Lesson 56 Faster than sound!比声音还快!
First listen and then answer the question.听录音，然后回答以下问题。
How fast did the winning car go?
Once a year, a race is held for old cars. A lot of cars entered for this race last year and there was a great deal of excitement just before it began. One of the most handsome cars was a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. The most unusual car was a Benz which had only three wheels. Built in 1885, it was the oldest car taking part. After a great many loud explosions, the race began. Many of the cars broke down on the course and some drivers spent more time under their cars than in them! A few cars, however, completed the race. The winning car reached a speed of forty miles an hour -- much faster than any of its rivals. It sped downhill at the end of the race and its driver had a lot of trouble trying to stop it. The race gave everyone a great deal of pleasure. It was very different from modern car races but no less exciting.
参考译文
旧式汽车的比赛每年举行一次。去年有很多汽车参加了这项比赛。比赛开始之前，人们异常激动。最漂亮的汽车之一是罗尔斯--罗伊斯生产的银灵汽车，而最不寻 常的一辆则要属只有3只轮子的奔驰牌汽车了。该车造于1885年，是参赛车中最老的一辆。在好一阵喧闹的爆炸声之后，比赛开始了。很多汽车在途中就抛了 锚，而有些驾驶员花在汽车底下的时间比坐在汽车里面的时间还长。然而还是有几辆汽车跑完了全程。获胜的那辆车达到了时速40英里--远远超过任何对手。它 在接近终点时，冲下了山坡，驾驶员费了好大劲才把车停下来。这次比赛使每个人都挺开心。它虽然与现代汽车比赛大不相同，但激动人心的程度并不亚于现代化汽 车大赛。
New words and Expressions生词和短语
sound
n. 声音
excitement
n. 激动，兴奋
handsome
adj. 漂亮的；美观的
Rolls-Royce
罗尔斯--罗伊斯
Benz
n. 奔驰
wheel
n. 轮子
explosion
n. 爆炸，轰响
course
n. 跑道；行程
rival
n. 对手
speed
v. 疾驶
downhill
adv. 下坡
Lesson 56 自学导读First things first
课文详注 Further notes on the text1. once a year,每年一次。
once+表示时间的名词可以表示“每...一次”:
The postman calls once a day.
邮递员每天来一次。
2. A lot of cars entered for this race last year...去年有很多汽车参加了这项比赛...
enter for表示"报名参加"。(cf.第8课词汇学习)
3. Built in 1885,it was the oldest car taking part.该车造于1885年，是参赛车中.老的一辆。
built引导的过去分词短语起状语的作用，说明动作发生的背景或情况。主句可以补全为it was the oldest car taking part in the race.
4. Many of the cars broke down on the conrse…很多汽车在途中就抛了锚……
break down为固定短语，其含义之一是“(机械等)出故障”、“出毛病”:
This morning I was late for work,beceuse my car broke down twice.
今天上午我上班迟到了，因为我的车坏了两次。
5. The winning car reached a speed of forty miles an hour-much faster than any of its rivals.获胜的那辆车达到了时速40英里—远远超过任何对手。
(1) winning为现在分词作定语:
Those of the winning team jumped happily.
获胜队的队员们高兴地跳着。
(2)表示速度为多少时可用a speed of+数量词这个结构:
You must have been driving at a speed of seventy miles an hour.
你刚才一定是以每小时70英里的速度在开车。
(3)破折号后面的部分补充说明这个速度。much是用得较多的与比较级连用的修饰语:
House are much more expensive these days.
如今的房价贵多了。
6. It sped downhill at the end of the race and its driver had a lot of trouble trying to stop it.它在接近终点时。冲下了山坡，驾驶员费了好大劲才把车停下来。
(1)speed作不及物动词时可以表示“疾驶”、“急行”等含义:
The police car sped past us.
警车从我们身边疾驶而过。
The two men sped out of the room.
那两个人快步走出了房间。
(2)表示“在...的末尾/最后部分”时可以用at the end of这个短语:
I'll return the books to you at the end of the week/mouth.
我周/月末时把书还给你。
He spoke a few words at the end of the meeting.
会议结束时他说了几句话。
(3)表示“做某事遇到麻烦/困难”时可以用have trouble doing sth:
They had some trouble finding out the cause of the fire.
他们在查找起火原因时遇到了一些困难。
语法 Grammar in use
1.使用the same as和different from的比较结构
在第32课的语法中，我们学习了用as... as和not so/as...as表示比较;在第8课的语法中，我们学习了形容词和副词的比较级和最高级的构成及用法:
Are you as strong as John.
你和约翰一样强壮吗?
I don't think so.I think John's a little stonger than me.
我想不一样。我认为约翰比我要稍微更强壮些。(注意比较级前可加much,far,a lot,alittle等修饰语)
表示比较的另外两种方法是用短语the same(...)as 和different from.the same(...)as 表示“与...相同/同样”：
Our TV is the same as yours.
我们的电视和你们的一样。
You've made the same mistake as Tom.
你和汤姆犯了同样的错误。
有时the same可以单独使用，不带as:
Those two dresses are the same.
那两件衣服一样。
different from 表示“与...不同”，different前面可加very,much,a little等修饰语:
We're planning something different this year from waht we did last year.
我们今年计划做些与去年不同的事。
German cars are quite different from Japanese cars.
德国(造的)汽车与日本(造)的很不一样。
2. much与many的其他表达方式
在第32课的语法中，我们学习了little和few的用法，知道在口语中多用not much , not many代替;
There isn't much sugar/aren't many sweets,but you can have a little/few.
糖/糖果不多了，不过你可以来一点/吃几块。
(1)much和many通常用于否定句和疑问句(正式文体除外)。在日常谈话中，我们通常避免在肯定句中使用much和many，而用别的数量词。口语中用得最多的表示“许多”的数量词是a lot of(常被认为不宜用在正式的场合)，它既可以与复数可数名词连用也可以与不可数名词连用，后而的动词用单数还是复数取决于名词:
A lot of time is needed to do this work.
做这项工作需要很多时间。
A lot of books have been stolen.
许多书被盗了。
比a lot of正式一些的表达方式有:a great/good deal of+不可数名词，a great/good/large number of+复数名词，a great/good many of+复数名词。
A great/good deal of money is spent on food.
在食物上花了很多钱。
A great/good number of our students are Americans.
我们的学生中有许多是美国人。
Tom doesn't read much,but Ian reads a great deal/a lot.
汤姆读书不多，但伊恩读得很多。
(2)在waht引导的感叹句中不用much/many:
What a lot of sweets Tom's bought!
汤姆买了这么多糖果!
Yes, he's bought many more than he did yesterday.
是的，他比昨天买得多得多。
词汇学习Word study
1 .handsome,beautiful,pretty与good-looking
这些单词都可以表示“美”。但含义和用法各不相同。handsome通常用来形容男子，表示“漂亮的”、“英俊的”;beautiful表示“美的”、“给人美感的”、“令人愉悦的”、“完美的”等含义。多用于形容女子之孩童、花草、服饰等，不用来形容男子的长相;pretty表示“漂亮的”、“可爱的”、“令人怜爱的”等含义，多用于女子、孩子等;good-looking表示容貌“标致的”、“美貌的”、“好看的”，男女均适用，它所表示的美通常不及beautiful所表示的:
Dan is a handsome/good looking young man.
丹是个英俊的/很帅的小伙子。
Mary is abeautiful /good looking / pretty girl.
玛丽是个美丽的/好看的/漂亮的姑娘。
2. reach 与 arrive in/at
(1)reach表示“到达”、“达到”。表示抵达某地时通常为及物动词，比arrive in/at要正式:
When did you reach London?
你们何时抵达伦敦的?
reach适用的范围比较广，不仅仅限于地点，作不及物动词的情况较少:
When you reach my age,you'll be able to understand it.
等你到我这个年龄时，你就可以理解了。
Can you get that book down for me please?I can't reach it.
请你帮我把那本书拿下来好吗? 我够不着。
(2)arrive为不及物动词，表示“到达”、“抵达”。它既可以单独使用，也可以与介词连用。在表示到达某个较大的地方时用arrive in，到达某个较小的地方/场所用arrive at，这由说话者决定：
When I arrived at the station,the train had already gone.
我到车站时，那列火车已经开走了。
3.take part与take place
(1)固定短语take part(in)表示“参加”、“参与”:
It was the oldest car taking part.
它是参赛车中最老的一辆。
How many of you are taking part in the play?
你们当中有多少人参加了这个剧的演出?
I didn't take part in their conversation.
我没有加入他们的谈话。
(2)take place也是个固定短语，表示“发生”、“进行”、“举行":
All these took place before you were born.
所有这些都发生在你出生之前。
The Olympic Game will take place in our country in four years' time.
4年以后，奥林匹克运动会将在我们国家举办。
