Mutilated ladies

原文

Has it ever happened to you? Have you ever put your trousers in the washing machine and then remembered there was a large bank note in your back pocket? When you rescued your trousers, did note in your back pocket? When you rescued your trousers, did you find the note was whiter than white? People who live in Britain needn't despair when they made mistakes like this (and a lot of people do)! Fortunately for them, the Bank of England has a team called Mutilated Ladies which deals with claims from people who fed their money to a machine or to their dog. Dogs, it seems, love to chew up money!

A recent case concerns Jane Butlin whose fiancé, John, runs a successful furniture business. John had very good day and put his wallet containing $3,000 into the microwave oven for safekeeping. Then he and Jane went horse-riding. When they got home, Jane cooked their dinner in the microwave oven and without realizing it, cooked her fiancé's wallet as well. Imagine their dismay when they found a beautifully-cooked wallet and notes turned to ash! John went to see his bank manager who sent the remains of wallet and the money to the special department of the Bank of England in Newcastle: the Mutilate Ladies! They examined the remain and John got all his money back. 'So long as there's something to identify, we will give people their money back,' said a spokeswoman for the Bank. 'Last year, we paid $1.5m on 21,000 claims. Damaged bank notes. The Queen's head appears on English bank notes, and 'lady' refers to this.

译文

你有过这样的经历吗?你是否曾经把裤子放进洗衣机,然后突然想起后兜里有一张大钞票?当你抢救裤子时,你发现那张钞票变得比白还白了吗?住在英国的人遇到这样的失误不必绝望(许多人都会犯这样的错)!幸运的是,英格兰银行有一个名为“Mutilated Ladies”的团队,专门处理那些把钱误喂给机器或狗的人的索赔要求。狗似乎特别喜欢嚼碎钞票!

最近的一个案例涉及简·巴特林,她的未婚夫约翰经营着一项成功的家具生意。那天约翰运气极好,便把装有3,000美元的钱包放进微波炉里保管。随后,他和简去骑马了。回家后,简在微波炉里做晚饭,却不知不觉地把未婚夫的钱包也一起“烹饪”了。想象一下他们发现那只烤得完美无缺的钱包和化为灰烬的钞票时的沮丧!约翰去找银行经理,后者把钱包残骸和钞票送到英格兰银行纽卡斯尔分部的特别部门:Mutilated Ladies!他们检查了残留物,最终约翰拿回了全部钱款。银行的一位女发言人说:“只要有可辨认的特征,我们就会把钱归还给人们。去年,我们处理了21,000宗索赔,共支付了150万美元的损坏钞票赔偿。英国钞票上印有女王头像,而‘lady’即指此。”

词汇表

trousers

名词
英:/ˈtraʊzəz/
美:/ˈtraʊzərz/
定义
1. 裤子 - A garment covering the body from the waist to the ankles, with separate parts for each leg.

例子: He hung his trousers on the chair before going to bed.

例子: These trousers are made of comfortable cotton material.

近义词
pants: 在美国英语中更常用,指同类服装,但在英国英语中可能指内裤,与 'trousers' 不同。
slacks: 更正式或休闲的表达,常指宽松的裤子,而 'trousers' 更通用。
breeches: 更旧式或特定语境(如骑马时)使用,指及膝裤子,与 'trousers' 的长度不同。
反义词:
skirt, dress, shorts
用法
常用于描述男士或女士的裤子,常见搭配如 'pair of trousers',在正式语境中更常见于英国英语。
形式:
复数: trousers (不可数,总是复数形式)

关键句型 "Have you ever + past participle?"

定义

此句型是现在完成时的疑问形式,用于询问某人是否有过某种经历或经验。结构为:Have/Has you ever + 过去分词(past participle),其中 ever 表示“曾经”或“是否曾经”。根据《剑桥英语语法》教材,这种句型强调从过去到现在的一种经历,而非具体时间点。它常用于对话中,帮助表达好奇或分享故事。

例如,在文章中,“Has it ever happened to you?” 就使用了这个句型来提问读者的个人经历。

用法

此句型主要用于询问一生中的经历,常出现在非正式对话、访谈或故事开头。规则:以 HaveHas 开头(根据主语单复数),后接 you ever 和动词的过去分词。它的位置在语法体系中属于现在完成时的一部分,常与表示不具体时间的副词如 evernever 结合。

横向比较:与简单过去时(如 "Did you ever go?")相比,此句型强调结果或影响延续到现在,而简单过去时更关注过去具体事件;与一般现在时(如 "Do you go?")相比,它聚焦于过去的经历对现在的影响,建立起时间概念的联系。同时,与其他疑问句如 "Have you + past participle?"(不带 ever)相比,添加 ever 加强了普遍性的询问,类似于 "Did you + verb?" 但后者更具体。

跨语法点联系:它可以扩展到肯定句形式(如 "I have ever seen..." 错误,应为 "I have seen..."),并与过去分词相关联,帮助学生理解动词的变形。

注意事项

学生常犯的错误包括:误用动词形式,如用动词原形代替过去分词(例如 "Have you ever go?" 应为 "Have you ever gone?");或忘记 ever,导致句意不完整(例如 "Have you happened?")。纠正建议:练习时,确保动词正确变形,并记住 ever 用于加强“曾经”的含义。另外,学生可能混淆主语与助动词的搭配,如用 "Has you ever" 代替 "Have you ever";提供例句帮助区分。

错误示例:Have you ever put your trousers in the machine? (正确,但如果说 Have you ever puts? 就是错误)
正确示例:Have you ever forgotten something important in your pocket?

另一个常见偏误是将其与将来时混淆,建议通过上下文练习避免。

练习

原创例子:假设你在和朋友聊天,你可以说:“Have you ever lost your wallet while traveling?” 学生可以替换过去分词,如 “Have you ever broken your phone?” 或改变主语为 “Has your friend ever tried exotic food?” 这能帮助学生在日常对话中应用句型,例如在聚会上询问他人经历。

通过替换关键词,学生可以创建自己的故事,比如 “Have you ever ridden a horse?” 基于文章中的马术场景,从而加深对句型的掌握和灵活使用。

额外内容

背景知识:这个句型起源于英语中对个人经历的强调,在现代英语对话中非常常见,尤其在英美文化中用于破冰或分享轶事。对比分析:与中文的“您曾经……吗?”类似,但英语通过助动词和过去分词构建结构,更注重时态的精确性。与法语的 "Avez-vous déjà + past participle?" 相似,都用于询问经历,但英语版本更简洁,无需性别或数的变化。这能丰富学生的跨文化理解,并鼓励他们在旅行或社交中自然使用。