book down on the table.

 (=He took a check from his wallet and slapped it on the bar.)

out of range: too far away to be reached, seen or heard

* He has gone out of range of my gun.

                    * He said it was out of his range of responsibility.

heap: n.

1)    an untidy pile of something

* A heap of old clothes was lying in the corner.

* They lay hay on the garden rubbish heap.

2)    plenty of, a lot of (usu. in plural)

* We have heaps of / a heap of work to do.

* 妈妈曾经去过那里很多次，但依然会迷路。

（=My mother has been there heaps of times, but she would still get lost.）

glide: vi.

3)    move quickly and silently with ease

 * The boat glided over the river.

       * The first sound glides on to the next.

4)    fly through the air without power

 (=The pilot shut off the motors and glided down to the landing field.)

* The bird glided to the ground.

CF: glide, skid, slip & slide

这些词都是动词，都有“滑”或“滑行”的意思。

glide表示在滑行时，可以是从表面上滑行，也可以是稍微深入地滑行，有时还可以表示不与滑面接触的滑行。例如:

* The boat glided through the water. 那条船在水上滑行。

* The skaters sometimes glided across the ice. 滑冰者有时滑行跃过冰面。

skid指车子失去控制的打滑或滑向一侧。 例如:

* When the driver tried to start it again, the wheels skidded and the car finished up deep in the snow. 当驾驶员试图再次发动汽车时，车轮打滑，汽车深深地陷入雪中。

* The car skidded on the wet road. 车子在湿路上滑向一侧。

slip可指在光面上滑动，但指身不由己地滑行，含有失足或摔倒之意。例如:

* He slipped on the ice road and broke his leg. 他在结冰的路上滑了一跤，把腿摔骨折了。

                     * The fish slipped out of my hand. 鱼从我手中滑落。

slide通常含有加速运动和不断地与光滑的表面保持接触的意思，既可指人也可指运动的物体。例如:

* The boys like to slide down banisters.　男孩喜欢顺着栏杆往下滑。

* They were sliding on the ice.　他们在滑冰。

hop: vi. (of a person) jump on one foot; (of a bird or other animals) jump with two or all feet at once)

* He hopped across the room because she had hurt her foot.

* The robber hopped into his ready car and rushed off.

                     * A hare hopped straight into the yard.

CF: hop, jump, bound & spring

这些词都是动词，都有“跳”的意思。

hop用于人时，指单脚跳；用于动物如青蛙、小鸟或兔子是指双脚齐跳。例如:

* The birds hopped about.　鸟儿们跳来跳去。

* She had hurt her foot and had to hop along. 她一只脚受伤了，只得用另一只脚跳着走。

jump是普通用语，指从地面上或其他平面上双脚跳起，也可指从一地跳到另一地；比喻义是可指价格或数量的剧增。 例如:

* She was so excited that she jumped up. 她激动地跳了起来。

* They jumped the admission prices by 50 percent.　他们把入场券涨价百分之五十。

bound指轻快的弹跳，起伏时间长，富有弹性，也还有弹回的意思。例如:

* The ball stuck the earth and bounded across the field. 那只球撞击到地上之后便跳着滚过了球场。

                     * The deer bounded over the fences.　这只鹿跳过了篱笆。

spring着重指突然而迅速地从某处跳起，跳的轻快，好像弹起一样。例如:

* The screen door sprang shut after the children rushed out to play. 孩子们冲出去玩，纱门又弹回关好。

* He sprang out of bed when the alarm went off. 警报一响，他纵身跳下床。