Notes on the text課文注釋

1 in the event of, 作“倘若”、“萬(wàn)一”、“如果發(fā)生”講。

2 the bigger the risk an insurance company takes, the higher the premium you will have to pay. 保險(xiǎn)公司承擔(dān)的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)越大，你付的保險(xiǎn)費(fèi)就越高。這里又是一個(gè)“the+形容詞比較級(jí)， the+形容詞比較級(jí)”的例子，漢語(yǔ)可譯成“越…越……”。

3 make a claim for…, 作“要求得到……”講。

4 put into operation, 使……運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)。

5 for one agonizing moment, 在令人忐忑不安的瞬間。

6 set up, 激起。

參考譯文

保險(xiǎn)公司一般說(shuō)來(lái)愿意承保一切東西。承辦公共財(cái)產(chǎn)或私人財(cái)產(chǎn)保險(xiǎn)是世界上大部分國(guó)家的正常業(yè)務(wù)。如果你要舉辦一次露天游園會(huì)或盛宴，為避免碰上不好的天氣而遭受損失也同樣可以保險(xiǎn)。不用說(shuō)，保險(xiǎn)公司承擔(dān)風(fēng)險(xiǎn)越大，你付的保險(xiǎn)費(fèi)也就越高。航運(yùn)公司為打撈沉船而提出索賠，這是常有的事，但某地當(dāng)局為打撈一只焙制餡餅的盤(pán)子提出索賠，倒是件新鮮事兒。

這個(gè)餡餅盤(pán)子確實(shí)少見(jiàn)，有18英尺長(zhǎng)，6英尺寬。某地方當(dāng)局買(mǎi)下它用來(lái)焙制一個(gè)巨大的餡餅為一年一度交易會(huì)助興。餡餅委員會(huì)確認(rèn)運(yùn)輸這只盤(pán)子的最佳方案是通過(guò)運(yùn)河水運(yùn)。于是，他們對(duì)這只盤(pán)子的運(yùn)輸安全投了保。盤(pán)子下水后不久，餡餅委員會(huì)成員們來(lái)到當(dāng)?shù)匾患倚【频陸c賀。就在這個(gè)時(shí)候，許多十幾歲的孩子爬上盤(pán)子舉行他們自己的集會(huì)。他們跳起了舞，盤(pán)子難以承受。舞會(huì)進(jìn)行過(guò)程中，盤(pán)子傾覆，沉入了7英尺深的水中。

餡餅委員會(huì)給當(dāng)?shù)仄��?chē)修理庫(kù)老板打電話，他聞?dòng)嵑箝_(kāi)著一輛急修車(chē)前來(lái)打撈盤(pán)子。那些孩子們穿著濕衣服哆嗦，看著3個(gè)工人輪番潛入水中以確定盤(pán)子的.位置。他們沒(méi)費(fèi)多大事兒就找到了盤(pán)子，可是把盤(pán)子撈出卻是一個(gè)很大的難題。盤(pán)子四邊十分光滑，要在盤(pán)邊拴上繩索或鏈條而同時(shí)又不損壞它是很難辦到的。不過(guò)，他們終于將鏈條固定在盤(pán)子的一端，一臺(tái)大功率的絞車(chē)開(kāi)動(dòng)起來(lái)。盤(pán)子慢慢浮出水面，被輕輕地拽向運(yùn)河岸邊。在令人忐忑不安的瞬間，盤(pán)子晃晃悠悠地上了岸，但它突然失去了平衡，又跌回水中。工人們只得再來(lái)一次。這次，他們用沉重的金屬夾子把盤(pán)子夾住，以便往盤(pán)子上安裝鐵鏈。這次，盤(pán)子必須垂直吊出水面，因?yàn)楸P(pán)子的一邊緊靠著運(yùn)河河岸。絞盤(pán)機(jī)再次啟動(dòng)，一位工人發(fā)動(dòng)了急修車(chē)的引擎。幾分鐘后，盤(pán)子被成功地拽出了水面。波浪從盤(pán)子兩側(cè)急涌而出，在運(yùn)河里掀起一股大浪。但是當(dāng)波浪從河對(duì)岸折回來(lái)時(shí)，就有再次把盤(pán)子拖進(jìn)水里的危險(xiǎn)。工人們動(dòng)作迅速，終于趕在那股大浪返回之前把盤(pán)子拽到了岸上。

Multiple choice questions多項(xiàng)選擇題

Choose the correct answers to the following questions.

Comprehension 理解

1 In the case of the pie dish, the insurance company concerned ______ .

a．demanded a high premium in view of the unusual size of the dish

b．was asked to pay the costs of the salvaging operation

c．a(chǎn)greed to pay the cost of transporting the dish by canal

d．a(chǎn)rranged for the dish to be recovered from the canal

2 When the pie dish had capsized, the men who came to recover it ______ .

a．had some difficulty finding it as they had been drinking locally

b．had little difficulty finding it as it had not sunk to the bottom

c．found it difficult to devise a way of getting it out of the water

d．damaged the dish when they attached hawsers and chains to the rim

3 The huge wave in the canal was caused by ______ .

a．the sinking of the pie dish

b．the dish sliding back into the water

c．the great quantity of water which poured off the dish when they were getting it out

d．the party of teenagers

4 Eventually the dish was successfully recovered by ______ .

a．resting one of its edges on the bank and attaching chains to the other

b．securing the winch chains with metal clamps and lifting it vertically

c．one of the men getting on to the truck so as to pull at the chains

d．some men who hauled it to the surface of the water at tremendous speed
Structure結(jié)構(gòu)

5 The bigger the risk an insurance company takes, ______ to pay as a premium. (11. 5-7)

a．the higher you will have

b．the more you will have

c．more you will have

d．you will have higher

6 It is not uncommon to hear ______ a claim for…(11. 7-8)

a．of a shipping company making

b．a(chǎn) shipping company to have made

c．the shipping company which has made

d．a(chǎn) shipping company making

7 The sides of the dish were so smooth that attaching hawsers and chains to the rim ______ almost certain to damage it. (11. 19-20)

a．had

b．were

c．it was

d．was

8 There was a danger that when the wave ______ off the other side, it would send the dish plunging into the water again. (11. 28-29)

a．was rebounding

b．has rebounded

c．rebounded

d．would rebound

Vocabulary詞匯

9 Three men dived ______ into the water. (11. 17-18)

a．now and again

b．one after another

c．time and again

d．many a time

10 A powerful winch was ______ . (11. 20-21)

a．got going

b．made to work

c．taken to task

d．given a function

11 For one ______ moment, the dish…(11. 21-23)

a．dangerous

b．frightening

c．exciting

d．painful

12 This time they put metal clamps ______ both sides of the dish. (11. 23-24)

a．over

b．on to

c．a(chǎn)stride

d．upon