Lesson 54 Instinct or cleverness?是本能还是机智 现在完成时 宾语从句
Listen to the tape then answer the question below: Was the writer successful in protecting his peach tree? Why not?
We have been brought up to fear insects.
We regard them as unnecessary creatures that do more harm than good.
We continually wage war on them, for they contaminate our food, carry diseases, or devour our crops.
They sting or bite without provocation; they fly uninvited into our rooms on summer nights, or beat against our lighted windows.
We live in dread not only of unpleasant insects like spiders or wasps, but of quite harmless ones like moths.
Reading about them increases our understanding without dispelling our fears.
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.
No matter how much we like honey, or howmuch we have read about the uncanny sense of direction which bees possess, we have a horror of being stung.
Most of our fears are unreasonable, but they are impossible to erase.
At the same time, however, insects are strangely fascinating.
We enjoy reading about them, especially when we find that; like the praying mantis, they lead perfectly horrible lives.
We enjoy staring at them, entranced as they go about their business, unaware (we hope) of our presence.
Who has not stood in awe at the sight of a spider pouncing on a fly, ora column of ants triumphantly bearing home an enormous dead beetle?
Last summer I spent days in the garden watching thousands of ants crawling up the trunk of my prize peach tree.
The tree has grown against a warm wall 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.
During the summer, I noticed that the leaves of the tree were beginning to wither. Clusters of tiny insects called aphids were to be found on the underside of the leaves.
They were visited by a large colony of ants which obtained a sort of honey from them.
I immediately embarked on an experiment which, even though it failed to get rid of the ants, kept me fascinated for twenty-four hours.
I bound the base of the tree with sticky tape, making it impossible for the ants to reach the aphids.
The tape was so sticky that they did not dare to cross it.
For a long time, I watched them scurrying around the base of the tree in bewilderment.
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 doanything about it.
I got up early next morning hoping to find that the ants had given up in despair. Instead, I saw that they had discovered a new route.
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.
The ants had been quick to find an answer to my thoroughly unscientific methods!
与课文关联的单词
insect
/ˈɪnsekt/n. 昆虫wage *
/weɪdʒ/v. 进行(斗争)contaminate
/kənˈtæmɪneɪt/v. 弄脏provocation
/ˌprɒvəˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/n. 惹怒spider
/ˈspaɪdə(r)/n. 蜘蛛wasp
/wɒsp/n. 黄蜂moth
/mɒθ/n. 飞蛾ant
/ænt/n. 蚂蚁revulsion
/rɪˈvʌlʃ(ə)n/n. 厌恶horde
/hɔːd/n. 群uncanny
/ʌnˈkæni/adj. 神秘的,不可思议的erase
/ɪˈreɪz/v. 擦,抹去praying mantis
/ˌpreɪɪŋ ˈmæntɪs/n. 螳螂entranced
/ɪnˈtrɑːnst/adj. 出神的beetle
/ˈbiːtl/n. 甲虫sheltered
/ˈʃeltəd/adj. 伤不着的,无危险的luscious
/ˈlʌʃəs/adj. 甘美的cluster
/ˈklʌstə(r)/n. 一簇aphid
/ˈeɪfɪd/n. 蚜虫underside
/ˈʌndəsaɪd/n. 底面,下侧colony
/ˈkɒləni/n. 一群sticky
/ˈstɪki/adj. 粘的scurry
/ˈskʌri/v. 小步跑swarm
/swɔːm/v. 聚集ingenuity
/ˌɪndʒəˈnjuːəti/n. 机灵引论(先讲道理) 更新于:2024-09-30 09:27:15
We have been brought up to fear insects.
bring sb. ↔ up 把某人抚养大
- I brought up my seven children single-handed. 我独自带大了7个孩子。
- I am not going to bring up my child in this hole. 我不会在这个鬼地方养育孩子的。
- Many women still take career breaks to bring up children. 许多妇女仍然为养育孩子而中断事业。
have been brought up to do 【idiom】(用于完成时)从小就… | The sad truth is that most of us have been brought up to eat certain foods and we stick to them all our lives. |
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高考阅读:I have been brought up to believe that it is proper to make contributions to charity.
六级阅读:And perhaps all those successful college graduates would have been successful whether they had gone to college or not. This is heresy to those of us who have been brought up to believe that if a little schooling is good, more has to be much better.
We regard them as unnecessary creatures that do more harm than good.
regard ... as ... 把... 看着成...
- I mean, what people regard as luck you can actually create to a degree. 我的意思是,实际上你可以在一定程度上创造出人们所认为的运气。
- That, believe it or not, was one of the findings parents might regard as good news. 信不信由你,家长们认为的好消息可能就是这其中一项发现。
- To do something my brain would regard as creative. 做一些我的大脑认为有创造性的事情。
do more harm than good 【idiom】弊大于利
- Raising speed limits may do more harm than good.
- Mandatory quotas do more harm than good. 强制配额弊大于利。
- If you act willfully, it may do more harm than good. 如果你一意孤行,那可能弊多利少。
- This measure will do more good than harm. 这项措施利多弊少。
do … harm / do harm to … 对…有害 |
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do sb. good 对某人有好处 | I think a trip to the beach would do us all a lot of good. |
in more ways than one 【idiom】有不只一方面的含义
We continually wage war on them, for they contaminate our food, carry diseases, or devour our crops.
continually adv. 不断地;频繁地
continuously adv. 连续不断地 | These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which have gone mad. |
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be continually / always doing 老做某事 | Malcolm was continually changing his mind. 马尔科姆频频改变其主意。 |
contaminate v. to make sth. dirty, polluted, or poisonous by adding a chemical, waste, or infection 污染…
- Flies contaminate food.
- Industrial sewage continues to contaminate our beaches.
carry v. if a person, animal, or insect carries a disease, they can pass it to other people or animals even if they are not ill themselves 携带病菌,传播疾病
- Many serious diseases are carried by insects.
carrier 带菌者,病媒 | Reproductive health, free of charge to check as the carrier, CD player AIDS knowledge. 以生殖健康免费检查为载体,播放防艾知识光盘。 |
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transmit (强调传播) | ...mosquitoes that transmit disease to humans. …向人类传播疾病的蚊子。 |
contagious adj. 感染性的;会蔓延的 | ...a highly contagious disease of the lungs. …一种高度接触传染的肺病。 |
infectious adj. 传染的;传染性的;易传染的 | ...infectious diseases such as measles. …像麻疹这样的传染病。 |
catching adj. 传染性的;有魅力的 | Enthusiasm is very catching. 热情是非常具有感染力的。 |
catch vt. 赶上;抓住;感染;了解 | The more stress you are under, the more likely you are to catch a cold. 你所受的压力越大,越有可能患感冒。 |
devour v. 吞食;毁灭
- Only two stray dogs benefited from all this confusion, for they greedily devoured what was left of the cake.
- Insects would make it impossible for us to live in the world; they would devour all our crops and kill our flocks and herds, if it were not for the protection we get from insect-eating animals.
They sting or bite without provocation; they fly uninvited into our rooms on summer nights, or beat against our lighted windows.
uninvited adj. 未经邀请的
- He came uninvited to one of Stein's parties. 他不请自来地去了斯坦因的一个聚会。
- He turned up uninvited. 他不请自到了。
- But we were uninvited. 但是我们没被邀请。
an uninvited guest / visitor 不速之客 | A few people showed up / turned up uninvited at the party. |
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“上午、下午、晚上”如果有形容词或名词修饰限定的话,一般都用介词on
- on a Monday night
- on a sunny afternoon
lighted adj. 含义1. a lighted window, room etc. is bright because there is a light on inside 亮着灯的
- a lighted window / room
- The building was lighted up brightly. 这座建筑灯火通明。
lighted adj. 含义2. a lighted candle, match etc. is burning at one end 点着的
- a lighted candle / match
- Never use lighted candles. 不要用点燃的蜡烛。
- Those fireworks lighted the sky. 那些烟火点亮了天空。
We live in dread not only of unpleasant insects like spiders or wasps, but of quite harmless ones like moths.
live in dread of 一直(都)害怕
- I live in dread of losing her love.
- They live in the dread of forest fire. 他们住的地方时常担心有森林火灾的发生。
- The Jews lived in dread of being caught. 生活在会遭到拘捕的恐惧之中。
- We lived in mortal dread of him discovering our secret. 因为害怕他发现我们的秘密,我们终日惶恐不安。
dread sth. / doing 害怕做某事、某事反生
dreadful adj. 可怕的, 糟糕的 | All the things I had packed so carefully were soon in a dreadful mess. |
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stand in awe of … 对……充满敬畏 |
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not only … but(aslso) 平行结构
- I not only spoke English very carefully, but very clearly as well.
- Gifts poured in not only from unknown people, but from baby food and soap manufacturers who wished to advertise their products.
- Shops cater for the do-it-yourself craze not only by running special advisory services for novices, but by offering consumers bits and pieces which they can assemble at home.
- This hobby educates one not only in the chosen subject, but also in general matters which have some bearing on it.
Reading about them increases our understanding without dispelling our fears.
dispel v. 英文解释:to make sth. go away, esp. a belief, idea, or feeling 驱散,打消
- dispel doubts / fears / worries / rumors / hesitations / prejudice … 驱散了… 、打消了…
- This brief experiment would dispel any further doubts you might have.
延伸 更新于:2024-09-30 10:52:53
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.
industrious diligent 勤奋的
- Aunt Harriet could not find words to praise Bessie's industriousness and efficiency.
- She was an industrious and willing worker. 她是个勤劳肯干的工人。
industrial adj. 工业的, 产业的 |
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do nothing to do sth. 做某某方面没用
- It is a cosmetic measure which will do nothing to help the situation long term. 这是装点门面的措施,无益于局势的长期发展。
- It grieved him that he could do nothing to help her. 他因无法帮助她而伤心。
- He could do nothing to disturb them. 他做什么都打搅不了她们。
The precautions did nothing / did not do anything to prevent the disease from spreading. 这些预防措施在阻止这种疾病蔓延方面没有任何作用。
not do anything to do sth. 在某方面根本没用(语气更强) | This will put him on the spot and will not do anything to improve your chances. 这将让他在现场,也不会做任何事情,以改善您的机会。 |
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prevent … from … 阻止
- He said this would prevent companies from creating new jobs. 他说这将阻止各公司创造新的职位。
- There's been talk of a retaliatory blockade to prevent supplies from getting through. 有人在谈论实施报复性封锁,以阻止供应物资通过。
do little to do sth.在某方面没多大作用
- Third, harsh laws often do little to protect the innocent. 第三,严苛的法律往往无助于保护无辜者。
- Moreover, higher interestrates would do little to curb food prices. 其次,提高利率对限制食物价格作用寥胜于无。
- But it will do little to protect the economy from a prolonged credit squeeze. 但它却不能抑制长期的信贷紧缩。
do much / a lot / a great deal to do sth. 在某方面有很大作用 | Though he was technically a prizefighter, Mendoza did much to change crude prizefighting into a sport, for he brought science to the game. |
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be filled with … 充满了某种情绪
- be filled with anger/ fear / dread / horror / joy / happiness / doubt / alarm / revulsion / admiration / remorse … 充满了某种情绪…
- All at once, I noticed that my wife seemed to be filled with alarm.
- Their faces were suddenly filled with fear.
- I am filled with admiration for your bravery.
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.
sense of direction / humor / danger / justice / pride / honor / accomplishment / responsibility / superiority / inferiority … …感
- The sense of humo(u)r is mysteriously bound up with national characteristics. 幽默感
- He simply had no sense of danger at all. 危险感
have a horror of … 害怕
- She has a horror of cockroaches.
be afraid / frightened / scared of ... | She is afraid / frightened / scared of cockroaches. |
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Most of our fears are unreasonable, but they are impossible to erase.
… they are impossible to erase… 形容词后加动词不定式作补语,用主动表被动的含义
- He is easy to fool.
- She is extremely difficult to please.
- The machine is awkward to handle.
- The man is hard to work with.
造句:My fear of driving is unreasonable, but it is impossible to erase. 我害怕开车是没有道理的, 但这种感觉无法消除。
At the same time, however, insects are strangely fascinating.
fascinating adj. 迷人的
- Madagascar is the most fascinating place I have ever been to. 马达加斯加是我去过的最迷人的地方。
- The exhibition tells the fascinating story of the steam age. 展览讲述了蒸汽时代引人入胜的故事。
- I still find it fascinating. 我仍然觉得它很迷人。
fascinate vt. 迷住… | Cats never fail to fascinate human beings. |
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fascination n. 魅力,吸引力 | Antique shops exert a peculiar fascination on a great many people. |
At the same time, however, insects exert a peculiar fascination on us.
At the same time, however, insects never fail to fascinate us.
We enjoy reading about them, especially when we find that, like the praying mantis, they lead perfectly horrible lives .
perfectly adv. completely ― used to emphasize what you are saying(用于加强语气)完全, 非常,极其
- It's perfectly normal to feel like this.
- To be perfectly honest, I didn't want to go anyway.
We enjoy staring at them, entranced as they go about their business, unaware (we hope) of our presence.
- We enjoy reading about them ...
- We enjoy staring at them ...
entrance vt. 令人着迷,陶醉
- I’m completely entranced by / with the music.
- The children sat silent on the carpet, entranced by the puppet show.
go about one’s business 做自己的事
- The villagers were going about their business as usual.
go about sth. 着手做某事 | I want to learn German but I don't know the best way to go about it. |
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be (un)aware of … 意识到/没有意识到
- He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
- The crowd began to shout, but the drunk was unaware of the danger.
presence n. 出席,在场
- Everything around him was full of her presence, continually reopening the wound.
- His daughter's presence seemed to fill her empty bedroom.
- Everything around me is full of his / her presence, continually reopening the wound.
in the presence of sb. 某人在场的情况下 | Harry is very thrifty, but in the presence of his friends he never shows this side of his life. |
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in sb.’s presence | Please don't smoke in my presence. 我在场时请别抽烟。 |
absence n. 不在场,缺席
- She did not mention her mother's absence. 她没有提到她母亲的缺席。
- She concocted some elaborate story to explain her absence. 她精心编造了解释她不在场的一些谎言。
- The case was dismissed in the absence of any definite proof. 此案因缺乏确凿证据而不予受理。
in the absence of sb. | In the absence of their teacher, the students were all going about their business. 在老师不在的时候,学生们都在忙自己的事。 |
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in sb.’s absence 在某人不在场的情况下 | In my absence he will be in charge. |
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?
stand in awe (of ...)(对……)充满敬畏
- Stand in awe in front of it. 怀着崇敬的心情站在它的面前。
- They rather stand in awe of Charles. 他们非常敬畏查尔斯。
- We always stand in awe of our manager. 我们对经理总是敬而远之。
pounce on … 猛扑向…
column n. a long moving line of people or things(人或事物的)队伍
- a column of soldiers
- a column of refugees
- Perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures. 也许是你的拼写能力太差了,又或许是你不会把纵列数字相加。
- Word went out that a column of tanks was on its way. 有消息说一队坦克上路了。
triumph n. 胜利,成功(的喜悦);v. 获得成功,取胜
- There was a note of triumph in my voice when I told him that it was there in black and white.
- Arch of Triumph 凯旋门
rhetorical question 修辞疑问句(不用回答;多用于结尾)
- We often speak of tramps with contempt and put them in the same class as beggars, but how many of us can honestly say that we have not felt a little envious of their simple way of life and their freedom from care?
- O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind? ‘Ode to the West Wind’— P. B. Shelley
- Who among us has not dreamed of that?
- What is the use of our studying grammar if we can't put the grammatical rules into practice?
- Could any spectacle, for instance, be more grimly whimsical than that of gunners using science to shatter men‘s bodies while, close at hand, surgeons use it to restore them?
举例(再讲故事) 更新于:2024-09-30 13:17:57
Last summer I spent days in the garden watching thousands of ants crawling up the trunk of my prize peach tree.
watch sb. doing sth. 注视某人正在做某事的过程
- Let's just sit and watch them doing. 咱们就坐在这看他们演戏吧。
- They will then unfurl in the warmth of your room; you can watch them doing it. 然后它们将不再在你温暖的房间里伸展开来;你可以看着它们这样做。
prize valued; treasured; cherished
- One of Mary's prize possessions was a little white lamb which her husband had given her.
- The idea never appealed to me very much, but one day, after heavy shower, I happened to be walking in my garden when I noticed a huge number of snails taking a stroll on some of my prize plants.
The tree has grown against a warm wall on a sheltered side of the house.
sheltered adj. 可避风雨的
- We found a sheltered spot to have a picnic.
I am especially proud of it, not only because it has survived several severe winters, but because it occasionally produces luscious peaches. 不仅因为...,而且还因为...
survive vt. 经历……而幸存
- A cat's ability to survive falls is based on fact.
severe adj. 严重的,严酷的,严厉的
- a severe injury
- a severe winter
- Recognizing who the customer was, the manager was most apologetic and reprimanded the assistant severely.
produce v. 含义1. make, create 制造
produce v. 含义2. to grow sth. or make it naturally 出产(农场品),产(仔)
- The tree produces fruit.
- A cow produces milk.
- A hen produces eggs.
produce v. 含义3. if you produce an object, you bring it out or present it, so that people can see or consider it 出示,拿出
- Produce your ticket!
- They made no effort to hide their amusement whenever I produced a packet of sweets from my pocket.
- She produced all sorts of weird concoctions, but none of them met with Harry's requirements.
During the summer, I noticed that the leaves of the tree were beginning to wither.
be beginning 进行时强调逐渐的...
- Her sight is beginning to go. 她的视力开始下降。
- The snow was beginning to melt. 积雪开始融化了。
- Her legs were beginning to tire. 她的双腿开始感到累了。
- The cheese was beginning to sweat. 奶酪开始出水了。
Clusters of tiny insects called aphides were to be found on the underside of the leaves.
cluster n. a group of things of the same kind that are very close together (密密匝匝的)一簇, 一团
- a cluster of red berries
be to be found / heard / seen 能够被找到 / 看到 / 听到
- Such books are to be found in the library.
- Not a sound was to be heard.
- Not a soul was to be seen.
be to do (fml.) 的四种用法 | 打算 | I’m to see her tomorrow. |
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命令 |
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能够 |
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应该 |
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They were visited by a large colony of ants which obtained a sort of honey from them.
colony n.a group of animals or plants of the same type that are living or growing together(住在一起的)一群动物或植物
- a colony of ants
- a seal colony
- A colony of gulls inhabits the island.一群海鸥栖息于这个岛上。
形式定语从句
- They were visited by a large colony of ants which obtained a sort of honey from them.
- They were visited by a large colony of ants because the ants obtained a sort of honey from them.
- We can read of things that happened 5,000 years ago in the Near East, where people first learned to write.
- We can read of things that happened 5,000 years ago in the Near East, because people first learned to write there.
- Don’t sit on the chair because it has a broken leg.
- Don’t sit on the chair which has a broken leg.
- I have to be very careful not to offend the manager because he could give me the sack at any time.
- I have to be very careful not to offend the manager who could give me the sack at any time.
a sort of = a kind of … 1.一种、某种…;2.有些像……的;……般的 ;(此处课文指得是第2种含义)
- We sometimes imagine a desert island to be a sort of paradise where the sun always shines.
- In spite of this, the Italians regarded him as a sort of hero.
- Libraries made education possible, and education in its turn added to libraries: the growth of knowledge followed a kind of compound interest law, which was greatly enhanced by the invention of printing.
I immediately embarked on an experiment which even though it failed to get rid of the ants, kept me fascinated for 24 hours.
embark on / upon sth. 1.上船;2.开始某个工作、任务
get rid of … 赶走…,打发走…
I bound the base of the tree with sticky tape, making it impossible for the ants to reach the aphides.
base of …的底部
The tape was so sticky that they did not dare to cross it.
cross v.穿过; 穿过去
- She was partly to blame for failing to look as she crossed the road. 她横穿马路时没有看车,应承担部分责任。
- Egan crossed to the drinks cabinet and poured a Scotch. 伊根穿过去,来到酒柜旁,倒了一杯苏格兰威士忌。
For a long time, I watched them scurrying around the base of the tree in bewilderment.
scurry v. run with short quick steps 小步快跑
- The mouse scurried across the floor.
bewilder v. 令人迷惑,令人晕头转向
- The silence from Alex had hurt and bewildered her. 亚历克斯的沉默令她伤心和迷惑不解。
- So many questions bewilder me. 这样多的问题使我困惑。
- The letter would only bewilder the mother. 这信只会使妈妈惶惑不解。
bewildering adj. 令人迷惑的,令人昏头转向的 | Films, videos, CDs and CD-ROMS are just some of the bewildering amount of information they will have. |
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表示“感情”的名词和介词在一起做状语,大多数用in
- in bewilderment / confusion
- in surprise
- in horror
- in despair
- in a panic …
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.
with satisfaction = satisfiedly 满意地做某事
with ease = easily | His few material possessions make it possible for him to move from place to place with ease. |
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with delight = delightedly | He had spotted a tiny bottle at the bottom of my case and he pounced on it with delight. |
with a smile = smilingly | 'But it isn't perfume,' I said. 'It's hair gel.' Then I added with a smile, 'It's a strange mixture I make myself.' |
with pride = proudly | Alik's words filled her heart with pride. 亚历克的话让她的内心充满骄傲。 |
with attention = attentively | Previous studies have also linked screen time with attention problems. 之前的研究也将花在屏幕前的时间与注意力问题挂钩。 |
with confidence = confidently | The team were brimming with confidence before the game. 该队在赛前信心十足。 |
with reluctance = reluctantly | They parted with reluctance. 他们依依不舍地分手了。 |
swarm v. When insects swarm, they come together in a large group 昆虫聚集
- A swarm of people encircled the hotel. 一大群人包围了这家酒店。
- At the time, this was the largest swarm of robots ever tested. 当时,这是测试过的最大的机器人群。
- A network swarm is all edges and therefore open-ended any way you come at it. 一个网络群到处都是边,因此,无论你以何种方式进入,它都是开放的。
do something about …to do something in order to deal with a problem or difficult situation 解决,处理(问题或困难)
there is nothing … can do about … 对某问题某人无能为力
I got up early next morning hoping to find that the ants had given up in despair.
hope to do 希望做某事
- We hope to arrive around two. 我们希望能在两点钟左右到达。
- I hope to hell you're right. 我打心底里希望你是对的。
- I hope to be back in a fortnight. 我希望两周后回来。
- He had one last hope to cling on to. 他还抱着最后的一线希望。
Instead, I saw that they had discovered a new route.
Instead of …, however, … 本该…,结果却…
instead (,) … 结果却… | I gave him fifty pence yesterday and advised him to save it. Instead he bought himself fifty pence worth of trouble. |
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They were climbing up the wall of the house and then on to the leaves of the tree.
on to … = onto … 到…上面去
- We all herded on to the bus.我们全都涌上了公共汽车。
- With a spring, the cat leapt on to the table.猫一跃跳上桌子。
- We bundled out onto the street. 我们大伙急忙跑到街上。
I realized sadly that I had been completely defeated by their ingenuity.
ingenuity n.心灵手巧,聪明才智,独创力
- Inspecting the nest can be difficult and may require some ingenuity. 仔细检查鸟巢可能有困难,也许需要一些巧妙的心思。
- It's limited only by your ingenuity! 被束缚的仅仅是你的独创性!
- They suppress the ingenuity of our people and businesses. 它们抑制我们的人民和企业的创造力。
The ants had been quick to find an answer to my thoroughly unscientific methods!
be quick to do 【idiom】to react quickly to what someone says or does 很快就……
- He was quick to notice the mistake.
- He offered to train Mendoza and his young pupil was quick to learn.
an answer to sth. a solution to sth. 问题的解决方案
- There is no easy answer to the problem.