Lesson 46:Do it yourself 自己动手
Listen to the tape then answer the question below.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
Did the writer repair his lawn mower in the end? Why/Why not?
So great is our passion for doing things for ourselves, that we are becoming increasingly less dependent on specialized labour. No one can plead ignorance of a subject any longer, for these are countless do-it-yourself publications. Armed with the right tools and materials, newlyweds gaily embark on the task of decorating their own homes. Men, particularly, spend hours of their leisure time installing their own fireplaces, laying out their own gardens; building garages and making furniture. Some really keen enthusiasts go so far as to build their own computers. 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. Such things provide an excellent outlet for pent up creative energy, but unfortunately not all of us are born handymen.
Some wives tend to believe that their husbands are infinitely resourceful and can fix anything. Even men who can hardly drive a nail in straight are supposed to be born electricians, carpenters, plumbers and mechanics. When lights fuse, furniture gets rickety, pipes get clogged, or vacuum cleaners fail to operate, some woman assume that their husbands will somehow put things right. The worst thing about the do-it-yourself game is that sometimes even men live under the delusion that they can do anything, even when they have repeatedly been proved wrong. It is a question of pride as much as anything else.
Last spring my wife suggested that I call in a man to look at our lawn mower. It had broken down the previous summer, and though I promised to repair it, I had never got round to it. I would not hear of the suggestion and said that I would fix it myself. One Saturday afternoon, I hauled the machine into the garden and had a close look at it. As far as I could see, it needed only a minor adjustment: a turn of a screw here, a little tightening up there, a drop of oil and it would be as good as new. Inevitably the repair job was not quite so simple. The mower firmly refused to mow, so I decided to dismantle it. The garden was soon littered with chunks of metal which had once made up a lawn mower. But I was extremely pleased with myself. I had traced the cause of the trouble. One of links in the chain that drives the wheels had snapped. After buying a new chain I was faced with the insurmountable task of putting the confusing jigsaw puzzle together again. I was not surprised to find that the machine still refused to work after I had reassembled it, for the simple reason that I was left with several curiously shaped bits of metal which did not seem to fit anywhere. I gave up in despair. The weeks passed and the grass grew. When my wife nagged me to do something about it, I told her that either I would have to buy a new mower or let the grass grow. Needless to say our house is now surrounded by a jungle. Buried somewhere in deep grass there is a rusting lawn mower which I have promised to repair one day.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
plead
v. 找（借口），辩解
ignorance
n. 无知，不懂
publication
n. 出版物
newlyweds
n. 新婚夫妇
gaily
adv. 愉快地，高兴地
leisure
n. 空闲
keen
adj. 热心的，渴望的
advisory
adj. 咨询的
novice
n. 新手
consumer
n. 消费者，顾客
assemble
v. 装配，组装
outlet
n. 出路
creative
adj. 创造性的
handyman
n. 手巧的人，能工巧匠
resourceful
adj. 足智多谋的
fuse
v. 由于烧断保险丝而短路
rickety
adj. 要散架的，晃动的
clog
v. 堵塞
delusion
n. 错觉
lawn mower
割草机
adjustment
n. 调整
screw
n. 螺丝钉
dismantle
v. 拆卸
chunk
n. （厚）块
snap
v. 绷断
insurmountable
adj. 不能克服的，难以对付的
jigsaw
n. 线锯
nag
v. 唠叨不休
rust
v. 生锈
参考译文
现在我们自己动手做事的热情很高，结果对于专业工人的依赖越来越少了。由于出版了不计其数的教人自己动手做事的书报杂志，没有人再能说对某事一无所知。新婚夫妇找来合适的工具和材料，喜气洋洋地开始布置新房。特别是男人，常利用空闲时间安装壁炉、布置花园、建造车库、制作家具。有些热衷于自己动手的人甚至自己组装电脑。为了满足自己动手热的需要，商店不仅为初学者提供专门的咨询服务，而且为顾客准备了各种零件，供他们买回家去安装。这些东西为人们潜在的创造力提供了一个绝妙的用武之地。但不幸的是，我们并非人人都是能工巧匠。
妻子常常认为她们的丈夫无比聪明能干。甚至那些连一枚钉子都钉不直的男人都被认为是天生的电工、木匠、水管工和机械师。每当电灯保险丝烧断、家具榫头松动、管道堵塞、吸尘器不动时，有些妻子认为丈夫总有办法。自己动手的例子中最糟糕的是，有时甚至是男人尽管接连失败却还误以为自己什么都行，原因就是要面子。
今年春天，妻子让我请人检查一下我家的割草机。那台割草机去年夏天就坏了，尽管我答应修，但一直没抽出时间，我不愿听妻子的建议，说我自己会修。一个星期六的下午，我把割草机拉到了花园里，仔细检查了一番。在我看来，只需稍加调整即可。这儿紧紧螺丝，那儿固定一下，再加几滴油，就会像新的一样了。事实上，修理工作远不是那么简单。修完后割草机还是纹丝不动。于是，我决定把它拆开。一会儿工夫，割草机便被拆成一个个金属零件，乱七八糟地堆在花园里。但我却非常高兴，因为我找到了毛病所在。驱动轮子的链条断了一节。我买来一根新链条后，面临的就是如何把这些令人眼花缭乱的拼板重新组装起来。等我装完后，那台割草机仍然一动不动，对此我倒并不感到吃惊。原因很简单，因为还剩下几个形状奇特的零件似乎哪里也装不上去。我无可奈何，只好罢休。几个星期过去了，草长了起来。妻子喋喋不休让我想点办法。我告诉她，要么买一台新割草机，要么让草长下去。不用说，我家现在已被丛林包围。深草丛中的某个地方有一台正在生锈的割草机，那就是我曾答应某日要修理的割草机。
新概念英语正版图书购买
自学导读
课文详注 Further notes on the text
1．…workers began to unload a number of wooden boxes which contained clothing.……工人们开始卸下装有服装的一批木箱。
（1）unload的含义为“卸（货）”，它的反义词为load（装货）。与形容词 uncomfortable, unsmiling等相似，有些动词加前缀un可以表示做相反的动作。
（2）a number of为固定词组，表示“若干”、“许多”：
You've made a number of mistakes in typing this letter.
你打这封信时出了不少错误。
（3）clothing是服装的总称，为不可数名词，其含义比clothes更为广泛。clothes一般指衣服，clothing则可以包括鞋、帽等。
2．No one could account for the fact that one of the boxes was extremely heavy. 其中有只箱子特别重，可谁也弄不清是怎么回事。
（1）短语动词 account for的含义为“说明理由”、“作出说明（或解释）”：
The bad weather in England accounts for Harrison's decision to leave the country.
英国糟糕的气候是哈里森决定离开这个国家的原因。
How do you account for the battered car?
你如何解释这撞坏的车？
（2）that后面的从句为fact的同位语从句，说明fact的具体内容：
He couldn't explain the fact that Mary's wallet was found in his room.
他无法解释玛丽的钱包是在他房间里找到的这一事实。
3．It suddenly occurred to one of the workers to open up the box. 突然一个工人想到打开箱子看看。
（1）表示某人想起某事时，要用 sth. occurred to sb. 这个结构，主语为事，而不是人。
（2）it在句中为先行主语，代替不定式 to open up the box。
（3）open up的含义之一是“打开”：
open up boxes／gifts 打开箱子／礼物
When he received the gifts, he opened them up at once.
他收到礼物后立刻就打开了。
4．He was astonished at what he found. 看到的情景使他吃惊。
表示某事使／让某人吃惊通常用sb. is/ are/ was/ were…astonished at sth.：
Sam appears astonished at the news/ the sound.
这消息／声音似乎使萨姆吃了一惊。
5．on top of, 在……上面。
She put the bread on top of a pile of other goods.
她把面包放在一堆其他货物上面。
6．…he had been confined to the wooden box for over eighteen hours. ……他在那木箱里闷了十八个多小时。
confine表示“把……限制起来”，通常与介词to连用：
Last weekend, Tom's mother confined him to his room.
上个周末，汤姆的妈妈把汤姆关在了房间里。
7．The man was ordered to pay ￡3, 500 for the cost of the trip. 此人被责令交付旅费3,500英镑。
pay for表示“为……支付货款”、“为……付出代价”：
She paid ￡ 50 for that dress.
她买那件衣服花了50英镑。
语法 Grammar in use
与to，at，for和 with连用的动词
在第22课的语法中，我们学习了后面可跟 of，from，in和 on 的动词，如 borrow，believe，dream，think，write，decide等。有些动词可以跟to，at，for和with连用，不过这些介词不一定是惟一和这些动词连用的小品词。
（1）与to 连用的动词
It never occurred to them that a man had confined himself to one of the wooden boxes.
他们从来没想到有一个人会把自己关在其中的一个木箱里。
I prefer listening to music to reading newspapers.
我宁愿听音乐而不愿看报纸。
This car belongs to Sam. It's not mine.
这汽车是萨姆的，不是我的。
Will you see to this flower while I'm away?
我不在的时候你照看一下这花好吗？
He used to turn to me for help.
他过去常向我求助。
（2）与at连用的动词
at通常用于表达感情的一些词之后，并且这些词往往用被动语态：
Dan was both surprised and amused at the news.
这消息既使丹感到惊奇又使他感到好笑。
He was astonished at what he found.
发现的情况使他吃了一惊。
at也可以用于其他动词之后（一般为主动语态）：
What are you looking at?
你在看什么？
When I arrived at the station, the train had already left.
当我到达火车站时，那列火车已开走了。
A beggar knocked at the door.
一个乞丐在敲门。
（3）与for连用的动词
I'm looking for my pen.
我在找我的钢笔。
He was searched for the stolen money.
他被搜了身，看看有没有被盗走的那笔钱。
He's already been punished for his mistake.
他已因为所犯的错误而受到了惩罚。
John paid for the dinner.
约翰付了饭钱。
Can you account for his strange behaviour?
你能解释他的古怪行为吗？
A child is calling for help.
有个孩子在大声呼救。
（4）与with连用的动词
Tom often quarrels with his brother.
汤姆经常和他兄弟吵架。
Don't play with fire!
不要玩火！
I'm pleased with this room.
我对这房间满意。
Sam used to mix with those people.
萨姆过去常与那些人交往。
We'll begin with the exercises.
我们从练习开始。
词汇学习 Word study
1．occur vi.
（1）发生
（2）被想起，被想到：
It never occurred to me that he could be a thief.
我从没有想到他会是个小偷。
A good idea occurred to Jane while she was talking to Mary.
简与玛丽谈话时想到了一个好主意。
It suddenly occurred to him to open up the box.
他突然想到打开箱子看看。
2．admit vt.
（1）承认，供认：
The man admitted hiding in the box before the plane left London.
那人承认他是在飞机离开伦敦前躲进箱子里的。
Sally admitted that she had used your dictionary.
萨莉承认她用过你的字典。
（2）准许……进入，准许……加入：
Without a ticket you won't be admitted into a cinema.
没票你就不能进电影院。
They won't admit him into/ to the government.
他们不让他进入政府工作。
练习答案 Key to written exercises
1．关键句型练习答案
A arrived at Sydney(1.1); could account for the fact (1.3);occurred to one(1.4); was astonished at what(1.5); was so surprised at being(11.6-7); had been confined to the wooden box(1.9); pay ￡ 3,500 for the cost(1.10)
B 1 with 2 to…for 3 with 4 for
5 to 6 at 7 to 8 to
9 for 10 to…at 11 at 12 with
13 with 14 to…for 15 for 16 for
17 with 18 for 19 at 20 with
21 to 22 with 23 at 24 to
25 with…to 26 to…with 27 for 28 to…to
29 for 30 to 31 for 32 to
33 to…with 34 for 35 to 36 to
37 at 38 at 39 with 40 for
2．多项选择题答案
1 a 2 c 3 d 4 d 5 a 6 c
7 b 8 c 9 a 10 d 11 c 12 a
课堂笔记
occur to sb
it occur to sb to do sth/that......
clothing/clothes
clothing在分类时强调衣服这一种类
clothes表示“衣服”的单数名词的复数形式
no one could.....没人能
no one knows.....没人知道
account fo：explain解释（令人满意的）
give the explanation
一个句子跟在一个名词后，可以是：
1、定语从句
2、同位语从句
my friend Lucy
i know the fact that he doesn't know
i do know the fact that he doesn't know
1、同位语从句后的that是起解释说明的作用
而定语从句是起修饰的作用
2、that在从句中做主语或宾语成分，则是定语从句
that在从句中不能做主语或宾语成分，则是同位语从句
be astonished at对某件事吃惊
be surprised at对某件事吃惊
what＝the thing that
on top of在......上面
a pile of一堆
piles of snow
at the top of/on top of
on top of 与顶端有接触
at the top of在.....上方（at the top of 之前的词属于其之后的词的范围之内
admit doing sth
be confined to
over：more than
pay......for......为......付钱
pay付钱
cost of......的花费
the cost of government政府开支
it is too expensive!（表示贵得不可接受）
dear昂贵的（可以接受）
have a trip
go on a trip
2、because后面加原因
to后面加目的
avoid后面一定要加doing避免做某事
fare车费，乘坐的交通工具的费用
4、a、the wooden （adj）木头的
b、the wood木头
表示木头制的东西用wooden
key structures
固定搭配,在一部分动词后面加to，at，for，with
a to:accustom(ed),amount,appeal,apply(or for),accach(ed),attend,belong,challenge,compare(or
with),condemn(ed),confess,confine,consent,convert,entitle(d),listen,metion,object,occur,prefer,react(or
against),reply,respond,see,submit,surrender,turn,yield
与to连用：习惯于，达到，呼吁，适用于，附属于，参加，属于，向......提出挑战，比较
判刑， 承认， 限制， 同意， 改信(某宗教)，享有权利，听，提到，反对，想到，更喜欢，对......反应
回答， 响应，注意，服从于，向......投降，转向，屈服
b AT:amuse, arrive(or in), astonish(ed)(or by),exclaim, glance, guess, knock
look, point(or to)
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