lesson36 A Chance in a million 百萬分之一的幾率
新概念3課文內(nèi)容：
We are less credulous than we used to be. In the nineteenth century, a novelist would bring his story to a conclusion by presenting his readers with a series of coincidences—most of them wildly improbable. Readers happily accepted the fact that an obscure maidservant was really the hero's mother. A long-lost brother, who was presumed dead, was really alive all the time and wickedly plotting to bring about the hero's downfall. And so on. Modern readers would find such naive solutions totally unacceptable. Yet, in real life, circumstances do sometimes conspire to bring about coincidences which anyone but a nineteenth century novelist would find incredible.
When I was a boy, my grandfather told me how a German taxi driver, Franz Bussman, found a brother who was thought to have been killed twenty years before. While on a walking tour with his wife, he stopped to talk to a workman. After they had gone on, Mrs Bussman commented on the workman's close resemblance to her husband and even suggested that he might be his brother. Franz poured scorn on the idea, pointing out that his brother had been killed in action during the war. Though Mrs Bussman was fully acquainted with this story, she thought that there was a chance in a million that she might be right. A few days later, she sent a boy to the workman to ask him if his name was Hans Bussman, Needless to say, the man's name was Hans Bussman and he really was Franz's long-lost brother. When the brothers were reunited, Hans explained how it was that he was still alive. After having been wounded towards the end of the war, he had been sent to hospital and was separated from his unit. The hospital had been bombed and Hans had made his way back into Western Germany on foot. Meanwhile, his unit was lost and all records of him had been destroyed. Hans returned to his family home, but the house had been bombed and no one in the neighbourhood knew what had become of the inhabitants. Assuming that his family had been killed during an air raid, Hans settled down in a village fifty miles away where he had remained ever since.
新概念英語3逐句精講：
1.We are less credulous than we used to be.
我們不再像以往那樣輕易相信別人了。
語言點1:句子結構分析:less…than引導比較狀語從句。
語言點2:used to be的意思是“過去曾經(jīng)是”。
2.In the nineteenth century, a novelist would bring his story to a conclusion by presenting his readers with a series of coincidences—most of them wildly improbable.
在19世紀，小說家常在小說結尾處給讀者準備一系列的巧合—大部分是牽強附會，極不可能的。
語言點1:句子結構分析: by presenting his readers with a series of coincidences作方式狀語，交代如何“給小說結尾”，破折號后面的內(nèi)容起進一步解釋說明的作用。
語言點2:wildly improbable的意思是“極其不可能的”，比impossible的程度更深。
3.Readers happily accepted the fact that an obscure maidservant was really the hero's mother.
當時的讀者卻愉快地接受這樣一些事實，一個低賤的女傭實際上是主人公的母親。
語言點1:句子結構分析:that引導同位語從句，解釋說明fact是什么。
語言點2:請?zhí)貏e注意，本句中的hero不做“英雄”來理解，而是指“主人公”。
4.A long-lost brother, who was presumed dead, was really alive all the time and wickedly plotting to bring about the hero's downfall.
主人公一位長期失散的兄弟，大家都以為死了，實際上一直活著，并且正在策劃暗算主人公。
語言點:句子結構分析:who引導非限制性定語從句，進一步說明是怎樣的一個兄弟。
5.And so on.
如此等等。
語言點:句子結構分析:這個句子起承上啟下的作用，沒有什么實際意義。
6.Modern readers would find such naive solutions totally unacceptable.
現(xiàn)代讀者會覺得這種天真的結局完全無法接受。
語言點:句子結構分析:unacceptable作賓語such naive solutions的補足語。
7.Yet, in real life, circumstances do sometimes conspire to bring about coincidences which anyone but a nineteenth century novelist would find incredible.
不過，在現(xiàn)實生活中，有時確實會出現(xiàn)一些巧合，這些巧合除了19世紀小說家外誰也不會相信。
語言點1:句子結構分析:which引導定語從句，修飾先行詞coincidences,說明巧合是什么。
語言點2:do sometimes conspire中的do為助動詞，對謂語conspire起強調作用。
語言點3:but不表示“但是”，而是作“除…之外”來理解。
8.When I was a boy, my grandfather told me how a German taxi driver, Franz Bussman, found a brother who was thought to have been killed twenty years before.
當我是個孩子的時候，我祖父給我講了一位德國出租汽車司機弗朗茲。巴斯曼如何找到了據(jù)信已在20年前死去的兄弟的事。
語言點:句子結構分析:when引導時間狀語從句。主句中的Franz Bussman是a German taxi driver的同位語。Who引導定語從句，修飾brother。
9.While on a walking tour with his wife, he stopped to talk to a workman.
， 他與妻子徒步旅行。途中，停下來與一個工人交談。
語言點:While on a walking tour with his wife放在句首，是一個省略式的時間狀語從句，可還原為:while he was on a walking tour with his wife。
10.A few days later, she sent a boy to the workman to ask him if his name was Hans Bussman.
幾天后，她派了一個男孩去問那人是否叫漢斯.巴斯曼。
語言點1:句子結構分析:動詞不定式短語to ask…作目的狀語，即“派男孩去目的地是為了讓他去問…”
語言點2:if his name was Hans Bussman為賓語從句，作ask的直接賓語，him是間接賓語。
11.Needless to say, the man's name was Hans Bussman and he really was Franz's long-lost brother.
不出巴斯曼夫人所料，那人的名字真是漢斯.巴斯曼，他確實是弗朗茲失散多年的兄弟。
語言點:句子結構分析:nedless to say是一個非常重要的表達。
12. When the brothers were reunited, Hans explained how it was that he was still alive.
兄弟倆團聚之時，漢斯說明了他活下來的經(jīng)過。
語言點1:句子結構分析:when引導時間狀語從句。how it was that he was still alive為賓語從句，說明explained的內(nèi)容，其中it是形式主語，that引導的從句是真正的主語，這句話改寫成正常語序應該是he was still alive was how。
語言點2:注意were reunited不可譯為“被團圓”，而應譯為主動語態(tài)。
13. After having been wounded towards the end of the war, he had been sent to hospital and was separated from his unit.
戰(zhàn)爭即將結束時，他負傷被送進醫(yī)院，并與部隊失去聯(lián)系。
語言點:be separated from的意思是“被與…分開”。
14. The hospital had been bombed and Hans had made his way back into Western Germany on foot.
醫(yī)院遭到轟炸，漢斯步行回到了西德。
語言點:make one's way back into的意思是“設法返回…”（即回到以前生活的地方）。
15. Meanwhile, his unit was lost and all records of him had been destroyed.
與此同時，他所在部隊被擊潰，他的所有檔案材料全部毀于戰(zhàn)火。
語言點1:句子結構分析:was lost本意為“不見了，找不到了”，在此引申為“被擊潰”。
語言點2:had been destroyed強調戰(zhàn)爭的嚴酷性，造成的毀壞幾乎無法修復。
16. Hans returned to his family home, but the house had been bombed and no one in the neighbourhood knew what had become of the inhabitants.
漢斯重返故里，但他的家已被炸毀，左鄰右舍誰也不知原住戶的下落。
語言點1:句子結構分析:but后面的分句說明漢斯返回家鄉(xiāng)后看到的情景。What引導賓語從句。
語言點2:family home的意思是“故里，老家”，相當于hometown。
語言點3:become of在此理解為“遭受的情況是…”。
17. Assuming that his family had been killed during an air raid, Hans settled down in a village fifty miles away where he had remained ever since.
漢斯以為全家人都在空襲中遇難，于是便在距此50英里外的一座村子里定居下來，直至當日。
語言點1:fifty miles away作village的后置定語，說明村子有多遠。
語言點2:settle down的意思是“定居”（長期居住在某地而不隨意搬家）。