The facts
確切數(shù)字
Editors of newspapers and magazines often go to extremes to provide their reader with unimportant facts and statistics. Last year a journalist had been instructed by a well-known magazine to write an article on the president's palace in a new African republic. When the article arrived, the editor read the first sentence and then refuse to publish it. The article began: 'Hundreds of steps lead to the high wall which surrounds the president's palace'. The editor at once sent the journalist a fax instructing him find out the exact number of steps and the height of the wall.
The journalist immediately set out to obtain these important facts, but he took a long time to send them. Meanwhile, the editor was getting impatient, for the magazine would soon go to press. He sent the journalist two more faxes, but received no reply. He sent yet another fax informing the journalist that if he did not reply soon he would be fired. When the journalist again failed to reply, the editor reluctantly published the article as it had originally been written. A week later, the editor at last received a fax from the journalist. Not only had the poor man been arrested, but he had been sent to prison as well. However, he had at last been allowed to send a fax in which he informed the editor that the he had been arrested while counting the 1,084 steps leading to the fifteen-foot wall which surrounded the president's palace.
4. The article began: 'Hundreds of steps lead to the high wall which surrounds the president's palace'.
文章的開頭是這樣的:“幾百級臺階通向總統(tǒng)府的高墻。”
語言點1:句子結構分析:這是一個直接引語的句式，用數(shù)字作主語非常大氣的描述了總統(tǒng)府的龐大規(guī)模。Which引導定語從句，修飾wall,強調是怎樣的高墻。
語言點2:hundreds of 表示“成百上千的”。
下面是與數(shù)字有關的表達總結:
Tens of 幾十
Dozens of 幾十
Thousands of 成千上萬的
Tens of thousands of 數(shù)十萬的
Millions of 數(shù)百萬的
Tens of millions of數(shù)千萬的
Hundreds of millions of 數(shù)億的
Billions of 數(shù)十億的
例句支持:
Hundreds of millions of people are living in harmful environment in the world. 全世界有數(shù)億人仍然生活在有害的環(huán)境當中。
5. The editor at once sent the journalist a fax instructing him find out the exact number of steps and the height of the wall.
編輯立即給那位記者發(fā)去傳真，要求他核實一下臺階的確切數(shù)字和圍墻的高度。
語言點1:句子結構分析: instructing him find out… 為現(xiàn)在分詞短語，作目的狀語。And并列連接臺階數(shù)量和圍墻高度。
語言點2:at once表示“立刻，立即”。
6. The journalist immediately set out to obtain these important facts, but he took a long time to send them.
記者立即出發(fā)去核實這些重要的事實，但過了好長時間不見他把數(shù)字寄來。
語言點1:句子結構分析: to obtain these important facts為動詞不定式短語，作目的狀語。But連接兩個并列句，表示轉折，說明接下來的情況。
語言點2:注意區(qū)別以下重要的寫作短語:開始做某事
（1） st out to do sth. 帶著某種特殊目的
（2） begin to do sth. 描述某種狀態(tài)的開始，反義詞end
（3） start to do sth. 強調動作，反義詞為stop
例句支持:
They set out to write a book on Chinese history. 他們開始著手寫一部關于中國歷史的書。
I begin to recover confidence. 我開始漸漸恢復了信心。
語言點3:sb. take + 時間 + to do sth.=it takes sb.+ 時間 + to do sth.，意思是“某人花費多少時間做某事”。
例句支持:
I took five hours to do my home work.(=It took me five hours to do my homework.) 我花了5個小時做家庭作業(yè)。
確切數(shù)字
Editors of newspapers and magazines often go to extremes to provide their reader with unimportant facts and statistics. Last year a journalist had been instructed by a well-known magazine to write an article on the president's palace in a new African republic. When the article arrived, the editor read the first sentence and then refuse to publish it. The article began: 'Hundreds of steps lead to the high wall which surrounds the president's palace'. The editor at once sent the journalist a fax instructing him find out the exact number of steps and the height of the wall.
The journalist immediately set out to obtain these important facts, but he took a long time to send them. Meanwhile, the editor was getting impatient, for the magazine would soon go to press. He sent the journalist two more faxes, but received no reply. He sent yet another fax informing the journalist that if he did not reply soon he would be fired. When the journalist again failed to reply, the editor reluctantly published the article as it had originally been written. A week later, the editor at last received a fax from the journalist. Not only had the poor man been arrested, but he had been sent to prison as well. However, he had at last been allowed to send a fax in which he informed the editor that the he had been arrested while counting the 1,084 steps leading to the fifteen-foot wall which surrounded the president's palace.
4. The article began: 'Hundreds of steps lead to the high wall which surrounds the president's palace'.
文章的開頭是這樣的:“幾百級臺階通向總統(tǒng)府的高墻。”
語言點1:句子結構分析:這是一個直接引語的句式，用數(shù)字作主語非常大氣的描述了總統(tǒng)府的龐大規(guī)模。Which引導定語從句，修飾wall,強調是怎樣的高墻。
語言點2:hundreds of 表示“成百上千的”。
下面是與數(shù)字有關的表達總結:
Tens of 幾十
Dozens of 幾十
Thousands of 成千上萬的
Tens of thousands of 數(shù)十萬的
Millions of 數(shù)百萬的
Tens of millions of數(shù)千萬的
Hundreds of millions of 數(shù)億的
Billions of 數(shù)十億的
例句支持:
Hundreds of millions of people are living in harmful environment in the world. 全世界有數(shù)億人仍然生活在有害的環(huán)境當中。
5. The editor at once sent the journalist a fax instructing him find out the exact number of steps and the height of the wall.
編輯立即給那位記者發(fā)去傳真，要求他核實一下臺階的確切數(shù)字和圍墻的高度。
語言點1:句子結構分析: instructing him find out… 為現(xiàn)在分詞短語，作目的狀語。And并列連接臺階數(shù)量和圍墻高度。
語言點2:at once表示“立刻，立即”。
6. The journalist immediately set out to obtain these important facts, but he took a long time to send them.
記者立即出發(fā)去核實這些重要的事實，但過了好長時間不見他把數(shù)字寄來。
語言點1:句子結構分析: to obtain these important facts為動詞不定式短語，作目的狀語。But連接兩個并列句，表示轉折，說明接下來的情況。
語言點2:注意區(qū)別以下重要的寫作短語:開始做某事
（1） st out to do sth. 帶著某種特殊目的
（2） begin to do sth. 描述某種狀態(tài)的開始，反義詞end
（3） start to do sth. 強調動作，反義詞為stop
例句支持:
They set out to write a book on Chinese history. 他們開始著手寫一部關于中國歷史的書。
I begin to recover confidence. 我開始漸漸恢復了信心。
語言點3:sb. take + 時間 + to do sth.=it takes sb.+ 時間 + to do sth.，意思是“某人花費多少時間做某事”。
例句支持:
I took five hours to do my home work.(=It took me five hours to do my homework.) 我花了5個小時做家庭作業(yè)。