王青
Lesson 53 Hot snake
【New words and expressions】生词和短语（13）
hot adj. 带电的，充电的
fireman n. 消防队员
cause v. 引起； n. 原因
examine v. 检查
accidentally adv. 意外地，偶然地
remains n. 尸体，残骸
wire n. 电线
volt n. 伏特（电压单位）
power line 电力线
solve v. 解决
mystery n. 谜（无法接受地, 解释不了的）
snatch v. 抓住
spark n. 电火花
★hot adj. 带电的, 充电的
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-tempered 火暴(脾气)的（temper n. 脾气）
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 extinguisher 灭火器（extinguisher n. 熄灭者, 灭火器）
extinguish＝put out 灭火
★cause v.& n. 引起；原因
①v. 引起
cause sth. 引起麻烦
Carelessness causes accidents. 粗心导致事故
Pride causes failure. 骄傲使人失败
cause sb. to do sth. 引起某人做某事, 导致某人做某事
Illness caused him to lose his temper. (lose one’s temper 发火)
② n. 原因，强调事情发生的直接原因(一个)
because 因为
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新概念英语第二册笔记
reason 理由，其他各种的理由(很多个)
★examine v. 检查
examine the soil
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－>accidentally
accident 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
remains指dead body
★solve 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)
seize my arm
【Text】
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.
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
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新概念英语第二册笔记
送到了地面, 这些火花立刻引起了一场大火.
【课文讲解】
1、Hot snake
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）
Please put the light/fire out.
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）
I’ll try and find out the name of the person who saved my life yesterday.
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 able to 能够；be not able to 没有能够
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
I don’t know who discovered America.
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：
The villagers were surprised to see the remains of an aeroplane near the lake.
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,
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新概念英语第二册笔记
能够加连字符的概念一定是做定语
★wind vt. 缠绕，卷在……上；盘旋，蜿蜒
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
8、In this way, he was able to solve the mystery.
in this way 就这样
9、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
10、When it did so, it sent sparks down to the ground and these immediately started a fire.
do so 这么做
I refuse to do so. 我拒绝这么做
so常用于一些动词之后，代指前面提过的某个动作/某件事，以免重复
I think/believe so.
【Summary writing】
1 Have firemen put out a big forest fire in California or not? Have they been trying to discover its
cause?(Now that ...)
2 Was there any evidence that it was started by broken glass or by a cigarette end or not?
5 Where did the snake wind itself? What had it sent to the ground? Did this cause the fire or not?(In
winding... and)
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
区分同位语从句与定语从句地区别：如果that 做了主语或者宾语, 是定语从句；如果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
【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。
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【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）
He threw the ball to me and I caught it.
throw at 对准某一目标扔
The boy threw a stone at the window and broke it.
throw away 扔掉，丢弃
Many people throw away cigarette ends carelessly.
Cause and Reason
cause
①n. 原因，起因；
Do you know the cause of the war?
What was the cause of the delay?
② v. 使……产生/发生，引起
cause sth. 导致, 引起
What caused the accident?
cause sb. to do sth. 导致某人做某事
reason
①n. 理由，原因
Give me your reasons for going there.
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)
How can you reason with him when he is so worried?
Drop and Fall
drop vi.&vt. （使）掉下，（使）落下，放下（强调的是不小心掉下来）
As he walked past the tree, an apple dropped from it.
The waiter dropped a fork.
fall vi. 落下，（雨、雪）下，降，跌倒，摔倒（强调的是掉下来的概念, 动作）
I fell and hurt myself.
When leaves fall in autumn, I’ll come back.
【Multiple choice questions】
6 He was able to solve the mystery. He ___c___.
a.could if he wanted to b.could but he didn't want to
c.succeeded in solving it d. didn't succeed in solving it
be able to＝can, succeed in doing
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新概念英语第二册笔记
11 In this way he was able to solve the mystery. ___c___he did it.
a.That's so b.Like this c.That's how d. So
in this way= that’s how 以这种方式
like 在英文中不表示方式, 只表示两者的东西很象