* Two men who recently spent five days on a coral island wished they had stayed there longer.

spend ^{v.花费(时间)、度过时光}

• He then changed into overalls and spent the next eight hours as a dustman. ^{度过8小时}
• I spent the whole day in my room, but I did not write a single card!  ^{花了一整天}
• After having spent whole mornings on the river, I always go home with an empty bag. ^{呆了一整个早上}

“wish”型的虚拟语气^{（hope 是真实语气）}

对于可望不可及的事物的期待(可能性不高、没有可能的)，一般翻译、理解为“真希望、要是...就好了。”^{（还有IF形的虚拟语气、should do形的虚拟语气）}

They were taking a badly damaged boat from the Virgin Islands to Miami to have it repaired.

have sth. done ^使役动词

• The French authorities had the plane packaged and moved in parts back to France.
• The vicar has been asked to have the tree cut down, but so far he has refused.

During the journey, their boat began to sink.

They quickly loaded a small rubber dinghy with food, matches, and cans of beer and rowed for a few miles across the Caribbean until they arrived at a tiny coral island.

be loaded with ... ^被动

• Small boats loaded with wares sped to the great liner as she was entering the harbour.

row ^v.划船

• Learning is like rowing upstream: not to advance is to drop back. ^{学习如逆水行舟：不进则退}

There were hardly any trees on the island and there was no water, but this did not prove to be a problem.

prove (to be) + adj. / n. ^被证明是

• The search proved difficult, for the puma was often observed at one place in the morning and at another place twenty miles away in the evening.
• He knew it would not prove difficult in such a small village.
• The operation, which lasted for over four hours, proved to be very difficult because of the hard resin which covered the skin.

The men collected rainwater in the rubber dinghy. As they had brought a spear gun with them, they had plenty to eat.

描述/评论：These two pieces of equipment proved (to be) essential to their survival. ^{这两件装备证明对他们的生存是必不可少的。}

They caught lobster and fish every day, and, as one of them put it 'ate like kings'.

When a passing tanker rescued them five days later, both men were genuinely sorry that they had to leave.

regret to do ^{要做还没做(表示遗憾)}

regret doing ^{已做过了(表示遗憾)}

• I have no regret marrying you. ^{我不后悔嫁给你。}
• She expressed her regret at the decision. ^{她对这个决定表示失望。}