The loss of the Titanic

原文

The great ship, Titanic, sailed for New York from Southampton on April 10th, 1912. She was carrying 1,316 passengers and crew of 891. Even by modern standards, the 46,000 ton Titanic was a colossal ship. At the time, however, she was not only the largest ship that had ever been built, but was regarded as unsinkable, for she had sixteen watertight compartments. Even if two of these were flooded, she would still be able to float. The tragic sinking of this great liner will always be remembered, for she went down on her first voyage with heavy loss of life.

Four days after setting out, while the Titanic was sailing across the icy water of the North Atlantic, huge iceberg was suddenly spotted by a lookout. After the alarm had been given, the great ship turned sharply to avoid a direct collision. The Titanic turned just in time, narrowly missing the immense walk of ice which rose over 100 feet out of the water beside her. Suddenly, there was a slight trembling sound from below, and the captain went down to see what had happened. The noise had been so faint that no one though that the ship had been damaged. Below, the captain realized to his horror that the Titanic was sinking rapidly, for five of her sixteen watertight compartments had already been flooded! The order to abandon ship was given and hundreds of people plunged into the icy water. As there were not enough lifeboats for everybody, 1,500 lives were lost.

译文

伟大的轮船泰坦尼克号于1912年4月10日从南安普敦启航前往纽约。她载有1,316名乘客和891名船员。即使按照现代标准,46,000吨的泰坦尼克号也是一艘巨大的船。然而在当时,她不仅是建造过的最大船只,而且被视为不会沉没,因为她有十六个水密舱。即使其中两个被淹没,她仍能漂浮。这艘伟大班轮的悲剧性沉没将永被铭记,因为她在处女航中就沉没了,造成大量生命损失。

启航四天后,当泰坦尼克号正穿越北大西洋冰冷的水域时,一座巨大的冰山突然被了望员发现。警报发出后,这艘巨轮急剧转向,以避免直接碰撞。泰坦尼克号及时转向,险些避开了那座高出水面100英尺的巨大冰墙。突然,从下方传来轻微的颤动声,船长下去查看发生了什么。声音如此微弱,以至于没有人认为船受到了损坏。在下面,船长惊恐地意识到泰坦尼克号正在迅速下沉,因为她的十六个水密舱中已有五个被淹没!弃船命令下达,数百人跳入冰冷的海水。由于救生艇不足以容纳所有人,1,500人丧生。

词汇表

ship

名词, 动词
英:/ʃɪp/
美:/ʃɪp/
定义
1. - A large boat for traveling on water, especially for carrying passengers or goods.

例子: The ship sailed across the ocean.

例子: They loaded the cargo onto the ship.

2. 运送 - To send or transport something, especially goods.

例子: We need to ship the package by tomorrow.

例子: The company ships products worldwide.

近义词
vessel: 更正式,常用于航海或法律语境,指任何水上交通工具,而 'ship' 通常指较大船只。
boat: 更通用,指较小的水上交通工具,'ship' 通常指海洋船只,与 'boat' 的规模和用途有区别。
craft: 泛指任何交通工具,包括飞机或船只,'ship' 更具体于水上。
反义词:
airplane, train, car
用法
常用于航海或运输语境中,作为名词时可与 'sail' 或 'cruise' 搭配;作为动词时常用于商业语境,如 'ship goods',无特定文化背景限制。
形式:
复数: ships, 过去式: shipped, 过去分词: shipped, 现在分词: shipping

深入解析:关键句型 "Even if [clause], [result clause]."

定义

这个句型是一种条件句结构,用于表达假设或不太可能发生的条件及其结果。基本结构为:Even if(即使)+ [从句](条件子句,通常用一般过去时表示虚拟)+ , + [主句](结果子句,通常用 would + 动词原形表示可能结果)。例如,在文章中如 "Even if two of these were flooded, she would still be able to float." 展示了这种用法。权威教材如《新概念英语》第二册中,这种句型被定义为第二类条件句,强调假设条件下的推测或结果,帮助学生理解虚拟语气在条件句中的应用。

用法

此句型常用于描述假设情景、警告或预测未来可能性的场景中,例如讨论潜在风险或历史事件中的假设。规则包括:Even if 子句通常用一般过去时(were flooded),而主句用 would + 动词原形(would be able to float),这在语法体系中属于虚拟语气的一部分。它链接到其他条件句类型,如第一类条件句(if + 一般现在时)或第三类条件句(if + had + 过去分词),帮助学生建立从现实到虚拟的语法联系。例如,在文章中,它用于解释泰坦尼克号的安全设计,连接到过去事件和假设分析。这种句型在英语中常用于正式写作或叙述中,强调即使在不利条件下,事情仍可能发生,跨语法点联系到情态动词(如 would)和从句结构。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括:混淆时态,例如用一般现在时替换一般过去时(如说 "Even if two are flooded" 而非 "were flooded"),导致句意从虚拟转为现实;或者遗漏 would,在主句中直接用一般将来时(如 "she will float"),使句子失去假设语气。另一个常见偏误是句型顺序错误,将主句放在前面。纠正建议:学生应先识别句型中的假设性质,通过练习区分不同条件句类型;另外,注意在口语中添加适当的语调以强调虚拟感,避免在正式场合随意省略逗号,这会影响句子流畅性。

练习

一个额外的例子:在现代语境中,你可以说:"Even if it rains tomorrow, we would still go for a walk." 这个句子假设下雨的可能性,并表达结果。通过这个例子,学生可以尝试替换 [clause] 和 [result clause],如 "Even if I fail the test, I would try again.",并在对话中应用,以强化对虚拟语气的掌握。

额外内容

背景知识:这个句型源于英语中条件从句的演变,常见于文学和历史叙述中,如泰坦尼克号的故事用于反思假设决策。对比分析:与第一类条件句(真实可能)不同,这个句型更接近不现实的假设,类似于法语中的条件虚拟式。它能丰富学生的表达能力,例如从简单 if 句过渡到更复杂的虚拟结构,增强在写作中的说服力。