Shopping made easy

原文

People are not so honest as they once were. The temptation to steal is greater than ever before -- especially in large shops.

A detective recently watched a well-dressed woman who always went into a large store on Monday mornings. One Monday, there were fewer people in the shop than usual when the woman came in, so it was easier for the detective to watch her.

The woman first bought a few small articles. After a little time, she chose one of the most expensive dresses in the shop and handed it to an assistant who wrapped it up for her as quickly as possible. Then the woman simply took the parcel and walked out of the shop without paying.

When she was arrested, the detective found out that the shop assistant was her daughter. The girl 'gave' her mother a free dress once a week!

译文

人们不像从前那样诚实了。偷窃的诱惑比以往任何时候都大——尤其是在大商店里。

一位侦探最近监视着一个衣着讲究的女人,她总是在星期一早晨去一家大商店。有一个星期一,当那个女人进店时,店里的人比平时少,因此侦探更容易监视她。

那个女人先买了一些小商品。过了一会儿,她挑选了店里最贵的一件衣服,把它递给了一个店员,店员尽快地为她包了起来。然后那个女人只是拿了包裹,走出了商店,没有付钱。

当她被逮捕时,侦探发现那个店员是她的女儿。那个女孩每周给她母亲“送”一件免费的衣服!

词汇表

honest

形容词
英:/ˈɒnɪst/
美:/ˈɑːnɪst/
定义
1. 诚实的 - Telling the truth and not cheating or stealing.

例子: He is an honest worker who never lies.

例子: She gave an honest opinion about the situation.

2. 真诚的 - Genuine or sincere in behavior.

例子: The honest feedback helped me improve.

例子: He made an honest effort to fix the problem.

近义词
sincere: 强调真挚的感情和意图,与 'honest' 相比更注重情感层面,而非事实的真实性。
truthful: 专注于不说谎,与 'honest' 类似但更具体地指向事实的准确性,而 'honest' 可以包括行为的一致性。
upright: 带有道德高尚的含义,强调正直和公平,比 'honest' 更正式,常用于正式语境。
反义词:
dishonest, deceitful, insincere
用法
常用于描述人的品格或行为的真实性,常见搭配如 'honest person' 或 'honest mistake',在正式和非正式语境中均适用,无特定文化限制。
形式:
比较级: more honest, 最高级: most honest

关键句型 "not so [adjective] as [clause]"

定义

此句型用于表达比较,强调某事物不如另一个事物那样具有某种特征。结构为:not so + [adjective](形容词)+ as + [clause](从句或短语),表示程度上的不如。参考《剑桥英语语法》,这是一种常见的比较结构,用于描述差异,类似于 "less ... than",但 "not so ... as" 更强调柔和的对比。

例如,在文章中,"People are not so honest as they once were" 表明人们的诚实程度不如过去。这种句型简洁明了,帮助初学者表达非绝对性的比较。

用法

此句型主要用于口语和书面语中,描述两个事物间的差异,尤其在讨论变化、品质或程度时。规则:not so 后跟形容词,然后是 as 引导的比较对象,可以是短语或从句。

在语法体系中,它属于比较级的一部分,与 "as ... as"(表示相等)或 "more/less ... than"(表示优劣)相关。横向比较:与 "less [adjective] than" 相比,not so ... as 语气更委婉,避免直接批评;例如,"He is less intelligent than her" 听起来更直白,而 "He is not so intelligent as her" 更柔和。与 "as [adjective] as" 不同,它强调不如而非相等,这有助于学生理解比较级的多样性。

跨语法联系:此句型常与过去时或现在时结合(如文章中的过去时),并可扩展到其他比较,如 "not as [adjective] as"(同义变体)。学生可以通过学习它来连接到形容词的比较级规则,建立更全面的语法网络。

注意事项

学生容易犯的错误包括:误用为 "not as [adjective] as" 而忽略 "so",但两者基本同义;或将 as 误用为 than,导致句子逻辑混乱,如 "People are not so honest than they once were"(错误,应为 "as")。纠正建议:记住 not so ... as 的固定搭配,并练习在上下文中使用。另一个常见偏误是忽略从句的时态一致,如在文章中 "as they once were" 使用过去时,学生需确保时态匹配。

提供例句:

错误示例:The movie is not so interesting than the book.
正确示例:The movie is not so interesting as the book.

在练习时,注意避免双重否定或遗漏关键词,以保持句子流畅。

练习

原创例子:假设讨论生活变化,你可以说:"Life in the city is not so peaceful as life in the countryside." 学生可以替换 [adjective] 为 "relaxing" 或 "expensive",并改变 [clause],如 "as it was in my childhood",以适应个人经历。这样,学生能在日常对话中应用,例如谈论工作:"This job is not so stressful as my previous one."

通过替换关键词,学生能加深对句型的灵活性,逐步从简单句过渡到复杂句。

额外内容

背景知识:这种句型源于英语比较结构的演变,早在莎士比亚时代就出现,体现了英语表达的细腻性。对比分析:在中文中,类似表达如 "不如...那样",而英语通过 "not so ... as" 结构化呈现。相比西班牙语的 "no tan [adjective] como",英语版本更简洁,无需额外词汇。学习此句型能帮助学生在文化交流中更好地表达微妙差异,同时为高级比较(如使用副词或复杂从句)铺路。