"It's only me"

原文

After her husband had gone to work. Mrs. Richards sent her children to school and went upstairs to her bedroom. She was too excited to do any housework that morning, for in the evening she would be going to a fancy-dress part with her husband. She intended to dress up as a ghost and as she had made her costume the night before, she was impatient to try it on. Though the costume consisted only of a sheet, it was very effective. After putting it on, Mrs. Richards went downstairs. She wanted to find out whether it would be comfortable to wear.

Just as Mrs. Richards was entering the dinning room, there was a knock on the front door. She knew that it must be the baker. She had told him to come straight in if ever she failed to open the door and to leave the bread on the kitchen table. Not wanting to frighten the poor man, Mrs. Richards quickly hid in the small storeroom under the stairs. She heard the front door open and heavy footsteps in the hall. Suddenly the door of the storeroom was opened and a man entered. Mrs. Richards realized that it must be the man from the Electricity Board who had come to read the metre. She tried to explain the situation, saying 'It's only me', but it was too late. The man let out cry and jumped back several paces. When Mrs. Richards walked towards him, he fled, slamming the door behind him.

译文

丈夫去上班后,理查兹夫人送孩子们上学,然后上楼回到卧室。

那天早上,她兴奋得做不了家务,因为晚上她要和丈夫一起去参加化装舞会。

她打算打扮成鬼魂,而且前一天晚上她已经做好了服装,她迫不及待地想试穿。

尽管服装只是一块床单,却非常逼真。

穿上后,理查兹夫人下楼去。她想知道穿起来是否舒服。

正当理查兹夫人走进餐厅时,前门有人敲门。

她知道那一定是面包师。她曾告诉他,如果她没开门,就直接进来,把面包放在厨房桌子上。

不想吓坏那个可怜的人,理查兹夫人赶紧躲进楼梯下的小储藏室。

她听到前门开了,厅里传来沉重的脚步声。

突然,储藏室的门开了,一个男人走了进来。

理查兹夫人意识到那一定是电力局的人来查电表。

她试图解释情况,说“只是我而已”,但为时已晚。

那男人发出一声叫喊,向后跳了几步。

当理查兹夫人向他走过去时,他逃走了,砰地关上门。

词汇表

excited

形容词
英:/ɪkˈsaɪtɪd/
美:/ɪkˈsaɪtɪd/
定义
1. 兴奋的 - Feeling very happy and enthusiastic about something.

例子: She was too excited to do any housework that morning.

例子: The children were excited about the upcoming holiday.

2. 激动的 - Showing signs of strong emotion or energy.

例子: He sounded excited when he talked about his new job.

例子: The excited crowd cheered loudly at the concert.

近义词
thrilled: 强调极度快乐或惊喜,通常比 'excited' 更强烈,适合正面事件。
eager: 更侧重于急切或热切的期待,而 'excited' 则包括更广泛的情绪波动。
enthusiastic: 焦点在积极的热情上,常用于持续的状态,而 'excited' 可能更短暂。
反义词:
calm, bored, indifferent
用法
常用于描述情绪状态,常见搭配如 'get excited about'(为...兴奋),在非正式语境中更常见,文化上常与积极事件相关。
形式:
副词形式: excitedly, 名词形式: excitement

关键句型 "After + 过去完成时从句,主句"

定义

此句型用于描述一个过去事件在另一个过去事件之后发生,结构为:After + [过去完成时从句](如 "her husband had gone to work") + 主句(如 "Mrs. Richards sent her children to school")。根据《剑桥英语语法手册》,过去完成时(had + 过去分词)表示在过去某个时间点之前完成的动作,与 After 结合,清晰地显示时间顺序。这种句型常用于叙述故事,帮助读者理解事件的先后关系。

它是一种常见的连接词句型,强调因果或时间逻辑,确保叙述流畅。

用法

此句型主要出现在叙述过去事件的语境中,例如故事、回忆或历史描述。规则是:After 引导的时间从句使用过去完成时,表示从句动作先于主句动作发生;在语法体系中,它属于时间状语从句,与其他连接词如 BeforeWhen 相关联。

横向比较:与 Before + 简单过去时 相比,此句型更强调从句动作的完成性(例如,Before she went out, she locked the door 只是顺序,而 After she had locked the door, she went out 突出锁门已完成);与 When + 简单过去时 不同,此句型更精确地处理多个过去事件,避免模糊时间线。同时,它与条件句或并列句有联系,能扩展到更复杂的叙述结构,如结合 if 从句。

在实际应用中,此句型帮助学习者构建连贯的故事,例如在写作或口头讲述中。学生可以将其与过去时态的其他形式联系起来,强化时间表达的准确性。

注意事项

学生常犯的错误包括:误用简单过去时代替过去完成时在从句中(如说 "After her husband went to work" 而非 "had gone",导致时间关系不清);或者忽略主从句的时态一致性,造成句子混乱。纠正建议:总是记住 After 从句需要过去完成时来表示优先发生的动作,并通过练习多读英文故事来熟悉这种结构。

另一个常见偏误是过度使用此句型,导致文章 repetitive;或者在非正式口语中简化时态,但这会减弱正式写作的效果。提供具体例句:

错误示例:After her husband went to work, she had sent the children to school.  // 错误,因为went和had sent的时态不匹配,显得混乱。
正确示例:After her husband had gone to work, Mrs. Richards sent her children to school.  // 正确,清晰显示went发生在先。

练习

一个原创例子:假设你在讲述自己的经历,可以说:"After I had finished my homework, I went out to play soccer." 这贴近实际生活场景,学生可以替换关键词,如将 "finished my homework" 换成 "cleaned my room",并将主句改为 "I watched a movie",变成 "After I had cleaned my room, I watched a movie."

通过这种替换练习,学生能应用到日常对话或写作中,例如描述昨天的行程,进一步加深对时间顺序的掌握,并鼓励他们创建自己的小故事来练习。

额外内容

背景知识:这种句型源于英语中时间状语从句的传统发展,早在中古英语时期就存在,用于清晰的叙事。在文化对比中,英语强调精确的时间表达,而中文往往依赖上下文或词汇(如 "之后")而非严格时态。对比分析:与法语的 "Après que + 过去时" 类似,但英语的过去完成时提供更多细微差别,帮助学习者避免在多语种环境中混淆。同时,了解此句型能为学习更高级的时态如过去将来时铺路,丰富语言表达。

关键句型 "Too + 形容词 + to + 动词原形"

定义

此句型用于表示某事因为某种程度过高而无法发生,结构为:Too + [形容词](如 "excited") + to + [动词原形](如 "do")。例如,《新概念英语》教材中解释,这种句型表达 "过于...以至于不能..." 的含义,强调形容词的程度导致后续动作无法实现。它是一种简洁的表达方式,常用于描述情感、能力或状态。

此句型帮助学习者快速传达限制或障碍的概念,在日常对话中非常实用。

用法

此句型广泛用于描述个人感受、限制或结果的场景,例如 "She was too excited to do any housework." 表示兴奋到无法做家务。在语法体系中,它属于形容词修饰结构,与其他比较句型如 "So...that..." 相关联。

规则:Too 后跟形容词,然后是 to + 动词原形,整个句型通常在主句中出现。横向比较:与 "So + adjective + that + clause" 相比,此句型更简短(例如,"So excited that she couldn't do housework"),适合口语;与 "Not + adjective + enough + to + infinitive" 不同,此句型表示负面限制,而后者表示积极的不足(例如,"Not excited enough to go out")。这种比较帮助学生选择合适的表达,突出句型的精确性。

跨语法联系:它常与动词不定式结合,还可扩展到其他结构如 "Enough to + infinitive",强化形容词和动词的互动。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括:误用 Very 代替 Too,导致意思不准(如 "Very excited to do housework" 意为很兴奋去做,而非太兴奋而做不了);或者忽略不定式的使用,改成其他形式如 "Too excited doing housework"。纠正建议:练习时注意 to + 动词原形 的固定搭配,并通过例句比较不同句型。

另一个问题是形容词选择不当,例如用 "Too happy to cry" 时,确保上下文逻辑一致。提供例句:

错误示例:She was too tired for sleep.  // 错误,应为 "to sleep",因为需要不定式。
正确示例:She was too tired to sleep.  // 正确,表示太累而睡不着。

练习

原创例子:在日常生活中,你可以说:"I was too busy to answer the phone." 学生可以替换形容词和动词,例如将 "busy" 换成 "nervous",并改成 "I was too nervous to speak in public." 这能帮助他们在实际场景中应用,如描述考试时的感受。

鼓励学生创建句子,如 "After the movie, I was too scared to go home alone." 通过替换练习,他们能加深理解,并用于写作日记或对话。

额外内容

背景知识:此句型在英语中起源于17世纪的文学表达,用于强调情感的极端性。在文化背景上,英语常用这种结构来描述心理状态,类似于中文的 "太...以至于不能..."。对比分析:与西班牙语的 "Demasiado + adjective + para + infinitive" 相似,但英语版本更直接,无需额外词汇。学习此句型还能连接到其他表达,如 "Such + adjective + noun + that + clause",为学生提供更丰富的语言工具。