A Ship in a Storm

Did you ever go far out into the great ocean? How beautiful it is to go out at sea when the sea is smooth and still!

Let a storm approach, and the scene is changed. The heavy, black clouds appear in the distance and throw a deep, deathlike (死了一样的) shade over the world of waters. The captain and sailors soon see in the clouds the signs of evil. All hands are then set to work to take in sail.

The hoarse (沙哑的) notes of the captain, speaking through his trumpet, are echoed from lip to lip among the rigging (索具). Happy will it be, if all is made snug (舒适的) before the gale strikes the vessel.

At last, the gale comes like a vast moving mountain of air. It strikes the ship. The vessel heaves (强烈起伏) and groans under the dreadful weight and struggles to escape through the foaming waters. If she is far out at sea, she will be likely to ride out the storm in safety. But if the wind is driving her upon the shore, the poor sailors will hardly escape being dashed upon the rocks and drowned.

The captain told one of the men to go aloft and throw down a rope. This was tied fast to the boat, and when the sea was somewhat calm, the boat was hoisted (吊起) and landed on the ship with a dreadful crash. It was a desperate way of getting on board, but fortunately no lives were lost.

On the dangerous points along our seacoast are lighthouses (灯塔) which can be seen far out at sea and serve as guides to ships. Sometimes the fog is so dense that these lights cannot be seen, but most lighthouses have great fog bells or fog horns; some of the latter are made to sound by steam and can be heard for a long distance. These bells and horns are kept sounding as long as the fog lasts.

There are also many life-saving stations along the coast where trained men are ready with lifeboats. “When a ship is driven ashore, they at once go to the rescue of those on board, and thus many valuable lives are saved.”

Take it all in all; a sailor's life is a very hard one. Our young friends owe a debt of gratitude to those whose home is upon the great waters, and who bring them the luxuries of other countries.

Reading Comprehension

Choose the correct answer for each question.

1. How are ships warned of danger along the coast in a dense fog?

A. By fog bells or fog horns from lighthouses.

B. By notes of the captain.

C. By lights from lighthouses.

D. By the radar.

2. According to the passage, what is a gale?

A. An extremely strong rain.

B. An extremely strong wind.

C. A heavy snow.

D. A storm.

3. What do life-saving stations do?

A. They serve as guides to ships.

B. They train men how to use lifeboats.

C. They warn people of dangerous animals.

D. They rescue those on board when a ship is driven ashore.

4. Which statement is NOT true according to the passage?

A. A ship near the shore is more likely to survive a storm than when it is far out at sea.

B. Bells and horns are kept sounding as long as the fog lasts.

C. There are many life-saving stations along the coast.

D. Getting on the boat in a storm can be horrible.

5. What is the main idea of this passage?

A. A ship in a storm is hard to survive.

B. Dense fog can be a big problem for sailing.

C. It's too dangerous for people to go far out into the great ocean.

D. Sailors’ lives are very hard ones and we should show gratitude to them.

答案：ABDAD

Vocabulary 基础词

smooth [smuːð]

adj. 平坦的；光滑的

英 completely flat and even without any rough areas or holes

shade [ʃeɪd]

n. (树)荫；阴凉处；(色彩的)浓淡；阴影 vt. 遮住光线

captain [ˈkæptɪn]

n. 船长；机长；队长；(海军或英国空军)上校，(陆军或美国空军)上尉

英 the person in charge of a ship or commercial aircraft

记 词根记忆：capt(拿，握住)+ain(表人)→掌握一群人→船长

sailor [ˈseɪlə(r)]

n. 水手；海员；船员

记 来自sail(v. 航行)

echo [ˈekəʊ]

v. 回响；充满回声；重复(别人的话)

英 if a sound echoes, it is reflected off a wall, the side of a mountain, etc so that you can hear it again

strike [straɪk]

v. [struck-struck/striken](雷电、暴风雨等)袭击；打；撞击；罢工 n. 罢工

escape [ɪˈskeɪp]

v. 逃跑，逃脱；避免，避开；泄露 n. 逃离，逃脱

记 联想记忆：他梦想着有一天能穿着蝙蝠侠的斗篷(cape)逃跑(escape)

搭 escape from prison 越狱

dash [dæʃ]

vi. 猛冲，急奔 n. 猛冲，急奔；匆忙；短跑

英 an act of going somewhere suddenly and/or quickly

例 I dashed downstairs to answer the phone. 我飞奔下楼去接电话。

drown [draʊn]

v. 淹没；溺死，淹死

搭 drown out 淹没(声音)

calm [kɑːm]

adj. 平静的；镇静的，沉着的 vt. 使平静，使镇定，平息

记 联想记忆：她手心(palm)出汗，内心很不平静(calm)

搭 calm (…) down (使)平静下来；平息

horn [hɔːn]

n. 喇叭；号角

英 a device in a vehicle for making a loud sound as a warning or signal

搭 blow the horn 吹响号角；鸣喇叭

rescue [ˈreskjuː]

n./vt. 援救，营救

记 联想记忆：res(看作rest，休息)+cue(线索)→救援人员放弃休息，寻找线索→援救，营救

Vocabulary 进阶词

trumpet [ˈtrʌmpɪt]

v. 鼓吹，宣扬 n. 小号；喇叭

例 Mothers often like to trumpet their own ways to nurture and educate their children. 妈妈们经常喜欢宣扬自己养育孩子的方法。

vessel [ˈvesl]

n. [总称]船；舰；容器；血管

英 a large ship or boat

groan [ɡrəʊn]

vi. 呻吟；叹息；发出低沉的声音 n. 呻吟声；叹息声；低沉的声响

英 to make a sound like a person groaning

例 The roof creaked and groaned under the weight of the snow. 屋顶在雪的重压下发出嘎吱嘎吱的声响。

dreadful [ˈdredfl]

adj. 可怕的；令人不快的

英 very bad or unpleasant

记 词根记忆：dread(害怕)+ful(…的)→可怕的

struggle [ˈstrʌɡl]

vi. 斗争；奋斗；努力 n. 奋斗；争斗；难事

搭 struggle with 与…斗争

aloft [əˈlɒft]

adv. 在高处；在空中

英 high in the air

记 词根记忆：a(在…)+loft(天空)→在空中

crash [kræʃ]

v. 碰撞；猛撞；倒闭n.碰撞；撞击声；倒闭 adj. 速成的；应急的

记 联想记忆：卡车撞上(crash)了路边的一堆垃圾(trash)

例 The two cars crashed into each other. 两辆汽车相撞了。

desperate [ˈdespərət]

adj. 拼命的，不顾一切的；绝望的；孤注一掷的；极度渴望的；危急的

记 词根记忆：de(否定)+sper(希望)+ate(…的)→没有希望的→绝望的

搭 desperate attempts 不顾一切的尝试

dense [dens]

adj. 密集的；浓密的；浓的

记 联想记忆：在雨中，你会感觉(sense)雨丝很密集(dense)

luxury [ˈlʌkʃəri]

n. 豪华；奢侈(品)

记 词根记忆：luxur(来自拉丁语luxus，奢侈)+y(表名词)→奢侈(品)

搭 luxury tent 豪华帐篷 live in luxury /lead a life of luxury 过着奢侈的生活 xFU10XA3blW+PTi4NR7IqO3VKROTGH6bnbVYt1Ii0jFrfs8Zs82qgo+iNjpuGQJ9