Lesson60 Too early and too late 太早和太晚
新概念3課文內(nèi)容：
Punctuality is a necessary habit in all public affairs in civilized society. Without it, nothing could ever be brought to a conclusion; everything would be in state of chaos. Only in a sparsely-populated rural community is it possible to disregard it. In ordinary living, there can be some tolerance of unpunctuality. The intellectual, who is working on some abstruse problem, has everything coordinated and organized for the matter in hand. He is therefore forgiven if late for a dinner party. But people are often reproached for unpunctuality when their only fault is cutting things fine. It is hard for energetic, quick-minded people to waste time, so they are often tempted to finish a job before setting out to keep an appointment. If no accidents occur on the way, like punctured tires, diversions of traffic, sudden descent of fog, they will be on time. They are often more industrious, useful citizens than those who are never late. The over-punctual can be as much a trial to others as the unpunctual. The guest who arrives half an hour too soon is the greatest nuisance. Some friends of my family had this irritating habit. The only thing to do was ask them to come half an hour later than the other guests. Then they arrived just when we wanted them.
If you are citing a train, it is always better to be comfortably early than even a fraction of a minted too late. Although being early may mean wasting a little time, this will be less than if you miss the train and have to wait an hour or more for the next one; and you avoid the frustration of arriving at the very moment when the train is drawing out of the station and being unable to get on it. An even harder situation is to be on the platform in good time for a train and still to see it go off without you. Such an experience befell a certain young girl the first time she was traveling alone.
She entered the station twenty minutes before the train was due, since her parents had impressed upon her that it would be unforgivable to miss it and cause the friends with whom she was going to stay to make two journeys to meet her. She gave her luggage to a porter and showed him her ticket. To her horror he said that she was two hours too soon. She felt in her handbag for the piece of paper on which her father had written down all the details of the journey and gave it to the porter. He agreed that a train did come into the station at the time on the paper and that it did stop, but only to take on mail, not passengers. The girl asked to see a timetable, feeling sure that her father could not have made such a mistake. The porter went to fetch one and arrive back with the station master, who produced it with a flourish and pointed out a microscopic 'o' beside the time of the arrival of the train at his station; this little 'o' indicated that the train only stopped for mail. Just as that moment the train came into the station. The girl, tears streaming down her face, begged to be allowed to slip into the guard's van. But the station master was adamant: rules could not be broken and she had to watch that train disappear towards her destination while she was left behind.
新概念英語(yǔ)3逐句精講：
1.Punctuality is a necessary habit in all public affairs in civilized society.
準(zhǔn)時(shí)是文明社會(huì)中進(jìn)行一切社交活動(dòng)時(shí)必須養(yǎng)成的習(xí)慣。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn) sth.is a necessary habit的意思是“某事是必須養(yǎng)成的習(xí)慣”。
2.Without it, nothing could ever be brought to a conclusion; everything would be in state of chaos.
不準(zhǔn)時(shí)將一事無(wú)成，事事都會(huì)陷入混亂不堪的境地。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn)1 句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:句首的without it表示假設(shè)，可改寫為if it were not for it，…。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn)2 bring to a conclusion的意思是“形成結(jié)論”。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn)3 be in stale of意思是“處于…的狀態(tài)”。
3.Only in a sparsely-populated rural community is it possible to disregard it.
只有在人口稀少的農(nóng)村，才可以忽視準(zhǔn)時(shí)的習(xí)慣。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn) 句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:only放在句首，主語(yǔ)it和謂語(yǔ)is要倒裝?！? 4.In ordinary living, there can be some tolerance of unpunctuality.
在日常生活中人們可以容忍一定程度的不準(zhǔn)時(shí)。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn) there can be some tolcrance of不可譯為“那兒可以有一些容忍”，而應(yīng)理解為“可以一定程度地容忍”。
5.The intellectual, who is working on some abstruse problem, has everything coordinated and organized for the matter in hand.
一個(gè)專心鉆研某個(gè)復(fù)雜問題的知識(shí)分子，為了搞好手頭的研究，要把一切都協(xié)調(diào)一致，組織周密。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn) 句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析：who引導(dǎo)非限制性定語(yǔ)從句。
6.He is therefore forgiven if late for a dinner party.
因此，他要是赴宴遲到了會(huì)得到諒解。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn) 句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析：if引導(dǎo)真實(shí)條件句，這句話補(bǔ)充完整就是...if he is late for a dinner party。因?yàn)橹骶浜蛷木涞闹髡Z(yǔ)相同，故在從句中可以將其省去。
7.But people are often reproached for unpunctuality when their only fault is cutting things fine.
但有些人不準(zhǔn)時(shí)常常因?yàn)槠婞c(diǎn)所致，他們常常受到責(zé)備。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn) cut things fine表示“掐得太緊，過分強(qiáng)調(diào)”。
8.It is hard for energetic, quick-minded people to waste time, so they are often tempted to finish a job before setting out to keep an appointment.
精力充沛、頭腦敏捷的人極不愿意浪費(fèi)時(shí)間，因此他們常想做完一件事后再去赴約。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn) quick-minded為復(fù)合形容詞。
9.If no accidents occur on the way, like punctured tires, diversions of traffic, sudden descent of fog, they will be on time.
要是路上沒有發(fā)生如爆胎、改道、突然起霧等意外事故，他們決不會(huì)遲到。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn) 句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析：注意，if在此引導(dǎo)一個(gè)真實(shí)條件句，表示所發(fā)生的事情是很正常的，并非虛擬的情況。
10.They are often more industrious, useful citizens than those who are never late.
他們與那些從不遲到的人相比，常常是更勤奮有用的公民。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn) 句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:who are never late是定語(yǔ)從句。
11.The over-punctual can be as much a trial to others as the unpunctual.
早到的人同遲到的人一樣令人討厭。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn) 句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析：as...as引導(dǎo)比較狀語(yǔ)。
12.The guest who arrives half an hour too soon is the greatest nuisance.
客人提前半小時(shí)到達(dá)是令人討厭的。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn)1 句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析：who引導(dǎo)定語(yǔ)從句。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn)2 the greatest nuisance中用greatest強(qiáng)調(diào)“相當(dāng)(令人討厭)”。
13.Some friends of my family had this irritating habit.
我家有幾個(gè)朋友就有這有令人惱火的習(xí)慣。
14.The only thing to do was ask them to come half an hour later than the other guests.
的辦法就是請(qǐng)他們比別的客人晚來半小時(shí)。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn) ask sb. to do sth.的意思是“請(qǐng)求某人做某事”。later than的意思是“比…晚”。
15.Then they arrived just when we wanted them.
這樣，他們可以恰好在我們要求的時(shí)間到達(dá)。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn) 句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析：when引導(dǎo)時(shí)間狀語(yǔ)從句。
16.If you are citing a train, it is always better to be comfortably early than even a fraction of a minted too late.
如果趕火車，早到總比晚到好，哪怕早到一會(huì)兒也好。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn) better early than late的意思是“早比晚好”。
17.Although being early may mean wasting a little time, this will be less than if you miss the train and have to wait an hour or more for the next one; and you avoid the frustration of arriving at the very moment when the train is drawing out of the station and being unable to get on it.
雖然早到可能意味著浪費(fèi)一點(diǎn)時(shí)間，但這比誤了火車等上一個(gè)多小時(shí)坐下班車?yán)速M(fèi)的時(shí)間要少，而且可以避免那種正好在火車駛出站時(shí)趕到車站，因上不去車而感到的沮喪。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn) 句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:although弓|導(dǎo)讓步狀語(yǔ)從句，不與but同時(shí)出現(xiàn)在一個(gè)句子中。
18.An even harder situation is to be on the platform in good time for a train and still to see it go off without you.
更難堪的情況是雖然及時(shí)趕到站臺(tái)上，卻眼睜睜地看著那趟火車啟動(dòng)，把你拋下。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn) in good time不可譯為“在好時(shí)間，在好時(shí)機(jī)”，而應(yīng)理解為“及時(shí)地”。
19.Such an experience befell a certain young girl the first time she was traveling alone.
一個(gè)小姑娘第單獨(dú)出門就碰到了這種情況。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn):句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:she was travelling alone為定語(yǔ)從句。
20.She entered the station twenty minutes before the train was due, since her parents had impressed upon her that it would be unforgivable to miss it and cause the friends with whom she was going to stay to make two journeys to meet her.
在火車進(jìn)站20分鐘前她就進(jìn)了車站。因?yàn)樗母改冈偃f，如果誤了這趟車，她的東道主朋友就得接她兩趟，這是不應(yīng)該的。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn):句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:that引導(dǎo)賓語(yǔ)從句，說明impressed的內(nèi)容。
21.She gave her luggage to a porter and showed him her ticket.
她把行李交給搬運(yùn)工并給他看了車票。
22.To her horror he said that she was two hours too soon.
搬運(yùn)工說她早到了兩個(gè)小時(shí)，她聽后大吃一驚。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn):to one's horror的意思是“讓某人吃驚的是?！? 23.She felt in her handbag for the piece of paper on which her father had written down all the details of the journey and gave it to the porter.
她從錢包里摸出一張紙條，那上面有她父親對(duì)這次旅行詳細(xì)說明，她把這張紙條交給了搬運(yùn)工。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn):句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:which引導(dǎo)定語(yǔ)從句，修飾paper。
24.He agreed that a train did come into the station at the time on the paper and that it did stop, but only to take on mail, not passengers.
搬運(yùn)工說，正如紙條所說，確有一趟火車在那個(gè)時(shí)刻到站，但它只停站裝郵件，不載旅客。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn):句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:兩個(gè)that引導(dǎo)賓語(yǔ)從句。
25.The girl asked to see a timetable, feeling sure that her father could not have made such a mistake.
姑娘要求看到時(shí)刻表，因?yàn)樗嘈鸥赣H不能把這么大的事弄錯(cuò)。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn):句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:that引導(dǎo)賓語(yǔ)從句。
26.The porter went to fetch one and arrive back with the station master, who produced it with a flourish and pointed out a microscopic 'o' beside the time of the arrival of the train at his station; this little 'o' indicated that the train only stopped for mail.
搬運(yùn)工跑回去取時(shí)刻表，同時(shí)請(qǐng)來了站長(zhǎng)。站長(zhǎng)拿著時(shí)刻表一揮手，指著那趟列車到站時(shí)刻旁邊一個(gè)很小的圓圈標(biāo)記。這個(gè)標(biāo)記表示列車是為裝郵件而停車。
27.Just as that moment the train came into the station.
正在這時(shí)，火車進(jìn)站了。
28.The girl, tears streaming down her face, begged to be allowed to slip into the guard's van.
女孩淚流滿面，央求讓她不聲不響地到押車員車廂里去算了。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn)1:句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:tears streaming down her face作補(bǔ)充狀語(yǔ)。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn)2:beg sb.to do sth.的意思是“求某人做某事。”
29.But the station master was adamant: rules could not be broken.
但站長(zhǎng)態(tài)度堅(jiān)決，規(guī)章制度不能破壞。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn):句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:冒號(hào)之后的內(nèi)容起補(bǔ)充說明的作用。
30.And she had to watch that train disappear towards her destination while she was left behind.
姑娘只得眼看那趟火車消逝在她要去的方向而撇下了她。
語(yǔ)言點(diǎn):句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:while引導(dǎo)時(shí)間狀語(yǔ)從句，說明同時(shí)發(fā)生的事情。