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

深入解析：关键句型 "If + subject + were + verb-ing, it would be + adjective + to + verb"

定义

这个句型是一种第二类条件句，用于描述现在或未来的假设情况，通常表示不太可能发生的事情。结构为：If + 主语 + were + 动词-ing 形式（表示正在进行的动作），后跟主句 it would be + 形容词 + to + 动词。举例来说，在文章中如 "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." 这个句型强调一种虚拟的条件和结果。根据权威教材如《新概念英语》，这种结构常用于表达假设，帮助学习者理解虚拟语气在条件句中的应用。

用法

此句型主要用于讨论假设情景，尤其在表达建议、警告或不现实的可能性时。例如，在日常生活或商业对话中，你可以用它来谈论如果某事发生会怎样。规则是：使用 were 而非 was，即使主语是单数第三人称，以保持正式和虚拟语气；在语法体系中，它属于条件句的第二类，链接到虚拟语气和条件从句。跨语法点联系：它与第一类条件句（如 "If I go, I will see.") 形成对比，强调不确定性；同时，与时间状语（如 "if you were doing something now"）结合，能扩展到更复杂的叙述中，帮助学生从简单条件句过渡到高级表达。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括：将 were 误用为 was，例如说 "If he was holding..."，这会使句子变成叙述过去而非虚拟现在；另一个常见偏误是忽略 would be 的使用，导致句子不完整或改变含义，如直接说 "If you were holding, it is possible."。纠正建议：多练习虚拟语气的固定结构，通过朗读和写作句子来强化记忆；此外，注意在口语中保持一致性，避免在正式写作中随意切换到真实条件句，以免混淆听众或读者。

练习

一个额外的例子："If I were living in a big city, it would be easier to find a job." 通过这个例子，学生可以尝试替换动词和形容词，例如改为 "If you were studying abroad, it would be challenging to adapt."，并在对话中应用，如讨论生活假设。

额外内容

背景知识：这个句型源于英语虚拟语气的发展，常用于文学和正式英语中。对比分析：与第一类条件句的真实性不同，它更侧重于想象，帮助学生理解英语中假设表达的多样性。另外，补充信息：在一些方言或非正式英语中，人们可能简化它，但标准英语中保持原结构能提升表达的精确性，总字数约600字。

深入解析：关键句型 "The + comparative adjective + ..., the + comparative adjective + ..."

定义

这个句型用于表达两种事物之间的比例关系，结构为：The + 比较级形容词 + 从句，the + 另一个比较级形容词 + 从句。例如，文章中的 "The bigger the risk an insurance company takes, the higher the premium you will have to pay." 它定义了因果关系，其中一个变量的变化直接影响另一个。根据权威教材如《新概念英语》，这种句型强调相互依赖的比较，核心含义是展示正比或反比关系。

用法

此句型常用于描述因果联系、趋势或建议，在商业、科学或日常对话中很常见。规则是：使用 the 引导两个并列的从句，每个从句以比较级形容词开头（如 bigger, higher）；在语法体系中，它属于比较结构的子类，链接到形容词的比较级和并列句。跨语法点联系：它与一般比较句（如 "bigger than"）相关，帮助学生从简单比较过渡到复杂表达；还可以与条件句结合，如在假设情景中讨论结果。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括：忘记使用 the 两次，导致句子不完整，例如说 "Bigger the risk, higher the premium"；另一个偏误是错误使用比较级形式，如说 "more big" 而非 bigger。纠正建议：通过记忆常见比较级列表（如 good-better, big-bigger）并练习句子，学生可以避免这些问题；此外，注意语境，确保比例关系逻辑清晰，以免引起误解。

练习

一个额外的例子："The harder you work, the more success you will achieve." 学生可以尝试修改为 "The more you practice, the better your English will become."，并在写作或讨论中应用这个句型。

额外内容

背景知识：这个句型反映了英语中强调因果的表达方式，常用于激励或分析。对比分析：与其他语言的比较结构不同，英语的这个句型更简洁，有助于学生在学习中建立逻辑思维。补充信息：掌握后，学生能更好地处理真实世界的比例关系，如经济或健康话题，总字数约550字。