和我一起攻克新概念四(2)

和我一起攻克新概念四(2) 

 来源:环球雅思网  www.ielts.com.cn  2005-4-14

 
   Why, you may wonder, should spiders be our friends ? Because they destroy so
    many insects, and insects include some of the greatest enemies of the human
    race. Insects would make it impossible for us to live in the world; they would
    devour all our crops and kill our flocks and herds, if it were not for the 
protection we get from insect-eating animals. We owe a lot to the birds and beasts 
    who eat insects but all of them put together kill only a fraction of the number
    destroyed by spiders. Moreover, unlike some of the other insect eaters, spiders 
    never do the least harm to us or our belongings.
    Spiders are not insects, as many people think, nor even nearly related to them.
    One can tell the difference almost at a glance for a spider always has eight legs
    and an insect never more than six.
    How many spiders are engaged in this work on our behalf ? One authority on
spiders made a census of the spiders in a grass field in the south of England, and
    he estimated that there were more than 2,250,000 in one acre, that is something
    like 6,000,000 spiders of different kinds on a football pitch. Spiders are busy for
   at least half the year in killing insects. It is impossible to make more than the
   wildest guess at how many they kill, but they are hungry creatures, not content
   with only three meals a day. It has been estimated that the weight of all the in-
   sects destroyed by spiders in Britain in one year would be greater than the total
weight of all the human beings in the country.
一 重点单词解释：

  1、flock 多用于羊群
the birds of the same feather flock together:物以类聚,人以群分
you are the same flock 你们是一类人
herd 多用于牛群
cow herd : 牛郎 cowboy 牛仔 swarm 一拥而进

  2、owe :
欠你 I owe you ,I owe you a big favor 
oblige indebt appreciate 常用口语词,表感激
grateful thankful 正式用法

  3、he is a beast 他野蛮无比, 不能用 animal
creature 可以指小孩,女人,不用于男性

  4、fraction 分数,小数 a fraction of rice will suffice

  5、I beat you on your behalf 我打你是为了你好=for one's sake / for one's benefits
on behalf of somebody/something=represent 
代表 on behalf of Chinese government 

  6、authorize 批准 
authoritative 权威性的 
authoritarian 独裁的
---tarian 带有这种词缀的都是坏词 dictator 独裁者 dictatorial 独裁的
---authorities 1,权威(可用单数或复数) 2,当局 只能用复数

  7、the fifth nationwide population census 
censor 审查员 censorious 挑剔的,挑刺的 
the girl is very censorious in food

  8、football yard = football court = football field = football pitch 
soccer 英式足球

  9、he is content with status quo 满足于现状 content 做表语,不做定语
contented heart : 心满意足的人

  10、spare me ,spare my life 饶了我吧 
he doesn’t spare himself 这个人非常自律 
spare no efforts to do : 不遗余力做某事


二、课文重点难点分析

 Why, you may wonder, should spiders be our friends ?

  11、why ,you may wonder (插入语)
why,以疑问句开头 (用于写作)
why,you may wonder ,the problem of pollution befalls human beings
why, you may wonder ,one of my friends is so kindhearted 

Because they destroy so many insects, and insects include 
some of the greatest enemies of the humanrace.

  12、destroy 程度要比 damage 重的多,片甲不留,消灭光
greatest enemies = dying enemy =crying enemy =dear enemy =天敌
human race 人的种族,一般不加复数,表一个总称词

Insects would make it impossible for us to live in the world.

  13、possible 和 impossible 永远不要以人开头
likely 可以以人做主语 I am likely to go 

They would devour all our crops and kill our flocks and herds, 
if it were not for the protection we get from insect-eating animals.

  14、devour :狼吞虎咽 devour the food = make a cake of myself
devour the book :贪婪的看这本书
if it were not for 如果这不是因为 =but for 一定是虚拟语气
I would not survive if it were not for his timely help 

We owe a lot to the birds and beasts who eat insects but all of them 
put together kill only a fraction of the number destroyed by spiders. 

  15、owe : 感激,欠 I owe you ,I owe 5 yuan to you 
all of them put together : put together 修饰 all of them
We two put together can match him in weight 

Moreover, unlike some of the other insect eaters, spiders never do
the least harm to us or our belongings.

  16、moreover ?表重要的递进手段 : what’s more = further more

Spiders are not insects, as many people think, nor even nearly related to them.

  17、as many people think : 正如人们认为一样 as=spiders are not insects

One can tell the difference almost at a glance for a spider always has 
eight legs and an insect never more than six.

  18、tell :区别,区分
glance ---看得全
glimpse :稍微一瞥,看不全 
take glimpse of ,take a glance

How many spiders are engaged in this work on our behalf ?

  19、are engaged in :从事 the line is engaged -占线 she is engaged 订婚

He estimated that there were more than 2,250,000 in one acre, that is 
something like 6,000,000 spiders of different kinds on a football pitch.

  20、2,250,00 --- two million two hundred fifty thousand 
something like= about / I am something like 100 pounds in weight 
of different kinds 
busy in doing something 

It is impossible to make more than the
wildest guess at how many they kill.

  21、make a guess at : 猜 make wild guess 瞎猜 
more than the wildest guess at 最高程度由你猜