(单词翻译:单击)
课文
Lesson 54 Instinct or cleverness 是本能还是机智
Listen to the tape then answer the question below.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
Was the writer successful in protecting his peach tree? Why not?
We have been brought up to fear insects. We regard them as unnecessary creatures that do more harm than good. We continually wage war on them, for they contaminate our food, carry diseases, or devour our crops. They sting or bite without provocation; they fly uninvited into our rooms on summer nights, or beat against our lighted windows. We live in dread not only of unpleasant insects like spiders or wasps, but of quite harmless one like moths. Reading about them increases our understanding without dispelling our fears. Knowing that the industrious ant lives in a highly organized society does nothing to prevent us from being filled with revulsion when we find hordes of them crawling over a carefully prepared picnic lunch. No matter how much we like honey, or how much we have read about the uncanny sense of direction which bees possess, we have a horror of being stung. Most of our fears are unreasonable, but they are impossible to erase. At the same time, however, insects are strangely fascinating. We enjoy reading about them, especially when we find that, like the praying mantis, they lead perfectly horrible lives. We enjoy staring at them, entranced as they go about their business, unaware (we hope) of our presence. Who has not stood in awe at the sight of a spider pouncing on a fly, or a column of ants triumphantly bearing home an enormous dead beetle?
Last summer I spent days in the garden watching thousands of ants crawling up the trunk of my prize peach tree. The tree has grown against a warm wall on a sheltered side of the house. I am especially proud of it, not only because it has survived several severe winters, but because it occasionally produces luscious peaches. During the summer, I noticed that the leaves of the tree were beginning to wither. Clusters of tin insects called aphids were to be found on the underside of the leaves. They were visited by a large colony of ants which obtained a sort of honey from them. I immediately embarked on an experiment which, even though if failed to get rid of the ants, kept me fascinated for twenty-four hours. I bound the base of the tree with sticky tape, making it impossible for the ants to reach the aphids. The tape was so stick that they did not dare to cross it. For a long time. I watched them scurrying around the base of the tree in bewilderment. I even went out at midnight with a torch and noted with satisfaction (and surprise) that the ants were still swarming around the sticky tape without being able to do anything about it. I got up early next morning hoping to find that the ants had given up in despair. Instead, I saw that they had discovered a new route. They were climbing up the wall of the house and then on to the leaves of the tree. I realized sadly that I had been completely defeated by their ingenuity. The ants had been quick to find an answer to my thoroughly unscientific methods!
参考译文
【参考译文】
我们自幼就在对昆虫的惧怕中长大。我们把昆虫当作害多益少的无用东西。人类不断同昆虫斗争，因为昆虫弄脏我们的食物，传播疾病，吞噬庄稼。它们无缘无故地又叮又咬；夏天的晚上，它们未经邀请便飞到我们房间里，或者对着露出亮光的窗户乱扑乱撞。我们在日常生活中，不但憎恶如蜘蛛、黄蜂之类令人讨厌的昆虫，而且憎恶并无大害的飞蛾等。阅读有关昆虫的书能增加我们对它们的了解，却不能消除我们的恐惧的心理。即使知道勤奋的蚂蚁生活具有高度组织性的社会里，当看到大群蚂蚁在我们精心准备的午间野餐上爬行时，我们也无法抑制对它们的反感。不管我们多么爱吃蜂蜜，或读过多少关于蜜蜂具有神秘的识别方向的灵感的书，我们仍然十分害怕被蜂蜇。我们的恐惧大部分是没有道理的，但去无法消除。同时，不知为什么昆虫又是迷人的。我们喜欢看有关昆虫的书，尤其是当我们了解螳螂等过着一种令人生畏的生活时，就更加爱读有关昆虫的书了。我们喜欢入迷地看它们做事，它们不知道（但愿如此）我们就在它们身边。当看到蜘蛛扑向一只苍蝇时，一队蚂蚁抬着一只巨大的死甲虫凯旋归时，谁能不感到敬畏呢？
去年夏天，我花了好几天时间站在花园里观察成千只蚂蚁爬上我那棵心爱的桃树的树干。那棵树是靠着房子有遮挡的一面暖墙生长的。我为这棵树感到特别自豪，不仅因为它度过了几个寒冬终于活了下来，而且还因为它有时结出些甘甜的桃子来。到了夏天，我发现树叶开始枯萎，结果在树叶背面找到成串的叫作蚜虫小虫子。蚜虫遭到一窝蚂蚁的攻击，蚂蚁从它们身上可以获得一种蜜。我当即动手作了一项试验，这项试验尽管没有使我摆脱这些蚂蚁，却使我着迷了24小时。我用一条胶带把桃树底部包上，不让蚂蚁接近蚜虫。胶带极粘，蚂蚁不敢从上面爬过。在很长一段时间里，我看见蚂蚁围着大树底部来回转悠，不知所措。半夜，我还拿着电筒来到花园里，满意地（同时惊奇地）发现那些蚂蚁还围着胶带团团转。无能为力。第二天早上，我起床后希望看见蚂蚁已因无望而放弃了尝试，结果却发现它们又找到一条新的路径。它们正在顺着房子的外墙往上爬，然后爬上树叶。我懊丧地感到败在了足智多谋的蚂蚁的手下。蚂蚁已很快找到了相应的对策，来对付我那套完全不科学的办法！
词汇讲解
1.insect n.昆虫
2.wage v.进行（斗争）
例句：Doctors wage war against disease.
医生与疾病作斗争。
3.contaminate v.弄脏
例句：The river was contaminated with waste from the factory.
这条河被工厂排出的废料污染了。
4.provocation n.惹怒
例句：Their insulting remarks were a provocation.
他们侮辱人的话使人愤怒。
5.spider n.蜘蛛
6.wasp n.黄蜂
7.moth n.飞蛾
8.ant n.蚂蚁
9.revulsion n.厌恶
例句：We looked away in revulsion from the scene of the accident.
我们嫌恶心，转移视线不看事故现场。
10.horde n.群
11.uncanny adj. 神秘的，不可思议的
例句：He told us mant uncanny stories.
他给我们将了不少离奇的故事。
12.erase v.擦，抹去
例句：Jim tried to erase the idea from his mind.
吉姆努力忘掉这一念头。
13.praying mantis 螳螂
14.entranced adj. 出神的
例句：He stood entranced at the wonderful sight.
他着述奇异的景象，出神地伫立在那。
15.beetle n.甲虫
16.sheltered adj. 伤不着的，无危险的
例句：The cottage is in a sheltered valley.
小屋坐落在避风的山谷中。
17.luscious adj. 甘美的
例句：I like the luscious taste of ripe peaches.
我喜欢熟桃的香甜味。
18.cluster n. 一簇
19.aphid n.蚜虫
20.underside n.底面，下侧
21.colony n.一群
22.sticky adj. 粘的
例句：The back of a stamp gets sticky when it's wet.
邮票的背面湿了就会发粘。?
23.scurry v.小步跑
24.swarm v.聚集
例句：The students swarmed towards the playground.
学生们一窝蜂似地奔向操场。
25.ingenuity n.机灵
课文讲解
1.We have been brought up to fear insects.
参考翻译：我们自幼就在对昆虫的惧怕中长大。
讲解：bring up教育,培养,提出
例句：She has Brought up three children.
她养育了三个孩子。
bring up a topic for discussion.
提出一个讨论的话题。
What has made her bring up?
她怎么会呕吐的？
2.We regard them as unnecessary creatures that do more harm than good.
参考翻译：我们把昆虫当作害多益少的无用东西。
讲解：do good有益,有效,有好处;做好事;有用
例句：Saving electricity does some good for the environment.
省电对环保有益。
3.Knowing that the industrious ant lives in a highly organized society does nothing to prevent us from being filled with revulsion when we find hordes of them crawling over a carefully prepared picnic lunch.
参考翻译：即使知道勤奋的蚂蚁生活具有高度组织性的社会里，当看到大群蚂蚁在我们精心准备的午间野餐上爬行时，我们也无法抑制对它们的反感。
讲解：prevent sb from doing sth
prevent...from,keep...from还有stop。。。from 这三个句式的意义都是：阻止……做……或阻止某事的发生，而protect...from是表示保护……不受伤害
prevent...from 和stop……from 用在主动语态中from可以省略。
keep...from在表示此意时，from不可以省略。keep。。。doing 是使。。。处在。。。状态中的意思。
prevent...from,keep...from还有stop。。。from 这三个句式中from后面的动词与from前面的词构成动宾关系时，后面用动名词的被动形式。
We must prevent the water from being polluted.
我们必须防止水被污染。
What stopped him from coming here?
是什么阻止他来这里的呢？
The heavy rain kept us from coming on time.
大雨使我们没能及时到达。
be filled with充满着
She was filled with elation when her daughter was born.
她女儿出生时她十分欢喜。
4.No matter how much we like honey, or how much we have read about the uncanny sense of direction which bees possess, we have a horror of being stung.
参考翻译：不管我们多么爱吃蜂蜜，或读过多少关于蜜蜂具有神秘的识别方向的灵感的书，我们仍然十分害怕被蜂蜇。
讲解：no matter how
However和no matter how同义，都表示无论如何的意思，又都引导让步状语从句，但它们的修辞意味和使用场合有所不同。
However是比较正式的用语，大都用于书面语，口语中较少使用；no matter how则比较口语化，它的语势比however重，故常用在强调的场合。请看下面的例句：
The task must be done，however arduous it may be．
无论多么艰难，这个任务一定要完成。
（试比较一般句：The task must be done though it is arduous．）
I'll take your words，no matter how harsh they may be．
无论语气多么难听，我还是听你的话的。
（试比较一般句：Although your words are harsh，I'll take them．）
However有时可表达然而、可是之意，出现于句中或句尾。例：
They said that it was so；they were mistaken，however．
他们说事情就是如此，可是他们错了。
与之类似区别的词语很多，例如whatever/no matter what、whenever/no matter when、wherever/no matter where、whichever/no matter which、whoever/no matter who。
5.We enjoy staring at them, entranced as they go about their business, unaware (we hope) of our presence.
参考翻译：我们喜欢入迷地看它们做事，它们不知道（但愿如此）我们就在它们身边。
讲解：stare at凝视,盯住
例句：He stared fixedly at the woman in white.
他一直凝视着那穿白衣裳的女人。
unaware of没觉察到;没注意
例句：He was unaware of her accomplishments.
他不知道她的才能。
6.I am especially proud of it, not only because it has survived several severe winters, but because it occasionally produces luscious peaches.
参考翻译：我为这棵树感到特别自豪，不仅因为它度过了几个寒冬终于活了下来，而且还因为它有时结出些甘甜的桃子来。
讲解：be proud of对…感到骄傲,以…为荣
例句：It seems Nancy is very proud of her people.
似乎南茜为她的民族感到非常自豪。
take pride in以...为傲
例句：People take great pride in getting to that peak.
人们以能登上这座山峰而感到自豪。
7.I immediately embarked on an experiment which, even though if failed to get rid of the ants, kept me fascinated for twenty-four hours.
参考翻译：我当即动手作了一项试验，这项试验尽管没有使我摆脱这些蚂蚁，却使我着迷了24小时。
讲解：embark on开始,从事,着手…
例句：They have embarked on another new adventure.
他们又着手开始一项新的冒险。
get rid of摆脱,除掉,扔掉,干掉,消灭
例句：We'll have to get rid of him he never does a stroke.
我们得把他弄走--他什么活儿都不干。
经典句子
1.We havebeen brought up to fear insects.
我们自幼就在对昆虫的惧怕中长大。
2.We regardthem as unnecessary creatures that do more harm than good.
我们把昆虫当作害多益少的无用东西。
3.We live in dread not only of unpleasant insects like spiders or wasps, but of quite harmless ones like moths.
我们在日常生活中，不但憎恶如蜘蛛、黄蜂之类令人讨厌的昆虫，而且憎恶并无大害的飞蛾等。
4.Knowing that theindustrious ant lives in a highly organized society doesnothing to prevent us from being filled withrevulsion when we find hordes of them crawling over a carefully prepared picniclunch.
即使知道勤奋的蚂蚁生活具有高度组织性的社会里，当看到大群蚂蚁在我们精心准备的午间野餐上爬行时，我们也无法抑制对它们的反感。
5.We enjoy staring at them, entranced as they go abouttheir business, unaware (we hope) ofour presence.
我们喜欢入迷地看它们做事，它们不知道（但愿如此）我们就在它们身边。
6.Who has notstood in awe ate the sight of a spider pouncing on afly, or a column of ants triumphantly bearing home an enormous dead beetle?
当看到蜘蛛扑向一只苍蝇时，一队蚂蚁抬着一只巨大的死甲虫凯旋归时，谁能不感到敬畏呢？
