Fully insured

原文

Insurance companies are normally willing to insure anything. Insuring public or private property is a standard practice in most countries in the world. If, however, you were holding an open air garden party or a fete it would be equally possible to insure yourself in the event of bad weather. Needless to say, the bigger the risk an insurance company takes, the higher the premium you will have to pay. It is not uncommon to hear that a shipping company has made a claim for cost of salvaging a sunken ship. But the claim made by a local authority to recover the cost of salvaging a sunken pie dish must surely be unique.

Admittedly it was an unusual pie dish, for it was eighteen feet long and six feet wide. It had been purchased by a local authority so that an enormous pie could be baked for an annual fair. The pie committee decided that the best way to transport the dish would be by canal, so they insured it for the trip. Shortly after it was launched, the pie committee went to a local inn to celebrate. At the same time, a number of teenagers climbed on to the dish and held a little party of their own. Dancing proved to be more than the dish could bear, for during the party it capsized and sank in seven feet of water.

The pie committee telephoned a local garage owner who arrived in a recovery truck to salvage the pie dish. Shivering in their wet clothes, the teenagers looked on while three men dived repeatedly into the water to locate the dish. They had little difficulty in finding it, but hauling it out of the water proved to be a serious problem. The sides of the dish were so smooth that it was almost impossible to attach hawsers and chains to the rim without damaging it. Eventually chains were fixed to one end of the dish and a powerful winch was put into operation. The dish rose to the surface and was gently drawn towards the canal bank. For one agonizing moment, the dish was perched precariously on the bank of the canal, but it suddenly overbalanced and slid back into the water. The men were now obliged to try once more. This time they fixed heavy metal clamps to both sides of the dish so that they could fasten the chains. The dish now had to be lifted vertically because one edge was resting against the side of the canal. The winch was again put into operation and one of the men started up the truck. Several minutes later, the dish was again put into operation and one of the water. Water streamed in torrents over its sides with such force that it set up a huge wave in the canal. There was danger that the wave would rebound off the other side of the bank and send the dish plunging into the water again. By working at tremendous speed, the men managed to get the dish on to dry land before the wave returned.

译文

保险公司通常愿意承保任何东西。在大多数国家，保险公共或私人财产是一种标准的做法。然而，如果你正在举办一个露天花园派对或节日，你同样可以为自己投保坏天气的风险。不用说，保险公司承担的风险越大，你要付的保费就越高。听到一家航运公司为打捞沉船索赔费用并不少见。但一个地方当局为打捞一个沉没的馅饼盘索赔费用，肯定是绝无仅有的。

诚然，这是一个不寻常的馅饼盘，因为它长十八英尺，宽六英尺。它被地方当局购置，以便为一年一度的集市烘烤一个巨大的馅饼。馅饼委员会决定，通过运河运送盘子是最好的方式，因此他们为这次运输投了保。盘子下水后不久，馅饼委员会去当地的一家小酒店庆祝。与此同时，一群少年爬上盘子，举行他们自己的小聚会。跳舞超出了盘子的承受限度，因为在聚会期间，它倾覆并沉入七英尺深的水中。

馅饼委员会打电话给当地一家车库老板，他开着救援卡车赶来打捞馅饼盘。那些少年穿着湿衣服瑟瑟发抖，站在一旁看着三个男人反复潜水寻找盘子。他们很容易就找到了它，但是把盘子拉出水面却成了一个大问题。盘子的边沿非常光滑，几乎不可能在不损坏它的情况下把钢缆和链条系在边缘上。最终，他们把链条固定在盘子的一端，并启动了强大的绞盘。盘子浮出水面，被轻轻拉向运河岸边。在一个令人焦急的时刻，盘子 precarious perched on the bank of the canal, but it suddenly overbalanced and slid back into the water. 男人不得不再次尝试。这次，他们在盘子的两侧固定了沉重的金属夹，以便系上链条。现在，盘子必须垂直抬起，因为一角正靠在运河边上。绞盘再次启动，其中一个男人发动了卡车。几分钟后，盘子又被拉出水面。水从盘子边沿倾泻而下，力道如此之大，以至于在运河中激起了一道巨浪。有危险，这道浪会从对岸反弹回来，又把盘子推回水里。通过高速作业，这些人设法在浪头返回前把盘子拉到干地上。

词汇表

insure

动词

英:/ɪnˈʃʊər/

美:/ɪnˈʃʊr/

定义

1. 投保 - To arrange for compensation in the event of loss or damage.

例子: We decided to insure our house against fire.

例子: Many people insure their cars to cover accident costs.

2. 确保 - To secure against a possible contingency.

例子: The company insured the success of the project by hiring experts.

例子: She insured her health by eating well and exercising regularly.

近义词

protect: 强调预防性防护，侧重于避免风险，而 'insure' 更专注于金融补偿。

cover: 常用于保险语境，意思类似但 'cover' 更广泛，可能不涉及正式合同。

guarantee: 侧重于提供绝对保障，通常在非保险语境中，而 'insure' 特指保险机制。

反义词:

risk, expose, jeopardize

用法

常用于保险行业，需搭配如 'against'（针对），如 'insure against loss'。在正式语境中使用，涉及财务或风险管理。

形式:

过去式: insured, 过去分词: insured, 现在分词: insuring, 第三人称单数: insures

关键句型 "If + past simple, would + verb"

定义

此句型是一种条件句结构，常用于表达假设或不太可能发生的条件，通常被称为第二类条件句。基本结构为：If + 主语 + 过去式动词（条件从句），后跟 主语 + would + 动词原形（主句）。例如，文章中的 "If, however, you were holding an open air garden party or a fete it would be equally possible to insure yourself in the event of bad weather." 根据《剑桥英语语法》教材，这种句型用于描述当前或未来的假设情况，强调结果的不确定性。它帮助学习者表达虚拟情景，突出条件与结果的逻辑联系。

此句型在英语中很常见，用于礼貌的建议或假设讨论。

用法

此句型主要用于描述不太可能实现或虚构的条件，常见于日常对话、故事或建议中。规则：条件从句用过去式动词（如 were、had），主句用 would + 动词原形。在语法体系中，它属于条件句类型，与第一类条件句（If + 现在时，will + 动词）形成对比，后者表示真实可能性。例如，与 "If it rains, I will stay home"（真实条件）相比，此句型如 "If it rained, I would stay home"（虚拟条件）更强调假设。

横向比较：它与第三类条件句（If + had + 过去分词，would have + 过去分词）不同，后者用于过去假设；与混合条件句相比，此句型更侧重当前或未来。跨语法联系：学生可将此句型与情态动词如 could 或 might 结合（如 "If I were you, I could help"），扩展到更多表达方式，从而建立与虚拟语气或其他情态动词的联系。

在实际应用中，此句型常用于建议或礼貌表达，如在商业或日常对话中。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括：混淆时态，如用现在时代替过去时（例如 "If you hold a party, it would be possible"，应为 "If you held a party"）；或遗漏 would，导致句子不完整。纠正建议：始终记住条件从句用过去式，即使主语是现在情况，并练习主句的 would 结构。另一个常见偏误是与第一类条件句混淆，导致语气不准确。

提供具体例句：

错误示例：If you are holding a party it would be possible.  // 错误：条件从句应使用过去式。
正确示例：If you were holding a party, it would be possible to insure it.  // 正确：使用 were 表示假设。

练习时，注意语调的柔和，以避免听起来太正式或生硬。

练习

一个原创例子：假设你在计划一个旅行，你可以说："If I had more time, I would visit the museum." 这贴近实际场景，如在和朋友讨论假期计划时使用。学生可以替换关键词，例如将 "had more time" 改为 "won the lottery"，变成 "If I won the lottery, I would buy a new car."，或将主句的 would + verb 改为 would + other verb，如 "If it were sunny, I would go hiking."

通过这种替换，学生能加深对句型的掌握，并应用到个人生活场景中，比如计划活动或表达愿望。

额外内容

背景知识：此句型源于英语的虚拟语气，历史可追溯到古英语时期，用于表达礼貌和谦虚。在文化上，英语使用者常通过这种结构避免直接性，例如在英式英语中更常见，以体现间接表达的传统。对比分析：与中文的 "如果…就…" 类似，但英语更强调时态变化（如用过去式表示虚拟），而西班牙语的条件句也类似，需要动词变位，这让英语相对简单。学习此句型能帮助学生更好地处理假设场景，并为更高级的语法如混合条件句铺路，丰富语言表达的灵活性。

关键句型 "The + comparative, the + comparative"

定义

此句型用于表达两种事物之间的相互比较，强调一个变化会导致另一个变化，结构为：The + 比较级短语，后跟 the + 另一个比较级短语。例如，文章中的 "The bigger the risk an insurance company takes, the higher the premium you will have to pay." 根据《牛津现代英语语法》，这种句型突出比例关系，常用于描述因果联系或趋势。它简洁有力，帮助学习者表达动态比较。

此句型在英语中常用于讨论影响因素或结果。

用法

此句型主要用于表示正比或反比关系，常见于解释、建议或分析中。规则：第一个 the + 比较级（如 the bigger）后跟逗号和第二个 the + 比较级（如 the higher），两者通常用 and 连接变量。语法体系中，它属于比较结构的一部分，与简单比较级（如 bigger than）不同，更强调相互依赖。在位置上，它常独立成句或嵌入段落。

横向比较：与简单比较句（如 "This is bigger than that"）相比，此句型更复杂，因为它显示动态关系；与 as...as 结构（如 "as big as"）相比，它不用于等量比较，而是强调变化程度。跨语法联系：学生可将其与形容词比较级或副词比较级结合（如 the more you study, the better you get），并扩展到其他语法点，如条件句（例如结合 if 表达更复杂的场景）。这有助于建立从基本比较到高级表达的联系。

在实际场景中，此句型常用于商业、科学或日常讨论。

注意事项

学生常犯错误包括：忘记使用 the（例如说 "Bigger the risk, higher the premium"，这不完整）；或 misuse 比较级形式，如用原级代替（如 "The big the risk"）。纠正建议：始终用 the + 比较级结构，并确保两个部分平行。另一个偏误是结构不平衡，如一个部分太长或不对应，建议练习对称句子。

提供具体例句：

错误示例：The risk is big, the premium you pay high.  // 错误：缺少 the + 比较级结构。
正确示例：The more you exercise, the healthier you will be.  // 正确：清晰的相互比较。

注意事项还包括避免在非正式场合 overuse，以保持自然流畅。

练习

一个原创例子：谈论学习效果时可以说："The more books you read, the better your vocabulary will become." 这贴近实际，如在学校讨论中应用。学生可以替换关键词，例如将 "more books" 改为 "harder you work"，变成 "The harder you work, the more success you will achieve."，或调整为其他场景，如 "The later you stay up, the more tired you will feel."

通过替换，学生能将句型应用到健康、工作或学习等生活领域，加深实际掌握。

额外内容

背景知识：此句型起源于古英语的比较表达，现代英语中常用于强调因果链条，如在经济学或科学讨论中。在文化背景上，它反映了英语的逻辑性强特点。对比分析：与法语的类似结构（如 plus... plus...）相比，英语版更简洁，不需额外连接词；中文的 "越…越…" 表达类似，但英语强调语法平行性。额外学习此句型能提升学生的分析能力，并与高级话题如趋势预测结合，拓宽语言视野。