Lesson 56 Faster than sound! 比声音还快！

Once a year, a race is held for old cars. §

be held for ^{比赛为…而举行}

• MPS told the BBC that the vote might not be held for several days.

A lot of cars entered for this race last year and there was a great deal of excitement just before it began.

just before = just ^{起强调作用}

• We left just before the final curtain. ^{我们在最后的幕前离开了。}

One of the most handsome cars was a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost.

one of ^{直接作主语的时候, 它是做单数看待的。}

• One of the answers is ture. ^答案之一
• One of those people is good. ^{哪些人中的一个}
• He is the only one of those rare people who believes in ancient myths. 

Built in 1885, it was the oldest car taking part.  ^{take part 这里表最高级的范围理解为 taking part (in the race)}

taking part ^{参加：参与某项活动或事件。}

• I will be taking part in the charity run next weekend. 
• He will take part in an important race across the Atlantic.

After a great many loud explosions, the race began.

different from ^{与…不同（different 前面可加 very，much，a little 等修饰语）}

• Is French food very different from Italian food?
• A French man could tell you better than I can!
• We’re planning something different this year from what we did last year.

Many of the cars broke down on the course and some drivers spent more time under their cars than in them!

* The winning car reached a speed of forty miles an hour -- much faster than any of its rivals.

the wining car ^获胜车

• The winner was Billy Stewart.

a speed of + 数量词 ^速度为…

• You must have been driving at a speed of seventy miles an hour.

any of its rivals＝any rival ^{任何一个any 在比较级中一旦出现, 它往往要加可数名词的单数}

• Beijing is bigger than any other city. ^{（注意 “other” 不能丢）}
• any other competitor ^{如果是不定代词, 可以说 someone else, anyone else；如果不是不定代词, 要在名词前加 other.}

It sped downhill at the end of the race and its driver had a lot of trouble trying to stop it.

at the end of… ^{在…的末尾/最后部分}

• He spoke a few words at the end of the meeting. ^{会议的结尾}

have trouble (in) doing sth. ^{干…有麻烦，做…很困难（trouble 既可数又不可数）}

• They had some trouble finding out the cause of the fire.

The race gave everyone a great deal of pleasure.

It was very different from modern car races but no less exciting.

在日常谈话中，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，它既可以与复数可数名词连用也可以与不可数名词连用，后面的动词用单数还是复数取决于名词。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。

litte 和 few 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.

在 what 引导的感叹句中不用 much / many：

• What a lot of sweets Tom’s bought!
• I am less lucky. ^{我还不如他们幸运.}
• more exciting ^更激动 = not less exciting.

这些形容词都用于描述外貌或物品的外观，但它们的重点和适用对象略有不同。根据具体情况，你可以选择合适的形容词来描述人或物的外貌。