■cancel v. 取消
call off == cancel 可以互相替换
abolish 废除
rescind 撤销，废止
write off 注销，勾销
cross out 划掉
■exceptionally adv. 例外地
■dislocate v. 打乱（计划等）
■blame v. 责怪
■consult v. 请教，查阅
develop an unshakable faith in sth 对……产生了……样的信念
■direct adv. 径直地
■odd adj. 奇怪的，异常的
■reflect v. 细想
reflect on sth 细想……
reflect upon oneself 自我反省
■advantage n. 优势
take advantage of sb/sth 欺骗……并利用
of great/no advantage to sb/sth 对……有（没有）好处
to advantage 更有效地
have advantage over sb 胜过某人，比某人有优势
interest 个人的利益，好处
benefit 通过正当手段谋求的好处
profit 金钱上的获益
good 个人或集体的利益
■mighty adj. 强大的，有力的
■dawdle v. 慢吞吞的动或做
■chug v. 咔嚓咔嚓地响
■lodge v. 提出
make/ lodge complaint 提出抱怨
■comlaint n. 抱怨
■triumph n. 胜利
■asterisk n. 星号（*）
■conduct v. 引向，引导
一、【Text】课文
We have learnt to expect that trains will be punctual. After years of conditioning, most of us have developed an unshakable faith
in railway timetables. Ships may be delayed by storms; air flights may be cancelled because of bad weather; but trains must be
on time. Only an exceptionally heavy snow fall might temporarily dislocate railway services. It is all too easy to blame the
railway authorities when something does go wrong. The truth is that when mistakes occur, they are more likely to be ours than
theirs.
After consulting my railway timetable, I noted with satisfaction that there was an express train to Westhaven. It went direct from
my local station and the journey lasted a mere hour and seventeen minutes. When I boarded the train, I could not help noticing
that a great many local people got on as well. At the time, this did not strike me as odd. I reflected that there must be a great
many people besides myself who wished to take advantage of this excellent service. Neither was I surprised when the train
stopped at Widley, a tiny station a few miles along the line. Even a mighty express train can be held up by signals. But when the
train dawdled at station after station, I began to wonder. It suddenly dawned on me that this express was not roaring down the
line at ninety miles an hour, but barely chugging along at thirty. One hour and seventeen minutes passed and we had not even
covered half the distance. I asked a passenger if this was the Westhaven Express, but he had not even heard of it. I determined to
lodge a complaint as soon as we arrived. Two hours later, I was talking angrily to the station master at Westhaven. When he
denied the train's existence, I borrowed his copy of the timetable. There was a note of triumph in my voice when I told him that it
was there in black and white. Glancing at it briefly, he told me to look again. A tiny asterisk conducted me to a footnote at the
bottom of the page. It said: 'This service has been suspended.'
二、【New words and expressions】生词和短语
●express n. 快车；adj. 高速的
●punctual adj. 准时的;
●condition v. 使习惯于
●unshakable adj. 不可动摇的
●faith n. 信任
●cancel v. 取消
●exceptionally adv. 例外地
●dislocate v. 打乱（计划等）
●blame v. 责怪
●consult v. 请教，查阅
●direct adv. 径直地
●odd adj. 奇怪的，异常的
●reflect v. 细想
●advantage n. 优势
●mighty adj. 强大的，有力的
●dawdle v. 慢吞吞的动或做
●chug v. 咔嚓咔嚓地响
●lodge v. 提出
●comlaint n. 抱怨
三、【课文精析】
Key sentence:
We have learnt to expect that trains will be punctual.
We' ve learnt to expect that …… 我们已经习惯于期盼……
Key sentence:
After years of conditioning, most of us have developed an unshakable faith in railway timetables.
Key sentence:
Only an exceptionally heavy snow fall might temporarily dislocate railway services.
It is all too easy to blame......
too...to句型中，在too前出现了all, only, but, not等词的时候，to就有肯定意义
Eg:He was but too eager to get home.
One is never too old to learn.活到老，学到老
be likely to do 有可能 ...
Eg: You are likely to get success if you work hard.
It is likely that...
It is likely that he arrived here in time.
probable 不能与不定式搭配 比possible 可能性大
Eg: It is probable / possible that...
Eg: It is probable / possible that he will speak to you.
It is possible for us to finish the work in an hour.
strike sb as 给某人以……印象，使某人感到;as后面可以接分词、名词、形容词搭配连用。
Eg: The activity atroke me as wasting time.
hold up==hold back, hinder, prevent
dawn on sb 渐渐被某人明白
barely==only
in black and white 白纸黑字
We' ve learnt to expect that …… 我们已经习惯于期盼……
We' ve learnt to expect that …… 我们已经习惯于期盼……
It is all too easy to blame......
too...to句型中，在too前出现了all, only, but, not等词的时候，to就有肯定意义
be likely to do 有可能 ...
It is likely that...
The first paragraph is important
go direct from ... to ...
strike sb as 给某人以……印象，使某人感到;as后面可以接分词、名词、形容词搭配连用。
hold up==hold back, hinder, prevent
dawn on sb 渐渐被某人明白
in black and white 白纸黑字
Future historians will be in a unique position when they come to record the history of our own times. They will hardly know
which facts to select from the great mass of evidence that steadily accumulates. What is more they will not have to rely solely on
the written word. Films, videos. CDs and CD-ROMs are just some of the bewildering amount of information they will have. They
will be able, as it were, to see and hear us in action. But the historian attempting to reconstruct the distant past is always faced
with a difficult task. He has to deduce what he can from the few scanty clues available. Even seemingly insignificant remains can
shed interesting light on the history of early man.
Up to now, historians have assumed that calendars came into being with the advent of agriculture, for then man was faced with a
real need to understand something about the seasons. Recent scientific evidence seems to indicate that this assumption is
●triumph n. 胜利
●asterisk n. 星号（*）
●conduct v. 引向，引导
■express n. 快车；adj. 高速的
express way: 高速公路
express train快车
special express 特快
through express 直快
stopping/ local train 慢车
■punctual adj. 准时的;
be punctual in doing sth. 在做……方面非常准时
be punctual to the minute 非常准时
Eg: He is a man who’s punctual to the minute.
punctually adv.
unpunctual ant.
punctuality n.
■condition v. 使习惯于
==form a habit in
Eg: This society has conditioned each of us.
be conditioned to 习惯了……
Eg: Each of us has been conditioned to the society.
The plants has been conditioned to the cold weather here.
The cold weather has conditioned the plants here.
condition 条件
on condition that 在……条件下如果
on no condition 在任何情况下，用在句首句子要倒装
On no condition must you be late.
in good/ bad condition 情况良好/情况糟糕
change one's condition 结婚
in the interesting condition : 怀孕 pregnant
■unshakable adj. 不可动摇的
■faith n. 信任
keep faith with sb. 对……守信用
put one's faith in sth 对……有信心
on the faith of 在……的保障下，凭……的信用
faith 深信不疑，信仰，比belief 程度重一点
belief: 可信赖，可接受
conviction 坚定的信念
trust 相信，依赖
credit 对……完全相信
