Our neighbour,the river ^{同位语前置}

• man’s best friend, the dog 
• God Almighty, Jesus Christ

The river which forms the eastern boundary of our farm has always played an important part in our lives.

play a … role / part in … ^{发挥某种作用}

• The city of Xi’an played a crucial role in the history of China.^{西安市在中国历史上有至关重要的作用。}
• The government should play a more prominent part in promoting human rights.^{政府在促进人权方面应该发挥更显著的作用。}
• Not all sounds made by animals serve as language, and we have only to turn to that extraordinary discovery of echo-location in bats to see a case in which the voice plays a strictly utilitarian role.
• The fact of first-rate importance is the predominant role that custom plays in experience and in belief, and the very great varieties it may manifest.
• John Dewey has said in all seriousness that the part played by custom in shaping the behavior of the individual, as against any way in which he can affect traditional custom, is as the proportion of the total vocabulary of his mother tongue against those words of his own baby talk that are taken up into the vernacular of his family.

Without it we could not make a living. ^{虚拟语气的省略(与事实相反)}

If we didn’t have it we could not make a living. ^课文补全

If + S. + did / were …, S. + would / should / could / might + do … ^虚拟语气

• There would be no living things without air. ⇒ There would be no living things if there were no air. 
• In his position, I would commit suicide. ⇒ If I were in his position, I would commit suicide. 

make / earn a living ^{赚钱、谋生}

• He wished to earn a living through writing but despaired of doing so. ^{他原想通过写作谋生，但却对此绝望了。}
• First you should consider how to equip yourself to earn a living. ^{首先你应该考虑如何让自己有能力谋生。}
• It's not a very secure way to make a living. ^{以此谋生终非长久之计。}
• Many farmers have to depend on subsidies to make a living wage. ^{许多农民不得不依靠补助来维持基本的生活需要。}

There is only enough spring water to supply the needs of the house so we have to pump from the river for farm use.

house  ^{n.住在一所房子里的人；全家人}

• Be quiet or you’ll wake the house.
•  If he set his alarm clock for midnight, it would wake the whole house. ^{如果他把闹钟设定在午夜，铃声会把全家人都吵醒。}
• The house was in grief at his death. ^{全家人都为他的去世感到哀伤。}

the town ^{用地方指代住在这里的人(全镇人)}

• the village ^全村人
• The whole town shall know of this! ^{全镇的人都会知道的！}
• the city ^全城人
• the country ^全国人
• the world ^全世界人
• entertain the world
• The whole country was / were shocked at the news.

irrigation  ^{n. 灌溉}

• ... we have to pump from the river for irrigation.
• The rivers merge just north of a vital irrigation system. ^{这些河流在一个重要的灌溉系统的北部汇合了。}
• It was a three-year water irrigation project. ^{这是一项为期三年的灌溉工程。}
• Irrigation is needed to make crops grow in dry regions. ^{干旱地区需要灌溉才能使作物生长。}

We tell the river all our secrets. ^{暗示与河特殊的关系}

tell sb. sth. ^{告诉某人某事}

• In the evening I returned to tell Phyllis I got the job. ^{晚上我回来告诉菲莉丝我得到了那份工作。}
• I called Andie to tell her how spectacular the stuff looked. ^{我打电话给安迪告诉她那东西看上去多么壮观。}
• Claire had made me promise to tell her the truth. ^{克莱尔已经逼我答应了告诉她真相。}

We know instinctively, just as beekeepers with their bees, that misfortune might overtake us if the important events of our lives were not related to it.

instinctively = by instinct   ^本能地

• Humans instinctively seek structures that will shelter and enhance their way of life. ^{人类本能地追求那些可以保护他们并改善他们生活方式的建筑物。}
• Presley, Cash, Perkins and Lewis instinctively understood Phillips's ambition and believed in it. ^{普雷斯利、卡什、帕金斯和刘易斯本能地理解菲利普斯的雄心壮志并对此抱有信心。}
• Children do not know by instinct the difference between right and wrong. ^{儿童并非生来就会分辨是非。}
• I divert my sight by instinct. ^{我本能的反应是转移我的目光。}

... misfortune might visit / befall us ... ^{课文写法替换}

• Misfortune might visit us if we are not careful with our decisions. ^{如果我们对自己的决定不小心，厄运可能会降临。}
• It is a reminder that misfortune can befall us at any moment. ^{这提醒我们，厄运可能随时降临。}
• They were unaware of the fate that was to befall them. ^{他们并不知道即将降临到他们头上的厄运。}
• I fear some evil will befall. ^{我怕将要发生甚么不幸。}

relate sth. to sb. ^{把某事讲给某人听}

• She related the events of the previous week to the police. 
• He is unable to relate to other people. ^{他不能够与别人沟通。}
• Many adults can't relate to children. ^{许多成年人并不了解儿童的想法。}

report / recount / relate sth. to sb. ^{把某事讲述给某人听}

• She decided to report the incident to her manager.^{她决定向经理报告这一事件。}
• He recounted his experiences during the trip to his friends.^{他向朋友们讲述了自己在旅行中的经历。}
• The teacher related the story to the students in an engaging way.^{老师以生动的方式将这个故事讲给学生们听。}