精读37：The Westhaven Express||开往威斯特海温的快车
第37篇精读
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语篇导读：这是一篇夹叙夹议记叙文。我们习惯于火车准点。轮船和航班常因恶劣的天气延误，但只有百年一遇的雪灾才能暂停火车的运行。因此，一旦铁路运行出现问题，我们往往会归咎于铁路当局而非自身。作者坐上开往威斯特海温的快车，却发现这是一趟慢车。到站后，站长说根本没有这趟快车，原来是自己忽视了时刻表上标明“此趟列车暂停运行。”的附注。
精读原文
We have learnt to expect that trains will be punctual. After years of conditioning, most of us have developed an unshakable faith in railway timetables. Ships may be delayed by storms; flights may be cancelled because of bad weather, but trains must be on time. Only an exceptionally heavy snowfall might temporarily dislocate railway services. It is all too easy to blame the railway authorities when something does go wrong. The truth is that when mistakes occur, they are more likely to beours than theirs.
After consulting my railway timetable, I noted with satisfaction that there was an express train to Westhaven. It went direct from my local station and the journey lasted a mere hour and seventeen minutes. When I boarded the train, I could not help noticing that a great many local people got on as well. At the time, this did not strike me as odd. I reflected that there must be a great many local people besides myself who wished to take advantage of this excellent service. Neither was I surprised when the train stopped at Widley, a tiny station a few miles along the line. Even a mighty express train can be held up by signals. But when the train dawdled at station after station, I began to wonder. It suddenly dawned on me that this express was not roaring down the line at ninety miles an hour, but barely chugging along at thirty. One hour and seventeen minutes passed and we had not even covered half the distance. I asked a passenger if this was the Westhaven Express, but he had not even heard of it. I determined to lodge a complaint as soon as we arrived. Two hours later, I was talking angrily to the station master at Westhaven. When he denied the train's existence, I borrowed his copy of the timetable. There was a note of triumph in my voice when I told him that it was there in black and white. Glancing at it briefly, he told me to look again. A tiny asterisk conducted me to a footnote at the bottom of the page. It said: 'This service has been suspended.'
精读注解：
The Westhaven Express
- 【熟词僻义】express/ɪk'spres/:（名词）An express or an express train is a fast train that stops at very few stations.快速列车，如：Punctually at 7:45, the express to Kuala Lumpur left Singapore station. 开往吉隆坡的特快列车7：45准时从新加坡站驶出。
①We have learnt to expect that trains will be punctual.②After years of conditioning, most of us have developed an unshakable faith in railway timetables.③Ships may be delayed by storms; flights may be cancelled because of bad weather, but trains must be on time.④Only an exceptionally heavy snowfall might temporarily dislocate railway services.⑤It is all too easy to blame the railway authorities when something does go wrong.⑥The truth is that when mistakes occur, they are more likely to be ours than theirs.
语篇导读：本段论述我们对火车时刻表准时的惯常思维，而这种思维导致我们往往将铁路运行问题归咎于铁路当局，而非自身。①②论述一种现象，就是我们在多年里形成了火车准点的习惯；③④通过与轮船和飞机的对比，进一步巩固火车的准点特点；⑤⑥论述我们这种惯常思维往往让我们容易将火车运行问题不是归咎于自己身上。最后一句是作者的主要观点，在结构上引出下文。
- punctual/'pʌŋtʃʊəl/：arriving, happening, or being done at exactly the time that has been arranged准时的，守时的，如期的，如：She’s always very punctual for appointments. 她一向准时赴约。
- condition：（动词）If someone is conditioned by their experiences or environment, they are influenced by them over a period of time so that they do certain things or think in a particular way. 习惯于 (以某种方式做事或思考)，如：I just feel women are conditioned into doing housework. 我只是觉得女人习惯于做家务。
- unshakable/ʌn'ʃekəbl/：( of a feeling or an attitude 感情或态度 ) that cannot be changed or destroyed 不能改变的；不可动摇的；坚定不移的；坚不可摧的，如：Being unshakable means not letting people and other situations get a reaction from you.变得不可动摇意味着别让人和别的情况迫使你回应。
- faith/feɪθ/：a strong feeling of trust or confidence in someone or something相信；信任；信心，搭配：have faith (in sb/sth)，如：I still have faith in him. 我对他仍有信心。
- cancel/'kænsəl/：to decide that sth that has been arranged will not now take place取消；撤销；终止，如：All flights have been cancelled because of bad weather. 因天气恶劣，所有航班均被取消。
- exceptionally/ɪk'sɛpʃənəli/：only in unusual circumstances只有在特殊情况下；例外地，如：Exceptionally, students may be accepted without formal qualifications. 在特殊情况下，也可能接受无正式文凭的学生。
- dislocate/'dɪsləkeɪt/：to spoil the way in which a plan, system, or service is arranged, so that it cannot work normally扰乱，破坏〔计划、制度或服务的正常安排〕，如：Communications were temporarily dislocated by the bad weather. 因天气恶劣通信暂时不畅。
- blame/bleɪm/：to say or think that someone or something is responsible for something bad责怪，指责；把…归咎于，如：Marie still blames herself for Patrick’s death. 玛丽仍在为帕特里克的死自责。
- 【难句解析】It is all too easy to blame the railway authorities when something does go wrong. ①It作形式主语，逻辑主语是to blame...；②too+adj./adv.+to do...：太……以致不能做……；③does是助动词，表示强调，表示“真的”、“的确”。
- they are more likely to be ours than theirs：斜体表示强调。Ours=our mistakes，theirs=the mistakes of the railway authorities
我们已经习惯于相信火车总是准点的。经过多年的适应，大多数人对火车时刻表产生了一种不可动摇的信念。轮船船期可能因风暴而推延，飞机航班可能因恶劣天气而取消，唯有火车必然是准点的。只有非同寻常的大雪才可能暂时打乱铁路运行。因此，一旦铁路上真出了问题，人们便不加思索地责备铁路当局。事实上，差错很可能是我们自己，而不是铁路当局的。
①After consulting my railway timetable, I noted with satisfaction that there was an express train to Westhaven.②It went direct from my local station and the journey lasted a mere hour and seventeen minutes.③When I boarded the train, I could not help noticing that a great many local people got on as well.④At the time, this did not strike me as odd.⑤I reflected that there must be a great many local people besides myself who wished to take advantage of this excellent service. ⑥Neither was I surprised when the train stopped at Widley, a tiny station a few miles along the line. ⑦Even a mighty express train can be held up by signals.⑧But when the train dawdled at station after station, I began to wonder.⑨It suddenly dawned on me that this express was not roaring down the line at ninety miles an hour, but barely chugging along at thirty.⑩One hour and seventeen minutes passed and we had not even covered half the distance.⑪I asked a passenger if this was the Westhaven Express, but he had not even heard of it.⑫I determined to lodge a complaint as soon as we arrived.⑬Two hours later, I was talking angrily to the station master at Westhaven.⑭When he denied the train's existence, I borrowed his copy of the timetable.⑮There was a note of triumph in my voice when I told him that it was there in black and white.⑯Glancing at it briefly, he told me to look again.⑰A tiny asterisk conducted me to a footnote at the bottom of the page.⑱It said: 'This service has been suspended.'
语篇导读：本段主要举例论证上文引出的中心观点。①②我从列车时刻表上发现直达威斯特海温的快车；③④⑤⑥⑦⑧⑨⑩⑪我踏上火车后，发现不仅中途停站，而且车速是30英里/小时，而非90英里/小时；⑫⑬⑭⑮⑯⑰⑱我决定到站后找站长理论，结果却是站长表示没有这趟列车，反而是我忽视了列车时刻表上“此趟列车暂停运行。”的附注。事情发展的结果再次呼应首段的观点。
- consult/kən'sʌlt/: to ask for information or advice from someone because it is their job to know something咨询；请教，如：If symptoms persist, consult a doctor without delay. 如果症状持续的话，马上咨询医生。
- after+现在分词：构成时间状语，如：After finishing the work, I drove home last night.昨晚，我完成手头工作后就开车回家了。
- with satisfaction：属于“with+抽象名词”短语，作状语，修饰动词noted
- 【难句解析】I noted with satisfaction that there was an express train to Westhaven.本句中的that是关系连词，引导宾语从句，作动词noted的宾语。
- 【熟词僻义】direct/dɪˈrekt/：（副词）by a straight route or without breaking a journey径直地；直达地，如：The airlines are flying direct to Beijing.航班直达北京。
- can not help (doing)…：禁不住（做）……，如：I can not help singing after hearing such a good news.听到这个好消息后，我禁不住哼起歌儿。
- a great many：很多，许多，如：Antique shops exert a peculiar fascination on a great many people. 古玩店对许多人来说都有一种特殊的魅力。
- as well：也；同样地；表示此意义时通常用于句尾，如：China is a socialist country, and a developing country as well. 中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
- odd/ɒd/：different from what is normal or expected, especially in a way that you disapprove of or cannot understand奇特的，异常的，古怪的，如：It was an odd thing to say. 这话说得很奇怪。
- strike me as odd：使我感到奇怪。本句中【熟词僻义】strike: If something strikes you as being a particular thing, it gives you the impression of being that thing.给……印象，如：He struck me as a very serious but friendly person. 他在我眼里是个非常严肃但友好的人。
- reflect/rɪ'flekt/：to think carefully about something, or to say something that you have been thinking about仔细思考；表达（意见），如：Moe reflected that he had never seen Sherry so happy. 莫说他从未见过谢里这么高兴。
- advantage/əd'vɑːntɪdʒ/：something that helps you to be more successful than others, or the state of having this有利条件，优势，搭配：如：take advantage of：〔不公正地〕利用某人，占某人的便宜，如：I took advantage of the good weather to paint the shed. 我趁天气好给棚屋刷上油漆。
- 【语法小学堂】Neither was I surprised…:本句中neither是含有否定意义的副词，置于句首需要倒装。常见的否定副词有：never、seldom、hardly、scarcely、rarely、little、no sooner、nor等，如：Seldom will I meet him in the street.我很少会在街上碰见他。
- at Widley, a tiny station a few miles along the line：下划线句子作Widley的同位语，作进一步说明。
- mighty/'maɪtɪ/：very strong and powerful, or very big and impressive强有力的，强大的；巨大的，雄伟的，如：There was a flash and a mighty bang. 一道闪光伴随着一声轰然巨响。
- hold up：To hold up a person or process means to make them late or delay them. 耽搁，如：Why were you holding everyone up? 你为什么要耽搁大家？
- dawdle/'dɔːdəl/：to take a long time to do something or walk somewhere〔做事或走路〕磨蹭，慢吞吞，如：I dawdled over a second cup of coffee. 我慢悠悠地喝着第二杯咖啡。
- It suddenly dawned on me…：我突然明白……
- dawn on/upon：使……渐渐明白，如：The idea suddenly dawned on/upon me.那个念头突然出现在我的脑海中。
- chug/tʃʌg/：When a vehicle chugs somewhere, it goes there slowly, noisily, and with difficulty. (车辆) 发着嘎嚓声吃力地行驶，如：The train chugs down the track. 火车沿着轨道嘎嚓嘎嚓地缓慢行驶着。
- roar（发出隆隆声）和chug（发出嘎嘎声）是拟声词，生动形象地描写火车“隆隆轰鸣而过”和“咔咔蠕动而行”的场面。
- 【语法小学堂】half：既可作形容词，又可作名词，如：Half the peaches are good.这些桃子中有一半是好的。// Half the peache is good.这个桃子有一半是好的。*使用half of时强调在整体中所占的比例，而使用half the时则强调量。
- lodge/lɒdʒ/：to make a formal or official complaint, protest etc进行投诉/提出抗议/提出上诉等，如：He lodged an appeal with the High Court. 他向高等法院提出上诉。
- complaint/kəm'pleɪnt/：a reason for not being satisfied; a statement that sb makes saying that they are not satisfied不满的原因；抱怨；埋怨；投诉；控告，如：I'd like to make a complaint about the noise. 我要就噪音问题提出投诉。
- triumph/'traɪʌmf/：an important victory or success after a difficult struggle〔尤指苦战后获得的〕胜利，成功，成就，如：Winning the championship is a great personal triumph . 赢得冠军是伟大的个人成就。a note of triumph：胜利者的调子
- in black and white：白纸黑字，其中black指写字用的墨水，white指写字用的白纸，因此是用材料的具体颜色代替写出的字，是明喻手法。
- asterisk/'æstərɪsk/：a mark like a star (*), used especially to show something interesting or important星号（*）
- conduct/kən'dʌkt/：to take or lead someone somewhere带领，引导，搭配：conduct sb to sth，如：On arrival, I was conducted to the commandant’s office. 到达以后，我被带到了指挥所。
我查看了列车时刻表，满意地了解到有一趟去威斯特海温的快车。这是趟直达车，旅途总共才需1小时17分钟。上车后，我不禁注意到许多当地人也上了车。一开始，我并不感到奇怪，我想除我之外，想利用快车之便的也一定大有人在。火车开出几英里即在一个小站威德里停了下来。对此，我不觉得奇怪，因为即便是特别快车也可能被信号拦住。但是，当火车一站接着一站往前蠕动时，我便产生了怀疑。我突然感到这趟快车并没以时速90英里的速度呼啸前进，而是卟哧卟哧地向前爬行，时速仅30英里。1小时17分过去了，走了还不到一半路程。我问一位乘客，这是不是开往威斯特海温的那趟快车，他说从未听说过有这么一趟快车。我决定一到目的地就给铁路部门提意见。两小时后，我气呼呼地同威斯特海温站站长说起此事。他说根本没有这趟车。于是我借他本人的列车时刻表，我带着一种胜利者的调子告诉他那趟车白纸黑字、明明白白印在时刻表上。他迅速地扫视了一眼，让我再看一遍。一个小小的星形符号把我的目光引到了那页底部的一个说明上。上面写着：“此趟列车暂停运行。”
Summary writing：(last paragraph)
用不多于80个单词描述作者上车后的经过。（摘自新概念英语教师用书新版3）
When many local people boarded the train with the writer, he was not surprised. Nor was he surprised when the train stopped at Widley. But when it stopped at each station, he began to wonder why it was going so slowly. Finally, when the train reached Westhave, the writer spoke to the station master who denied the existence of an express. They argued and the writer was shown this timetable footnote, which said: 'This service has been suspended.'
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