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第二十五课 ​

一、课文原文 ​

The Cutty Sark

One of the most famous sailing ships of the nineteenth century, the Cutty Sark, can still be seen at Greenwich. She stands on dry land and is visited by thousands of people each year. She serves as an impressive reminder of the great ships of the past. Before they were replaced by steamships, sailing vessels like the Cutty Sark were used to carry tea from China and wool from Australia.

The Cutty Sark was one of the fastest sailing ships that has ever been built. The only other ship to match her was the Thermopylae. Both these ships set out from Shanghai on June 18th, 1872 on an exciting race to England. This race, which went on for exactly four months, was the last of its kind. It marked the end of the great tradition of ships with sails and the beginning of a new era.

The first of the two ships to reach Java after the race had begun was the Thermopylae, but on the Indian Ocean, the Cutty Sark took the lead. It seemed certain that she would be the first ship home, but during the race she had a lot of bad luck. In August, she was struck by a very heavy storm during which her rudder was torn away. The Cutty Sark rolled from side to side and it became impossible to steer her. A temporary rudder was made on board from spare planks and it was fitted with great difficulty.

This greatly reduced the speed of the ship, for there was a danger that if she travelled too quickly, this rudder would be torn away as well. Because of this, the Cutty Sark lost her lead. After crossing the Equator, the captain called in at a port to have a new rudder fitted, but by now the Thermopylae was over five hundred miles ahead. Though the new rudder was fitted at tremendous speed, it was impossible for the Cutty Sark to win. She arrived in England a week after the Thermopylae.

Even this was remarkable, considering that she had had so many delays. There is no doubt that if she had not lost her rudder she would have won the race easily.

二、核心词汇与词组精讲、拓展及例句 ​

1. Impressive

  • 英文释义：Evoking admiration through size, quality, or skill; grand.
  • 中文释义：给人深刻印象的；令人赞叹的。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • striking（引人注目的）：A striking resemblance.
    • memorable（难忘的）：A memorable performance.
    • unimpressive（不令人印象深刻的，反义词）：An unimpressive record.

2. Vessel

  • 英文释义：A ship or large boat.
  • 中文释义：大船；舰艇（较正式/文学用语）。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • craft（飞行器/船只统称）：A spacecraft / a watercraft.
    • ship（通用词）：A cargo ship.
    • boat（小船）：A fishing boat.

3. Era

  • 英文释义：A long and distinct period of history with a particular feature or characteristic.
  • 中文释义：时代；纪元。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • epoch（新纪元，强调重大变化）：The epoch of space exploration.
    • age（时代，常与形容词连用）：The Ice Age.
    • period（时期，较通用）：A turbulent period.

4. Rudder

  • 英文释义：A flat piece of wood or metal hinged vertically at the stern of a boat, used for steering.
  • 中文释义：舵。
  • 核心词组：tear away the rudder（扯掉船舵）；fit a new rudder（安装新舵）。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • steering wheel（方向盘/舵轮）：Grip the steering wheel.
    • helm（舵柄/驾驶权）：Take the helm.

5. Steer

  • 英文释义：To guide or control the movement of (a vehicle, vessel, etc.).
  • 中文释义：驾驶；掌舵；引导。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • navigate（导航，航行）：Navigate through the storm.
    • pilot（驾驶飞机/引航）：Pilot the plane.
    • drift（漂流，失控，反义词）：The boat drifted aimlessly.

6. Temporary

  • 英文释义：Lasting for only a limited period of time; not permanent.
  • 中文释义：临时的；暂时的。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • provisional（临时性的，多指安排）：A provisional agreement.
    • permanent（永久的，反义词）：A permanent solution.

7. Fit

  • 英文释义：To be of the right shape and size for; to install or put in place.
  • 中文释义：安装；装配；适合。
  • 核心词组：fit with great difficulty（费力地安装）。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • install（安装，较正式）：Install new software.
    • mount（安装，固定）：Mount a camera on the tripod.
    • remove（移除，反义词）：Remove the old part.

三、特别语法点拨（长难句） ​

for 引导的因果从句 + 嵌套同位语从句 + 虚拟语气

  • 原句：This greatly reduced the speed of the ship, for there was a danger that if she travelled too quickly, this rudder would be torn away as well.
  • 解析：这是一个逻辑极其严密的“套娃句”。
    1. for：作为并列连词，表示补充说明原因（比 because 更书面、更正式）。
    2. that...：引导同位语从句，解释 danger 的具体内容。
    3. if she travelled...：在同位语从句内部，又嵌套了一个条件状语从句。
    4. would be torn away：条件从句中的虚拟语气，表示“如果开太快，_就会_有被刮走的危险”（潜在的可能性，而非既定事实）。
  • 实战仿写：
    • He declined the offer, for there was a risk that if he accepted, he would be tied down by endless paperwork.（他拒绝了邀请，因为有一个风险：如果接受，他就会被无尽的文书工作束缚住。）

四、智慧版写作指导 ​

1. 用“拟人化”赋予物体以灵魂

  • 写作指导：在描写船只、汽车、老房子等具有历史感或陪伴感的物体时，全程使用 she/he 代替 it，并赋予其人类的情感和遭遇。这能让读者从“旁观者”变成“共情者”。
  • 课文示范：She stands on dry land... / It seemed certain that she would be the first ship home... / ... During the race she had a lot of bad luck.（作者对 Cutty Sark 的偏爱和敬意，全在这些 she 里。）
  • 实战仿写：My old car, she never complained, even when I pushed her to the limit on the highway.（我的老车从不抱怨，即使我在高速上把她逼到极限。）

2. 用“因果链”展现事件的必然性

  • 写作指导：在叙述复杂事件时，不要只用 and then。用 for, because of this, considering that 等逻辑连接词，把一系列动作串成一条无法逃脱的因果链，让结局显得既遗憾又必然。
  • 课文示范：Storm → rudder torn away → temporary rudder fitted → speed reduced for danger of tearing again → lost lead → impossible to win.（每一步都是上一步的必然结果，逻辑严密，毫无废话。）
  • 实战仿写：I missed the alarm. Because of this, I rushed through breakfast. Consequently, I left my keys at home. Considering that the spare key was with my roommate who was away, I was locked out.（错过闹钟 → 匆忙吃早饭 → 忘带钥匙 → 室友不在 → 被锁门外。一环扣一环。）

3. 用“虚拟语气”在结尾表达强烈的惋惜

  • 写作指导：在故事结尾，如果主角因不可抗力失败，用 if... had not..., ...would have... 的虚拟语气，不仅能客观评价主角的实力，还能表达作者**“虽败犹荣”**的态度，比直接写 She was very good 有力得多。
  • 课文示范：There is no doubt that if she had not lost her rudder she would have won the race easily.（这句话是全文的灵魂：她不是输给了对手，而是输给了命运。）
  • 实战仿写：If the referee hadn't missed that foul, our team would have definitely won the championship.（如果裁判没漏判那个犯规，我们队绝对能拿冠军。）

WARNING

以上内容由AI生成，请自主辨明是否存在问题。