新概念英语第二册Lesson 88 Trapped in a mine

 

Lesson 88 Trapped in a mine  困在矿井里

First listen and then answer the question.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
Why is the rescue taking so long?
   
Six men have been trapped in a mine for seventeen hours. If they are not brought to the surface soon they may lose their lives. However, rescue operations are proving difficult. If explosives² are used, vibrations⁴ will cause the roof of the mine to collapse⁵. Rescue workers are therefore drilling a hole on the north side of the mine. They intend to bring the men up in a special capsule. If there had not been a hard layer of rock beneath the soil, they would have completed the job in a few hours. As it is, they have been drilling for sixteen hours and they still have a long way to go. Meanwhile, a microphone⁶, which was lowered into the mine two hours ago, has enabled⁸ the men to keep in touch with their closest relatives. Though they are running out of food and drink, the men are cheerful and confident that they will get out soon. They have been told that rescue operations are progressing smoothly⁹. If they knew how difficult it was to drill through the hard rock, they would lose heart.

New words and expressions 生词和短语

trap v. 陷入，使陷于困境
surface n. 地面，表面
explosive¹ n. 炸药
vibration³ n. 震动
collapse v. 坍塌
drill v. 钻孔
capsule n. 容器
layer n. 层
beneath prep. 在......之下
lower v. 放下，降低
progress v. 进展，进行
smoothly adv. 顺利地

参考译文

6个人被困在矿井里已有17个小时了。如果不把他们尽快救到地面上来，他们就有可能丧生。然而，事实证明营救工作非常困难。如果用炸药爆破，震动会引起矿顶塌落。因此，营救人员在矿井的北侧钻了一个洞。他们准备用一种特制的容器把这6个人救上来。如果不是因为土壤下面有一层坚硬的岩石，他们的营救工作仅用几个小时就可以完成了。实际情况是，他们已连续钻了16个小时了，但离钻透还早着呢。与此同时，两个小时以前放下井去的一只麦克风使井下的人可以与其亲属保持联系。虽然他们的食物和饮料都快消耗尽了，但这些人的心情很好，坚信他们很快就会出去。他们一直被告知营救工作进行得非常顺利。如果他们知道了钻透那坚硬的岩石有多么困难，他们会丧失信心的。

 

　　自学导读

　　Lesson 88
Trapped in a mine
困在矿井里
课文详注 Further notes on the text
1．…rescue operations are proving difficult.……事实证明营救工作非常困难。
prove之后带形容词（有时也可以是名词）时表示“证明是”、“结果是”：
His operation proved successful.
他的手术很成功。
What he had told us proved false.
他对我们所说的原来是假的。
2．Rescue workers are therefore drilling a hole on the north side of the mine. 因此，营救人员正在矿井的北侧钻一个洞。
therefore表示“因此”、“所以”等。它是副词，所以它既可以独立使用，也可以位于动词前。so表示“因此”、“所以”时通常是连词：
The new flat is larger and therefore more expensive.
这套新房子（比原先的）要大些，因此比较贵。
His parents gave him some money, and he was therefore able to buy a car.
他的父母给了他一些钱，所以他能买得起一辆车。
His parents gave him some money, therefore, he was able to buy a car.
（译文同上，therefore前后都可以有逗号，so后面通常不用逗号）
We arrived early, so we got good seats.
我到得早，因此我们找到了好座位。（so表示“所以”、“因此”时不放在动词前）
3．If there had not been a hard layer of rock beneath the soil, they would have completed the job in a few hours. 如果不是因为土壤下面有一层坚硬的岩石，他们的营救工作仅用几小时就可以完成了。
这是第3类条件句，表示与过去事实相反的假设。课文中还有第1类和第2类条件句的例子，仔细体会它们的区别。
4．as it is，实际上，事实上（也可以用as it was）。
I thought they would help us. As it was, they just sat there and looked on.
我以为他们会帮助我们。实际上他们却只是坐着旁观。
I promised to return the books yesterday. As it is, I won't be able to do so until next Monday.
我答应昨天还书的，但事实上我要到下星期一才能还。
5．…a microphone…has enabled the men to keep in touch with their closest relatives.……一只麦克风使井下的人可以与其亲属保持联系。
（1）enable⁷为及物动词，表示“使……能够”：
The hubble telescope will enable us to have a better understanding of the distant stars and galaxies¹⁰.
哈勃望远镜将使我们能更好地了解远距离的恒星和星系。
前缀en-加在名词或形容词前可以使这个词成为动词，如endanger（危及，使遭受危险），enlarge（扩大，扩展，扩充），enslave（奴役，使成为奴隶），entrap（使……入陷阱/圈套，欺骗）。
（2）keep in touch with表示“与……保持联系”，也可以用stay，get 等其他动词：
Though he works¹¹ in New York, he still keeps in touch with his friends in London.
他虽然在纽约工作，但仍然与伦敦的朋友们保持联系。
George is in close touch with Ian.
乔治与伊恩联系密切。
Can you get in touch with the company?
你能与那家公司取得联系吗？
6．lose heart为固定搭配，表示“丧失信心/勇气”、“泄气”、“灰心”：
He told his men not to lose heart, saying that they would soon discover gold mines.
他告诉手下人不要灰心，并说他们很快就会发现金矿的。
Seeing that the enemy was much stronger than themselves, the soldiers lost heart at once.
当战士们发现敌军比自己要强大得多时，他们立刻就丧失了勇气。

　　词汇学习 Word study
1．collapse vi.
（1）倒塌：
If explosives are used, vibrations will cause the roof of the mine to collapse.
如果用炸药爆破，震动会引起矿顶塌落。
With no one to repair it, the old church collapsed¹² long ago.
由于无人维修，那座老教堂早就倒塌了。
（2）（因精疲力竭等）倒下；（身体等）垮掉：
After many years' hard work, my mother's health collapsed.
由于多年的辛苦劳动，我母亲的身体垮了。
He had run more than forty miles As soon as he was out of danger, he collapsed.
他已经跑了四十多英里路了。他刚脱离危险便（累得）倒下了。
2．与动词run有关的短语
run可以与不同的介词或副词搭配产生不同的含义。
（1）run out of可表示“用完”、“耗尽”：
They are running out of food and drink.
他们的食物和饮料都快消耗尽了。
He has run out of money.
他的钱用光了。
（2）run after表示“追赶”、“追逐”：
She ran through a forest after the two thieves.
她穿过森林，追赶那两个小偷。
Seeing that his sister was annoyed, he ran after her to apologize.
当他发现他妹妹/姐姐生气时，他便追上去道歉。
（3）run over的含义之一是“在……驶过/辗过”：
The car ran over a snake/his legs.
那车辗过一条蛇/他的双腿。
The cat was run over by a train.
那只猫被火车压死了。
（4）run in的含义之一是“试车”、“试转（发动机等）”：
John is running his new car in.
约翰正在试他的新车。
Run in the engine before you start work.
在开始工作前，先试试发动机。
（5）run into可以表示“偶然碰见”：I ran into
Mary and Jane in the flower shop.我在花店里碰见了玛丽和简。
He ran into the Sterlings while travelling in Italy.
他在意大利旅游时遇见了斯特林一家。

　　练习答案 Key to written exercises
1．关键句型练习答案
A The word if is contained in four sentences.
C 1 would not have been injured   2 had been   3 will find
4 had given   5 is forbidden
2．难点练习答案
1 into   2 out of   3 in   4 over   5 after
3．多项选择题答案
1c   2b   3b   4c   5c   6a
7b   8b   9c   10c   11c   12b

1 explosive   

adj.爆炸的，爆发的；极易引起争论的；n.炸药

参考例句：

• Where's the rest of the explosive?剩下的炸药在哪里？
• Gelignite is a high explosive.葛里炸药是一种烈性炸药。

2 explosives   

n.爆炸物，炸药( explosive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They caved in the roof of the underground passage with powerful explosives. 他们用强大的炸药把地下通道的顶部炸塌陷了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The slightest spark can set off the explosives stored here. 一点点火星就能够使储存这里的火药爆炸。 来自《用法词典》

3 vibration   

n.颤动，振动；摆动

参考例句：

• There is so much vibration on a ship that one cannot write.船上的震动大得使人无法书写。
• The vibration of the window woke me up.窗子的震动把我惊醒了。

4 vibrations   

n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 )；震动；感受；（偏离平衡位置的）一次性往复振动

参考例句：

• We could feel the vibrations from the trucks passing outside. 我们可以感到外面卡车经过时的颤动。
• I am drawn to that girl; I get good vibrations from her. 我被那女孩吸引住了，她使我产生良好的感觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

6 microphone   

n.扩音器，麦克风，话筒

参考例句：

• He gave a tap at the microphone before speaking.他在讲话前先轻叩了一下扩音器。
• She behaved naturally before the microphone.她在话筒前表现自然。

7 enable   

vt.使能够；使可以；使成为可能

参考例句：

• Only teamwork will enable us to get the job done on time.只有团结一致，我们才能按时完成这项工作。
• This will enable China to go a step further in grain production.这是中国粮食生产再上新台阶的巨大动力。

8 enabled   

adj.激活的v.使能够，提供做…的权利[措施]( enable的过去式和过去分词 )；使可能

参考例句：

• His photographic memory enabled him to tuck away yards of facts. 他过目不忘的记忆力使他能记下大量事实。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Long practice enabled that American to speak fluent Chinese. 长期的练习使得那个美国人能讲一口流利的汉语。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

10 galaxies   

星系( galaxy的名词复数 )； 银河系； 一群（杰出或著名的人物）

参考例句：

• Quasars are the highly energetic cores of distant galaxies. 类星体是遥远星系的极为活跃的核心体。
• We still don't know how many galaxies there are in the universe. 我们还不知道宇宙中有多少个星系。

11 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

12 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。