内容概述
一天夜里，泰勒斯一边散步一边抬头仰望星空，由于过分专注，竟失足跌入一条深沟，爬不出来。他大声呼救，幸而被一位老妇人听见并把他拉了上来。老妇人好奇地问他为何落到如此地步，泰勒斯解释说自己刚才在看星星。老妇人听后诧异地讥讽道："你连自己脚下的东西都看不见，怎么能看清天上的事情？"
中文正文
27° 泰勒斯望星空
一天夜里，泰勒斯一边漫步，一边望着星空，不小心掉进了一条深沟，爬不起来了。他大声呼救，来了一个老妇人，把他拉上来。老妇人问他怎么会落到这个地步，他解释说刚才在看星星。老妇人很奇怪，"你连自己脚下的东西都看不见，怎么可能看清天上的事情？"
英文正文
27° Thales as a stargazer. One evening, while absently walking along and studying the stars, Thales inadvertently fell into a deep ditch from which he could not extricate himself. Finally his calls for help were answered by an old woman who managed to pull him from the ditch. When asked by the old woman what he had been doing to get himself into such a predicament, he explained that he had been looking at the stars, whereupon the old woman wondered, "How can you hope to see anything in the heavens when you can't even see what is at your own feet?"
英语学习拓展
常用词汇
absently音标/ˈæbsəntli/
心不在焉地。
原文用法：while absently walking along…
study音标/ˈstʌdi/
仔细观察，研究。
原文用法：studying the stars.
inadvertently音标/ˌɪnədˈvɜːtəntli/
不经意地。
原文用法：Thales inadvertently fell into a deep ditch…
extricate音标/ˈekstrɪkeɪt/
使脱离困境。
原文用法：from which he could not extricate himself.
predicament音标/prɪˈdɪkəmənt/
困境。
原文用法：what he had been doing to get himself into such a predicament.
whereupon音标/ˌweərəˈpɒn/
于是，在那之后。
原文用法：whereupon the old woman wondered…
heavens音标/ˈhevnz/
天空。
原文用法：see anything in the heavens…
at one's feet：在某人脚下。原文用法：see what is at your own feet.
同义词与近义词
对应核心词汇：study
对应核心词汇：study。
辨析：study 强调专注、仔细地观察或研究；observe 较中性，强调有意识地看；gaze at 强调出神地凝视。
对应核心词汇：extricate
对应核心词汇：extricate。
辨析：extricate 强调"从复杂纠缠中脱离"；rescue 偏紧急救援；free 强调"使获得自由"。
对应核心词汇：predicament
对应核心词汇：predicament。
辨析：predicament 指令人尴尬的困难处境；dilemma 指进退两难的选择；trouble 是最常用的笼统词。
常用短语与固定搭配
- fall into a ditch：掉进沟里。原文用法：Thales inadvertently fell into a deep ditch…
- call for help：呼救。原文用法：Finally his calls for help were answered by…
- pull … from …：把……从……拉出来。原文用法：managed to pull him from the ditch.
- get into such a predicament：陷入这样的困境。原文用法：to get himself into such a predicament.
- hope to do sth.：希望做某事。原文用法：How can you hope to see anything…
常用句式
- Pattern: while + 现在分词, 主句："一边……一边……"，强调主句与从句动作同时发生。原文例句：while absently walking along and studying the stars, Thales inadvertently fell into a deep ditch…
- Pattern: When asked …, 主句："当被问及……时，……"，用过去分词表示被动。原文例句：When asked by the old woman what he had been doing…, he explained that…
- Pattern: How can you … when …?：反诘句式，"你怎能……当……？"原文例句："How can you hope to see anything in the heavens when you can't even see what is at your own feet?"
长难句解析
One evening, while absently walking along and studying the stars, Thales inadvertently fell into a deep ditch from which he could not extricate himself.
- 主干：Thales fell into a deep ditch.
- 修饰与从句：
- One evening 为时间状语； - while absently walking along and studying the stars 为时间状语，缩略形式的现在分词短语； - from which he could not extricate himself 是"介词 + 关系代词"引导的定语从句，修饰 ditch。
- 逻辑关系：用 while 引导的伴随动作解释"为什么会掉进沟里"，from which 从句补充"掉进去之后爬不上来"。
语言使用特点
- 使用 absently、inadvertently、extricate 等较书面化的副词与动词，使短小的故事带有文雅的叙事色彩；
- 句中"while …，主句 …"和"from which …"从句形成层次，让一个简单情节在两三个长句内得到充分交代；
- 老妇人的反诘句以 How can you … when …? 呈现，言简意赅，是典型的英语反讽口语。
迁移练习
- 用 "while + 现在分词" 写一个"一边……一边……"的英文句子。
- 翻译："一天早上，他一边吃饭一边看书，没注意到母亲已经出门了。"
- 用 "How can you … when …?" 写一个反诘句。
点击展开参考答案
- （示例）While sipping her coffee, she watched the sunrise.
- One morning, while eating and reading, he didn't notice that his mother had already left.
- （示例）How can you advise others when you can't even manage your own time?