精讀《新概念英語（3）》-Lesson 54- Instinct or cleverness?

來自專欄 精讀《新概念英語》

Lesson 54

Instinct or cleverness?

是本能還是機智

2018-05-09

Listen to the tape then answer the question below.

聽錄音，然後回答以下問題。

Was the writer successful in protecting his peach tree? Why not?

We have been brought up to fear insects.

成長怎麼說？

brought up

害怕昆蟲怎麼說？

fear insects

We regard them as unnecessary creatures that do more harm than good.

把xxx視為怎麼說？

regard xxx as

不必要的生物怎麼說？

unnecessary creatures

利大於弊怎麼說？

do more harm than good

We continually wage war on them, for they contaminate our food, carry diseases, or devour our crops.

不斷地向xxx開戰怎麼說？

continually wage war on xxx（wage war是開戰）

xxxx，是因為xxxx怎麼說？

xxx， for they xxx（這裡使用for 來表達因為xxx）

污染食物怎麼說？

contaminate our food

傳播疾病怎麼說？

carry diseases

吞噬我們的莊稼怎麼說？

devour our crops

They sting or bite without provocation; they fly uninvited into our rooms on summer nights, or beat against our lighted windows.

叮和咬分別怎麼說？

sting 和 bite

不受挑釁怎麼說？

without provocation

不請自來地飛怎麼說？

先說飛 fly uninvited

拍打怎麼說？

beat against

We live in dread not only of unpleasant insects like spiders or wasps, but of quite harmless one like moths.

害怕 除了fire還可以怎麼說？

live in dread

蜘蛛、黃蜂等令人討厭的昆蟲怎麼說？

先說令人討厭的昆蟲 再說具體的東西

unpleasant insects like spiders or wasps

不僅僅xxx，而且還yyy怎麼說？

not only of xxx， but of xxx

像蛾一樣無害的昆蟲怎麼說？

先說 無害的昆蟲 quite harmless one 然後說like moths

蛾怎麼說？

moths

Reading about them increases our understanding without dispelling our fears.

驅散恐懼怎麼說？

dispelling our fears

增加我們的理解怎麼說？

increases our understanding

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.

勤勞的螞蟻怎麼說？

industrious ant

勤勞的蜜蜂呢??？ industrious bees

生活在xxx怎麼說？

live in xxx

高度組織化的社會中怎麼說?

a highly organized society

並沒有阻止我們怎麼說？

does nothing to prevent us from xxx

充滿方案怎麼說？

being filled with revulsion

一大群那種感覺怎麼說？

hordes of xxx

在xxx上爬行怎麼說？

crawling over xxx

精心準備的xxx怎麼說？

carefully prepared

野餐午餐怎麼說？

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.

不管 xxx或者是 yyy怎麼說？

No matter how much xxx， or how much yyy

方向感怎麼說？

sense of direction

神秘的方向感怎麼說？

uncanny sense of direction

xxx是蜜蜂所有用的怎麼說？

which bees possess

有xxx的恐懼怎麼說？

have a horror of xxx

被蟄怎麼說？

being stung

Most of our fears are unreasonable, but they are impossible to erase.

大多數xxx怎麼說？

most of xxxx

不合理的怎麼說？

are unreasonable

不可能抹去怎麼說？

cant erase 不

而是： 用 are impossible to 來表達不可能 erase

cant 是不能 impossible是不可能

At the same time, however, insects are strangely fascinating.

然而與此同時怎麼說？

然而這種詞經常可以放在中間。這次也行，先說與此同時

At the same time, however

令人著迷怎麼說？

strangely fascinating

We enjoy reading about them, especially when we find that, like the praying mantis, they lead perfectly horrible lives.

螳螂拳怎麼說？

mantis 拳

過著非常可怕的生活怎麼說？

they lead perfectly horrible lives

像螳螂一樣 xxx怎麼說？

一般英語表達是： xxx, like the praying mantis

但是這裡可以用一個應該算是倒裝句 然後用逗號隔開，

like the praying mantis, xxx

We enjoy staring at them, entranced as they go about their business, unaware (we hope) of our presence.

喜歡盯著xxx怎麼說？

enjoy staring at xxx

迷迷糊糊的那種感覺怎麼說？（出神的）

entranced

在xxx的時候可以怎麼說？

entranced as xxxx

做生意的時候怎麼說？

go about their business

不知道xxx的存在怎麼說？

unaware of our presence（用our presence表示我們的存在）

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?

對xxx敬畏怎麼說？

stood in awe xxx（awe是敬畏)

看見怎麼說？

see ？ 太low

而是： at the sight of

突然襲擊那種感覺（好比老鷹??抓魚??）

pouncing on xxx

一列xxx怎麼說？

a column of xxx

耀武揚威的那種感覺怎麼說？

triumphantly

巨大的死甲殼蟲怎麼說？

enormous dead beetle

Last summer I spent days in the garden watching thousands of ants crawling up the trunk of my prize peach tree.

在xxx呆了幾天來yyy怎麼說？

先說主體 I spend days 說地點 in the garden 再說yyy： watching xxx

相當於 spend xxx doing some

數以千計的怎麼說？

thousands of ants

我心愛的xxx可以怎麼說？

my prize xxx（這裡用值得驕傲的 來代替心愛的）

xxx的樹榦怎麼說？

the trunk of xxx

桃樹怎麼說？

peach tree

The tree has grown against a warm wall on a sheltered side of the house.

靠著牆怎麼說？

against a wall

靠著有遮擋一面的暖牆生長 怎麼說？

先說主體：生長 grown

然後說靠著牆

against a warm wall

然後說牆的屬性： 是在房子有遮擋一面的

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.

對xxx感到特別自豪怎麼說？

especially proud of it

不僅因為xxx還因為xxx怎麼說？

not only beause it xxx, but because it xxx

度過冬天怎說？

survived winter （這裡使用了存活下來 非常好！）

幾個嚴冬怎麼說？

several severe winters

偶爾xxx怎麼說？

it occasionally

樹結果用什麼動詞？

produce

水果甜美的那種感覺（腦補）怎麼說？

luscious

甜美的桃子: luscious peaches

During the summer, I noticed that the leaves of the tree were beginning to wither.

樹葉 怎麼說？

the leaves of tree

樹葉開始枯萎怎麼說？

xxx begining to wither

我注意到怎麼說？

I noticed that xxx

Clusters of tin insects called aphids were to be found on the underside of the leaves.

成簇的昆蟲怎麼說？

clusters of tin insects

蚜蟲怎麼說？

aphid

在葉子下面發現了一種叫xxx的昆蟲怎麼說？

先說昆蟲insects， 再說叫xxx called aphids，然後說被發現 to be found，最後說地點 underside of the leaves

在樹葉下面怎麼說？

underside of the leaves

They were visited by a large colony of ants which obtained a sort of honey from them.

一大群螞蟻咱么說？

a large colony of ants 一大群：a large colony

colony是那種 人群聚集的感覺的詞語：聚集地

I immediately embarked on an experiment which, even though if failed to get rid of the ants, kept me fascinated for twenty-four hours.

我立即xxx怎麼說？

I immediately

做一個實驗怎麼說？

embarked on an experiment

做了一個的實驗which從句加一個插入語怎麼說？

embarked on an experiment which, xxx, 具體從句內容

擺脫螞蟻怎麼說？

git rid of the ants

擺脫煩惱： git ried of 煩勞

還不太明白為什麼這裡用了一個if？

讓我著迷怎麼說？

keep me fascinated

做一個事情持續多久怎麼說？

xxx for twenty-four hours

I bound the base of the tree with sticky tape, making it impossible for the ants to reach the aphids.

樹的底部怎麼說？

注意這裡不是根，而是在地面上的底部。

the base of the tree

把xxx包上怎麼說？

bound

使用膠帶把xxx包上怎麼說？

先說主體： bound xxx然後說附屬的：with sticky tape

這裡膠帶這個詞有個好玩的東西：

tape就是新概念裡面每一篇文章的tape 是「帶」 （腦補那種把一捲紙滾落在地上很長的樣子，這就是帶就是tape，我猜想「一帶一路」似乎都可以用一tape一路來翻譯了）： listen to the tape

膠帶中的膠 在windwos裡面有一個程序叫做sticky note就是便籤條的意思。所以sticky說的就是帶有粘性的那種感覺，但是此粘性非黏性。如果用四川話就叫做：巴。 就是所謂的粘。 就好比吃完糖以後 手指之間粘著有一種不舒服的感覺。這就是sticky

所以膠帶就是sticky tape

不讓xxx來xxx怎麼說？

dont let xxx xxx 太low

而是： 用是指不可能來表達不讓這種中文的意思。英語中不讓 不可能這種表達 不是用dont xxx

而是用impossible： make it impossible for xxx to xxx

碰到某個東西怎麼說？

reach the xxx

The tape was so stick that they did not dare to cross it.

xxx太粘了以至於xxx怎麼說？

xxx was so stick that xxx

不敢通過怎麼說？

did not dare to cross it。 不敢就是 did not dare to xxx

For a long time. I watched them scurrying around the base of the tree in bewilderment.

在很長一段時間裡怎麼說？

for a long time

I watched them scurrying around the base of the tree in bewilderment.

不知所措可以怎麼說？

其實就是「迷茫的」 in bewilderment

來迴轉悠那種感覺怎麼說？

scurrying around

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.

在半夜xxx怎麼說？

先說xxx，再說時間狀語：

xxx at midnight

在半夜帶著電筒出去怎麼說？

先說主要的 went out 再說at midnight 然後表達屬性with a torch

我感覺這裡 at midnight可以放在後面。然後感覺很多有with的似乎就是不太重要的一種表達，所以就放在最後

滿意地（同時驚奇地）怎麼說？

satisfaction（and surprise）（使用括弧和and來表達同時）

滿意地注意到怎麼說？

先說note 然後說滿意地with satisfaction

圍著團團轉怎麼說？

swarming around

無能為力可以怎麼說？

without being able to anything about it（anything about it）

I got up early next morning hoping to find that the ants had given up in despair.

在絕望中放棄怎麼說？

give up in despair

Instead, I saw that they had discovered a new route.

相反 可以怎麼說？

Instead, （用instead單獨來表達）

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.

我懊惱的感到xxx怎麼說？

I realized sadly that xxx（先說感到到 realized 然後用sadly 來表達懊惱的）

被xxx徹底打敗怎麼說？

completely defeated by xxx

xxx的足智多謀怎麼說？

their ingenuity

The ants had been quick to find an answer to my thoroughly unscientific methods!

快速找到對策怎麼說？

quick to find an answer

完全不xxx地怎麼說？

thoroughly xxx

完全不科學的方法怎麼說？

thoroughly unscientific methods

啟示：其實我們工作中需要的就是這種不停的探索的心態 不要太多的sad 情緒，just 爬， 不斷的用觸角去try，time heal all the woods

New words and expressions 生詞和短語

insect

n. 昆蟲

wage

v. 進行（鬥爭）

contaminate

v. 弄髒

provocation

n. 惹怒

spider

n. 蜘蛛

wasp

n. 黃蜂

moth

n. 飛蛾

ant

n. 螞蟻

revulsion

n. 厭惡

horde

n. 群

uncanny

adj. 神秘的，不可思議的

erase

v. 擦，抹去

praying mantis

螳螂

entranced

adj. 出神的

beetle

n. 甲蟲

sheltered

adj. 傷不著的，無危險的

luscious

adj. 甘美的

cluster

n. 一簇

aphid

n. 蚜蟲

underside

n. 底面，下側

colony

n. 一群

sticky

adj. 粘的

scurry

v. 小步跑

swarm

v. 聚集

ingenuity

n. 機靈

參考譯文

我們自幼就在對昆蟲的懼怕中長大。我們把昆蟲當作害多益少的無用東西。人類不斷同昆蟲鬥爭，因為昆蟲弄髒我們的食物，傳播疾病，吞噬莊稼。它們無緣無故地又叮又咬；夏天的晚上，它們未經邀請便飛到我們房間里，或者對著露出亮光的窗戶亂撲亂撞。我們在日常生活中，不但憎惡如蜘蛛、黃蜂之類令人討厭的昆蟲，而且憎惡並無大害的飛蛾等。閱讀有關昆蟲的書能增加我們對它們的了解，卻不能消除我們的恐懼的心理。即使知道勤奮的螞蟻生活具有高度組織性的社會裡，當看到大群螞蟻在我們精心準備的午間野餐上爬行時，我們也無法抑制對它們的反感。不管我們多麼愛吃蜂蜜，或讀過多少關於蜜蜂具有神秘的識別方向的靈感的書，我們仍然十分害怕被蜂蜇。我們的恐懼大部分是沒有道理的，但去無法消除。同時，不知為什麼昆蟲又是迷人的。我們喜歡看有關昆蟲的書，尤其是當我們了解螳螂等過著一種令人生畏的生活時，就更加愛讀有關昆蟲的書了。我們喜歡入迷地看它們做事，它們不知道（但願如此）我們就在它們身邊。當看到蜘蛛撲向一隻蒼蠅時，一隊螞蟻抬著一隻巨大的死甲蟲凱旋歸時，誰能不感到敬畏呢？

去年夏天，我花了好幾天時間站在花園裡觀察成千隻螞蟻爬上我那棵心愛的桃樹的樹榦。那棵樹是靠著房子有遮擋的一面暖牆生長的。我為這棵樹感到特別自豪，不僅因為它度過了幾個寒冬終於活了下來，而且還因為它有時結出些甘甜的桃子來。到了夏天，我發現樹葉開始枯萎，結果在樹葉背面找到成串的叫作蚜蟲小蟲子。蚜蟲遭到一窩螞蟻的攻擊，螞蟻從它們身上可以獲得一種蜜。我當即動手作了一項試驗，這項試驗儘管沒有使我擺脫這些螞蟻，卻使我著迷了24小時。我用一條膠帶把桃樹底部包上，不讓螞蟻接近蚜蟲。膠帶極粘，螞蟻不敢從上面爬過。在很長一段時間裡，我看見螞蟻圍著大樹底部來迴轉悠，不知所措。半夜，我還拿著電筒來到花園裡，滿意地（同時驚奇地）發現那些螞蟻還圍著膠帶團團轉。無能為力。第二天早上，我起床後希望看見螞蟻已因無望而放棄了嘗試，結果卻發現它們又找到一條新的路徑。它們正在順著房子的外牆往上爬，然後爬上樹葉。我懊喪地感到敗在了足智多謀的螞蟻的手下。螞蟻已很快找到了相應的對策，來對付我那套完全不科學的辦法！