NCE2Lesson 53 Hot snake

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Lesson 53    Hot snake

【New words and expressions】（13）

hot              adj. 带电的，充电的

fireman          n. 消防队员

cause            v. 引起； n. 原因

examine          v. 检查

accidentally     adv. 意外地，偶然地

remains          n. 尸体，残骸

wire             n. 电线

volt             n. 伏特（电压单位）

power line       电力线

solve            v. 解决

mystery          n. 谜（无法接受地, 解释不了的）

snatch           v. 抓住

spark            n. 电火花

★hot    adj. 带电的, 充电的

hot   adj. 热的；新鲜的；棘手的；带电的, 充电的

hot-hot-hot   麻辣烫；hot-wings  辣鸡翅；hot dog  热狗

hot-tempered  火暴(脾气)的   （temper[5tempE] n. 脾气）

hot line  热线；hot topic  热门话题

hot cake  热蛋糕

It sells like a hot cake/cakes.    表示一个东西的畅销, 热销

best seller  畅销的东西

hot potato   棘手的问题

hot news     最热点的新闻

★fireman    n. 消防队员

hydrant [5haidrEnt]    n. 消防栓, 消防龙头

fire extinguisher  灭火器  （extinguisher[Ik5stIN^wIFE(r)]   n. 熄灭者, 灭火器）

extinguish＝put out    灭火

★cause    v.& n. 引起；原因

① v. 引起

cause sth.   引起麻烦

Carelessness causes accidents.   粗心导致事故

Pride causes failure.     骄傲使人失败   

cause sb. to do sth.    引起某人做某事, 导致某人做某事

Illness caused him to lose his temper.    (lose one’s temper 发火)

② n. 原因，强调事情发生的直接原因(一个)

because   因为

reason   理由，其他各种的理由(很多个)

★examine      v. 检查

examine the soil

check      v. 核实, 核对

★accidentally    adv. 意外地, 偶然地 (但更趋向于 “偶然” 的意思)

accident－>accidental－>accidentally

accident   n. 事故

unexpectedly    adv. 出乎意料地(更趋向于 “意外” 的意思)

★remains    n. 尸体, 残骸

remains指dead body

★solve    v. 解决

solve the mystery

solve the problem

★snatch    v. 抓住

catch    v. 抓，如抓鱼

hold     v. 握着

snatch   v. (突然抓起来)强调动作的突然性

seize    v. 抓住(用力)

seize my arm

【Text】

At last firemen have put out a big forest fire in California. Since then, they have been trying to find out how the fire began. Forest fires are often caused by broken glass or by cigarette ends which people carelessly throw away. Yesterday the firemen examined the ground carefully, but were not able to find any broken glass. They were also quite sure that a cigarette end did not start the fire. This morning, however, a firemen accidentally discovered the cause. He noticed the remains of a snake which was wound round the electric wires of a 16,000-volt power line. In this way, he was able to solve the mystery. The explanation was simple but very unusual. A bird had snatched up the snake from the ground and then dropped it on to the wires. The snake then wound itself round the wires. When it did so, it sent sparks down to the ground and these immediately started a fire.

参考译文

消防队员们终于扑灭了加利福尼亚的一场森林大火. 从那时起, 他们一直试图找出起火的原因. 森林火灾时常由破碎的玻璃或人们随手扔掉的香烟头引起. 昨天, 消防队员仔细查看了地面, 但未能发现碎玻璃. 他们还十分肯定火灾也不是由烟头引起的. 然而今天上午, 一个消防队员偶然发现了起火的原因. 他发现了缠绕在16, 000伏高压线上的一条死蛇. 就这样, 他解开了起火之谜. 解释很简单, 却异乎寻常. 一只鸟把蛇从地上抓起来, 然后把它扔到了电线上. 于是蛇就缠住了几根电线. 当它这样做时, 把火花送到了地面, 这些火花立刻引起了一场大火.

【课文讲解】

1、Hot snake

hot snake   触电的蛇

get a electric shock   触电

2、At last firemen have put out a big forest fire in California.

at last    最后，终于

put out a fire      扑灭火（put out扑灭，熄灭，关掉）

  Please put the light/fire out.

a fire     一场(堆)火

3、Since then, they have been trying to find out how the fire began.

since then    从那时起，到现在为止

find out  （经过研究、努力等）找出，发现，查出……（这里find out的宾语是个从句）

  I’ll try and find out the name of the person who saved my life yesterday.

4、Forest fires are often caused by broken glass or by cigarette ends which people carelessly throw away.

broken glass      被打碎的玻璃片

cigarette ends    烟头

5、They were also quite sure that a cigarette end did not start the fire.

be able to 能够 ；be not able to 没有能够

be sure that      对……很有把握；quite sure  相当的把握性

rather    adv. 相当

fairly [5fZEli]  adv. 相当, 公正地, 诚实地

quite(＝completely)－>rather－>fairly      程度一个比一个轻

quite a few    颇有几个(相当多的)

start a fire＝cause a fire  （start   vt. 使……发生，引起）

6、This morning, however, a firemen accidentally discovered the cause.

accidentally =by chance    偶然地

discover本身含有偶然发现（某个已经存在的东西）的含义

  I don’t know who discovered America.

7、He noticed the remains of a snake which was wound round the electric wires of a 16,000-volt power line.

notice   注意别人没注意的东西

the remains表示“尸体，残骸”，必须用复数形式：

  The villagers were surprised to see the remains of an aeroplane near the lake.

16,000-volt power line    连字符“-” 一旦加在两个词之间, 这个词之间就失去了加复数的资格, 能够加连字符的概念一定是做定语

★wind [waind]     vt. 缠绕，卷在……上；盘旋，蜿蜒

① vt. 缠绕，卷在……上（常与around/round连用）

Did you wind this piece of wire round the tree?

② vt. 蜿蜒，盘旋

wind one's way    蜿蜒而行   

8、In this way, he was able to solve the mystery.

in this way   就这样

9、A bird had snatched up the snake from the ground and then dropped it on to the wires.

had done   先发生的事

drop  无意掉下去的

10、When it did so, it sent sparks down to the ground and these immediately started a fire.

do so     这么做

I refuse to do so.   我拒绝这么做

so常用于一些动词之后，代指前面提过的某个动作/某件事，以免重复

  I think/believe so.

spell

这个贴好像之前没见过