Day 5 chapter5.1 名师讲解

Each day, I learnt something about the planet, about the little prince’s departure from it, about his journey. Theinformation would come very slowly, following the course of the little prince’s  thoughts. Thusit was that on the third day, I heard about the catastrophe of thebaobabs.

Once again, it was thanks to the sheep, for suddenly the little princequestioned me as if seized by agrave doubt:‘It is true, is it not, that sheepeat little shrubs?’

‘Yes, that is true.’

‘Ah! I am glad!’

I did not understand why the fact that sheep eat shrubs was so important.But the little prince added:‘Therefore,  they also eat baobabs?’

I pointed out to the little prince that baobabs arenot little bushes but trees as big as churches, andthat even if he were to take a whole herd of elephants with him, the herdwould not be able to eat up one single baobab.

The little prince laughed at the idea of aherd of elephants :

‘One would have to pile them up on top of one another." But then he remarked wisely: ‘Before they grow to such a size, the baobabs startout by being small.’

单词积累：

  baobabs/'beɪə(ʊ)bæb/: n. 猴面包树（非洲产的一种巨树）

   猴面包树主要分布于非洲，是一种特别巨型的树木，因为果实被猴子所喜爱，晒干后看起来像面包，因此就得名猴面包树。

  departure /dɪ'pɑːtʃə/: n. 离开；出发；违背

  departure from: 离开；违反，违背

  point of departure: 出发地

  departure time 出发时间；撤离时刻；起飞时刻

  following the course of: 遵照/遵循…的轨迹/进程

  catastrophe /kə'tæstrəfɪ/: n. 大灾难；大祸；惨败

He is teetering on the edge of catastrophe.

他在大灾难的边缘徘徊。

  as if: 犹如，好似（=even though）

She works hard as if she never knew fatigue.

她工作努力，仿佛从不知疲倦似的。

  grave /greɪv/: adj. 重大的；严肃的；黯淡的

              n.墓穴，坟墓；死亡

              vt.雕刻；铭记

  doubt /daʊt/: n. 怀疑；疑问；疑惑

             v.怀疑；不信；恐怕；拿不准

  shrub /ʃrʌb/: n. 灌木；灌木丛

  point out: 指出

  as big as…: 和…一样大

  even if: 甚至

  herd /hɜːd/: n. 兽群，畜群；放牧人

           vi.成群，聚在一起

           vt.放牧；使成群

  a herd of: 一群（牛、鹿等）

  eat up: 吃光

  single /'sɪŋg(ə)l/: adj. 单一的；单身的；单程的

                n. 一个；单打；单程票

  Singles' Day: 光棍节

  single ticket: 单程票

   double /'dʌb(ə)l/: adj. 双重的；两倍的

               n. 两倍

   double bed: 双人床

  laugh at: 嘲笑；因…而发笑

  pile: /paɪl/: n. 堆；大量；建筑群

           vt.累积；打桩于

           vi.挤；堆积；积累

  pile up: 堆积；积聚；积累；成堆

  a pile of: 一堆；很多

文本解析：

  It is true, is it not, that sheep eat little shrubs?

羊吃小灌木，对吧？

（这个句子可以改成一个反义疑问句来理解：It is true thatsheep eat little shrubs, isn’t it?）

  I pointed out to the little prince that baobabs arenot little bushes but trees as big as churches, and that even if he were totake a whole herd of elephants with him, the herd would not be able to eat upone single baobab.

我告诉小王子，猴面包树不是小灌木，而是像教堂一样大的树，即时他有一整群大象，也吃不完哪怕是一整棵猴面包树。

（这里的“…were to…would”表示与将来事实相反的虚拟语气）

金句积累：

Before theygrow to such a size, the baobabs start out by being small.

在长这么大之前，猴面包树也是很小的。

备注：第五章（一）的3分4秒处的big，书中是tall。第五章（一）的4分43秒处的the baobabs，书中没有the。