最新15篇文章贯通英语四级词汇MP3 Unit2-Part4

 

[00:00.00]At the time, drums were used 

[00:03.70]to forewarn that 

[00:04.90]the natives were going to 

[00:06.44]capture the forts, which 

[00:07.75]guarded the western frontier. 

[00:08.84]Daily life in this new land, 

[00:12.45]for the early settlers, 

[00:14.09]was harsh and difficult. 

[00:16.28]First they needed to tame 

[00:18.80]the land, chopping down trees,

[00:20.99]in order to be able to plant crops. 

[00:24.05]At times they  needed to 

[00:26.57]defend their land and 

[00:27.88]be wary¹ of attacks from  

[00:29.30]wild animals, such as 

[00:30.83]wolves and bears. 

[00:32.91]Mosquito bites caused severe reactions 

[00:36.63]of swelling² and itchiness.

[00:39.59]Once the work was done, 

[00:41.77]neighbors would gather for 

[00:43.74]an occasional social function. 

[00:45.93]The children would play 

[00:48.12]for hours chasing butterflies 

[00:49.65]and looking for birds’ nests. 

[00:51.95]The boys would catch frogs and 

[00:54.57]then tease the girls with them. 

[00:56.22]There would be a delicious picnic lunch 

[01:00.05]spread on the grass. 

[01:02.12]John asked Lily to 

[01:04.31]bring some freshly squeezed lemon juice 

[01:06.28]for the picnic. 

[01:08.80]He found  the sour taste of  lemonade

[01:10.44]was refreshing³ on a hot summer’s day.

[01:13.94] Some of the men would 

[01:15.90]have a drink of homemade

[01:17.66]in the moonshine before 

[01:19.52]striking up a tune⁴ on the fiddle⁵. 

[01:22.03]Square dancing was popular 

[01:25.43]among the young people and 

[01:27.39]the young lads would leap up to dance 

[01:29.48]with the eligible⁶ young ladies. 

[01:31.99]Rivals for a young lady’s hand 

[01:35.60]in marriage would tend to 

[01:37.35]compete to walk her home 

[01:38.99]at the end of an evening. 

[01:40.74]The romantic times were few 

[01:43.69]and contrasted sharply with 

[01:45.33]the stern reality of everyday life.

[01:49.16]Neighbors were also few and 

[01:53.44]Lily found she was very lonely. 

[01:55.73]She looked forward to 

[01:57.92]the occasional visits of the minister, 

[01:59.78]Robert Ayers, who was 

[02:02.07]a Methodist circuit rider. 

[02:03.94]Meetings would  be held

[02:06.23]in fields or small barns, 

[02:08.31]three to four times a year. 

[02:10.17]At other times neighbor women 

[02:13.78]from over the mountain would 

[02:15.75]meet to make quilts, blankets 

[02:17.83]and cushions and to gossip 

[02:19.25]about their respective lives. 

[02:21.77]They would share their secret fears 

[02:24.83]regarding their new lives, 

[02:27.02]their hopes for their children’s future 

[02:29.21]and enjoy each other’s companionship.

1 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

2 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。

3 refreshing   

adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的

参考例句：

• I find it'so refreshing to work with young people in this department.我发现和这一部门的青年一起工作令人精神振奋。
• The water was cold and wonderfully refreshing.水很涼，特别解乏提神。

4 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

5 fiddle   

n.小提琴；vi.拉提琴；不停拨弄，乱动

参考例句：

• She plays the fiddle well.她小提琴拉得好。
• Don't fiddle with the typewriter.不要摆弄那架打字机了。

6 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。