before finding out that they had got a diamond. 但是有的人带着非同寻常的卵石几个星期后, 才弄清楚原来他们得到了一块钻石。
1 )“ before finding out.”这是一个介词短语作状语, 表示时间。
相当于“ before they found out that they had got a diamond. ”这样的一个时间状语从句。
2 )find out 弄清楚, 查明, 识破
We must find out the truth of the matter.
我们必须弄清楚这件事的真相。
Please find out when the train starts.
请弄清下一班火车的开车时间。
Te xt B
The Differ ence between Plants and Animals
动植物的区别
Study of the Text
1.If you were asked,“What is the difference between a plant and an animal？”如果有人问你:“ 动植物间有什么区别?”
1 )difference 是一个名词, 其含义为“ 不同, 区别、差异”。其后接“between”表示二者之间的区别、差异。
The difference between 7 and 18 is 11. 7 与18 的差数是11。
There are many differences between the two languages.
这两种语言有许多不同之处。
2 )辨异: between, among, prep. 它们均可表示“ 在.. 之间”,“ 在..之中”。
between 在..之间。它着重于指在两者之间。
The children divided the apple between them.
两个孩子平分一个苹果。
Between two trees is a space of ten feet.
两棵树之间有10 英尺间隔。
among 在..中间。它主要指三者或三者以上之间。
She prefers to live among the working people.
她喜欢在工人中生活。
He divided his property among his sons.
他将他的财产分给他的儿子们。
2.Yet that would not be correct；for there are many plants which have neither roots nor leaves nor flowers, while there are some animals which seem to have all three. 然而这可能并不正确, 因为有许多植物既没有根也没有叶也没有花, 而有些动物似乎这三样都有。
1 )本句是一个复合句,“ for”在这里引导一个原因状语从句, 其主句多表示一种主观推测, 而“ for”后是推测的原因和依据。
The fuel must be finished, for the engine stopped.
燃料一定是用完了, 因为发动机停了。
The day breaks for the birds are singing. 天亮了, 因为鸟儿叫了。
2 )neither.nor.既不.. 也不.., 当由它们连接主语时, 谓语动词与毗邻的并列成分保持数的一致。
Neither you, nor I, nor anyone else was awarded the prize.
既非你, 也非我, 也非任何人被授了奖。
He neither knows nor cares what happened.
他既不知道, 也不在乎发生了什么。
either.or.或是..或是, 不是..就是。它是一个与neither
.nor.相对应的一个表达, 其用法与neither.nor.一致。
He must be either mad or drunk. 他不是疯了, 就是醉了。
Please either come in or go out, don’t stand there in the doorway.
请你或是进来, 或是出去, 别站在门口。
3.It is easy enough, you think, to tell which is earth and which is sky；but if you live in the wide, open country, or near the sea, you will often find when you look far away to the place where sky and earth seem to meet, that this is a matter of some difficulty. 要分清哪儿是天, 哪儿是地, 你会认为太容易不过了；然而如果你住在广阔的乡村或海边, 当你远眺天地似乎相连的地方, 你常常会发现分清天与地是一件困难的事情。
1 )“When you look far away to.sky and earth seem to meet. ”是一个时间状语从句, 修饰其主句“ you will often find that this is a matter of some difficulty”。
2 )tell 作动词, 在这里其含义为“ 辨别、看出”, 当它表示该含义时, 常与can 连用。
They look exactly the same-how can you tell which is which？
它们看起来完全一样, 你怎么认得出哪个是哪个？
I cannot tell who he is. 我认不出他是谁。
3 )meet 用作动词, 在这里是“ 相连, 接触”的意思。
Their hands met. 他们的手相触了。
My waistcoat won’t meet. 我的背心太小扣不上了。
4 )open 在这里是个形容词, 意思是“ 开阔的, 空旷的；敞开的”。
如an open field 旷野；an open car 敞篷车；an open drain 明沟。
4.But just where the one ends and the other begins, you cannot tell.
但是你分不出地到哪一地方为止, 天从哪个地方开始。
1 )“where. ”在这里引导一个宾语从句, 该宾语从句在这个句子中作“tell”的宾语, 它是一个前置宾语。
2 )the one ., the other.在这里分别替代the earth, the sky。
“ one”与“ other”被称为名词性替代词, 它们通常被用来替代上下文中出现过的可数名词。
3 )end 在这里用作动词, 其含义为“ 终结、终止”。
They ended the argument. 他们终止了讨论。
The war ended in 1945.那场战争于1945 年终结。
5.You may look at a group of cows standing under the trees or catch a bee at his early drink in a morning-glory bell, and you would laugh if any one should ask you whether you can tell an animal from a plant. 你可能会看到站在树下的一群牛或者一只蜜蜂大早在牵牛花上汲取露水, 如果有人问你能否区分开动物与植
物, 你会大笑起来。
1 )“ you would laugh if anyone. ”这是一个虚拟语气,“ if”引导的是一个表示将来的虚拟条件句。其句型为: 从句: If + 主语+ should (或were to)+ 动词原形+ .；主句: 主语+ would (should, could, might)+ 动词原形+ .。
If he should come tomorrow, I would give him the dictionary he needs. 如果他明天来, 我会将他要的字典给他的。
If Mr. Li were to do the experiment tomorrow, he might rea d the instructions carefully. 如果李先生明天做实验, 他应仔细阅读说明。
2 )tell.from 辨别, 区分。它常与can 连用。
Can you tell Tom from his twin brother？
汤姆和他的孪生兄弟, 你能分得出来吗？
I can’t tell the sheep from the goat. 我无法区分绵羊和山羊。
3 )catch 用作动词, 这里是“ 出现、偶然撞见”的意思。
I ca ught the boys stealing apples from my garden.
我撞见那些孩子们偷我园里的苹果。
You won’t ca tch me doing that again. 你再也不会撞见我做那事了。
6.But suppose you turn aside from these familiar, everyday things, and study objects which you have to look at through a magnifying glass, and you will find many things that will puzzle you. 但是, 假如你离开这个熟悉的, 每天都能看见的东西, 去研究你得用放大镜才能看见的东西, 你会发现许多令你不解的东西。
1 )turn aside 避开, 闪开, 撇开
The gril turned aside to hide her blushes.
这女孩转过脸去不让人看见她脸红。
Let’s turn aside the decision first. 先让我们把这个协议搁一边。
2 )puzzle 这里用作动词, 其含义为“ 使迷惑, 使困惑”,“ 使伤脑筋”。
I was puzzled with the question. 那问题使我困惑。
He puzzled himself over the matter.他为那事伤透脑筋。
puzzle 也可用作名词, 表示“ 难题, 疑惑, 谜”之意。
It is a puzzle to me how he could come here.
我不知道他是怎么到这里来的。
It is a puzzle to me how he could come here.
我不知道他是怎么到这里来的。
It is a crossword puzzle. 这是一个纵横字谜。
7.No bird nor fish nor other animal could ever have lived on this earth, if the plants had not come first and fitted if for the dwelling place of a higher order of beings. 如果不是植物先生存并且适应更高层次的生物生存地的话, 鸟、鱼和其他动物都不可能在地球上生存。
1 )该句是一个表与过去事实相反的虚拟语气,“ if”引导的是一个虚拟条件句。表与过去事实相反的虚拟语气句型为:
从句: If + 主语+ 过去完成时..；主句: 主语+ should (或would, could, might)+ 现在完成时.. 例如:
If you had gone to last night’s games, you would have met him.
要是你参加了昨晚的活动, 你就会遇到他。
If the policeman ha d arrived earlier, he would have seen the accident.
如果警察早来一会的话, 他就会看见这场事故。