普通高中课程标准实验教科书 英语必修1 Unit 4 Earthquakes-Read

THE STORY OF AN EYEWITNESS
                                                                              by Jack¹ London
          Never before in history has a city been so completely² destroyed. San Francisco is gone. Nothing is left of it but memories and some houses far from the centre of the city. Its businesses are gone. The factories, hotels and palaces are all gone too. Within³ an hour after the earthquake⁴, the smoke of San Francisco's fires could be seen 160 kilometres away. The sun was red in the dark sky. There was no stopping the fires. There was no way to organize or communicate. The steel⁵ railway tracks⁶ were now useless⁷. And the great pipes⁸ for carrying water under the streets had burst⁹. All of the ways man had made to keep the city safe were gone in the thirty seconds the earth moved.
          Out at sea it was calm. No wind came up. Yet from every direction - east, west, north, and south, strong winds blew upon¹⁰ the unlucky city. Man himself had to make ruins¹¹ of some of the city's best buildings so that they would not be a danger to those in the streets. A list of buildings undestroyed was now only a few addresses. A list of the brave men and women would fill a library. A list of all those killed will never be made.
          Amazing as it may seem, Wednesday night was a quiet night. There were no crowds. The policemen said nothing; even their horses were quiet. There were no shouts or people doing crazy things. In all those terrible hours I saw not one woman who cried, not one man who was excited. Before the fires, through the night, thousands and thousands of people who had lost their homes left for safety. Some were covered in blankets¹² . Sometimes whole families put everything they owned and could save into wagons¹³ . They helped one another climb the high hills around the city. Never in all San Francisco's history were her people so kind as on that terrible night.

1 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

2 completely   

adv.完全地，十分地，全然

参考例句：

• She never completely gave up hope.她从不完全放弃希望。
• I feel completely in the dark on this question.这件事使我感到茫然。

3 within   

n.内部，里头；adv.在内部，在内心里；prep.在…之内

参考例句：

• The work must be done within the given time.这个工作必须在规定的时间内完成。
• Within two weeks,she gained five pounds in weight.两周内她的体重增加了5磅。

4 earthquake   

n.地震

参考例句：

• The earthquake is a disaster!地震是一种灾难！
• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。

5 steel   

n.钢，钢制品，坚强；adj.钢的，如钢铁般的，非常坚强的；vt.包钢，使坚硬，使下定决心

参考例句：

• Is that box made of tin or steel?这个盒子是锡做的还是铁做的？
• Steel is made from iron.钢是由铁炼成的。

6 tracks   

n.小路( track的名词复数 )；跑道；路径；轨道v.跟踪( track的第三人称单数 )；跟踪摄影；留下（脏）足迹；追随（潮流等）

参考例句：

• Tracks led up the mountainside. 小径沿着山坡向上延伸。
• All the tracks have been digitally remastered from the original tapes. 所有的曲子都已经从原始录音带转录到了数码母带上。

7 useless   

adj.无用的，无效的，无益的

参考例句：

• His advise is useless to our project.他的建议对我们的计划没有什么价值。
• A car is useless without gasolene.汽车没有汽油便无用。

8 pipes   

n.小管（一种通心粉制品）；管子( pipe的名词复数 )；烟斗；管乐器；（管风琴的）音管

参考例句：

• Water gurgled through the pipes. 水汩汩地从管道中流过。
• Water is forced through the pipes at high pressure . 水在高压下流过水管。

9 burst   

vi.（burst，burst）爆炸；爆破；爆裂；爆发；vt.使…破裂；使…炸破；n.突然破裂；爆发

参考例句：

• We all held our breath till the bomb burst.我们屏住呼吸直到炸弹爆炸。
• She suddenly burst into song.她突然唱起歌来。

10 upon   

prep.在……上面

参考例句：

• I hope that fortune may smile upon you.我希望幸运之神会向你微笑。
• I rely upon you to finish the work on time.我相信你会准时完成这项工作的。

11 ruins   

n.毁坏( ruin的名词复数 )；废墟；破败；完全丧失v.破坏( ruin的第三人称单数 )；毁掉；使破产；使沦落

参考例句：

• We plan to visit the venerable ruins of the abbey. 我们计划去访问该修道院的珍贵的历史遗址。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These ruins are an eloquent reminder of the horrors of war. 这些废墟形象地提醒人们不要忘记战争的恐怖。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 blankets   

n.毛毯( blanket的名词复数 )；毯子；厚层；厚的覆盖层

参考例句：

• Harry made a packet after the war selling surplus army blankets. 战后，哈里靠出售剩余的军用毛毯赚了一大笔钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He shook the blankets vigorously to get rid of the dust. 他使劲抖动毯子以抖掉尘土。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 wagons   

n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 )；铁路货车；小手推车

参考例句：

• The wagons were hauled by horses. 那些货车是马拉的。
• They drew their wagons into a laager and set up camp. 他们把马车围成一圈扎起营地。