英语博客：Get it built.

 　　I volunteered this year to build my mother an arbor¹ in her back garden. She has a small patio² at the back of her house with three borders(1) for planting. Because it gets so hot from late spring to the middle of autumn, she decided³ that she'd like a cover of some kind. Parasols are not big enough to cover the whole area, and the housing rules(2) do not allow her to attach anything to the house itself for extra shade. So, the only option is to build a 'free standing⁴' arbor, or one that stands alone. Now, I actually like building things, believe it or not. I have slowly accumulated some experience of cutting and shaping wood, using power tools, digging holes, measuring and leveling(3), and mixing and pouring concrete. It's hard work, but it's so satisfying to see the finished product. To make my mum's arbor safe, I have to use 10 ft poles(4) that go into 2ft holes, and sit in concrete(5). Then, the lateral⁵ beams(6) will be screwed across the length and width(7) of the patio on both sides of the poles. It'll be a very strong structure; well it has to be. I can't have anything falling on my mother's head! Then, when the basic frame has been made, I will attach a lattice in between the beams. A lattice is a criss-cross pattern of wood. This will create shade with a pretty pattern. I'm almost half way finished, and I need to hurry up and get it built(8), because the days are getting hotter. Shade is what we're after.

　　1. 'A border' is an area of land, usually in the shape of a strip. It is here that you can plant. This word is also used to represent the line of separation between two countries.

　　a. The border is full of flowers all year long.

　　b. We'll cross the border to Mexico next week.

　　2. 'Housing rules' are usually called 'covenants⁶'. The limit what you can and cannot do with the outside of your house. Notice the word 'housing' sounds like it has a 'z' instead of an 's'.

　　a. The housing covenants don't let us paint the doors anything but brown.

　　b. I'll have to read the housing covenants to see if I can buid an attached arbor.

　　3. 'Measuring and leveling' could be one of the most important parts of building. You have to get the lengths correct. Making a pole or piece of structure level, means that it is either exactly 90 degrees, 0 degrees, or 180 degrees. A 'level' is the device which is has liquid and a bubble to show if something is level.

　　a. Make sure the pole is level; that way it'll be strong and safe.

　　b. The bubble in the level is not in the middle; it shows that the shelf is not level.

　　4. A 'pole' is a long, piece of wood used as a support.

　　a. The pole that holds up the raspberries is rotten.

　　b. We need lots of poles to build a tree house for the kids.

　　5. 'Concrete' is the white, pasty, rocky substance that we use to make side walks and floors.

　　a. The concrete will take all day to dry; then we can walk on it.

　　b. Mix the concrete with water, but don't breathe in the dust!

　　6. 'Lateral' is the same as saying 'side'.

　　a. She'll hang baskets of flowers from the lateral beams.

　　b. Side beams will make the structure even stronger.

　　7. The 'length and width' are the two most basic measurements. They measure how long something is and how wide it is.

　　a. She can swim a width of the pool, but not a length.

　　b. Check the length of the sofa before you buy it.

　　8. 'Get it built' is a command using the past participle. Most verbs can be used this way.

　　a. Hurry up and get the bathroom painted; you're taking too long.

　　b. Get the essay written and handed in as soon as possible.

　　Join me on FACEBOOK at Anna Fromacupofenglish. Questions or comments, email me at [email protected]

1 arbor   

n.凉亭；树木

参考例句：

• They sat in the arbor and chatted over tea.他们坐在凉亭里，边喝茶边聊天。
• You may have heard of Arbor Day at school.你可能在学校里听过植树节。

2 patio   

n.庭院，平台

参考例句：

• Suddenly, the thought of my beautiful patio came to mind. I can be quiet out there,I thought.我又忽然想到家里漂亮的院子，我能够在这里宁静地呆会。
• They had a barbecue on their patio on Sunday.星期天他们在院子里进行烧烤。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 lateral   

adj.侧面的，旁边的

参考例句：

• An airfoil that controls lateral motion.能够控制横向飞行的机翼。
• Mr.Dawson walked into the court from a lateral door.道森先生从一个侧面的门走进法庭。

6 covenants   

n.（有法律约束的）协议( covenant的名词复数 )；盟约；公约；（向慈善事业、信托基金会等定期捐款的）契约书

参考例句：

• Do I need to review the Deed of mutual Covenants (DMC)? 我是否需要覆核公共契约(DMC)吗？ 来自互联网
• Many listed and unlisted companies need to sell to address covenants. 许多上市公司和非上市公司需要出售手中资产，以满足借贷契约的要求。 来自互联网