新概念英语第三册 Lesson 5 The Fact

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Editors of newspapers and magazines often go to extremes to provide their reader with unimportant facts and statistics. Last year a journalist had been instructed by a well-known magazine to write an article on the president's palace in a new African republic. When the article arrived, the editor read the first sentence and then refuse to publish it. The article began: 'Hundreds of steps lead to the high wall which surrounds the president's palace'. The editor at once sent the journalist a fax instructing him to find out the exact number of steps and the height of the wall.

The journalist immediately set out to obtain these important facts, but the took a long time to send them Meanwhile, the editor was getting impatient, for the magazine would soon go to press. He sent the journalist two more faxes, but received no reply. He sent yet another fax informing the journalist that if he did not reply soon he would be fired. When the journalist again failed to reply, the editor reluctantly published the article as it had originally been written. A week later, the editor at last received a fax from the journalist. Not only had the poor man been arrested, but he had been sent to prison as well. However, he had at last been allowed to send a fax in which he informed the editor that the he had been arrested while counting the 1,084 steps leading to the fifteen-foot wall which surrounded the president's palace.

Translate

Editors of newspapers and magazines often go to extremes to provide their reader with unimportant facts and statistics.

报刊杂志的编辑为了向读者提供一些无关紧要的事实和统计数据常常走向极端

Last year a journalist had been instructed by a well-known magazine to write an article on the president's palace in a new African republic.

去年，一位记者被一个知名杂志社委托去写一篇关于非洲某个新成立共和国的文章

When the article arrived, the editor read the first sentence and then refuse to publish it.

当文章发来的时候，编辑看了第一句话就拒绝发表

The article began: 'Hundreds of steps lead to the high wall which surrounds the president's palace'.

文章开头这样写道："几百级台阶围绕着总统府的高墙"

The editor at once sent the journalist a fax instructing him to find out the exact number of steps and the height of the wall.

编辑立即给那个记者发了一个传真，要求他计算一下台阶的确切级数和围墙的高度

The journalist immediately set out to obtain these important facts, but he took a long time to send them.

Meanwhile, the editor was getting impatient, for the magazine would soon go to press.

在此期间，编辑不耐烦了，因为咋着马上就要发表了。

He sent the journalist two more faxes, but received no reply.

他给记者又发了两份传真，但是都没有回复。

He sent yet another fax informing the journalist that if he did not reply soon he would be fired.

他又发了一份传真，警告那个记者如果再不回复，将会被解雇。

When the journalist again failed to reply, the editor reluctantly published the article as it had originally been written.

但是记者依旧没有回复，编辑不情愿得按照原稿发布了。

A week later, the editor at last received a fax from the journalist.

一周之后，编辑终于收到了记者的传真。

Not only had the poor man been arrested, but he had been sent to prison as well.

这个可怜的人不仅被捕了，而且还被关进了监狱

However, he had at last been allowed to send a fax in which he informed the editor that the he had been arrested while counting the 1,084 steps leading to the fifteen-foot wall which surrounded the president's palace.

不过，他终于被允许发了一份传真给编辑，里面写到，他在通向15英尺高的总统府高墙的的第1084级台阶的时候，被抓了起来

Notes

• extremes n. 极端的

• unimportant facts 无关紧要的事实

• statistics n. 统计数据

• at once 立即，马上

• instruct sb. to do sth. = tell sb. to do sth. 吩咐某人做某事

• set out to do sth. = decide and try to do sth.

• obtain = achieve 获得

• Meanwhile 与此同时

• be fired 被解雇

• reluctantly = unwillingly 不情愿的

• at last = finally

• arrest 逮捕

• Last year a journalist had been instructed by... to write an article on...

  • 过去完成时的被动语态，表示在过去这个记者已经完成了文章的书写

• The editor at once sent the journalist a fax instructing him to...

  • 句型 instruct sb. to do sth.

• Not only had the poor man been arrested, but he had been sent to prison as well.

  • 句型 Not only... but... as well（不仅……而且……）

Exercise

主编指示记者在三天内完成关于气候变化的专题报道。

The editor-in-chief instructed the journalist to complete a feature report on climate change within three days.

看到火灾警报后，所有人必须立即撤离大楼。

When the fire alarm sounds, everyone must evacuate the building at once. 尽管不情愿，经理最终还是批准了员工的辞职申请。

Though reluctant, the manager eventually approved the employee's resignation

Summary

A journalist had been instructed to write an article on the president's palace in a new African republic. The article began with a sentence wrote : "Hundreds of steps...". The editor instructed him to find out the exact number of steps and the height of the wall. However, the journalist didn't send back this statistics for a long time. So, editor published the article originally with reluctant. A week later, the editor at last received a fax from the journalist, in which he had been arrested and sent to prison while counting the 1084 steps on president's palace.

AI 批改：

A journalist had been instructed to write an article on the president’s palace in a new African republic.

A journalist was instructed to write an article on the president’s palace in a new African republic.

过去完成时（had been instructed）虽然语法正确，但在 summary 中不必强调动作发生在过去的过去，一般过去时（was instructed）就足够清晰明了，也更自然简洁。

The article began with a sentence wrote : “Hundreds of steps…”

The article began with the sentence: “Hundreds of steps…”

“wrote”是动词的过去式，不能作定语使用；正确的写法是 “the sentence”，不需要用动词修饰。

The editor instrusted him to find out the exact number of steps and the height of the wall.

The editor instructed him to find out the exact number of steps and the height of the wall.

拼写错误

However, the journalist didn’t send back this statistics for a long time.

However, the journalist didn’t send back these statistics for a long time.

• “statistics” 是复数名词，所以要用 “these” 而不是 “this”
• “send back statistics”是可以接受的表达，但更常见的搭配是“provide statistics”或“send the information”

So, editor published the article originally with reluctant.

So the editor reluctantly published the article as originally written.

• “editor”前面需要加定冠词“the”
• “with reluctant”是不符合语法的表达。“Reluctant”是形容词，不能用“with”来引导状态正确的方式是用副词“reluctantly”来修饰动词“published”
• “originally”在这里不够精确，“as originally written” 是更标准的固定搭配，表示“按照原文”

A week later, the editor at last received a fax from the journalist, in which he had been arrested and sent to prison while counting the 1084 steps on president’s palace.

A week later, the editor finally received a fax from the journalist, stating that he had been arrested and sent to prison while counting the 1,084 steps at the president’s palace.

• “in which he had been arrested…” 这个从句结构不清晰，句意含糊。用 “stating that…” 让句子结构更清楚、自然
• 数字 “1084” 改为标准英文书写：“1,084”，符合英文格式
• “on president’s palace” 是不正确的搭配，应改为：“at the president’s palace”，表示发生地点

修改后的文章

A journalist had been instructed to write an article on the president's palace in a new African republic. The article began with a sentence wrote : "Hundreds of steps...". The editor instrusted him to find out the exact number of steps and the height of the wall. However, the journalist didn't send back this statistics for a long time. So, editor published the article originally with reluctant. A week later, the editor at last received a fax from the journalist, in which he had been arrested and sent to prison while counting the 1084 steps on president's palace.