Five pound too dear

原文

Small boats loaded with wares sped to the great liner as she was entering the harbour. Before she had anchored, the men from the boats had climbed on board and the decks were son covered with colourful rugs from Persia, silks from India, copper coffee pots, and beautiful handmade silverware. It was difficult not to be tempted. Many of the tourists on board had begun bargaining with the tradesmen, but I decide not to buy anything until I had disembarked.

I had no sooner got off the ship than I was assailed by a man who wanted to sell me a diamond ring. I had no intention of buying one, but I could not conceal the fact that I was impressed by the size of the diamonds. Some of them were as big as marbles. The man went to great lengths to prove that the diamonds were real. As we were walking past a shop, he held a diamond firmly against the window and made a deep impression in the glass. It took me over half an hour to get rid of him.

The next man to approach me was selling expensive pens and watches. I examined one of the pens closely. It certainly looked genuine. At the base of the gold cap, the words 'made in the U.S.A.' had been neatly inscribed. The man said that the pen was worth &10, but as a special favour, he would let me have it for &8. I shook my head and held up a finger indicating that I was willing to pay a pound. Gesticulating wildly, the man acted as if he found my offer out-rageous, but he eventually reduced the price to &3. Shrugging my shoulders, I began to walk away when, a moment later, he ran after me and thrust the pen into my hands. Though he kept throwing up his arms in despair, he readily accepted the pound I gave him. I felt especially pleased with my wonderful bargain--until I got back to the ship. No matter how hard I tried, it was im-possible to fill this beautiful pen with ink and to this day it has never written a single word !

译文

小船上载满了货物,向那艘大客轮疾驶而去,因为它正在驶入港口。在它抛锚之前,那些小船上的人已经爬上了船,甲板上很快就铺满了色彩斑斓的波斯地毯、印度的丝绸、铜咖啡壶和漂亮的手工银器。很难不受到诱惑。船上的许多游客已经开始和商人们讨价还价,但我决定直到下船后再买东西。

我刚一下船,就有一个男人向我兜售一枚钻石戒指。我根本没有买的意思,但我无法掩饰自己对那些钻石大小的印象。有的钻石大得像弹珠似的。那人竭尽全力证明那些钻石是真的。我们走过一家商店时,他把一颗钻石牢牢地按在橱窗上,在玻璃上刻下了很深的印痕。我花了半个多小时才摆脱了他。

下一个走近我的人在卖昂贵的钢笔和手表。我仔细检查了其中一支钢笔。它看起来确实是真货。在金笔帽的底部,刻着“美国制造”几个字。那人说这支笔值10英镑,但作为特别优惠,他可以以8英镑卖给我。我摇摇头,伸出一根手指,表示我只愿意出1英镑。那人疯狂地比划着,好像我的出价令他大为震惊,但最终他还是把价格降到了3英镑。我耸耸肩膀,开始走开,不一会儿,他追了上来,把笔塞到我手里。尽管他绝望地举起双臂,但他欣然接受了我给他的1英镑。我对我的这笔美妙交易感到特别得意——直到我回到船上。不管我怎么努力,都无法把墨水注入这支漂亮的笔,而且直到今天,它还没有写过一个字!

词汇表

loaded

形容词, 动词
英:/ˈləʊdɪd/
美:/ˈloʊdɪd/
定义
1. 装载的;负担的 - Filled or burdened with something.

例子: The truck was loaded with goods for delivery.

例子: She felt loaded with responsibilities at work.

2. 装载 - As a verb, to put a load on or into.

例子: They loaded the boat with fresh fish.

例子: Please loaded the software onto the computer.

近义词
burdened: 强调负重或压力,常用于抽象语境,如情感负担,而 'loaded' 更侧重物理装载。
filled: 更泛指填充空间,'loaded' 则暗示特定重量或内容的添加。
packed: 侧重紧凑排列,'loaded' 可包括非紧凑的装载,如松散物品。
反义词:
unloaded, empty, unburdened
用法
常用于描述物体被填充或携带物品的场景,尤其在交通或运输语境中;作为动词,用于行动描述;文化背景中,可隐喻情感或压力。
形式:
复数: N/A (形容词), 过去式: loaded (动词), 过去分词: loaded

关键句型 "No sooner had [subject] [past participle] than [clause]"

定义

这个句型用于描述一件事情刚发生,另一件事情就紧接着发生,强调事件的快速 succession。结构包括:No sooner had(刚...就)+ [subject](主语)+ [past participle](过去分词,表示过去完成时)+ than(than 引导的从句)。例如,文章中的 "I had no sooner got off the ship than I was assailed"。根据《剑桥英语语法手册》,这是一种经典的英语表达方式,常用于叙述过去事件的顺序,突出时间的紧迫感。

它帮助学习者描述快速连续的动作,让句子更有动态感。

用法

此句型主要用于叙述故事、回忆事件或描述意外情况,常出现在过去时态的语境中。规则是:No sooner had 后跟过去完成时的结构(had + 过去分词),然后 than 引导另一个过去时从句。它的位置在英语语法体系中属于时间状语从句,与其他表示时间顺序的句型(如 "as soon as" 或 "when")相关。

横向比较:与 "As soon as [clause], [clause]" 相比,No sooner...than 更强调瞬间性和戏剧性,例如 "As soon as I arrived, it started raining" 较为中性,而 "No sooner had I arrived than it started raining" 增加了紧迫感。与 "Hardly had...when" 类似,二者可互换,但 No sooner...than 更常见于正式叙述。

跨语法联系:它涉及过去完成时,因此学生可以联系过去完成时与其他时态(如简单过去时)进行比较,帮助理解时间线的构建。在实际应用中,此句型常用于小说或口头故事中,增强叙述的生动性。

注意事项

学生容易犯的错误包括:倒装结构的遗漏,例如说成 "No sooner I had got off than..." 而非正确倒装的 "No sooner had I got off than...";或者混淆 thanwhen,导致句意模糊。纠正建议:记住倒装是此句型的标志性特征,并多练习以习惯这种结构。

另一个常见偏误是使用时态不一致,如在从句中使用现在时而非过去时。提供具体例句:

错误示例:No sooner had I got off the ship when I was assailed.  // 错误:应使用 than 而非 when。
正确示例:No sooner had I got off the ship than I was assailed.  // 正确:than 引导快速后续事件。

练习时,注意语调要快速,以反映句意的紧迫性。

练习

一个原创例子:假设你在机场刚下飞机就遇到老朋友,你可以说:"No sooner had I landed than my friend called me." 学生可以替换关键词,比如把 [subject] 换成 "she" 和 [past participle] 换成 "finished work",变成 "No sooner had she finished work than it started raining." 这能帮助学生应用到日常场景,如描述旅行经历或突发事件。

通过这种替换,学生能加深对句型的掌握,并尝试在写作或对话中自然使用。

额外内容

背景知识:这个句型起源于古英语的强调结构,在现代英语中常用于文学作品中,以增加叙述的节奏感。对比分析:与中文的 "刚...就..." 类似,但英语版本需要倒装和特定连词,相比之下更正式。其他语言如法语的 "à peine...que..." 有相似功能,但英语的版本更依赖时态变化。

了解此句型还能扩展到其他高级表达,如 "Scarcely had...when...",丰富学生的叙述技巧。

关键句型 "As [clause], [clause]"

定义

这个句型用于表示两个同时发生的动作或事件,常强调伴随关系。结构为:As(当...时)+ [clause](从句,表示一个动作)+ , + [clause](主句,表示另一个同时进行的动作)。文章中的例子如 "As we were walking past a shop, he held a diamond firmly against the window"。根据《牛津现代英语语法》,这是一种时间状语从句,As 引导从句,突出动作的并行性。

它适合描述背景或同时性事件,让句子更连贯流畅。

用法

此句型常用于叙述过去事件、描述过程或解释原因,规则是:As 从句通常用进行时或一般时,连接到主句。它的位置在英语语法体系中属于连接词和从句范畴,与其他时间状语如 "while" 或 "when" 相关。

横向比较:与 "While [clause], [clause]" 相比,As 更强调动作的同步和流畅性,例如 "While I was eating, the phone rang" 侧重持续,而 "As I was eating, the phone rang" 感觉更直接。与 "When [clause], [clause]" 不同,As 常用于较长的时间段或渐进过程,而 "When" 更适合瞬间事件。

跨语法联系:它经常与进行时态结合(如 "As we were walking"),帮助学生理解时态的互动。同时,可以扩展到因果关系,如 "As time went on, I got better",与条件句或结果句型联系起来。

注意事项

学生常犯的错误是时态不一致,例如在 As 从句中使用简单过去时而主句用现在时,破坏了叙述的连贯性。纠正建议:确保从句和主句时态匹配,通常都用过去时或进行时。另一个问题是过度使用,导致句子冗长;建议只在需要强调同时性时应用。

提供具体例句:

错误示例:As we walked past the shop, he holds the diamond.  // 错误:时态不一致,主句应为过去时。
正确示例:As we were walking past the shop, he held the diamond firmly.  // 正确:使用进行时强调同时性。

练习中,注意避免将 As 误用为表示方式的 "as"(如 "as a teacher")。

练习

一个原创例子:在公园散步时,你可以说:"As I was jogging in the park, I saw a beautiful sunset." 学生可以替换关键词,比如把 [clause] 换成 "she was cooking dinner" 和主句换成 "the phone rang",变成 "As she was cooking dinner, the phone rang." 这适用于日常生活描述,帮助学生在故事讲述中自然运用。

替换练习能提升学生的灵活性,并鼓励他们在日记或对话中实践。

额外内容

背景知识:As 句型在英语中源自古英语的连接方式,常用于文学和口语以创建生动画面。对比分析:与西班牙语的 "mientras" 类似,但英语更依赖从句结构。其他语言如德语的 "während" 有相似的功能,却可能需要不同的动词形式。

学习此句型能帮助学生更好地连接事件,进而探索更复杂的叙述技巧,如在写作中使用多个从句。