Text 课文
What was exceptional about the two men's stay on the desert island?
Most of us have formed an unrealistic picture of life on a desert island.
form an unrealistic picture of sth 对…抱有不切实际的幻想
-- A large number of people have formed an unrealistic picture of the job.
Form(v.形成, 构成)= develop(vt.逐渐形成)
-- develop a habit = form a habit 养成一种习惯
We sometimes imagine a desert island to be a sort of paradise where the sun always shines.
imagine sth to be = imagine sth as
-- Some people imagine flying to be more dangerous than traveling by train.
-- A large number people imagine the USA as their paradise.
Life there is simple and good. Ripe fruit falls from the trees and you never have to work.
You never have to work = you needn’t work = you don’t need to work
The other side of the picture is quite the opposite. Life on a desert island is wretched.
quite the opposite 恰恰相反 / quite different
You either starve to death or live like Robinson Crusoe, Waiting for a boat which never
comes.
Either you or I am going to the party. (谓语动词和最接近的主语保持一致)
Either come in or go out, don’t stand on the doorway.(门口, 门道)
Perhaps there is an element of truth in both these pictures, but few us have had the
opportunity to find out.
an element of truth = a bit of truth
Optimistic(adj.乐观的) Pessimistic(adj.悲观的, 消极的)
Two men who recently spent five days on a coral island wished they had stayed there longer.
谓语动词wish之后的宾语从句中要使用虚拟语气
1>如果表达与现在情况相反, that从句中的动词要用过去时(be 动词要用were)。
-- I wish you could drive a car. = I am sorry you can’t drive a car.
所表达的意思是:你要是能开车就好了。(表达一种遗憾的心情)
2>如果表达与过去情况相反, that从句中的动词要用过去完成时。
-- I wish I hadn't spent so much money. = I am sorry I spend so much money.
-- I wish that you had written to him. = I am sorry you didn’t write to him.
3>如果表达与将来事实相反的情况或将来不可能实现的心愿, that从句中要使用would,
could 等情态动词的过去时形式。
-- I wish that I could go abroad tomorrow.
-- I wish that you could come here tomorrow.
4>if only要比wish更富有戏剧性和感情色彩
-- If only the weather would change. = I wish the weather would change.
要是天气转晴该有多好啊!
-- We wish that we knew where to look for him. = If only we knew where to look for him.
要是我们知道到哪去找他该有多好啊!
-- If only we could have gone to the party. 要是我们昨天能参加那个聚会该有多好啊!
-- If only you hadn't said that. 你要是不说那句话多好啊!
-- If only you would come here tomorrow. 你明天要是能来该有多好啊!
They were taking a badly damaged boat from the Virgin Islands to Miami to have it repaired
During the journey, their boat began to sink.
have it repaired (have sth done)
They quickly loaded a small rubber dinghy with food, matches, and cans of beer and rowed
for a few miles across the Caribbean until they arrived at a tiny coral island.
load…with sth 把某物装载到…上
-- The workers are loading the truck with goods.
Unload(vi.卸货, 退子弹 vt.倾销, 卸)
There were hardly any trees on the island and there was no water, but this did not prove to
be a problem.
hardly any = very little/few (hardly adv.刚刚, 几乎不)
-- Hardly anybody likes him because he is so rude. 几乎没人喜欢他, 因为他非常粗鲁。
-- You hardly eat anything, what's wrong? 你几乎什么都没吃, 怎么了?
prove to be = turn out to be
The men collected rainwater in the rubber dinghy.
As they had brought a spear gun with them, they had plenty to eat.
They caught lobster and fish every day, and, as one of them put it 'ate like kings'.
Put = express
When a passing tanker rescued them five days later, both men were genuinely sorry that
they had to leave.
Both men were genuinely sorry that they had to leave.
= If only we could have stayed on the desert island a little bit longer.