Step 1: Intensive reading.
Try to answer the question below while you’re reading:
Question: Why had the neighbours left their farm?
Vocabulary:
boundary n .界线；边界
spell v .招致，带来
pump v .用泵抽
stall n .牲口棚
overtake v .突然降临
attic n .顶楼
backwater n .回水河汊
sweeping adj .范围广大的
predecessor n .前任，前辈
critical adj.危急的
meadow n .草地，草场
juncture n .时刻，关头
crown v .给 …戴花环
raft n .木筏
holly n .一种冬青植物
unduly adv.过度地
wreath n .花环
foundations n .地基
occurrence n. 偶发事件
stoutly adv .牢固地，粗壮的
proportion n .部分
submerge v .浸没
site v. 使位于
grapple v .抓住
Passage:
The river which forms the eastern boundary of our farm has always played an
important part in our lives. Without it we could not make a living. There is only
enough spring water to supply the needs of the house, so we have to pump from the
river for farm use. We tell the river all our secrets. We know instinctively, just as
beekeepers with their bees, that misfortune might overtake us if the important events
of our lives were not related to it.
形成我们农场东部边界的一条河流一直在我们生活中发挥着重要作用。要是没有
这条河，我们就无法生存下去。泉水只能满足家庭生活用水，因此我们必须从河
里抽水以用于农业生产。我们向那条河倾诉我们的秘密。我们本能地懂得，就像
养蜂人和他的蜜蜂那样，要是我们不把生活中的重大事件告诉那条河，就可能大
祸临头。
We have special river birthday parties in the summer. Sometimes we go upstream to a
favourite backwater, sometimes we have our party at the boathouse, which a
predecessor of ours at the farm built in the meadow hard by the deepest pool for
swimming and diving. In a heat wave we choose a midnight birthday party and that is
the most exciting of all. We welcome the seasons by the riverside, crowning the
youngest girl with flowers in the spring, holding a summer festival on Midsummer
Eve, giving thanks for the harvest in the autumn, and throwing a holly wreath into the
current in the winter.
夏天，我们为这条河举办特殊的生日宴会。有时，我们溯流而上来到我们喜爱的
回水河汊举办；有时在船坞举办。那船坞是农场的一位前辈在一块草地上盖的；
草地紧挨着一个专供游泳、跳水的深水池。天气炎热时，我们便选择在半夜举办
生日集会，这种集会是最令人激动的。我们在河边迎接一年四季。春天在河边为
最年轻的姑娘戴上花冠，夏天在河边欢庆“仲夏前夜”，秋天在河边为丰收而感恩，
冬天往河中抛撒一个冬青花环。
Notes:
1 Without it we could not make a living.没有它我们就无法生存下去。without it 起
非真实条件句的作用，make a living ，谋生。
2 hard by …，在……近旁。
3 in a heat wave，在大热天。
After a long period of rain the river may overflow its banks. This is a rare occurrence
as our climate seldom goes to extremes. We are lucky in that only the lower fields,
which make up a very small proportion of our farm, are affected by flooding, but
other farms are less favourably sited, and flooding can sometimes spell disaster for
their owners.
久雨之后，河水会泛滥成灾，但是在我们这里，气候很少发生异常；河水极少泛
滥。值得庆幸的是，只有低洼地受到洪水影响，而低洼地在我们农场比例很小。
其他农场地势欠佳，洪水有时会给农场主带来灾难。
One bad winter we watched the river creep up the lower meadows. All the cattle had
been moved into stalls and we stood to lose little. We were, however, worried about
our nearest neighbours, whose farm was low lying and who were newcomers to the
district. As the floods had put the telephone out of order, we could not find out how
they were managing. From an attic window we could get a sweeping view of the river
where their land joined ours, and at the most critical juncture we took turns in
watching that point. The first sign of disaster was a dead sheep floating down. Next
came a horse, swimming bravely, but we were afraid that the strength of the current
would prevent its landing anywhere before it became exhausted. Suddenly a raft
appeared, looking rather like Noah's ark, carrying the whole family, a few hens, the
dogs, a cat, and a bird in a cage. We realized that they must have become unduly
frightened by the rising flood, for their house, which had sound foundations, would
have stood stoutly even if it had been almost submerged. The men of our family
waded down through our flooded meadows with boathooks, in the hope of being able
to grapple a corner of the raft and pull it out of the current towards our bank. We still
think it a miracle that they were able to do so.
有一年冬天，天气不好，我们眼看着河水浸没了地势较低的草场。所有的牲口已
提前转移到畜圈里，没有造成什么损失。不过，我们很为我们的近邻担心。他们
的农场地势低洼，而且他们又是新来乍到。由于洪水造成了电话中断，我们无法
了解他们的情况。从顶楼窗口看去，我们农场与他们农场接壤处的那段河流一览
无余。在最紧急的时刻，我们轮流监视那段河流的险情。灾难的第一个迹象是一
只死羊顺流而下，接着是一匹活马勇敢地与水搏击。但我们担心，洪水的力量将
使它上岸之前就筋疲力尽了。突然，出现了一只筏子，看起来很像诺亚方舟，上
面载着他们全家老小，还有几只母鸡、几只狗、一只猫与一只鸟笼，那里头有一
只小鸟。我们意识到他们一定是被不断上涨的洪水吓坏了。因为他们的房子地基
牢固，即使洪水几乎灭顶也不会倒塌。我家的男人们手拿船篙蹚过被水淹没的草
场，希望能够钩住筏子一角，将它拽出激流，拖回岸边。他们终于成功了。至今
我们仍认为这是个奇迹。
Notes:
4 stand to lose ，处于损失的境况之中。
5 put…out of order，使……出故障。
6 Noah's ark，诺亚方舟。这是摘自《圣经 · 旧约》《创世纪》中的典故。诺亚是
故事中上帝用洪水消灭人类后的新始祖；诺亚借助一方形大船，与他家属及每种
动物雌雄各一逃脱了洪水之灾。
56.2【阅读理解】Our neighbour, the river
Step 2: Comprehension questions.
1 What has always played an important part in the lives of the writer and his family?
(The river.)
2 Could they make a living without it? (No, they couldn't)
3 What water does the family use in the house? (Spring water.)
4 How do they get water for farm use? (They pump it from the river.)
5 What kind of parties do they have in the summer? (River birthday parties.)
6 Do they sometimes go upstream? (Yes, they do.)
7 Or where else do they sometimes have a party? (At the boathouse.)
8 Who built the boathouse? (A predecessor of theirs.)
9 Where did he build it? (In the meadow near the deepest pool.)
10 What do they always welcome by the riverside? (The different seasons.)
11 When might the river overflow its banks? (After a long period of rain.)
12 But is this a rare occurrence? (Yes, it is.)
13 Which of the writer's fields are affected by flooding? (The lower fields.)
14 One winter, the writer and his family were worried about their nearest neighbours.
Why? (Because their farm was low lying and they were newcomers.)
15 What was the first sign of disaster? (A dead sheep floating down.)
16 What came down the river next? (A horse.)
17 Did it manage to land before it became exhausted? (We don't know.)
18 When the raft appeared, what was it carrying? (The whole family, a few hens, the
dogs, a cat, and a bird in a cage.)
19 Had the people become unduly frightened by the rising flood? (Yes, they had.)
20 Did their house have solid foundations? (Yes, it did)
21 Who managed to pull the neighbours' raft to the bank? (The men of the family.)
56.3【拓展写作】Our neighbour, the river
Step 3: Composition
Write a composition on the following subject:
• ‘It was a dark and a gloomy street.’ Continue the story of an adventure you had in
this street.
Key to composition
Plan and ideas for composition
Title: A dark and gloomy street
Introduction: Dark and gloomy street — on way home from party—short cut
Development: Someone standing at far end, under lamplight — wasn't frightened —
felt person did not mean to harm me — not sure what to do—decided to walk on
towards the light
The ‘guide’ started walking ahead of me —dressed in long gown — dim glow —felt
safe and followed—part of town, I realized, that I had been warned about — but
nothing happened to me —and near bright lights—‘guide’ Just disappeared
Conclusion: A young person killed that night — was the guide my guardian angel?
Composition
It was a dark and gloomy street. I was on my way home from a friend's party and
had decided to take a short cut. I had just turned the corner from the main street and
had started walking towards the light at the end of the short street.
Suddenly, almost by magic, I thought, there was someone standing at the far end,
under the lamplight. Most people would have been frightened, perhaps terrified. I
wasn't at all frightened. Perhaps I should have been. There was someone there. I felt
somehow that the person —and I couldn't see whether it was a man or a woman—did
not mean to harm me. Although I wasn't frightened, I still wasn't sure what to do.
Should I walk on towards the end of the street and towards the light and towards the
person? or should I go back the way I had come? I decided to walk on towards the
light.
The ‘guide’, as I called the person later, stood and seemed to wait until I was
halfway down the street, and then started walking ahead of me. Even now I couldn't
describe him or her: he or she seemed to be dressed in a long gown, but there was a
dim glow all around him/her. Certainly I felt safe and followed the person down
several streets that I did not know. It was a part of town, I realized, that I had been
warned about — but nothing happened to me—and as soon as we were near the bright
lights of the main road, my ‘guide’just disappeared.
The following day I heard that a young person had been killed walking home
alone not very far from where I was that night. I don't care what other people think. I
am sure that the ‘guide’ was my guardian angel and that he or she looked after me.
(317 words)
课外练习：
1 People whose property was less favourably situated than the writer's .
(a) had no means of pumping water away from the river
(b) farmed land which for the most part lay on a level with the river banks
(c) lived where the climate was more variable and the rainfall heavier
(d) had land which lay upstream where the river current was stronger
2 The writer's family suspected that their nearest neighbours might have trouble
managing .
(a) as their farm was liable to flooding and they had not lived there long
(b) because the floods had put the telephone out of order
(c) when they saw the river sweep over the boundary between the two farms
(d) as soon as they saw a dead sheep floating down the river
3 When the writer's family saw a raft appear along the river, they .
(a) thought their neighbour's house must have been submerged
(b) rowed their boats down to the bank and pulled the raft in with the oars
(c) managed to get down to the river in time to save their neighbours
(d) were surprised that their neighbours had been able to save themselves
4 is only enough to supply the needs of the house.
(a) Water of the spring
(b) The water in spring
(c) The water from the spring
(d) Spring water
5 We have parties at the boathouse, built in the meadow .
(a) at the farm by a predecessor of ours
(b) for us at the farm by a predecessor
(c) by our predecessor at the farm
(d) by one of our predecessors at the farm
6 After it for a long time, the river may overflow its banks.
(a) is raining
(b) rained
(c) has rained
(d) had rained
7 The strength of the current would prevent anywhere before it ...
(a) that it landed
(b) it from landing
(c) it to land
(d) the landing of it
8 We the seasons by the riverside …
(a) greet
(b) go out to greet
(c) celebrate the arrival of
(d) invoke the start of
9 We were, however, our nearest neighbours ...
(a) concerned for
(b) occupied with
(c) agitated by
(d) distressed about
10 – and we took turns in watching that point.
(a) in the peak of condition
(b) in place of the most severe critic
(c) at the most dangerous boundary
(d) when the flood was at its height
11-and pull it towards our bank before the current carried it .
(a) out
(b) in
(c) off
(d) under
12 we think it a miracle that they were able to do so.
(a) To this day
(b) Up till now
(c) As yet
(d) Even so
答案：1b 2a 3c 4c 5d 6c 7b 8c 9a 10d 11c 12a