Nothing to worry about

原文

The rough across the plain soon became so bad that we tried to get Bruce to drive back to the village we had come from. Even though the road was littered with boulders and pitted with holes, Bruce was not in the least perturbed. Glancing at his map, he informed us that the next village was a mere twenty miles away. It was not that Bruce always underestimated difficulties. He simply had no sense of danger at all. No matter what the conditions were, he believed that a car should be driven as fast as it could possibly go.

As we bumped over eh dusty track, we swerved to avoid large boulders. The wheels scooped up stones which hammered ominously under the car. We felt sure that sooner or later a stone would rip a hole in our petrol tank or damage the engine. Because of this, we kept looking back, wondering if we were leaving a trail of oil and petrol behind us.

What a relief it was when the boulders suddenly disappeared, giving way to a stretch of plain where the only obstacles were clumps of bushes. But there was worse to come. Just ahead of us there was a huge fissure. In response to renewed pleadings, Bruce stopped. Though we all got out to examine the fissure, he remained in the car. We informed him that the fissure extended for fifty years and was tow feet wide and four feet deep. Even this had no effect. Bruce went into a low gear and drove at a terrifying speed, keeping the front wheels astride the crack as he followed its zigzag course. Before we had time to worry about what might happen, we were back on the plain again. Bruce consulted the map once more and told us that the village was now only fifteen miles away. Our next obstacle was a shallow pool of water about half a mile across. Bruce charged at it, but in the middle, the car came to a grinding half. A yellow light on the dashboard flashed angrily and Bruce cheerfully announced that there was no oil in the engine!

译文

横跨平原的道路很快变得非常糟糕，以致我们试图让布鲁斯开车返回我们来时的村庄。尽管道路上布满巨石并坑坑洼洼，布鲁斯却丝毫不为所动。他看了一眼地图，告诉我们下一个村庄仅仅二十英里远。并不是布鲁斯总是低估困难。他根本就没有危险意识。无论条件如何，他都相信汽车应该以最快的速度行驶。

当我们颠簸在尘土飞扬的小道上时，我们急转弯以避开大块巨石。车轮卷起石块，这些石块在车底发出不祥的撞击声。我们确信，早晚会有一块石头撕破油箱或损坏发动机。因此，我们不停地回头看，生怕在身后留下一串油和汽油。

当巨石突然消失，取而代之的是一片只有灌木丛作为障碍的平原时，我们真是松了一口气。但更糟糕的事情还在后面。就在我们前面，有一道巨大的裂缝。在我们再三请求下，布鲁斯停了下来。尽管我们都下车去检查裂缝，他却留在车里。我们告诉他，这道裂缝延伸五十码，宽两英尺，深四英尺。甚至这也没有作用。布鲁斯挂入低挡，以惊人的速度驾驶着，保持前轮跨在裂缝上，沿着它的之字形路线前进。在我们还没来得及担心会发生什么，我们又回到了平原上。布鲁斯又看了一眼地图，告诉我们村庄现在只有十五英里远了。我们下一个障碍是一个大约半英里宽的浅水池。布鲁斯冲了进去，但到了中间，车子戛然而止。仪表板上的黄灯愤怒地闪烁，布鲁斯兴高采烈地宣布引擎里没有油了！

词汇表

rough

形容词, 名词, 动词

英:/rʌf/

美:/rʌf/

定义

1. 崎岖的；粗糙的 - Not smooth or level; uneven and difficult to travel on.

例子: The rough road made the journey uncomfortable.

例子: Her hands were rough from years of hard work.

2. 粗略的；大致的 - Approximate or not exact.

例子: He gave a rough estimate of the cost.

例子: The map showed a rough outline of the area.

近义词

uneven: 强调表面不平整，常用于地形描述，与 'rough' 类似但更侧重于不规则性。

rugged: 暗示更强的坚固性和野性，常用于自然景观，而 'rough' 更通用。

coarse: 常用于质地描述，如材料或声音，区别于 'rough' 的地形含义。

反义词:

smooth, even, polished

用法

常用于描述地形、表面或估算，常搭配如 'rough road' 或 'rough estimate'，在非正式语境中更常见。

形式:

复数: roughs (as noun), 过去式: roughed (as verb), 其他: rougher (比较级), roughest (最高级)

深入解析：关键句型 "Even though [clause], [main clause]"

定义

这个句型是一种让步状语从句结构，用于表示尽管有某种情况，主句中的事实依然存在。基本结构是：Even though（尽管）引导一个从句（[clause]），后跟主句（[main clause]）。例如，在文章中：“Even though the road was littered with boulders and pitted with holes, Bruce was not in the least perturbed.” 根据权威教材如《新概念英语》或其他英语语法书籍，这个句型强调对比，显示让步条件下的结果，核心含义是承认一个事实但不改变主要观点。

用法

此句型常用于描述现实中的矛盾或对比场景，如在叙述故事时表达“尽管有问题，但事情还是发生了”。规则包括：Even though 必须置于从句开头，从句通常用一般过去时或现在时，主句则根据语境选择时态。在语法体系中，它属于状语从句的一部分，与其他从句如时间状语从句（e.g., when）或条件状语从句（e.g., if）相关联，帮助学生建立句间逻辑联系。例如，它可以与条件句结合，如 “Even though it rains, we will go out if we have to.” 这在复杂句构建中起关键作用，连接独立子句，形成更流畅的叙述。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括：将 Even though 与 Although 混淆，虽然二者相似，但 Even though 更强调强烈的对比；另一个常见偏误是时态不一致，例如用未来时在从句中而主句用过去时，导致句子逻辑混乱。纠正建议：练习时注意从句和主句的时态一致性，并避免将它误用为因果关系（如用 because）。此外，在口语中，学生可能忘记逗号分隔从句和主句，建议通过阅读英文文章观察标点使用。

练习

一个额外的例子："Even though it was raining heavily, we decided to go for a walk." 通过这个例子，学生可以尝试修改句子，例如改为 "Even though it was raining heavily, we still decided to go for a walk."，以强调对比，增强实际应用能力。

额外内容

背景知识：这个句型源于英语中让步逻辑的表达，在正式写作中很常见。对比分析：与中文的“尽管……但是……”类似，但英语更简洁。补充信息：掌握此句型后，学生可以扩展到其他让步表达如 "Although" 或 "While"，并在辩论或故事讲述中应用，提升语言的说服力和叙述深度。

深入解析：关键句型 "No matter what [clause], [main clause]"

定义

这个句型是一种让步状语从句结构，用于表示无论什么情况，主句的结果都不会改变。基本结构是：No matter what（无论什么）引导一个从句（[clause]），后跟主句（[main clause]）。文章中如：“No matter what the conditions were, he believed that a car should be driven as fast as it could possibly go.” 权威教材如《新概念英语》定义它为强调无条件的让步，核心含义是突出主句的确定性，尽管从句描述了变化的因素。

用法

此句型常用于表达坚定态度或普遍真理的场景，如在描述人物性格或原则时。规则是：No matter what 后跟疑问词从句，通常用一般过去时或现在时，主句则保持独立。语法体系中，它隶属状语从句，与其他让步从句（如 even though）相关联，形成句子的复杂层级。例如，它可以链接到条件句系统，帮助学生从简单条件过渡到更高级的表达，如 “No matter what happens, I will support you.” 这在日常对话和写作中构建逻辑连接。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括：将 No matter what 与 Whatever 混淆，前者更正式后者更随意；另一个偏误是忽略从句中的主谓一致，例如说 “No matter what they does” 而非 “No matter what they do”。纠正建议：通过记忆标准结构并练习句子，避免随意替换词汇；此外，注意在口语中语调要坚定，以体现句型的强调作用。常见问题是过度使用导致句子冗长，建议在写作中结合上下文精简。

练习

一个额外的例子："No matter what challenges we face, we will keep moving forward." 学生可以尝试扩展句子，如 "No matter what challenges we face tomorrow, we will keep moving forward."，以练习在不同时态中的应用。

额外内容

背景知识：这个句型反映英语中对不确定性的处理，常在励志或叙述性文本中出现。对比分析：相较于法语的类似表达，英语版更直接且通用。补充信息：学习此句型有助于理解英语的假设和让步逻辑，进而提升在辩论或故事中的表达能力。