Expensive and uncomfortable

原文

When a plane from London arrived at Sydney airport, workers began to unload a number of wooden boxes which contained clothing. No one could account for the fact that one of the boxes was extremely heavy.

It suddenly occurred to one of the workers to open up the box. He was astonished at what he found. A man was lying in the box on top of a pile of woolen goods. He was so surprised at being discovered that he did not even try to run away.

After he was arrested, the man admitted hiding in the box before the plane left London. He had had a long and uncomfortable trip, for he had been confined to the wooden box for over eighteen hours. The man was ordered to pay $3,500 for the cost of the trip. The normal price of a ticket is $2,000!

译文

当一架从伦敦飞来的飞机抵达悉尼机场时,工人们开始卸下几个装有衣物的木箱。没有人能解释为什么其中一个箱子特别重。

突然,一个工人生起一个念头,要打开那个箱子。他对看到的景象感到十分惊讶。一个男人正躺在箱子里的一堆毛料货物上。他被发现时如此吃惊,以至于甚至没有试图逃跑。

在他被逮捕后,那人承认在飞机离开伦敦前就藏进了箱子。他经历了一次漫长而难受的旅程,因为他被关在那个木箱里超过十八个小时。那人被勒令为这次旅程支付3,500美元的费用。正常票价是2,000美元!

词汇表

unload

动词
英:/ʌnˈləʊd/
美:/ʌnˈloʊd/
定义
1. 卸载货物 - To remove goods or cargo from a vehicle or container.

例子: The workers began to unload the truck after it arrived at the warehouse.

例子: They unload the ship every morning at the dock.

2. 减轻负担 - To relieve or get rid of something burdensome.

例子: She needed to unload her worries by talking to a friend.

例子: The company decided to unload its debt by selling assets.

近义词
discharge: 更正式,常用于军事或技术语境,强调释放或排放,而 'unload' 更通用。
offload: 类似于 'unload' 但常用于数字或数据语境,如 'offload files',强调转移负担。
remove: 更广泛的词汇,不限于货物,适用于任何移除动作,但不强调运输过程。
反义词:
load, fill, burden
用法
常用于物流或运输语境中,如 'unload cargo',也可比喻性地用于情感或责任;非正式场合常见。
形式:
复数形式: 不适用(动词), 过去式: unloaded, 现在分词: unloading, 第三人称单数: unloads

关键句型 "It occurred to [someone] to [verb]"

定义

此句型用于表达某人突然想到要做某事,结构为:It occurred to(某事突然想到)+ [someone](某人)+ to [verb](去做某事)。根据《剑桥英语语法指南》,这个句型是固定表达,表示想法的突然出现,常用于描述意外的灵感或念头。它类似于“it strikes someone that...”但更正式,强调瞬间的启发。

例如,在文章中:“It suddenly occurred to one of the workers to open up the box.” 这句清楚地展示了句型的应用,意思是“工人的脑海中突然闪现出打开箱子的想法”。

此句型帮助学习者描述心理过程,适合叙述故事或日常事件。

用法

此句型主要用于叙述性文本,如故事、报告或对话中,表示一个想法的意外产生。规则:It occurred to 始终放在句首,[someone] 可以是人名、代词或名词短语,to [verb] 后跟动词原形。

在语法体系中,它属于固定短语句型,与其他表示想法的表达如 "It came to mind" 或 "I suddenly thought of" 相关联。横向比较:与 "I decided to [verb]" 相比,此句型更强调意外性,而非主动决定;与 "It struck me that [clause]" 相比,"It occurred to [someone] to [verb]" 直接连接不定式,更简洁且焦点在行动上。

跨语法联系:它涉及不定式短语(to + verb),学生可以联系其他不定式用法,如 "want to do something",以理解不定式在表达意图中的作用。同时,它常与时间副词如 "suddenly" 结合,强化叙事效果。

此句型在英语中常见于书面语和口头故事中,帮助构建悬念或转折。

注意事项

学生常犯的错误包括:误用主语,例如说 "Someone occurred to it to do something",这颠倒了结构;或将 "to [verb]" 替换为其他形式,如 "to doing something",导致语法错误。纠正建议:记住 It occurred to [someone] 作为固定开头,并练习用正确的不定式。

另一个常见偏误是忽略上下文的突然性,导致句意模糊。例如,学生可能说 "It occurred to me opening the door**" 而非 "It occurred to me to open the door**"。提供具体例句:

错误示例:It occurred to him doing the work immediately.
正确示例:It occurred to him to do the work immediately.

在实际使用中,确保句型与过去时或现在时搭配一致,以避免时态混乱。

练习

一个原创例子:假设你在旅游时突然有了一个主意,你可以说:“It occurred to me to visit the local museum while in Paris.” 学生可以替换 [someone] 为自己的名字,如 “It occurred to my friend to book the tickets early**”,或改变 [verb] 为其他动作,如 “It occurred to the teacher to cancel the class**”。

通过这种替换,学生能在日常场景中应用句型,例如在讲述个人经历时说:“It occurred to me to call my family during the trip.” 这能帮助加深记忆,并鼓励在口头练习中自然使用。

额外内容

背景知识:这个句型起源于19世纪英语文学,常用于小说中营造戏剧性,例如狄更斯的作品。文化对比:与中文的 "突然想到…" 类似,但英语通过结构化表达更精确。在其他语言如法语中,类似结构是 "Il m'est venu à l'idée de...**",强调了英语的简洁性。

学习此句型还能扩展到相关表达,如 "It dawned on me that...**",丰富叙述技巧,并提升故事讲述能力。