Bird flight

原文

No two sorts of birds practise quite the same sort of flight; the varieties are infinite; but two classes may be roughly seen. Any shi that crosses the Pacific is accompanied for many days by the smaller albatross, Which may keep company with the vessel for an hour without visible or more than occasional movement of wing. The currents of air that the walls of the ship direct upwards, as well as in the line of its course, are enough to give the great bird with its immense wings sufficient sustenance and progress. The albatross is the king of the gliders, the class of fliers which harness the air to their purpose, but must yield to its opposition. In the contrary school, the duck is supreme. It comes nearer to the engines with which man has 'conquered' the air, as he boasts. Duck, and like them the pigeons, are endowed with such-like muscles, that are a good part of the weight of the bird, and these will ply the short wings with such irresistible power that they can bore for long distances through an opposing gale before exhaustion follows. Their humbler followers, such as partridges, have a like power of strong propulsion, but soon tire. You may pick them up in utter exhaustion, if wind over the sea has driven them to a long journey. The swallow shares the virtues of both schools in highest measure. It tires not, nor does it boast of its power; but belongs to the air, travelling it may be six thousand miles to and from its northern nesting home, feeding its flown young as it flies, and slipping through we no longer take omens from their flight on this side and that; and even the most superstitious villagers no longer take off their hats to the magpie and wish it good-morning.

--WILLIAM BEACH THOMAS A Countryman's Creed--

译文

没有两种鸟类采用完全相同的飞行方式；品种繁多，但大致可分为两大类。任何横跨太平洋的船只，都会伴随许多天的小型信天翁，它可能陪伴船只一小时而不需明显或多于偶尔的翅膀运动。船壁引导向上的气流，以及沿航向的气流，足以为这只拥有巨大翅膀的巨鸟提供足够的动力和前进。信天翁是滑翔鸟之王，这种飞行者利用气流达到目的，但必须屈服于气流的阻力。在相反的一类中，鸭子是至尊。它更接近于人类自夸“征服”空中的引擎。鸭子以及像鸽子这样的鸟类，拥有占鸟类体重很大比例的肌肉，这些肌肉能以不可抗拒的力量驱动短翅膀，在逆风中飞行长距离直到精疲力尽。它们较为 humble 的追随者，如鹧鸪，具有相似的强大推进力，但很快就会疲倦。如果你海上风将它们驱赶到长途旅行，你可能会发现它们完全精疲力尽。燕子集两种飞行方式之大成。它从不疲倦，也不炫耀其力量；它属于天空，或许飞行六千英里往返于其北方筑巢的家园，一边飞行一边喂养已离巢的幼鸟，滑翔在空中；我们不再从鸟类的飞行方向取兆；即使是最迷信的村民也不再向喜鹊脱帽问好。

--WILLIAM BEACH THOMAS A Countryman's Creed--

词汇表

albatross

名词

英:/ˈæl.bə.trɒs/

美:/ˈæl.bə.trɑːs/

定义

1. 信天翁（一种大型海鸟） - A large seabird with long wings, known for its gliding flight over oceans.

例子: The albatross followed the ship for miles without flapping its wings.

例子: Sailors often see albatrosses during long voyages across the ocean.

2. 负担或沉重包袱 - A burden or source of worry that is difficult to escape (figurative use).

例子: The debt became an albatross around his neck, preventing him from moving forward.

例子: For the team, the loss was an albatross that affected their confidence.

近义词

seabird: 更泛指海洋鸟类，不限于信天翁，常用在一般描述中。

wandering albatross: 特指信天翁的一个品种，强调其迁徙特性，与一般albatross相比更具体。

petrel: 类似的海鸟，但通常体型较小，且更活跃于风暴中，与albatross的优雅滑翔不同。

反义词:

landbird, inland species, non-migratory bird

用法

常用于描述海洋生物或比喻沉重负担，在自然科学或文学语境中出现；文化背景中，albatross在航海传说中象征好运或厄运。

形式:

复数: albatrosses

关键句型 "Relative clauses (e.g., 'that crosses the Pacific')"

定义

相对从句是一种用来修饰名词的从句，通常以 that、which 或 who 开头，将额外信息添加到主句中。根据《剑桥英语语法指南》，结构为：主句 + that/which + 从句，其中 that 用于物，which 也用于物但更正式。举例来说，在文章中的 "Any ship that crosses the Pacific"，that crosses the Pacific 修饰 "ship"，提供更多描述。

这种句型帮助句子更连贯，避免重复，适合描述性写作。

用法

相对从句常用于描述事物、人物或事件，提供细节而不需新句子。规则：定义性相对从句（如文章中的例子）不可省略，紧跟被修饰名词；非定义性相对从句用逗号隔开，但文章中多为定义性。

在语法体系中，它属于从句类型，与主从复合句相关。横向比较：与名词短语（如 "the ship crossing the Pacific"）相比，相对从句更灵活，能添加复杂信息；与并列句（如 "The ship crosses the Pacific and is accompanied"）相比，它更简洁节省空间。跨语法联系：学生可将相对从句与定语（如形容词）结合，或与条件从句（如 "if" 从句）对比，突出如何在复杂句中构建逻辑。

例如，在描述性文章中，如鸟类飞行，相对从句帮助连接细节，使叙述流畅。

注意事项

学生易犯错误包括：误用 that 和 which（例如，用 which 修饰人而非物，应为 who）；或省略必要从句，导致句子不完整，如 "Any ship crosses the Pacific is accompanied"（错误，应加 that）。纠正建议：练习时，确保从句紧跟名词，并检查是否可省略（如在非正式英语中，that 可省，但初学者应保留）。

另一个常见偏误是逗号使用不当，非定义性从句需加逗号（如 "The albatross, which is large, flies far"），而定义性从句不加。

错误示例：The bird which flies is the one we saw, that has immense wings.
正确示例：The bird that flies has immense wings, as in the albatross which may keep company with the vessel.

练习

原创例子：假设描述鸟类，学生可以说："The swallow that travels six thousand miles is amazing." 他们可替换关键词，如将 "swallow" 换成 "duck"，变成 "The duck that bores through gales is strong." 这能帮助在实际场景中，如写自然文章时，应用句型。

通过替换，学生能探索不同语境，如旅游日记："The city that I visited last year was beautiful."

额外内容

背景知识：相对从句起源于古英语的从句结构，在现代英语中演变为连接词工具，常见于文学如文章所示。对比分析：与中文的定语（如 "穿越太平洋的船"）类似，但英语需使用连接词，增加了灵活性；与法语的相对从句相比，英语更简单，无需性别或数一致。了解此点能丰富学生对英语句法多样性的欣赏。