Our neighbour,the river

原文

The river which forms the eastern boundary of our farm has always played an important part in our lives. Without it we could not make a living. There is only enough spring water to supply the needs of the houses, so we have to pump from the river for farm use. We tell river all our secrets. We know instinctively, just as beekeepers with their bees, that misfortune might overtake us if the important events of our lives were not related to it.

We have special river birthday parties in the summer. Sometimes were go upstream to a favourite backwater, sometimes we have our party at the boathouse, which a predecessor of ours at the farm built in the meadow hard by the deepest pool for swimming and diving. In a heat wave we choose a midnight birthday party and that is the most exciting of all. We welcome the seasons by the riverside, crowning the youngest girl with flowers in the spring, holding a summer festival on Midsummer Eve, giving thanks for the harvest in the autumn, and throwing a holy wreath into the current in the winter.

After a long period of rain the river may overflow its banks. This is a rare occurrence as our climate seldom guest to extremes. We are lucky in that only the lower fields, which make up a very small proportion of our farm, are effected by flooding, but other farms are less favorably sited, and flooding can sometimes spell disaster for their owners.

One had winter we watched the river creep up the lower meadows. All the cattle had been moved into stalls and we stood to lose little. We were, however, worried about our nearest neighbors, whose farm was low lying and who were newcomers to the district. As the floods had put the telephone out of order, we could not find out how they were managing. From an attic window we could get a sweeping view of the river where their land joined ours, and at the most critical juncture we took turns in watching that point. The first sign of disaster was a dead sheep floating down. Next came a horse, swimming bravely, but we were afraid that the strength of the current would prevent its landing anywhere before it became exhausted. Suddenly a raft appeared, looking rather like Noah's ark, carrying the whole family, a few hens, the dogs, cat, and bird in a cage. We realized that they must have become unduly frightened by the rising flood, for their house, which had sound foundations, would have stood stoutly even if it had been almost submerged. The men of our family waded down through our flooded meadows with boathooks, in the hope of being able to grapple a corner of the raft and pull it out of the current towards our bank. We still think it a miracle that they we able to do so.

译文

这条形成我们农场东边边界的河流，在我们的生活中一直扮演着重要的角色。没有它，我们就无法维持生计。只有足够的泉水供应房屋的需要，所以我们不得不从河里抽水用于农场。我们向河流倾诉我们所有的秘密。我们本能地知道，就像养蜂人对待他们的蜜蜂一样，如果我们生活中的重要事件不与它相关联，灾难就可能降临到我们头上。

我们在夏天举行特别的河边生日派对。有时我们逆流而上到一处最喜爱的死水湾，有时我们在船棚里举办派对，那船棚是我们农场的前任在草地深处，为游泳和跳水的最深水潭旁建造的。在热浪中，我们选择午夜生日派对，那是最令人兴奋的。我们在河边迎接季节：在春天，给最年轻的女孩戴上花冠；在仲夏夜举行夏季节日；在秋天，为丰收表示感谢；在冬天，向河水投掷圣花环。

经过长时间的降雨，河流可能 overflow its banks。这是一种罕见的情况，因为我们的气候很少极端。我们很幸运，只有下方的田地——它们只占我们农场很小一部分——会受到洪水的影响，但其他农场位置不佳，洪水有时会给它们的主人带来灾难。

在一个严冬，我们看着河流慢慢漫上下方的草地。所有的牛都已转移到牛棚，我们几乎没有损失。然而，我们担心最近的邻居，他们的农场地势低洼，而且是这个地区的 newcomers。由于洪水使电话中断，我们无法得知他们的情况。从阁楼窗户，我们可以一览无余地看到河流与他们土地接壤的地方，在最关键的时刻，我们轮流监视那一点。灾难的第一个迹象是一只死羊漂下来。接着是一匹马，勇敢地游泳，但我们担心水流的强度会让它在精疲力尽前无法上岸。突然，一只筏子出现了，看起来颇像诺亚方舟，载着全家、一只母鸡、狗、猫和关在笼子里的鸟。我们意识到，他们一定是由于洪水上涨而过度恐慌，因为他们的房子地基坚固，即使几乎被淹没，也能屹立不倒。我们家的男人们趟过被洪水淹没的草地，手持船钩，希望能钩住筏子的一角，将它从水流中拉向我们的河岸。我们仍然认为他们能做到这一点是个奇迹。

词汇表

river

名词

英:/ˈrɪvə/

美:/ˈrɪvɚ/

定义

1. 河流 - A large natural stream of water flowing in a channel to the sea, a lake, or another river.

例子: The river provides water for the entire farm.

例子: We often swim in the river during the summer.

近义词

stream: 通常指较小的水流，常用于较窄的河流，与 'river' 的规模相比更小且更诗意。

brook: 特指小溪或细流，常用于乡村或自然描述，比 'river' 更强调宁静和规模小。

creek: 常用于北美英语，指较小的河流或支流，与 'river' 相比更局限于沿海或山地区域。

反义词:

desert, ocean, lake

用法

常用于地理、自然和日常描述中，强调水源的重要性；在文化语境中，可能涉及河流对社区生活的象征意义。

形式:

复数: rivers

关键句型 "The [noun] which [clause]"

定义

此句型用于描述名词的细节，通过 which 引导一个定语从句，连接主句和额外信息。结构为：The + [noun]（名词） + which + [clause]（从句）。例如，文章中的 "The river which forms the eastern boundary of our farm"。根据《剑桥英语语法》教材，这种句型是英语中常见的关系从句形式，帮助添加描述性细节，使句子更丰富和精确。

它常用于正式或叙述性写作，让学习者能生动地扩展句子。

用法

此句型主要用于定义或修饰前面的名词，which 通常指代事物而非人（与 who 不同）。使用场景包括描述物体、地点或事件，如在故事或说明文中。

在语法体系中，它属于从句类型，具体是定语从句，位置在名词后。规则：which 后跟完整的从句，包括主语和谓语。横向比较：与 that 引导的从句相比，which 更正式，常用于非限制性从句（添加额外信息），而 that 多用于限制性从句（定义名词）。例如，与 "The book that I read" 相比，"The book which I read" 语气更正式；与简单句如 "The river forms the boundary" 相比，此句型添加了更多细节，但需注意不使句子过长。

跨语法联系：它与主从复合句相关，学生可联系其他从句如时间从句（e.g., "when I arrived"）来理解从句在句子中的作用。

注意事项

学生常犯的错误包括：误用 which 代替 who（如在描述人时说 "The man which"，应为 "The man who"）；或忘记从句的完整性，导致句子不完整（e.g., "The river which forms" 而缺少谓语）。纠正建议：练习时，确保 which 从句有自己的主语和动词，并用逗号隔开非限制性从句。

另一个常见偏误是句型混乱，如将 which 置于错误位置或遗漏主句。提供例句：

错误示例：The farm which is ours has a river forms the boundary.  // 缺少正确结构
正确示例：The farm which we own has a river that forms the boundary.  // 更精确使用

练习

原创例子：基于文章，学生可以说：“The house which we live in is near the river.” 他们可以替换 [noun] 为 "The car which I drive"，或 [clause] 为 "which is very old"，在日常对话中练习，如描述朋友：“The friend which I met yesterday is helpful.”

这种替换能帮助学生在叙述个人经历时自然应用句型，增强自信。

额外内容

背景知识：定语从句起源于古英语的复杂句式，现代英语中广泛用于文学和新闻，以增加描述性。对比分析：与中文的定语结构（如 "形成东部边界的河流"）类似，但英语使用 which 使句子更灵活；与法语的 "qui" 相比，英语的 which 不改变形式，易于初学者掌握。这能丰富学生对英语叙述的理解，促进跨文化表达。

关键句型 "If [clause], [main clause]"

定义

此句型用于表达假设或条件结果，结构为：If + [clause]（条件从句） + , + [main clause]（主句）。例如，文章中的 "if the important events of our lives were not related to it"。根据《牛津英语语法》教材，它是条件句的典型形式，常用于讨论可能或虚拟情景，帮助学习者探讨因果关系。

它在英语中很常见，用于预测或建议。

用法

此句型常用于日常对话、故事或建议中，表示如果条件成立，主句会发生。规则：条件从句通常用过去时或助动词，位置在句首或句中。横向比较：与 "Unless [clause]"（除非）相比，If 更直接表达条件；与 "When [clause]" 相比，If 强调不确定性，而 When 假设必然发生。例如，与 "We might have problems when it rains" 相比，"If it rains, we might have problems" 突出条件性。

在语法体系中，它属于条件句类型，学生可联系情态动词（如 might）来构建更复杂的句子。跨语法联系：它与虚拟语气相关，如在假设情景中使用过去时（e.g., "If I were rich"），并可扩展到其他句型如 "Even if [clause]"。

注意事项

学生易犯错误包括：时态不一致，如用现在时在从句中（e.g., "If I go, I will" 应为 "If I went, I would" 在虚拟中）；或主句和从句倒置。纠正建议：记住不同类型条件句的时态，如第一类（真实）用现在时，第二类（虚拟）用过去时，并练习简单例句。

常见偏误是遗漏逗号或混淆 if 与 whether。提供例句：

错误示例：If we not related, misfortune overtake us.  // 缺少完整从句和动词
正确示例：If we do not relate the events, misfortune might overtake us.

练习

原创例子：用文章灵感，学生可以说：“If the river overflows, we might lose our crops.” 他们可以替换 [clause] 为 "If it rains heavily"，或 [main clause] 为 "we will evacuate"，在模拟对话中练习，如计划旅行：“If it snows, we will stay home.”

替换能让学生在实际情境中应用，强化理解。

额外内容

背景知识：条件句在英语中源于古英语的假设表达，常见于文学如莎士比亚作品。对比分析：与西班牙语的 "si" 句型类似，但英语更强调时态变化；与中文的 "如果" 相比，英语需注意虚拟语气。这有助于学生在全球语境中自信使用条件句，提升批判性思维。