Lesson 53 Hot snake 触电的蛇

What caused the fire?

1.原文

At last firemen have put out a big forest fire in California. Since then, they have been trying to find out how the fire began. Forest fires are often caused by broken glass or by cigarette ends which people carelessly throw away. Yesterday the firemen examined the ground carefully, but were not able to find any broken glass. They were also quite sure that a cigarette end did not start the fire. This morning, however, a firemen accidentally discovered the cause. He noticed the remains of a snake which was wound round the electric wires of a 16,000-volt power line. In this way, he was able to solve the mystery. The explanation was simple but very unusual. A bird had snatched up the snake from the ground and then dropped it on to the wires. The snake then wound itself round the wires. When it did so, it sent sparks down to the ground and these immediately started a fire.

---

they have been trying to find out how the fire began，他们一直试图找出起火的原因。句中短语动词 find out 的宾语是一个从句 how the fire began。

wound /wuːnd/

• n.（刀、枪或其他武器所致的）创伤，伤口；（感情或名誉的）损害，痛苦
• v.（武器或其他利器）伤害，使受伤；（在感情上）使受创伤
• v. 蜿蜒；使喘不过气；缠绕（wind 的过去式和过去分词形式）

wound round 缠绕：将某物缠绕在另一物体上。

electric wire 电线；

electric wire of 16,000-volt power line. 16000 伏特高压线

explanation /ˌekspləˈneɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 解释，说明；解释性说法，说明性文字；理由，原因

snatch up 夺取，抓起

dropped it on to the wires：使用 on to 这一介词，清晰表达了一个物体从高空坠落至另一物体的过程

• on 此处是副词，to 是介词，合起来写的onto才是单纯的介词。
• 如果用dropped it to the wires,则表示朝着电线扔,没有明确表达扔到电线"上".
• on + prep. + sth.
• Please hand this on to Walter after you’ve read it. 你看完后请把这个交给沃尔特。
• the boys had no clothes on in the river in june 六月，孩子们在河里没穿衣服
• A rock music concert is dropping 50 pounds of confetti on to the crowd. 一场摇滚音乐会向人群投掷了50磅的五彩纸屑。

---

2. 参考译文

消防队员们终于扑灭了加利福尼亚的一场森林大火。从那时起，他们一直试图找出起火的原因。森林火灾时常由破碎的玻璃或人们随手扔掉的香烟头引起。昨天，消防队员仔细查看了地面，但未能发现碎玻璃。他们还十分肯定火灾也不是由烟头引起的。然而今天上午，一个消防队员偶然发现了起火的原因。他发现了缠绕在16，000伏高压线上的一条死蛇。就这样，他解开了起火之谜。解释很简单，却异乎寻常。一只鸟把蛇从地上抓起来，然后把它扔到了电线上。于是蛇就缠住了几根电线。当它这样做时，把火花送到了地面，这些火花立刻引起了一场大火。

3. New words and expressions

★hot

• hot adj. 热的；新鲜的；棘手的；带电的, 充电的
• hot-hot-hot 麻辣烫；
• hot-wings 辣鸡翅；
• hot dog 热狗
• hot-tempere火暴(脾气)的
• hot line 热线；
• hot topic 热门话题
• hot cake 热蛋糕
• It sells like a hot cake/cakes. 表示一个东西的畅销, 热销
• best seller 畅销的东西
• hot potato 棘手的问题
• hot news 最热点的新闻

★fireman n. 消防队员

• hydrant n. 消防栓, 消防龙头
• fire ext 灭火器 (extinguisher n. 熄灭者, 灭火器)
• extinguish＝put out 灭火

★cause

• ① v. 引起 Pride causes failure.
  cause sb. to do sth. 引起某人做某事, 导致某人做某事
• ② n. 原因，强调事情发生的直接原因(一个)
  because 因为 reason 理由，其他各种的理由(很多个)

★examine v. 检查check v. 核实, 核对

★accidentally adv. 意外地, 偶然地 (但更趋向于 “偶然的意思)

• accident－>accidental－>accidentallyaccident n. 事故
• unexpectedly adv. 出乎意料地(更趋向于 “意外” 的意思)

★remains n. 尸体, 残骸 指

• dead body

★solve /sɒlv/ v. 解决

• solve the mystery
• solve the problem

★snatch v. 抓住

• catch v. 抓，如抓鱼
• hold v. 握着
• snatch v. (突然抓起来)强调动作的突然性
• seize v. 抓住(用力)

★wind

• ① vt. 缠绕，卷在…上(常与around/round连用)Did you wind this piece of wire round the tree?
• ② vt. 蜿蜒，盘旋wind one’s way 蜿蜒而行

4. 课文讲解

1、Hot snake 触电的蛇

• get a electric shock 触电

2、At last firemen have put out a big forest fire in California. at last 最后，终于

• put out a fire 扑灭火 (put out扑灭，熄灭，关掉)
• a fire 一场(堆)火

3、Since then, they have been trying to find out how the fire began.

• since then 从那时起，到现在为止
• find out (经过研究、努力等)找出，发现，查出……(这里find out的宾语是个从句)

4、Forest fires are often caused by broken glass or by cigarette ends which people carelessly throw away.

• broken glass 被打碎的玻璃片
• cigarette ends 烟头

5、They were also quite sure that a cigarette end did not start the fire.

• be sure that 对……很有把握；
• quite sure 相当的把握性
• rather adv. 相当
• fairly adv. 相当, 公正地, 诚实地
• quite(＝completely)－>rather－>fairly 程度一个比一个轻quite a few 颇有几个(相当多的)
• start a fire＝cause a fire(start vt. 使……发生，引起)

6、This morning, however, a firemen accidentally discovered the cause.

• accidentally =by chance 偶然地discover本身含有偶然发现(某个已经存在的东西)的含义

7、He noticed the remains of a snake which was wound round the electric wires of a 16,000-volt power line.

• notice 注意别人没注意的东西
• the remains表示“尸体，残骸”，必须用复数形式：
• 16,000-volt power line 连字符“-” 一旦加在两个词之间, 这个词之间就失去了加复数的资格, 能够加连字符的概念一定是做定语

8、A bird had snatched up the snake from the ground and then dropped it on to the wires.

• had done 先发生的事
• drop 无意掉下去的

5.Summary writing

1 Now that fireman have put out a big forest fire in California ,they have been trying to discover its cause.

• now that 既然

2 evidence n. 证据

• 区分同位语与定语从句： that做了主语或者宾语, 是定语从句； that既不作主语也不作宾语, 是同位语从句fact , evidence 的后面往往是加同为语从句
• 5 (In) winding itself around the wires the snake had sent sparks to the ground and it caused the fire.
• 介词“in”“on”放在动词“-ing”前面的理解方式和没有“in”“on”的理解方式一样

6. Key structures

一般过去时、现在完成时与现在完成进行时
一般过去时通常与一个表示确切的时间的状语连用，现在完成时则有时与表示一段时间的状语连用，有时不需要时间状语，而现在完成进行时则有时与表示一段时间的状语连用，有时与all+表示时间的名词连用。现在完成时与一般过去时中既可以用状态动词(表示存在、拥有、感情、思想、需求等的动词)也可以用行为动词，现在完成进行时则通常与行为动词连用。

7. Special Difficulties

Throw to，Throw at and Throw away
throw作及物动词主要含义为“投，掷，抛，扔”。
throw to (sb.) 扔给(某人)throw at 对准某一目标扔throw away 扔掉，丢弃
Cause and Reason
cause ① n. 原因，起因； Do you know the cause of the war?② v. 使……产生/发生，引起
cause sth. 导致, 引起
cause sb. to do sth. 导致某人做某事
reason ① n. 理由，原因
What was the reason for the delay?
作“原因”讲时，reason与cause可以互换，但reason与介词for连用；而cause则与介词of连用。
reason后面通常跟why引导的从句：
That was the reason why the meeting was put off.
② v. 推理劝导，说服reason with sb. 劝说(以道理)
Drop and Fall
drop vi.&vt. (使)掉下，(使)落下，放(强调的是不小心掉下来)fall vi. 落下，(雨、雪)下，降，跌倒，摔倒(强调的是掉下来的概念, 动作)