Jumbo versus the police

原文

Last Christmas, the circus owner, Jimmy Gates, decided to take some presents to a children's hospital.

Dressed up as Father Christmas and accompanied by a 'guard of honour' of six pretty girls, he set off down the main street of the city riding a baby elephant called Jumbo.

He should have known that the police would never allow this sort of thing. A policeman approached Jimmy and told him he ought to have gone along a side street as Jumbo was holding up the traffic.

Though Jimmy agreed to go at once, Jumbo refused to move. Fifteen policemen had to push very hard to get him off the main street. The police had a difficult time, but they were most amused.

'Jumbo must weigh a few tons,' said a policeman afterwards, 'so it was fortunate that we didn't have to carry him. Of course, we should arrest him, but as he has a good record, we shall let him off this time.'

译文

去年圣诞节,马戏团老板吉米·盖茨决定给一家儿童医院带些礼物。

他扮成圣诞老人,由六位漂亮姑娘组成的“荣誉卫队”陪同,骑着一头名叫Jumbo的小象,沿着城里的主要街道出发。

他本该知道警察是决不会允许这种事情的。一名警察走近吉米,告诉他本该走小街,因为Jumbo堵塞了交通。

尽管吉米同意马上走,但Jumbo拒绝移动。十五名警察不得不使劲推,才能把他弄离主要街道。警察们费了很大劲,但他们觉得非常好笑。

“Jumbo一定有几吨重,”一名警察事后说,“幸好我们不必抬他。当然,我们应该逮捕他,但由于他有很好的记录,我们这次就放过他吧。”

词汇表

circus

名词
英:/ˈsɜːkəs/
美:/ˈsɝːkəs/
定义
1. 马戏团 - A traveling show featuring performances by clowns, acrobats, animals, and other entertainers.

例子: We visited the circus and saw amazing animal tricks.

例子: The circus comes to town every summer with new acts.

近义词
carnival: 通常指节日庆典或游乐场活动,强调娱乐和游戏,而非专业表演。
fair: 常指农业或地方博览会,可能包括娱乐,但更侧重于展览和销售。
show: 更泛指任何表演或展览,不限于移动式的娱乐团体。
反义词:
None directly applicable
用法
常用于娱乐和表演语境,描述流动的表演团体;在英语中,常与 'circus tent' 或 'circus act' 搭配。
形式:
复数: circuses

关键句型 "He should have known that..."

定义

此句型用于表达对过去情况的遗憾、推测或本该知道的事,却没有发生。结构为:主语 + should have + 过去分词 + that从句,其中 should have 表示过去的义务或建议,而 that从句 提供额外信息。根据《剑桥英语语法手册》,这是一种条件句的变体,常用于反思过去的可能性或错误。举例来说,在文章中,“He should have known that the police would never allow this sort of thing” 意味着他本该预料到警察不会允许这种事,却没有。

这个句型帮助学习者表达后悔或假设,帮助他们在对话中讨论过去的决策。

用法

此句型主要用于描述过去本该做却没做的事,常见于反思性对话、故事叙述或建议场景。例如,在日常生活中,你可以用它来评论过去的错误,如 "You should have called me earlier." 在语法体系中,它属于情态动词 should 的完成形式,与其他情态动词(如 could have、might have)相关,强调过去的虚拟情况。

横向比较:与 "should + 动词原形"(表示现在的建议,如 "You should go now")相比,此句型聚焦过去;与 "must have + 过去分词"(表示对过去的推测,如 "He must have forgotten")不同,它更强调道德义务或预见性。跨语法联系:它与条件句相关(如第三条件句 "If I had known, I would have..."),学生可以学习如何将它与 if 从句结合,形成更复杂的句子,例如 "If he had checked, he should have known that."

总之,此句型在英语中是表达遗憾的有效工具,尤其在叙述故事时。

注意事项

学生常犯的错误包括:误用时态,如用 should have know 而非 should have known(忘记过去分词形式);或将 should have 与现在时混淆,导致句子不合逻辑,例如 "He should have known now"。纠正建议:记住 should have + 过去分词 的固定结构,并练习在上下文中使用。另一个常见偏误是忽略 that从句,使句子不完整,比如说 "He should have known" 而没有后续解释。

提供具体例句:

错误示例:He should have know that the police will not allow it.  // 错误:时态不对,应为 "known" 和 "would not"。
正确示例:He should have known that the police would never allow this sort of thing.  // 正确:使用过去分词和适当的过去情态。

在口语中,学生应注意语调,以显示遗憾的情感,避免显得过于指责。

练习

一个原创例子:假设你在和朋友讨论上周的旅行,你可以说:“I should have checked the weather forecast that it would rain.” 这贴近实际场景,帮助你反思过去的决定。学生可以替换关键词,比如将 "checked" 换成 "booked",变成 “I should have booked the tickets that they were sold out.”,或改变主语,如 “She should have told me that the meeting was canceled.”

通过这种替换练习,学生能在日常对话中灵活应用句型,例如在工作场合讨论项目失误时使用它。这不仅加深理解,还鼓励学生构建自己的故事来练习。

额外内容

背景知识:这个句型源于英语中情态动词的演变,should 最初是 shall 的过去式,在现代英语中用于表达建议或义务。对比分析:与中文的 "本该...却没有" 类似,但英语通过语法结构(如完成时)来精确表达时间感。而在西班牙语中,类似结构如 "debería haber sabido",也强调过去遗憾,但英语版本更简洁。学习此句型能帮助学生在英语文化中更好地表达后悔,提升跨文化沟通能力,比如在英美故事中常见这种反思性语言。