常春藤解析英语【95】美人鱼的故乡

Big Vikings and Little Mermaids² 美人鱼的故乡

by Jeremy Beacock

For a small country, Denmark has had a big influence on the world.
丹麦这个国家虽小，却影响力十足。

The small European kingdom of Denmark has a population of only 5 million, but it has a long and influential³ history. Denmark is made up of a large peninsula and a group of islands _(1)_ in the northeastern seas of Europe. Its people have always been skilled sailors and fishermen, and this strong _(2)_ with the sea was the source of Denmark's early power.

Early on, Denmark was home to Europe's most feared pirates—the Vikings. These fierce seamen⁴ would farm and fish in the winter before _(3)_ in their longboats to hunt along the shores of Europe in the summer. They fought and traded as far away as Egypt and Russia, and even sailed thousands of miles to settle in North America. Gradually, however, the pagan traditions of the Vikings were _(4)_ by Christianity, and the warrior⁶ chiefs became kings and lords. Denmark had joined the rest of European civilization, and its sailors were no longer terrors on the coast.

_(5)_ the Vikings had brought fire and the sword to the mainland, Denmark's most famous citizen, Hans Christian⁵ Andersen, brought joy. Born in 1805, Hans Christian Andersen wrote many famous fairy tales, _(6)_ The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor's New Clothes, and The Little Mermaid¹. These stories are still told all over the world, further than the Vikings ever sailed.

Nowadays, Denmark is a peaceful country. Its fearsome Vikings no longer pose a threat _(7)_ the rest of Europe. Instead, tourists come to the beautiful capital, Copenhagen, to see its historic buildings, as well as a cute attraction—a statue of the Little Mermaid.

1. (A) locating (B) located (C) which locate (D) to locate
2. (A) occupation (B) admission (C) permission (D) connection
3. (A) getting off (B) passing out (C) setting off (D) dropping out
4. (A) reminded (B) replaced (C) recalled (D) removed
5. (A) While (B) Unless (C) Since (D) Whether
6. (A) providing (B) regarding (C) considering (D) including
7. (A) in (B) for (C) to (D) with

原来如此

1. Denmark is made up of a large peninsula and a group of islands located in the northeastern seas of Europe.
理由:
a. locate vt. 使座落于（常用被动）
be located in + 大地方或区域/at + 小地方　　
= be situated⁷ in + 大地方或区域/at + 小地方　 位于……，座落在……
例: Hawaii is located right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
（夏威夷位于太平洋的正中央。）
b. 本句原为：
Denmark is made up of a large peninsula and a group of islands which are located in the northeastern seas of Europe.
c. 原句中的形容词子句 "which are located in the northeastern seas of Europe" 可化简为分词词组，即：省略关系代名词 which，其后的 be 动词 are 变成现在分词 being 后予以省略，即成 "located in the northeastern seas of Europe"，故选 (B)。但 (C) 若改为 which are located 则亦可选。

2. Its people have always been skilled sailors and fishermen, and this strong connection with the sea was the source of Denmark's early power.
理由:
a.
(A) occupation n. 工作，职业
(B) admission n. 进入许可；门票
(C) permission n. 允许
without one's permission　　未经某人允许
例: Tom used my computer without my permission.
（汤姆未经我的允许就用了我的计算机。）
(D) connection n. 关系，关联（常与介词 with 并用）
例: The evidence shows that he has no connection with the murder.
（种种证据显示他和这起谋杀案无关。）
b. 根据语意，可知应置入 connection，表和海洋的密切『关联』造就了丹麦早期的强大势力，故选 (D)。

3. These fierce seamen would farm and fish in the winter before setting off in their longboats to hunt along the shores of Europe in the summer.
理由:
a.
(A) get off/on (...)　　下∕上（……）大型交通工具
(B) pass out　　昏倒（= faint）
(C) set off　　出发，启程（= set out）
例: Teresa will set out on her journey to India next Wednesday.
（泰瑞莎下周三将展开她的印度之旅。）
(D) drop out (of...)　　退出（比赛、学业等）
例: If you drop out of school, your parents will be upset.
（你要是辍学的话，你爸妈会很不高兴。）
b. 根据语意，可知应置入 setting off，表在夏季驾着大船『出航』，故选 (C)。

4. Gradually, however, the pagan traditions of the Vikings were replaced by Christianity, and the warrior chiefs became kings and lords.
理由:
a.
(A) remind vt. 使想起；提醒
remind sb of sth　　令某人想到某事物
例: The song reminds me of the happy days I had in my childhood.
（那首歌使我想起童年的快乐时光。）
(B) replace vt. 取代
be placed by...　　被……取代
replace A with B　　用 B 取代 A
例: The dentist replaced my bad tooth with an artificial one.
（牙医拔掉我那颗烂牙并装上假牙。）
(C) recall vt. 回想
(D) remove vt. 移动；移除
remove A from B　　把 A 从 B 中移除
例: My mother expertly removed the stain from my shirt.
（母亲很巧妙地清除了我衬衫上的污垢。）
b. 根据语意，可知应置入 replaced，表维京人的异教传统渐渐被基督教『取代』，故选 (B)。

5. While the Vikings had brought fire and the sword to the mainland, Denmark's most famous citizen, Hans Christian Andersen, brought joy.
理由:
a.
(A) while conj. 虽然
注意:
while 表『虽然』时，即等于 although 或 though，其所引导的副词子句通常置于句首，之后加逗点，再接主要子句。
例: While I like the color of the hat, I do not like its shape.
（虽然我喜欢这顶帽子的颜色，却不喜欢它的样式。）
(B) unless conj. 除非
(C) since conj. 既然，因为
(D) whether conj. 是否
b. 根据语意，可知应选 (A) While，表『虽然』维京人在欧陆上烧杀掳掠，但安徒生这位丹麦最响叮当的人物却带来了欢乐。

6. Born in 1805, Hans Christian Andersen wrote many famous fairy tales, including The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor's New Clothes, and The Little Mermaid.
理由:
a.
(A) providing conj. 如果（= if）
= provided conj.
例: We can go to Thailand next week providing/provided (that) airplane tickets are still available.
（要是机票还买得到的话，我们下周就可以去泰国了。）
(B) regarding prep. 关于
= concerning prep.
例: Judy always takes notice of news concerning her hometown.
（茱蒂总是会注意有关家乡的消息。）
(C) considering prep. 考虑到，有鉴于
例: Considering his age, Mr. Chen is very active.
（就陈先生的年纪来说，他算是很活跃的了。）
(D) including prep. 包含
例: All the students are going bird-watching, including George.
（所有学生都要去赏鸟，包括乔治在内。）
b. 根据语意，可知应置入 including，表安徒生创作许多著名的童话故事，其中『包括』《丑小鸭》、《国王的新衣》和《小美人鱼》等，故选 (D)。

7. Its fearsome Vikings no longer pose a threat to the rest of Europe.
理由:
a. 本空格测试下列固定用法：
pose a threat to...　　对……构成威胁
threat n. 威胁
例: The greenhouse effect poses a serious threat to the environment.
（温室效应对环境构成很大的威胁。）
b. 根据上述，可知应选 (C) to。

精解字词词组

1. influential a. 有影响力的
例: Mr. Casey is a very influential teacher at our school.
（卡西先生是我们学校非常有影响力的一位老师。）

2. be made up of...　　由……组成
= be composed of...
= consists of...
例: This rock is made up of granite⁸, among other things.
（这块岩石是由花岗岩和其它物质所构成。）
＊ granite n. 花岗岩

3. be home to...　　是……的家园；是……的所在地
例: Wall Street is home to America's biggest financial companies.
（华尔街是全美国最大金融公司聚集的所在地。）
4. settle vi. 安顿；定居
settle down　　安顿下来，安定下来
例: My parents decided⁹ to settle down in a small town after they retired¹⁰.
（我的双亲退休后想在一座小镇定居。）

5. no longer...　　不再……
= not...any longer
= not...anymore
例: Sarah said she would no longer go out with Zack.
（莎拉说她再也不会和赛克出去了。）

6. instead adv. 反而，却
例: Don't turn down Bay Street. Instead, keep on going in this direction.
（不要在海湾大道回转。你应该朝这方向继续开下去。）

7. historic a. 有历史意义的
historical a. 有关历史的
例: This book is about historic events in Russia.
（这本书记载俄罗斯历史上的重要事件。）
例: There is a lot of interesting historical information about this building.
（这座建筑物有许多有趣的历史资料。）

8. as well as...　　以及……
例: Mike is raising two children as well as supporting his parents.
（麦克不但要扶养 2 个小孩，还要奉养双亲。）

单字小铺

1. mermaid n. 美人鱼
2. population n. 人口（集合名词）
3. peninsula n. 半岛
4. skilled a. 熟练的
5. pirate n. 海盗
6. fierce a. 凶猛的；残酷的
7. longboat n. 大船
8. trade vi. 做买卖；进行交易
9. gradually adv. 逐渐地
10. pagan a. 异教的 & n. 异教徒
11. Christianity n. 基督教
12. civilization n. 文明
13. mainland n. 大陆（本文中指欧洲大陆）
14. fairy tale n. 童话故事
15. fearsome a. 可怕的
16. capital n. 首都
17. attraction n. 吸引人的事物；吸引力
18. statue n. 雕像

词组小铺

＊ early on　　在早期

中文翻译＆标准答案

丹麦这个位于欧洲的小王国只有 5 百万人口，但她的历史却十分悠久且影响力十足。丹麦是由一座大半岛以及位于欧洲东北海域的一群小岛所组成的国家。其人民一直是航海技术丰富的水手和渔民，而和海洋的密切关联造就了丹麦早期的强大势力。

早期，丹麦只是维京人聚集的地方，他们是欧洲令人闻风丧胆的海盗。这些凶恶的水手在冬季时耕种以及捕鱼，然后在夏季驾着大船出航，在欧洲沿岸打家劫舍。他们征战和贸易的路线最远曾到达埃及和俄罗斯，甚至航行到几千哩远的北美洲定居。然而，维京人的异教传统渐渐被基督教取代，而这些战士的首领也摇身一变，成为国王或领主。丹麦跟上欧洲其它地方的脚步，成为欧洲文明世界的一份子，欧陆沿岸的人也不再闻维京水手而色变了。

虽然维京人在欧陆上烧杀掳掠，但是汉斯‧克利斯坦‧安徒生这位丹麦最响叮当的人物却带来了欢乐。他出生于公元 1805 年，创作出许多著名的童话故事，其中包括《丑小鸭》、《国王的新衣》和《小美人鱼》等。这些故事仍在全世界流传，其足迹远比维京人当初所到之处来得更遥远。

丹麦现在是个爱好和平的国家。曾经令人闻风丧胆的维京人已不再对欧洲其它地区造成威胁。相反地，游客来到哥本哈根这个美丽的首都时，都要一睹这里具有历史意义的建筑，以及另一个可爱的景点──小美人鱼铜像。

标准答案: 1. (B) 2. (D) 3. (C) 4. (B) 5. (A) 6. (D) 7. (C)
 

1 mermaid   

n.美人鱼

参考例句：

• How popular would that girl be with the only mermaid mom!和人鱼妈妈在一起，那个女孩会有多受欢迎！
• The little mermaid wasn't happy because she didn't want to wait.小美人鱼不太高兴，因为她等不及了。

2 mermaids   

n.（传说中的）美人鱼( mermaid的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The high stern castle was a riot or carved gods, demons, knights, kings, warriors, mermaids, cherubs. 其尾部高耸的船楼上雕满了神仙、妖魔鬼怪、骑士、国王、勇士、美人鱼、天使。 来自辞典例句
• This is why mermaids should never come on land. 这就是为什么人鱼不应该上岸的原因。 来自电影对白

3 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

4 seamen   

n.海员

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather. 有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• In the storm, many seamen wished they were on shore. 在暴风雨中，许多海员想，要是他们在陆地上就好了。

5 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

6 warrior   

n.勇士，武士，斗士

参考例句：

• The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
• A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。

7 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

8 granite   

adj.花岗岩，花岗石

参考例句：

• They squared a block of granite.他们把一块花岗岩加工成四方形。
• The granite overlies the older rocks.花岗岩躺在磨损的岩石上面。

9 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。

10 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。