Lesson 72 A car called Bluebird“蓝鸟”汽车
First listen and then answer the question.听录音，然后回答以下问题。
What mistake was made?
The great racing driver, Sir Malcolm Campbell, was the first man to drive at over 300 miles per hour. He set up a new world record in September 1935 at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. Bluebird, the car he was driving, had been specially built for him. It was over 30 feet in length and had a 2,500-horsepower engine. Although Campbell reached a speed of over 304 miles per hour, he had great difficulty in controlling the car because a tyre burst during the first run. After his attempt, Campbell was disappointed to learn that his average speed had been 299 miles per hour. However, a few days later, he was told that a mistake had been made. His average speed had been 301 miles per hour. Since that time, racing drivers have reached speeds over 600 miles an hour. Following in his father's footsteps many years later, Sir Malcolm's son, Donald, also set up a world record. Like his father, he was driving a car called Bluebird.
参考译文
杰出的赛车选手马尔科姆.坎贝尔爵士是第一个以每小时超过300英里的速度驾车的人。他于1935年9月在犹他州的邦纳维尔盐滩创造了一项新的世界 纪录。他驾驶的“蓝鸟”牌汽车是专门为他制造的。它的车身长30英尺，有一个2,500 马力的发动机。尽管坎贝尔达到了每小时超过304英里的速度，但他很难把汽车控制住，因为在开始的行程中爆了一只轮胎。比赛结束后，坎贝尔非常失望地得知 他的平均时速是299英里。然而，几天之后，有人告诉他说弄错了。他的平均时速实际是301英里。从那时以来，赛车选手已达到每小时600英里的速度。很 多年之后，马尔科姆爵士的儿子唐纳德踏着父亲的足迹，也创造了一项世界纪录。同他父亲一样，他也驾驶着一辆名叫“蓝鸟”的汽车。
New words and expressions 生词和短语
racing
n. 竞赛
per
prep. 每
Utah
n. 犹他（美国州名）
horsepower
n. 马力
burst
v. 爆裂
average
adj. 平均的
footstep
n. 足迹
Lesson 72 自学导读First things first
课文详注 Further notes on the text1．The great racing driver, Sir Malcolm Campbell, was the first man to drive at over 300 miles per hour. 杰出的赛车选车马尔科姆·坎贝尔爵士是第一个以每小时超过300英里的速度驾车的人。
（1）to引导的不定式短语为 the first man的定语。类似的可用于这种句型的词语有the second, the next/the last以及表示最高级的如 the best, the most intelligent等。这些词语后面可以接名词或one（s），也可以不接：
She's always the first to arrive and the last to leave.
她总是第一个来到，最后一个离开。
You're the best person to advise me about buying a house.
你是我买房子的最好顾问。
the only后必须接一个名词或 one（s）：
You're the only pereson/one to complain.
你是惟一抱怨的人。
（2）per表示“每一”、“每”，通常用于商业及技术用语，日常用语大多用 a/an:
You can stay at the hotel at￡ 10 per person per night.
你们可以每人每晚花10英镑住在这家旅馆。
You must have been driving at seventy miles an/per hour.
你刚才一定是以每小时70英里的速度开车。
2．…he bad great difficulty in controlling the car because a tyre burst during the first run.……他很难把汽车控制住，因为在开始的行程中爆了一只轮胎。
（1）difficulty 表示“难”、“困难”时为不可数名词。表示做某事有困难时可以用 have difficulty(in)doing sth. 结构， in通常可省略：
Gary has grown a beard and I had difficulty (in) recognizing him.
加里蓄了胡子，我很难认出他来。
（2）run在这里为名词，表示“（赛跑的）路程／行程”：
The next run is forty miles.
下一段赛程为40英里。
3．Following in his father's footsteps…踏着父亲的足迹…… follow in sb.'s footsteps为固定短语，表示“步某人的后尘”、“仿效某人”或“继承某人的事业”：
He intends to follow in his father'/ uncle's footsteps and to become a dentist.
他打算继承父亲／叔叔的事业，当一名牙医。
词汇学习 Word study
1．burst
（1）vi. 爆炸，爆裂：
A tyre burst during the second run.
在第二段赛程中一只轮胎爆了。
The balloon burst.
气球爆了。
（2）vt.,vi. 突然打开：
While I was reading, the door burst open and John came in.
我正看书时，门猛地开了，约翰闯了进来。
We burst the door open.
我们猛然把门撞开。
2．复习第50～71课部分词汇
在第50～71课中，我们学习了 used to与 be used to的区别；学
习了形容词和相应的副词及其用法；学习了表示目的的几种方式(to, in order to, so as to, so that, in order that);还学了make和let后面接不定式的用法：
As a boy, he used to work in a small shop.
他小时候在一家小铺里做工。
I'm used to getting up early.
我习惯于早起。（表示现在的习惯，后面跟动名词而不是
不定式）
This morning I got up very late.
今天早上我起得很晚。（late表示“晚”）
Have you been to the cinema lately?
你最近去看过电影吗？（lately表示“最近”、“近来”）
He always works hard.
他总是努力工作。（hard表示“努力”）
I can hardly hear you.
我几乎听不到你在说什么。（hardly表示“几乎不”）
I live quite near.
我住得很近。（near表示“近”）
I nearly forgot his name.
我几乎忘了他的名字。（nearly表示“几乎”、“差点儿”）
He sat at the back so that/in order that no one would notice him.
他坐在后面，以便使别人不注意他。
He left quietly so as not to/in order not to wake anyone.
他悄悄地离开，以便不惊醒任何人。
Finding the room dirty, Dan made Lucy clean the room again.
丹发现房间脏，便让露西再打扫一遍。（make+名词／代词+不带to的不定式表示“迫使”、“致使”）
He won't let me ride his bicycle.
他不会让我骑他的自行车。（let+名词／代词+不带to的不定式表示“允许”）
