Lesson 26 The past life of the earth地球上的昔日生命强调句 倒装句

It is animals and plants which lived in or near water whose remains are most likely to be preserved, for one of the necessary conditions of preservation is quick burial, and it is only in the seas and rivers, and sometimes lakes, where mud and silt have been continuously deposited, that bodies and the like can be rapidly covered over and preserved.

 it is / was … whose … ^{强调句(强调属格)  Emphatic sentence; emphasizing possessive}

The remains of animals and plants which lived in or near water are most likely to be preserved. ^不强调

• I lost uncle Bill’s address ⇒ It was uncle Bill whose address I lost. ^{whose 强调属格（xx的...）}

remains ^{n. [pl.]  残余物，遗址，废墟}

• The body of one statue was found among remains dating from the fifteenth century B.C. 
• In his mouth were the remains of fir trees ― the last meal that he had before he fell into the crevasse and broke his back.  ^本课
• Archaeologists discovered ancient remains of a forgotten city. ^{考古学家发现了一座被遗忘的古城的遗址。}

be likely / unlikely to do sth. ^{可能/不可能做某事}

• This is a pity, because noise abatement really is a good cause, and it is likely to be discredited if it gets to be associated with bad science.
• As it happens, a razor that is safe in Europe is unlikely to electrocute Americans. ^{碰巧，在欧洲安全的剃须刀不太可能电死美国人。}
• It later became apparent that rabbits were developing a degree of resistance to this disease, so that the rabbit population was unlikely to be completely exterminated.

It is refugees who live in or near Syria whose applications are most likely to be approved. ^{正是居住在叙利亚或其附近的难民，他们的申请最有可能获得批准。}

书面语正式表达（使用名词） ^{Formal written expression; use of nouns}

• 【不地道表达】for one of the necessary conditions of preservation is that they are quickly buried, …
• The timely arrival of the police prevented the situation from becoming worse. ^{警察的及时到来阻止了局面进一步恶化。}
• He sold the house without his wife's knowledge. ^{他在他妻子不知道的情况下卖掉了房子。}

silt ^{n.sand, mud, etc carried by flowing water and left at the mouth of a river, in a harbour, etc. 淤泥}

• Heavy rains caused river banks to overflow with silt. ^{大雨导致河岸淤泥泛滥。}
• The dredging operation removed a large amount of silt from the harbor. ^{疏浚作业清除了港口大量的淤泥。}
• The ancient city was buried under layers of mud and silt. ^{这座古城被埋在层层泥土和淤泥之下。}

continually ^{不断地；频繁地；（含贬义，不希望发生的事总是发生）}

• He is continually being late. ^{他老是迟到。}
• He is continually asking me for money. ^{他老是向我要钱。}
• They're continually arguing. ^{他们老是争吵。}
• Everything around him was full of her presence, continually reopening the wound. ^{他周围的一切都充满了她的身影，不断地揭开伤疤。}

deposit ^{v.to leave a layer of a substance on the surface of something, especially gradually 沉积}

• layers of sediment that were deposited on the ocean floor ^{沉积在海底的沉积物层}
• The river deposited fine sand along its banks. ^{河流沿岸沉积了细沙。}
• Minerals were deposited over millions of years to form rocks. ^{矿物质经过数百万年的沉积形成了岩石。}

and the like / and such like ^{and similar things 等等 ， 诸如此类 (不一一列举了)}

• Soldiers, policemen, and the like were all called in to help with the emergency. ^{士兵、警察等等都被召来帮助处理紧急情况。}
• tools, machines and what not ^{工具、机器等等 [infml.]}
• He enjoys reading novels, poetry, and so on. ^{他喜欢读小说、诗歌等等。}
• The grocery store sells fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and so forth. ^{杂货店出售水果、蔬菜、奶制品等等。[美式更多]}
• We discussed plans for the trip, accommodation, itinerary, etc. ^{我们讨论了旅行计划、住宿、行程等等。}

But even in the most favourable circumstances only a small fraction of the creatures that die are preserved in this way before decay sets in or, even more likely, before scavengers eat them.

circumstances ^{条件；环境；状况}

• It is almost always due to some very special circumstances that traces of and animals survive, … ^本文
• A man without an education, many of us believe, is an unfortunate victim of adverse circumstances, deprived of one of the greatest twentieth-century opportunities.
• Under no circumstances should you leave the door unlocked.

fraction ^{n. a small amount of sth. …的一小部分}

• We owe a lot to the birds and beasts who eat insects but all of them put together kill only a fraction of the number destroyed by spiders.
• His shares are now worth a fraction of their former value.
• A mere fraction of available wind energy is currently utilized.

set in ^{if sth. sets in, especially sth. unpleasant, it begins and seems likely to continue for a long time （不愉快的事物）开始并可能继续下去}

• Further economic decline set in during the 1930s. ^{经济衰退在1930年代开始。}
• Despair seems to have set in among the team. ^{绝望似乎已经在团队中蔓延。}
• A cold winter set in early this year. ^{今年寒冬提前开始。}

After all, all living creatures live by feeding on something else, whether it be plant or animal, dead or alive, and it is only by chance that such a fate is avoided.

live by doing sth. ^{live by means of doing sth.靠某种职业为生}

• It has been said that everyone lives by selling something.
• 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.
• He lives by writing. ^{他靠写作为生。}
• They live by hunting and fishing. ^{他们靠打猎捕鱼为生。}
• She lives by teaching. ^{她靠教书为生。}

whether it be... ^{让步状语从句中的虚拟语气}

• Whether it be bird, fish or beast, the porpoise is intrigued. ⇒ Be it bird, fish or beast, the porpoise is intrigued with anything that is alive.
• Though he be the President, he shall listen to us. ^{即使他是总统，他也要听我们说。}⇒ Be he the President himself, he shall listen to us.
• Be they administrators or teachers, they are under pressure. ^{不管是行政人员还是教师，他们都承受压力。}
• Once the educators, be they administrators or teachers, are under the control of students, even a democratic situation would be like holding royalty accountable to the mob. ^{Gre写作范文}

After all, all living creatures live by feeding on something else, be it plant or animal, dead or alive, and it is only by chance that such a fate is avoided.

by chance ^{偶然地(随便地、意外地)}

• We met by chance in Paris. ^{我们在巴黎偶然相遇。}
• I met an old friend at the airport by chance. ^{我在机场偶然遇到了一位老朋友。}
• The discovery happened by chance. ^{这个发现是偶然发生的。}
• He avoided disaster by chance. ^{他侥幸避免了灾难。}

The remains of plants and animals that lived on land are much more rarely preserved, for there is seldom anything to cover them over.

cover sth. ⇔ over ^{to put sth. on top of sth. else so that it is completely hidden (over 完全的) 覆盖住}

• The female lays a single egg and covers it over. ^{雌鸟下一个蛋并将其盖住。}
• Snow covered over the entire village. ^{雪覆盖了整个村庄。}
• He quickly covered over the hole with a board. ^{他迅速用木板盖住洞。}

When you think of the innumerable birds that one sees flying about, not to mention the equally numerous small animals like field mice and voles which you do not see, it is very rarely that one comes across a dead body, except, of course, on the roads.

innumerable / numerous / countless ^{无数的；数量众多的}

• Innumerable stars filled the sky. ^{无数星星布满天空。}
• We have numerous reasons to believe her. ^{我们有很多理由相信她。}
• There are countless books on the topic. ^{关于这个话题的书多得数不清。}

let alone ^更不用说

• I can’t afford a bike, let alone a car. ^{我连自行车都买不起，更不用说汽车了。}
• She can barely walk, let alone run. ^{她几乎走不动，更别说跑了。}
• They don’t have enough food, let alone medical supplies. ^{他们连吃的都不够，更不用说医疗用品了。}

• The baby can’t talk, let alone run.
• He can’t run a hundred yards, let alone a mile.
• I don’t suspect him of theft, let alone of robbery. 
• They own two houses, not to mention a yacht.
• The dampness is unpleasant, not to mention the cold.
• Similarly, our own present primitive chemical rockets, though good enough to orbit men, have no chance of transporting us to the nearest other star, four light years away, let alone distances of tens or hundreds of light years.

Gre写作范文

In short, without better evidence that the survey is statistically reliable the chairperson cannot rely on it to draw any firm conclusion about the overall recycling commitment of West Egg residents^{（介词短语）}—let alone about how quickly the landfill will reach capacity^{（介词短语）}. 

Moreover, the author has not shown any correlation^（名词）, let alone a cause-and-effect relationship^（名词）, between the number of hours a person spends watching television and that industry's profits.

Without ruling out all other possible explanations for the grade-average increase, the dean cannot convince me that by terminating the evaluation procedure Omega would curb its perceived grade inflation^（动词）, let alone help its graduates get jobs^（动词）.

In short, without ruling out other possible reasons for the strong sales the vice president cannot convince me that Plainsville residents are exercising regularly^{（宾语从句）}, let alone that they would be interested in buying the sorts of food and other products that NW sells^{（宾语从句）}.

come across = encounter ^{v. 英文解释：If you come across sth. or sb., you find them or meet them by chance. 偶遇，邂逅}

• I came across a group of children playing.
• I come across this old photograph while cleaning the attic. ^{我在打扫阁楼时偶然发现了这张旧照片。}

prep. + 介词短语做宾语  ^{副词和介词短语都可以作介词的宾语}

• Staff are not permitted to make personal phone calls except in an emergency.
• The weather has been fine except in the north.
• The store is open every day from 9:00 to 5:00, except on Sundays.

They decompose and are quickly destroyed by the weather or eaten by some other creature.

It is almost always due to some very special circumstances that traces of land animals survive, as by falling into inaccessible caves, or into an ice crevasse, like the Siberian mammoths, when the whole animal is sometimes preserved, as in a refrigerator.

as ^{(省略句) 作为方式状语从句}

It is almost always due to some very special circumstances that traces of land animals survive, as (traces of land animals survive) by falling into inaccessible caves, or into an ice crevasse, like the Siberian mammoths, when the whole animal is sometimes preserved, as (the whole animal is preserved) in a refrigerator. ^内容补全

• The fossils are sometimes preserved, as in ice caves. ^{正如在冰洞中一样}
• They behave as expected. ^{他们如预期般行事}
• The child reacted as his mother would. ^{这孩子像他母亲一样反应}

crevasse ^{n.deep open crack in the ice of a glacier （冰川的）裂缝}

• The climber fell into a crevasse. ^{登山者掉进了冰川裂缝}
• They crossed a dangerous crevasse. ^{他们穿越了一条危险的冰缝}
• Snow hid the deep crevasse. ^{雪覆盖了深深的裂缝}

mammoth ^{n.an animal similar to an elephant with long hair that lived a very long time ago 猛犸象}

• The mammoth lived thousands of years ago. ^{猛犸象生活在几千年前}
• A frozen mammoth was discovered. ^{一只冻住的猛犸象被发现}
• Mammoth bones were unearthed. ^{猛犸象骨骼被挖掘出土}

This is what happened to the famous Beresovka mammoth which was found preserved and in good condition.

表语从句 ^{解释主语内容}

• This is what I meant. ^{这就是我想说的}
• That was what he experienced. ^{那就是他所经历的}
• Here is what they discovered. ^{这是他们发现的内容}

In his mouth were the remains of fir trees -- the last meal that he had before he fell into the crevasse and broke his back. ^{表系主(主语太长，全部倒装)}

The remains of fir trees ― the last meal that he had before he fell into the crevasse and broke his back ― were in his mouth. ^{没有必要用圆周句、掉尾句}

全部倒装 ^{谓语提前使句式更强调(在主语较长时，常使用 表语 + 系动词 + 主语 的倒装结构。)}

• Gone are the days of innocence. ^{天真无邪的日子一去不返}
• Gone are the days when my heart was young and gay.
• On the floor were toys and clothes. ^{地板上散落着玩具和衣服}
• On the floor were piles of books, magazines and newspapers. 
• Happy is the man who learns from failure. ^{能从失败中学习的人是幸福的}
• Happy is he who has a sound mind in a sound body.

The mammoth has now been restored in the Palaeontological Museum in St. Petersburg.

restore ^修复

• The painting was restored to its original state. ^{这幅画被恢复成原来的样子}
• The old car has been restored. ^{这辆旧车已被修复}
• The museum restored the ancient artifacts. ^{博物馆修复了古代文物}

Other animals were trapped in tar pits, like the elephants, sabre-toothed cats, and numerous other creatures that are found at Rancho la Brea, which is now just a suburb of Los Angeles.

trap ^{v.to prevent sb. from leaving a place, especially a dangerous place 使困在某处;困住}

• Miners were trapped underground. ^{矿工被困在地下}
• He was trapped in a burning car. ^{他被困在燃烧的车中}
• The tourists were trapped by the flood. ^{游客被洪水困住了}
• Dozens of people were trapped in the rubble when the building collapsed. 
• There's no way out! We're trapped!
• After chipping through a wall which was eighteen inches thick, they found that a man had been trapped in the chimney.

tar pit ^{an accumulation of natura tar at the earth’s  surface, especial one that acts as a trap for animals and preserves their bones 沥青坑：地表中天然沥青的集聚场所，尤指使动物不慎陷入其中并保存了它们的骨骼的天然沥青聚集点}

• The fossil was found in a tar pit. ^{化石在沥青坑中被发现}
• Tar pits can preserve bones. ^{沥青坑可以保存骨骼}
• Many ancient animals were trapped in tar pits. ^{许多古动物被困在沥青坑中}

saber-toothed cat / sabre-toothed cat ^{(42 million years ago ~ 11,000 years ago)}

A saber-toothed cat, also called saber-toothed tiger, is any member of various extinct groups of predatory mammals that were characterized by long, curved saber-shaped canine teeth. The large maxillary canine teeth extended from the mouth even when it was closed.

Apparently what happened was that water collected on these tar pits, and the bigger animals like the elephants ventured out on to the apparently firm surface to drink, and were promptly bogged in the tar.

collect ^{v.if a substance collects somewhere, it gradually goes there（ 物体）聚集}

• Rain collected in the bucket. ^{雨水聚集在桶中}
• Water collected at the bottom of the pit. ^{水聚集在坑底}
• Snow collected on the branches. ^{雪积在树枝上}

bog ^{v.to make sth. sink into mud or wet ground（使某物）陷入泥沼}

• The jeep was bogged down in mud. ^{吉普陷入了泥中}
• The tank got bogged down in mud.
• They got bogged during the hike. ^{他们在徒步中陷入泥地}
• The tank bogged in the wet field. ^{坦克陷入湿地}

And then, when they were dead, the carnivores, like the sabretoothed cats and the giant wolves, came out to feed and suffered exactly the same fate.

suffer a ... fate ^{遭遇...命运}

• They suffered the same fate as their ancestors. ^{他们遭遇了和祖先一样的命运}
• The animals suffered a cruel fate. ^{这些动物遭遇了残酷命运}
• The whole village suffered a tragic fate. ^{整个村庄遭遇了悲惨的命运}
• The refugees have suffered an appalling fate.
• The Casino, where she had often danced, had suffered a similar fate.
• The disciples were terrified that they would suffer the same fate as Jesus. 

giant wolf / dire wolf ^{n. a large wolf-like mammal that inhabited North America during the Pleistocene epoch (2,000,000 years ago ~10,000 years ago) 恐狼}

• The Dire Wolf is a pack fighter that benefits when it has other wolfallies around. ^{惧狼是成群结队的攻击者，当有其他同盟的狼在附近时可以得到一些好处。}
• They include the endangered Mexican Wolf and giant Saguaro cactus. ^{包括了濒危的墨西哥狼和巨大的萨挂诺仙人掌。}

There are also endless numbers of birds in the tar as well.

also ... as well  ^{语义重复（Redundancy） 也有…而且也是；又…且也}

• She not only bought a new car, but she also bought a luxury house as well. ^{她不仅买了一辆新车，甚至还买了一套豪宅。【强调范围之广（强调包含关系）】}
• The teachers were tired after the school trip, and the students were also exhausted as well. ^{学校旅行结束后老师们很累，而学生们其实也一样疲惫不堪。【强调参与者之多】}
• He is a talented musician, and he also happens to be a professional athlete as well. ^{他是个有才华的音乐家，而且同时竟然也是一名职业运动员。【强调额外的信息（多重叠加）】}