Lesson 25 The Cutty Sark
One of the most famous sailing ships of the nineteenth century, the Cutty Sark, can still be seen at Greenwich. She stands on dry land and is visited by thousands of people each year. She serves as an impressive reminder of the great ships of the past. Before they were replaced by steam-ships, sailing vessels like the Cutty Sark were used to carry tea from China and wool from Australia. The Cutty Sark was one of the fastest sailing ships that has ever been built. The only other ship to match her was the Thermopylae. Both these ships set out from Shanghai on June 18th, 1872 on an exciting race to England. This race, which went on for exactly four months, was the last of its kind. It marked the end of the great tradition of ships with sails and the beginning of a new era.
The first of the two ships to reach Java after the race had begun was the Thermopylae, but on the Indian Ocean, the Cutty Sark took the lead. It seemed certain that she would be the first ship home, but during the race she had a lot of bad luck. In August, she was struck by a very heavy storm during which her rudder was torn away. The Cutty Sark rolled from side to side and it became impossible to steer her. A temporary rudder was made on board from spare planks and it was fitted with great difficulty. This greatly reduced the speed of the ship, for there was danger that if she travelled too quickly, this rudder would be torn away as well. Because of this, the Cutty Sark lost her lead. After crossing the equator , the captain called in at a port to have a new rudder fitted, but by now the Thermopylae was over five hundred miles ahead. Though the new rudder was fitted at tremendous speed, it was impossible for the Cutty Sark to win. She arrived in England a week after the Thermopylae. Even this was remarkable, considering that she had had so many delays. There is no doubt that if she had not lost her rudder she would have won the race easily.
人们在格林威治仍可看到 19 世纪最有名的帆船之一“卡蒂萨克”号。它停在陆地上，每年接待成千 上万的参观者。 它给人们留下深刻的印象， 使人们回忆起历史上的巨型帆船， 在蒸汽船取代帆船之前。 “卡 蒂萨克”号之类的帆船被用来从中国运回茶叶，从澳大利亚运回羊毛。“卡蒂萨克”号是帆船制造史上建 造的最快的一艘帆船。 唯一可以与之一比高低的是“塞姆皮雷”号帆船。 两船于 1872 年 6 月 18 日同时从 上海启航驶往英国， 途中展开了一场激烈的比赛。 这场比赛持续了整整 4 个月，是这类比赛中的最后一次， 它标志着帆船伟大传统的结束与一个新纪元的开始。
比赛开始后，“赛姆皮雷”号率先抵达爪哇岛。但在印度洋上，“卡萨萨克”号驶到了前面。看来， 它首先返抵英国是确信无疑的了，但它却在比赛中连遭厄运。 8 月份“卡蒂萨克”号遭到一场特大风暴的 袭击，失去了一只舵。船身左右摇晃，无法操纵。船员用备用的木板在船上赶制了一只应急用的舵，并克 服重重困难将舵安装就位，这样一来，大大降低了船的航速。因为船不能开得太快，否则就有危险，应急 舵也会被刮走。因为这个缘故，“卡蒂萨克”号落到了后面。跨越赤道后，船长将船停靠在一个港口，在 那儿换了一只舵。但此时，“赛姆皮雷”号早已在 500 多英里之遥了。尽管换装新舵时分秒必争，但“卡 蒂萨克”号已经不可能取胜了， 它抵达英国时比“塞姆皮雷”号晚了 1 个星期。但考虑到路上的多次耽搁， 这个成绩也已很不容易了。毫无疑问，如果中途没有失去舵， “卡帝萨克”号肯定能在比赛中轻易夺冠。
impressive [ɪm’presɪv]adj. 给人以深刻印象的
an impressive ceremony / building / speech / performance …
The girl was very impressive in the interview.
impress sb. with / by sth.
The girl impressed her fiancé’s family with her liveliness and sense of humor.
We were most impressed with / by your efficiency.
I had no intention of buying one, but I could not conceal the fact that I was impressed by the size of the diamonds.
give sb. the impression that …
The sudden movement of the door made it sway slightly and it gave me the impression that it was about to leap out at me.
have / get the impression that ...
I had the distinct impression that I was being followed.
be under the impression that …
Though the crew were at first under the impression that the lost ship had been found, the contents of the chest proved them wrong.
era [‘ɪərə]
n. 时代，时期
era / epoch
the Victorian / Clinton era / epoch
the steam-engine / post-war era / epoch
We live in an era / epoch of breathtaking change.
the beginning / dawn / dawning of a new era / epoch
be on the threshold of a new era / epoch
the end of an era / epoch
It marked the end of the great tradition of ships with sails and the beginning of a new era.
His death marked the end of an era.
in modern / recent / ancient / prehistoric times
in times of …
in times of peace / war
In times of peace, when business was bad, Hawkwood and his men would march into a
city-state …
age
the Bronze / Ice / Stone Age
the modern / computer age
In this age of the Internet, finding a job can be much easier.
The nomads who made these markings lived by hunting and fishing during the last Ice Age, which began about 35,000 B.C. and ended about 10,000 B.C.
rudder [‘rʌdə(r)]
n. 舵
rudder 舵 anchor 锚
mast 桅杆 deck 甲板
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
The ball rolled down the hill.
rolling stone | 浮萍： duckweed
figuratively — nomad, wanderer, vagabond, migrant, vagrant
a rolling stone gathers no moss
滚动的石头不生苔藓，飘浮的人不聚财。
George took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and pushed his right arm through the drain cover. The ship was rolling heavily to and fro.
The Cutty Sark rolled from side to side and it became impossible to steer her.
Thunder rolled in the distance.
a roll of carpet / film / cloth
spring roll
The teacher called the roll.
Three senators missed the roll call.
The slow, steady roll of the ship made us feel sick.
the distant roll of thunder
steer[stɪə(r)]v. 驾驶
This car is very easy to steer.
He steered the boat into the harbor.
drive
Can you drive?
He drives a taxi.
ride
I ride a bicycle to work every day.
pilot
The captain piloted the boat into a mooring.
She piloted the aircraft to safety after one of the engines failed.
fly
Only experienced pilots fly large passenger aircraft.
operate: operate an automobile
be at / behind the wheel
Who was at the wheel when the car crashed?
One man stayed at the wheel while two others with black stockings over their faces jumped out and smashed the window of the shop with iron bars.
temporary [‘temprəri]adj. 临时的，暂时的，非永久的
a temporary job
a temporary measure
temporary relief from pain
temporarily
She’s only working here temporarily.
Only an exceptionally heavy snowfall might temporarily dislocate railway services.
permanent
a permanent job
my permanent address
My cousin, Harry, keeps a large curiously shaped bottle on permanent display in his study. permanently
She had decided to settle permanently in France.
provisional
a provisional government
provisionally
The meeting has been provisionally arranged for 3 p.m. next Friday.
contemporary
contemporary music / art / dance
LONGMAN Dictionary of Contemporary English
Marlowe was contemporary with Shakespeare. Marlowe and Shakespeare were contemporaries.
fit [fɪt]
v. 安装;适合
fit sth. on / to sth.
I need to fit a lock on the bathroom door.
Anti-theft devices are fitted to all our cars.
be fitted with sth
The windows and doors are all fitted with security locks.
It has to be tall because it is like a giant block and tackle, and we have to lower into the ground and haul out of the ground great lengths of drill pipe which are rotated by an engine at the top and are fitted with a cutting bit at the bottom.
The uniform fitted her perfectly .
The punishment should fit the crime.
This card just fits nicely into that envelope.
I was not surprised to find that the machine still refused to work after I had reassembled it, for the simple reason that I was left with several curiously shaped bits of metal which did not seem to fit anywhere.
I swim twice a week to try and keep fit.
be fit for
be fit to do sth
This book is not fit for publication!
He is not fit to govern this country!
But Alfred had deduced that the Danes were no longer fit for prolonged battle: …
Chickens slaughtered in the United States, claim officials in Brussels, are not fit to grace European tables.
delay [dɪ’leɪ]
v. & n. 耽搁; 推迟，延期
We must leave without delay.
There was a delay of two hours before the plane took off.
You’ll be late if you delay.
I was delayed by the traffic.
delay/ postpone sth. until …
The match had to be delayed / postponed until next week.
delay / postpone sth. for …
Our meeting was delayed / postponed for ten minutes.
delay / postpone doing sth.
It was an unpopular decision to delay / postpone building the new hospital.
bring / put sth.⇔ forward to …
The meeting has been brought / put forward to Thursday.
One of the most famous sailing ships of the 19th century, the Cutty Sark, can still be seen at Greenwich.
in the early / middle / late 19th century
at the turn / dawn / beginning of the 19th century
at the end of the 19th century
The loss of the Titanic
the Cutty Sark
the Vasa
The great ship, Titanic, sailed for New York from Southampton on April 10th, 1912.
The small ship, Elkor, which had been searching the Barents Sea for weeks, was on its way home. One of the most famous sailing ships of the 19th century, the Cutty Sark, can still be seen at Greenwich.
GMT: Greenwich Mean Time
指“车、船、祖国”时常用 “she”
She was carrying 1,316 passengers and crew of 891.
What’s wrong with my car? She won’t start.
China has done what she promised to do.
serve as
This room can serve as a study.
Her death should serve as a warning to other young people.
Not all sounds made by animals serve as language, …
act as … function as …
A five-year sentence should act as a deterrent to others.
Some English adverbs function as adjectives.
reminder (souvenir memo …)
Alison’s story is a reminder of how vulnerable women can be in what is still essentially a man’s world.
serve / act as a reminder = be a reminder
The drop in stock prices serves / acts as a reminder that investing is a form of gambling.
The accident served / acted as a timely reminder of just how dangerous speeding can be.
Before they were replaced by steam-ships, sailing vessels like the Cutty Sark were used to carry tea from China and wool from Australia.
replace
Robots are replacing people on assembly lines.
be replaced by …
The old farmhouse the family lived in was to be replaced by a new $500,000 home.
steamship
sailing ships, sailing vessels, ships with sails
- be used to do
- be used to doing
- used to do
At that time, however, she was not only the largest ship that had ever been built, but was regarded as unsinkable, for she had 16 watertight compartments.
one of+ 复数名词+who/which/that+ 谓语动词(单复数均可)
The Cutty Sark was one of the fastest sailing ships that has ever been built.
One of the things that fascinates us most about cats is the popular belief that they have nine lives.
Jasper White is one of those rare people who believes in ancient myths.
John is the only one of the students in the class (A) that never (B) admits making a mistake even when (C) it is (D) pointed out to him.
The only other ship to match her was the Thermopylae.
match v. 与……相匹敌，是……的对手
No one can match the unknown archer.
The two teams are well matched.
match … in / for …
You can’t match him in knowledge of wild plants.
But nothing can match them for speed and comfort.
The hotel can’t be matched for good service and food.
Both these ships set out from Shanghai on June 18th, 1872 on an exciting race to England.
set out / off
start out / off
Four days after setting out, while the Titanic was sailing across the icy waters of the North Atlantic, a huge iceberg was suddenly spotted by a look-out.
After making a short test flight at 4.15 a.m., Bleriot set off half an hour later.
One afternoon she set out from the coast in a small boat and was caught in a storm.
She is going to set out from the French coast at five o’clock in the morning.
Dressed up as Father Christmas and accompanied by a ‘guard of honour’ of six pretty girls, he set off down the main street of the city riding a baby elephant called Jumbo.
set out to do
The journalist immediately set out to obtain these important facts, but he took a long time to send them.
Dimitri at once set out to find the thief.
True eccentrics never deliberately set out to draw attention to themselves.
Several people complained of ‘cat-like noises’ at night and a businessman on a fishing trip saw
the puma up a tree.
While on a walking tour with his wife, he stopped to talk to a workman.
Both these ships set out from Shanghai on June 18th, 1872 on an exciting race to England.
We started out on a 20-mile walk.
She had come on a visit to England.
After a day or so we will go on an excursion.
This race, which went on for exactly four months, was the last of its kind.
go on
Peace negotiations are still going on.
His speech went on for so long that people began to fall asleep.
It marked the end of the great tradition of ships with sails and the beginning of a new era.
the beginning / dawn / dawning of a new era / epoch
The race was a landmark in the history of shipping.
造句:中华人民共和国的成立标志着新民主主义革命 (the new-democratic revolution) 的结 束和社会主义革命和建设的新时代的开始。
The foundation of the People’s Republic of China marked the end of the new-democratic revolution and the beginning of a new era of the socialist revolution and construction.
The first of the two ships to reach Java after the race had begun was the Thermopylae, but on the Indian Ocean, the Cutty Sark took the lead.
The first of the two ships that reached Java after the race had begun was …
the first, the second, the next, the last, the best, the only … 后常跟不定式作定语
When he landed near Dover, the first person to greet him was a local policeman.
The Swedes were the first to recognize that public officials like civil servants, police officers, health inspectors or tax-collectors can make mistakes or act over-zealously in the belief that they are serving the public.
You are the second to ask me that question.
The next man to approach me was selling expensive pens and watches.
The last creature to compete with man was the mosquito.
The pie committee decided that the best way to transport the dish would be by canal, so they insured it for the trip.
The only other ship to match her was the Thermopylae.
The first of the two ships to reach Java after the beginning of the race was the Thermopylae,
the lead
take (over) the lead (from …)
lose the lead (to …)
…, but on the Indian Ocean, the Cutty Sark took (over) the lead from the Thermopylae.
…, but on the Indian Ocean, the Thermopylae lost the lead to the Cutty Sark .
Because of this, the Cutty Sark lost her lead.
be in the lead
go / move into the lead
She was in the lead from start to finish.
With a final burst of speed she went / moved into the lead.
It seemed certain that she would be the first ship home, but during the race she had a lot of bad luck.
It looked / seemed / appeared certain that …, but …
It looked / seemed / appeared as if / as though …, but …
It looked / seemed / appeared as if / as though she would be the first ship home, but during the race she had a lot of bad luck.
造句:看似肯定会有一场激动人心的穿越海峡的竞速比赛了，但是莱瑟姆未能起得足够早。
It looked / seemed / appeared certain that there would be an exciting race across the Channel,
but Latham failed to get up early enough.
造句:看似好像会有一场激动人心的穿越海峡的竞速比赛了，但是莱瑟姆未能起得足够早。 It looked / seemed / appeared as if / as though there would be an exciting race across the Channel, but Latham failed to get up early enough.
It was an incredible piece of luck.
With a bit of luck, we’ll finish on time.
Often there is an element of luck in getting the right answer.
bad / ill / rotten / tough luck
The team has had a run of bad luck lately, losing their last five games.
strike (struck struck)
The big clock which used to strike the hours day and night was damaged many years ago and has been silent ever since.
One of the thieves was struck by a heavy statue, but he was too busy helping himself to
diamonds to notice any pain.
it strikes sb. that …
It suddenly struck Mrs. Richards that it must be the man from the Electricity Board who had come to read the meter.
Most people were fast asleep when the earthquake struck.
be caught in…
We were caught in a heavy storm / a traffic jam.
heavy / severe / violent / devastating / disastrous storm
In August, she was struck by a very heavy storm and during the storm her rudder was torn away.
In August, she was struck by a very heavy storm during which her rudder was torn away.
A week before, he had completed a successful overland flight during which he covered twenty-six miles.
As long ago as the 1930’s, the Red Army had completed the successful Long March during which they covered 25,000 li.
tear sth. away / off / up …
The flag was torn away from the pole by the strong wind.
High winds nearly tore the roof off.
The storm had torn the old tree up by the roots.
roll heavily / violently from side to side / to and fro
The ship was rolling heavily to and fro.
The plane rolled violently from side to side in the storm.
from side to side
His few material possessions make it possible for him to move from place to place with ease.
read sth. from cover to cover
sell sth. from door to door
vary from person to person
improve from day to day
on board
Before she had anchored, the men from the boats had climbed on board and the decks were soon covered with colourful rugs from Persia, silks from India, copper coffee pots, and beautiful hand-made silver-ware.
spare
a spare key / battery / tire …
A temporary rudder was made on board from spare planks and it was fitted with great difficulty (=very difficultly).
The Officer went through the case with great care (=very carefully).
This greatly reduced the speed of the ship, for there was a danger that if she travelled too quickly, this rudder would be torn away as well.
there is / was a danger that …
There was a danger that the wave would rebound off the other side of the bank and send the dish plunging into the water again.
There is a danger that the political disorder of the past will return.
There is a danger that museums will attempt to entertain rather than educate.
造句:如果 Ramsay 夫人报警，她可能就再也看不到 Rastus 了。
There was a danger that if Mrs. Ramsay went to the police, she would never see Rastus again.
Because of this, the Cutty Sark lost her / the lead to the Thermopylae.
Because of this, the Thermopylae took (over) the lead from the Cutty Sark.
After crossing the equator, the captain called in at a port to have a new rudder fitted, but by now the Thermopylae was over 500 miles ahead.
equator
pole the North / South Pole
latitude longitude axis
call in at somewhere
call in on sb.
Will you call in at the supermarket for some eggs and milk?
Could you call in on Mum on your way home?
by now
I had expected to be near my objective by now, but everything still seemed alien to me.
…, but by now the Thermopylae was over 500 miles ahead (of the Cutty Sark / her).
Though the new rudder was fitted at tremendous speed, it was impossible for the Cutty Sark to win.
1. speed 做不可数名词时，与 at, with 搭配均可
e.g. at / with great speed
2. speed 做可数名词时，只能与 at 搭配
e.g. at a speed of 60 mph
tremendous
In his day, Mendoza enjoyed tremendous popularity.
at (a) fantastic speed
Four days after setting out, while the Titanic …
Three days after Rastus’ disappearance, Mrs Ramsay received an anonymous letter.
A man who had broken his right leg was taken to hospital a few weeks before Christmas.
considering prep. & conj.
Considering the amount she paid, he was dear in more ways than one!
Even this was remarkable, considering (that) she had had so many delays.
There is no doubt that if she had not lost her rudder she would have won the race easily.
there is no doubt that …
There’s no doubt that one day a cure will be found.
undoubtedly
She was undoubtedly the best candidate.
Undoubtedly, public interest in folk music has declined.
needless to say, …
Needless to say, the man’s name was Hans Bussman and he really was Franz’s long -lost brother. Needless to say, the bigger the risk an insurance company takes, the higher the premium you will have to pay.
it goes without saying that …
It goes without saying that home is the warmest place in the world.
It goes without saying that a real sportsman will never dream of cheating in a game.
与过去事实相反的“if”型的虚拟 If+S.+had done, S.+would/should /could/might+have done
If they had only had one more child, the fact would have passed unnoticed.
If the Houses of Parliament had not been burned down in 1834, the great clock would never have been erected.
… she would have won the Thermopylae easily. X
… she would have beaten / defeated the Thermopylae easily. √
造句:毫无疑问，如果泰坦尼克号没有撞到冰山，她将抵达目的地而毫发无伤 (intact)。
There is no doubt that if the Titanic had not been hit by the iceberg, she would have reached her destination intact.