Little White Lamb

原文

Mary and her husband Dimitri lived in the tiny village of Perachora in southern Greece. One of Mary's prize possessions was a little white lamb which her husband had given her. She kept it tied to a tree in a field during the day and went to fetch it every evening. One evening, how-ever, the lamb was missing. The rope had been cut, so it was obvious that the lamb had been stolen.

When Dimitri came in from the fields,His wife told him what had happened.Dimitri at once set out to find the thief. He knew it would not prove difficult in such a small village. After telling several of his friends about the theft, Dimitri found out that his neighbour, Aleko, had suddenly acquired a new lamb.Dimitri immediately went to Aleko's house and angrily accused him of stealing the lamb. He told him he had better return it or he would call the police. Aleko denied taking it and led Dimitri into his back-yard. It was true that he had just bought a lamb, he explained, but his lamb was black. Ashamed of having acted so rashly, Dimitri apologized to Aleko for having accused him. While they were talking it began to rain and Dimitri stayed in Aleko's house until the rain stopped.When he went outside half an hour later, he was astonished to find that the little black lamb was almost white. Its wool, which had been dyed black, had been washed clean by the rain !

译文

玛丽和她的丈夫迪米特里住在希腊南部的珀拉霍拉小村庄里。玛丽最珍贵的财产之一是一只小白羊羔,这是她丈夫送给她的。她白天把它拴在田野里的一棵树上,每天晚上去把它带回来。然而,有一天晚上,羊羔不见了。绳子被剪断了,所以很明显它是被人偷走了。

当迪米特里从田野里回来时,他的妻子告诉了他发生的事。迪米特里立刻出发去寻找小偷。他知道在这样一个小村庄里,这并不难。告诉几个朋友关于这次偷窃后,迪米特里发现他的邻居阿莱科突然得到了一只新羊羔。迪米特里立即去了阿莱科的家,愤怒地指责他偷了羊羔。他告诉他最好还回来,否则他就报警。

阿莱科否认了偷窃,并领迪米特里到他的后院。他解释说,他确实刚买了一只羊羔,但他的羊是黑色的。为自己的鲁莽行为感到羞愧,迪米特里向阿莱科道歉,因为他指责了他。他们谈话的时候,天开始下雨,迪米特里在阿莱科的家里待到雨停。半小时后,当他走出去时,他惊奇地发现那只小黑羊羔几乎变白了。它的羊毛,原来是被染成黑色的,现在被雨水冲洗干净了!

词汇表

tiny

形容词
英:/ˈtaɪni/
美:/ˈtaɪni/
定义
1. 极小的 - Extremely small in size.

例子: The tiny village was hidden in the mountains.

例子: She lives in a tiny apartment in the city center.

2. 微不足道的 - Used to describe something insignificant or very little.

例子: He made a tiny mistake that didn't affect the outcome.

例子: The tiny details in the painting make it special.

近义词
small: 更通用,描述大小时不强调极端程度,而 'tiny' 强调极小。
minuscule: 更正式,常用于书面语,强调尺寸非常小,与 'tiny' 类似但更精确。
petite: 常用于描述人或物体,常带有积极 connotation,如优雅的小巧,与 'tiny' 的中性语气不同。
反义词:
huge, enormous, vast
用法
常用于描述物体或地方的大小,适合非正式语境,如日常对话;可与名词搭配如 'tiny house',在文学中强调可爱或脆弱。
形式:
比较级: tinier, 最高级: tiniest

深入解析:关键句型 "It was obvious that [clause]."

定义

这个句型用于表达某事显而易见或清楚明了,结构包括 It was obvious(显而易见)+ that + [clause](从句,表示具体内容)。例如,在权威教材如《新概念英语》或《剑桥英语语法》中,这种句型被定义为一个以 it 为形式主语的复杂句,常用于描述推断或显性事实。核心含义是强调某事理所当然或无需进一步证明,[clause] 部分通常是一个完整的从句,描述原因或结果。

用法

此句型常用于叙述性文章、报告或对话中,表示对事件的明显判断。使用规则是:It was obvious 作为主句开头,that 引导一个宾语从句,该从句通常用过去时或过去完成时来描述已发生的事件。在语法体系中,它属于形式主语句型,与其他形式主语结构(如 "It is important that...")相关联,帮助学生理解主语从句的运用。跨语法点联系:它连接到从句结构(如名词从句)和时态一致性,例如与过去完成时结合(如文章中的 "the lamb had been stolen"),从而从简单描述过渡到更复杂的叙述。同时,它可以与条件句或原因状语从句结合,增强句子连贯性。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括:遗漏 that 引导词,导致句子不完整(如说 "It was obvious the lamb was stolen",这在非正式口语中可能接受,但正式写作中易出错);或者时态不一致,例如用现在时替换过去时(如 "It is obvious that..." 在叙述过去事件时不合适)。另一个常见偏误是过度使用该句型,使文章显得 repetitive(重复的),或将 [clause] 中的主语与主句混淆。纠正建议:学生应练习在上下文中使用,确保 that 的存在,并检查时态是否与整体叙述一致。另外,避免在非正式场合强行使用,以免显得生硬;通过阅读英语小说或文章,观察其自然出现。

练习

一个额外的例子:在日常对话中,你可以说:"It was obvious that he had forgotten his keys, as the door was still locked." 这个例子帮助学生理解如何将 [clause] 替换为其他内容,如 "she was lying" 或 "the plan would fail",并在实际写作中应用。通过这个练习,学生可以尝试构建自己的句子,例如描述一个故事:“It was obvious that the child had been playing in the mud, because his clothes were dirty.”

额外内容

背景知识:这个句型源于英语的正式表达方式,常在法律、新闻或文学中出现,对比分析:与法语的 "Il est évident que..." 类似,但英语版本更注重过去时态的使用。补充信息:掌握此句型后,学生可以扩展到相关表达如 "It was clear that..." 或 "It was evident that...",这些在考试如 IELTS 或 TOEFL 中很常见,帮助提升批判性思维和写作流畅度。

深入解析:关键句型 "He had better [verb] or [consequence]."

定义

这个句型用于给出建议或警告,结构为 He had better(他最好)+ [verb](动词原形)+ or + [consequence](后果从句)。在权威教材如《新概念英语》或《牛津英语语法》中,它被定义为一种带有情态意味的建议句型,强调必要性或潜在风险,[verb] 通常是动词原形,[consequence] 描述不遵循建议的后果。核心含义是礼貌但坚定地劝告某人采取行动。

用法

此句型常用于对话中表达警告、建议或威胁,适用于非正式场合如故事叙述或日常交流。规则是:had better 后跟动词原形,不需要助动词,且 or 连接一个表示结果的从句。在语法体系中,它属于情态动词短语,与其他建议表达(如 "should" 或 "ought to")相关联,位置在命令句和条件句之间。跨语法点联系:它涉及情态动词的变体(如 "had better" 暗示义务),并可与条件句结合(如隐含的 "if not"),帮助学生从简单祈使句过渡到更复杂的劝说结构。例如,在文章中与过去时结合,增强叙事张力。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括:误用时态,例如将 had better 替换为 have better(这在非正式美式英语中偶尔出现,但不标准);或者忽略 or [consequence],使句子变得过于直接而不礼貌(如只说 "He had better return it")。另一个偏误是将它与 "would better" 混淆,这是不正确的。纠正建议:强调 had better 的固定搭配,通过角色扮演练习,确保在上下文中使用;避免在正式写作中过度依赖,以防显得命令式。学生还应注意语调:它通常带有警告意味,因此在口语中要用适当的语气。

练习

一个额外的例子:在现代对话中,你可以说:"You had better finish your homework or you will miss the game." 这个例子允许学生替换 [verb] 和 [consequence],如 "She had better call her friend or she might get lost." 通过实践,学生可以应用到个人经历中,例如:“He had better study hard or he won't pass the exam.”

额外内容

背景知识:这个句型起源于古英语的条件表达,现代英语中常用于口语和故事中。对比分析:与 "should" 句型相比,"had better" 更强硬,类似于德语的 "besser tun"。补充信息:它在英美文化中常用于教育或警告场景,学习后学生能更好地处理冲突对话,提升说服技巧。