Week 54

DAY266

L54-5: Instinct or cleverness?

They were visited by a large colony of ants which obtained a sort of honey from them. I immediately embarked on an experiment which, even though it failed to get rid of the ants, kept me fascinated for 24 hours. I bound the base of the tree with sticky tape, making it impossible for the ants to reach the aphids.

知识点：

单词：

colony 英/ˈkɒləni/美/ˈkɑ:ləni/

n. 殖民地；群体；聚居地；聚居人群；

obtain

vt.获得，得到; 流行; 买到，达到（目的）;vi.通行，通用; 流行; 存在;

bound 英/baʊnd/美/baʊnd/

bind的过去式，过去分词/baind/

1.约束；限制；使负有义务（或责任）

2.用长布条缠绕

3.束；绑；捆绑

in a bind (NAmE)窘境

in a difficult situation that you do not know how to get out of

陷于困境；进退维谷

词组：

embark on/upon sth开始做……

get rid of除掉，去掉; 涤荡; 革除; 摈除

eg.It is difficult to get rid of termites.

除掉白蚁可不容易.

kept me fascinated"的词组是keep sb done 保持某人完成（一直处于某种状态中）

eg.Keep your mouth shut and your eyes open.

少说多看

a sort of 像……一样的

句式：

I immediately embarked on an experiment which, even though it failed to get rid of the ants, kept me fascinated for 24 hours.

“which+kept me fascinated for 24 hours.”是定语从句，用来修饰“ experiment”，而“ even though it failed to get rid of the ants, ”是插入语。

长难句、语法：

making it impossible for the ants to reach the aphids.

其中的“it”代指的是“to reach the aphids.”

DAY267

L54-6: Instinct or cleverness?

The tape was so sticky that they did not dare to cross it. For a long time. I watched them scurrying around the base of the tree in bewilderment. I even went out at midnight with a torch and noted with satisfaction (and surprise) that the ants were still swarming around the sticky tape without being able to do anything about it.

知识点：

单词：

scurry n. 急跑；短距离赛跑（或赛马）vi. 急赶；急跑 英/'skʌrɪ/ 美/'skɝi/

to move quickly with short steps, especially because you are in a hurry（小步）急跑，急走，急赶

eg.People were scurrying off to work. 人们急匆匆赶着去上班。

torch n. 火把，火炬；手电筒；启发之物

1.a small electric lamp that you carry in your hand 手电筒

2.a long stick with burning material at one end that produces light 火把；火炬

eg.the Olympic torch 奥运火炬

3.carry a torch for sb

(old-fashioned) to secretly love and admire someone 暗恋某人

swarm vi. 挤满；成群浮游；云集 n. 蜂群；一大群 vt. 挤满；爬

1.a large group of insects, especially bees ,moving together 成群移动的昆虫；（尤指）蜂群

2.a crowd of people who are moving quickly（迅速移动的）人群

词组：

scurry around(尤指受惊吓时)急奔，乱窜

When people or small animals scurry somewhere, they move there quickly and hurriedly, especially because they are frightened.

eg. I scurry around looking for a flower shop.

swarm around 集聚在

eg. The bees are swarming around their honeycomb.

句式：

do sth about it 解决处理问题或困难

there is nothing I can do about对某问题或某人无能为力

精妙翻译：

For a long time, I watched them scurrying around the base of the tree in bewilderment.在很长一段时间里，我看见蚂蚁围着大树底部来回转悠，不知所措。（原文译得更具文学性）

DAY268

L54-7: Instinct or cleverness?

I got up early next morning hoping to find that the ants had given up in despair. Instead, I saw that they had discovered a new route.They were climbing up the wall of the house and then on to the leaves of the tree. I realized sadly that I had been completely defeated by their ingenuity. The ants had been quick to find an answer to my thoroughly unscientific methods!

知识点：

单词：

ingenuity /,ɪndʒɪ'njuːɪtɪ/n. 智巧，创造力，精巧的设计

词组：

get up起床

give up放弃（文中为此意）；停止；投降

衍生词组：give oneself up to 专心于 ; 向 ; 使沉湎于 ; 用心于

climb up

爬上；攀登 衍生词组：climb up or down 爬上爬下

be defeated by...

被......打败

#####find an answer to...

找到......的答案

句式：

I saw that... 是宾语从句

instead of，however……本该……结果却……

instead（，）…结果却……

长难句、语法：

I got up early next morning hoping to find that the ants had given up in despair.

1.hoping在句子中做非谓语

2.I saw that... 是宾语从句 I realized sadly...也是宾语从句，其中sadly做副词修饰动词realized

精妙翻译：

The ants had been quick to find an answer to my thoroughly unscientific methods!

蚂蚁已经很快找到了相应的对策来对付我那套完全不科学的方法

摘要写作：

l get up early next morning hoping to read more books or recite some passages about English.Instead,I don't want to get up later anymore.Because I realized that my holiday had gone nearly about half.And I really have to do something.

DAY269

L55-1: From the earth: Greetings

Recent developments in astronomy have made it possible to detect planets in our own Milky Way and in other galaxies. This is a major achievement because, in relative terms, planets are very small and do not emit light. Finding planets is proving hard enough, but finding life on them will prove infinitely more difficult. The first question to answer is whether a planet can actually support life.

知识点：

单词：

detect/ diˈtekt / 发现，发觉难发现的东西

to discover or notice sth, especially sth that is not easy to see, hear, etc.

astronomy /əˈstrɑː.nə.mi/

n. the scientific study of the universe and of objects that exist naturally in space, such as the moon, the sun, planets, and stars 天文学

衍生词astronomical 天文学的 巨大的

Milky Way /ˌmɪl.ki ˈweɪ/

=the galaxy (= star system) that includes the earth, seen at night as a pale strip across the sky银河

emit /iˈmɪt/

v. to send out a beam noise smell or gas 发出，射出，散发（光、噪声、气味或气体）

#####infinitely UK ​ /ˈɪn.fɪ.nət.li/ US​ /ˈɪn.fə.nət.li/

1.(used especially in comparisons 尤用于比较)

very much——used especially when comparing things:

非常，……的多，……的太多了，类似于yet， far，much，even，still+比较级

eg. Your English is infinitely better than my German.

你的英语比我的德语好太多了。

eg. someone with infinitely more experience

2.extremely; with no limit

极其；无限地：

eg. Human beings are infinitely adaptable.

人类的适应力是无限的。

support

support不是支持，是维持生命+n

to provide the right conditions, such as enough food and water, for life 维持…的生命

support crops/support fish

词组：

in relative terms 相对而言

infinitely more+adj

句式：

make it possible/impossible to do sth

使某事成为可能/不可能

prove（to be）+adj/n

精妙翻译：

The first question to answer is whether a planet can actually support life.

第一个需要解答的问题是一颗行星是否有能够维持生命的条件

摘要写作：

Finding planets is proving hard enough, but finding life on them will prove infinitely more difficult.

（以上内容若无可缺省）

DAY270

L55-2: From the earth: Greetings

In our own solar system, for example, Venus is far too hot and Mars is far too cold to support life. Only the Earth provides ideal conditions, and even here it has taken more than 4 billion years for plant and animal life to evolve. Whether a planet can support life depends on the size and brightness of its star, that is its 'sun'. Imagine a star up to 20 times larger, brighter and hotter than our own sun. A planet would have to be a very long way from it to be capable of supporting life.

知识点：

The Solar System formed 4.6 billion years ago from the gravitational collapse of a giant interstellar molecular cloud. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun, with the majority of the remaining mass contained in Jupiter. The four smaller inner planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, are terrestrial planets, being primarily composed of rock and metal. The four outer planets are giant planets, being substantially more massive than the terrestrials. The two largest, Jupiter and Saturn, are gas giants, being composed mainly of hydrogen and helium; the two outermost planets, Uranus and Neptune, are ice giants, being composed mostly of substances with relatively high melting points compared with hydrogen and helium, called volatiles, such as water, ammonia and methane. All eight planets have almost circular orbits that lie within a nearly flat disc called the ecliptic.(From Wikipedia: Solar System)

单词：

evlove

verb. (of plants, animals, etc.) to develop over time, often many generations, into forms that are better adapted to survive changes in their environment.

solar

solar power=solar energy太阳能

solar system太阳系

solar radiation太阳辐射

solar calendar阳历

a partial/total solar eclipse日偏食，日全食

lunar calendar阴历，农历

venus美神维纳斯

sun

此文中"恒星"：sun（technology）：A sun is any star which has planets going around it.

=star

词组：

capable (of)/ having the ability or qualities

necessary for doing sth.

capable of doing sth.

up to sth

1.多达……高达

2.up till直到……时间

eg. up to now/ up to the time of

句式：

A planet would have to be a very long way from it to be capable of supporting life.

that is （to say）：=i.e./ai i:/

or more exactly也就是说，确切地说，同位语从句

eg. I loved him-that is，I thought I did.