听播客学英语 71 帮助

 　　I am sorry it has been so long since my last podcast. Thank you to all of you who sent me e-mails to ask what had happened and when would my next podcast be. No. I am not ill. No, I am not dead. No, I am not bored with podcasting. No, I have not run away with a beautiful blonde model 40 years younger than me. I have simply been busy.

　　In the last podcast, I told you about my hens. I am watching them as I write this. They are running round the garden, eating grass and anything else they can find. Soon there will be no garden left. However, the hens are happy, and they lay an egg each every day; and the fox has stayed away.

　　Last time, I told you that the hens were “point of lay” hens. I want to explain properly what “point of lay” means¹. Perhaps you know the English expression “to be on the point of doing something”. For example, if I am “on the point of” going to bed, it means that I will go to bed very soon. I have locked the front door. I have put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher², I have cleaned my teeth. The next thing I do will be to go to bed. I am “on the point of” going to bed.

　　Or, look at the picture on the website. It is a picture of a flower. The flower is still closed and there is snow on the ground. But you can see that very soon the flower will open. It is on the point of opening. It is on the point of flowering.

　　Recently, some builders came to do some work on our house. Before they came, a scaffolding company came and erected³ scaffolding so that the builders could reach the roof. After the builders had finished work, I waited for the scaffolding company to come and take the scaffolding away. I waited for days, then weeks and they did not come. Then I found their telephone number, and picked up the telephone. Just then the doorbell rang. It was the men from the scaffolding company. I said to them, “I was on the point of telephoning you to ask you to take the scaffolding away.”

　　The English language is never simple. We always have more than one way that we can say something. Here are two other ways of saying “I was on the point of” doing something. We can say “I was about to do something”. I was about to telephone my mother. I was about to get into the car.

　　Or we can say, “I was just going to do something”. I was just going to visit my friend. I was just going to buy a train ticket.

　　Here are a couple more examples:

　　I have written a shopping list. I have found my money and a shopping bag. I am about to go to the shops.

　　My car is making strange noises. Perhaps it is on the point of breaking down!

　　You are sitting in an aeroplane⁴. The cabin⁵ crew⁶ have shut the doors and told everyone to fasten their seatbelts. The plane is about to leave. It is on the point of departure⁷. It is just going to take off.

　　So, now you understand why our hens were “point of lay” hens. They were on the point of laying their first eggs.

　　Now they are on the point of completely⁸ destroying my garden. Soon they will take over the world!

1 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

2 dishwasher   

n.洗碗机，洗碗的人

参考例句：

• Our dishwasher is out of order.我们的洗碗机坏了。
• This dishwasher even washes pots and pans.这个洗碗机还能洗坛坛罐罐呢。

3 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

4 aeroplane   

n.(英)飞机 (=airplane)

参考例句：

• I can see that aeroplane,but I can't see a bird.我能看见那架飞机，但是小鸟我就看不见了。
• The aeroplane was flying a few feet above the sea.飞机正在距海面几英尺的低空飞行。

5 cabin   

n.(结构简单的)小木屋；船舱，机舱

参考例句：

• They threw up a new cabin in a couple of hours.在几小时之内他们就建起了一座新的小屋。
• It's very hot in the cabin;let's go on deck.舱室内很热，我们到甲板上去吧。

6 crew   

n.全体船员，全体乘务员；vi.一起工作

参考例句：

• A captain controls his ship and its crew.船长管理他的船和船上的船员。
• The captain kept his crew at a distance.船长与他的船员总保持一段距离。

7 departure   

n.离开，起程；背离，违反

参考例句：

• Do you know what lies behind her sudden departure for London?你知道她突然去伦敦的原因吗？
• She took over his work after his departure.他离开以后，她接替了他的工作。

8 completely   

adv.完全地，十分地，全然

参考例句：

• She never completely gave up hope.她从不完全放弃希望。
• I feel completely in the dark on this question.这件事使我感到茫然。