Lesson 90 What's for supper?晚餐吃什么?
First listen and then answer the question.听录音，然后回答以下问题。
What kind of fish are they?
Fish and chips has always been a favourite dish in Britain, but as the oceans have been overfished, fish has become more and more expensive. So it comes as a surprise to learn that giant fish are terrifying the divers on North Sea oil rigs. Oil rigs have to be repaired frequently and divers, who often have to work in darkness a hundred feet under water, have been frightened out of their wits by giant fish bumping into them as they work. Now they have had special cages made to protect them from these monsters. The fish are not sharks or killer whales, but favourite eating varieties like cod and skate which grow to unnatural sizes, sometimes as much as twelve feet in length. Three factors have caused these fish to grow so large: the warm water round the hot oil pipes under the sea; the plentiful supply of food thrown overboard by the crews on the rigs; the total absence of fishing boats around the oil rigs. As a result, the fish just eat and eat and grow and grow in the lovely warm water. Who eats who?
参考译文
油煎鱼加炸土豆片一直是英国人喜爱的一道菜，但是随着海洋里的滥捕滥捞，鱼已经变得越来越昂贵。因此，听说北海石油钻井平台上的潜水员受到巨型鱼类 的恐吓，确实很让人吃惊。钻井平台需要经常修理，潜水员常常要在水面100英尺以下摸黑工作，他们曾在工作时被撞到他们身上的大鱼吓得惊惶失措。现在他们 有了特制的笼子，用来保护他们免受大鱼的侵袭。这些鱼并不是鲨鱼或逆戟鲸，而是深受人们喜爱的食用鱼品种，如鳕鱼和鳐鱼，只不过它们长得出奇地大，有时长 达12英尺。这些鱼能长得这么大是由3个因素造成的：海底热的输油管道附近的温暖的海水；钻井平台工作人员抛到海里充足的食物；钻井平台周围根本没有捕鱼 船只。结果是，这些鱼就在可爱的温暖的水流中吃呀吃，长呀长。究竟谁吃谁呢？
New words and expressions 生词和短语
chip
n. 油煎土豆片
overfish
v. 过度捕捞
giant
adj. 巨大的
terrify
v. 吓，使恐怖
diver
n. 潜水员
oil rig
石油钻塔
wit
n. （复数）理智，头脑
cage
n. 笼
shark
n. 鲨鱼
whale
n. 鲸
variety
n. 品种
cod
n. 鳕
skate
n. 鳐
factor
n. 因素
crew
n. 全体工作人员
Lesson 90 自学导读First things first
课文详注 Further notes on the text1．Fish and chips has always been a favourite dish in Britain…油煎鱼加炸土豆片一直是英国人喜爱的一道菜……
fish and chips被看做是一个整体，因此，虽然chips是复数形式，它后面却要跟动词的单数形式。（cf．本课词汇学习）dish在这里指“一盘菜”或“菜肴”、“食品”：
I like French dishes.
我喜欢（吃）法国菜。
Would you like a sweet dish?
您要一盘甜食吗？
2．…divers…have been frightened out of their wits by giant fish bumping into them as they work．……潜水员……曾在工作时被撞到他们身上的大鱼吓得惊慌失措。
（1）out of one's wits表示“失去理智”、“惊慌失措”：
She was frightened out of her wits by the great fire.
大火吓得她惊慌失措。
Are you out of your wits?
你疯了吗？
（2）bump into的含义之一是“碰上”、“撞上”：
Wandering in darkness, the drunk bumped into a policeman.
那醉汉在黑夜中闲荡时撞到了一个警察的身上。
bump into也可以表示“偶然遇见”、“碰见”（多用于口语）：
I bumped into Jane at the conference.
我开会时碰见了简。
（3）as在这里相当于when或while。
3．Now they have had special cages made to protect them from these monsters. 现在他们有了特制的笼子，用来保护他们免受大鱼的侵袭。
（1）have had…made 是使役式的完成式。（cf．第66课语法）
（2）protect经常与from或against连用：
He tried to protect the child from the rain/the dog.
他试图使孩子不被雨淋/狗咬。
This coat will protect you against the cold.
这件大衣可以给你御寒。
4．favourite eating varieties, 深受人们喜爱的食用的品种。
eating在这里为形容词，表示“供食用的”，它有时也表示“宜生食的”：
Eating corn is quite sweet.
食用玉米很香甜。
These are eating apples, and those are cooking apples/ones.
这些是生吃的苹果，那些是烹任用的苹果。
5．the total absence of fishing boats around the oil rigs, 钻井平台周围根本没有捕鱼船只。
（1）total在这里表示“完全的”、“彻底的”（相当于complete）：
His letter is a total surprise to her.
他的来信完全出乎她的意料之外。
That girl is a total stranger to me.
我根本不认识那姑娘。
（2）absence of表示“缺少”、“不存在”：
These plants don't grow well because of the absence of rain/sunshine.
由于缺乏雨水/阳光，这些植物长得不好。
6．as a result，结果，因此。
He didn't work hard at mathematics. As a result, he failed in the examination.
他没有用功学数学。因此，他考试没及格。
My husband Spent weeks training our dog to press its paw on the latch. As a result, it has become an expert at opening the gate.
我丈夫花了几个星期的时间训练我们的狗用脚爪按住门闩。结果，它现在成了开门的专家。
词汇学习 Word study
1．special adj.
（1）特殊的，特别的，独特的：
He received special care while in Paris.
他在巴黎期间受到了特别照顾。
He intends to send you a special gift on your birthday.
他打算在你生日那天送你一份独特的礼物。
（2）专门的，特制的，专用的：
Special cages are made to protect them from giant fish.
为了保护他们免受大鱼的侵袭，人们做了特制的笼子。
A special railway line will be built for the Olympic Games.
为了奥运会，人们将修筑一条铁路专线。
2．被看做繁体的、用and连接的两个名词
（1）当主语是and连接的两个名词时，谓语通常用复数形式：
Jane and Bill have got married last week.
简和比尔于上星期结了婚。
An umbrella and a suitcase are still needed.
还需要一把伞和一只手提箱。
（2）有些名词由于经常在一起连用，人们已把它们看成一个整体（或一个单位），因而成了一种复合名词。它们不仅有固定的词序，且后面的谓语动词通常要 用单数形式。这类复合名词包括bacon and eggs（咸肉和鸡蛋），bread and butter（面包和黄油），cheese and wine（奶酪和葡萄酒），fish and chips（鱼和油炸土豆片），a knife and fork（一副刀叉），sausage (s) and mash（香肠和土豆泥）。
Fish and chips is a popular meal in Britain.
鱼和炸土豆片在英国是颇受欢迎的食品。
Bacon and eggs is my favourite dish.
咸肉和鸡蛋是我爱吃的一道菜。
但是，如果我们把这两个名词看成是分开的东西，动词就要用复数：
Fish and chips make a good meal.
鱼和炸土豆片就是一顿美餐。
因此，谓语动词在这些名词后面究竟用单数还是复数形式还需要看具体情况。
