Lesson 62: After the fire 大火之后
First listen and then answer the question. 听录音，然后回答以下问题。
What was the danger to the villages after the fire?
Firemen had been fighting the forest for nearly three weeks before they could get it under control. A short time before, great trees had covered the countryside for miles around. Now, smoke still rose up from the warm ground over the desolate hills. Winter was coming on and the hills threatened the surrounding villages with destruction, for heavy rain would not only wash away the soil but would cause serious floods as well. When the fire had at last been put out, the forest authorities ordered several tons of a special type of grass-seed which would grow quickly. The seed was sprayed over the ground in huge quantities by aeroplanes. The planes had been planting seed for nearly a month when it began to rain. By then, however, in many places the grass had already taken root. In place of the great trees which had been growing there for centuries patches of green had begun to appear in the blackened soil.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
1. control [k?n'tr?ul] n. 控制 2. smoke [sm?uk] n. 烟
3. desolate ['des?l?t, 'des?leit] adj. 荒凉的 4. threaten ['θret?n] v. 威胁
5. surrounding [s?'raundi?] adj. 周围的 6. destruction [di'str?k??n] n. 破坏，毁灭 7. flood [fl?d] n. 洪水，水灾
8. authority [?:'θ?r?ti] n. （常用复数）当局 9. grass-seed ['gra:s'si:d] n. 草籽 10.spray [sprei] v. 喷撒 11.quantity ['kw?nt?ti] n. 量 12.root [ru:t, rut] n. 根
13.century ['sent?uri] n. 世纪 14.patch [p?t?] n. 小片
15.blacken ['bl?k?n] v. 变黑，发暗
参考译文
消防队员们同那场森林大火搏斗了将近3个星期才最后把火势控制住。就在不久之前，参天大树还覆盖着方圆数英里的土地。而现在，发热的地面上仍然升腾着烟雾，弥漫在荒凉的山丘上。冬季即将来临，这些山丘对周围的村庄具有毁灭性的威胁，因为大雨不仅会冲走土壤，而且还会引起严重的水灾。在大火最后被扑灭后，森林管理当局订购了好几吨一种生长迅速的特殊类型的草籽。飞机把这种草籽大量地撒播在地上。飞机撒播近一个月后，开始下起雨来。然而到那时，很多地方的草已经生了根。一片片的绿草开始出现在这片烧焦的土地上，代替了多少世纪以来一直生长在那里的参天大树。
【生词讲解】
1. control [k?n'tr?ul] n. 控制 1）控制，管理 control of sb./sth.
control over sb./sth. 控制，支配
children who lack parental control 缺乏父母管教的孩子 eg. He got so angry that he lost control of himself. 他气得无没自制。
be in control of sth. 指挥，管理或控制??(=in charge of) eg. Who is in control of (in charge of)the plan? 谁负责这个计划？
bring sth under control/get sth under control 控制住某事 be under control 在控制之中
eg. the fire has been brought under control. 火势已受到控制。
eg. Don’t worry. Everything is under control. 别担心，一切尽在控制之中。
be out of control / get out of control 失去控制 eg. The children were out of control. 管不住这些孩子。
eg. The fire was out of control 大火失去了控制。
2) vt. 管理，控制，操纵，支配 control sb./sth.
control prices 操纵价格 control traffic 管理交通
eg. I can’t control my emotions/feelings. 我不能控制自己的感情。
controller n. （尤指大机构中部门的）负责人
2. smoke [sm?uk] n. 烟
1）n. 烟 (vampor coming from sth. that is burning) have a smoke / enjoy a smoke 抽一支烟 eg. There is no smoke without fire. 无风不起浪。 smoke-bomb 烟幕弹
end up in smoke / go up in smoke （计划等）成泡影，化为乌有 2）v. 吸烟
eg. You can’t smoke in this place. 你不能在这吸烟。 eg. He smoked a pipe.
他吸烟斗。
eg. She smokes 20 cigarettes a day. 他每天吸20支烟。 smoker 抽烟的人(可数)
a heavy smoker/ a chain smoker 烟抽的多的人 3) v. 冒烟
a smoking volcano 冒烟的火山
eg. The chimney is ornamental and never smokes. 这烟囱是用来装饰的，从来不冒烟。
3. desolate ['des?l?t, 'des?leit] adj. 荒凉的
1）adj. 荒凉的，荒芜的(a place deserted or miserable) a desolate hill 荒凉的小山
a desolate industrial area 工业废墟
2）adj. （指人）凄凉无友的，孤凄的( lonely and sad, miserable) a desolate person; 一个凄凉的人 a desolate life; 凄凉的一生
eg. We all felt extremely desolate when she left. 他离开时，我们都感到很凄凉
3）v. [des?leit] 使??沦为废墟，使荒凉，使??悲伤绝望（尤用于被动语态） a city desolated by civil war 因内战而荒凉的城市
a family desolated by the loss of a child 失去一个孩子而悲伤绝望的家庭 desolation [u] n. 荒凉，破坏；凄凉，孤寂 the desolation caused by war 战争引起的破坏 desolately adv. 荒凉地
4. threaten ['θret?n] v. 威胁 1）v. 恐吓，威胁
threaten sb. with… 以??恐吓（人）
threaten an employee with dismissal 用解雇威胁一个员工 threaten sb. with a gun 持枪威胁
eg. The robber threatened me with a gun. 歹徒持枪威胁我。
eg. The hills threaten the villages with destruction. 山丘给村庄带来毁灭性的威胁。 threaten to do sth. 恐吓说要??
eg. He threatened to make the photo public. 他恐吓说要把照片公之于众。
2) v. threaten to do sth. 有??恶兆（似将发生不好的事情）（坏事）迫近 eg. It theatens to snow. 天要下雪了。
eg. A typhoon was threatening. 台风迫近。
threat n. 恐吓，威胁 an empty threat虚张声势
Dutch defense（不是“荷兰人的防御”） 虚张声势 （英国人与荷兰人的17世纪海上竞争） [关于Dutch 一词的补充说明]（可省略） Dutch bargin 双方在酒桌上达成的交易 beat the Dutch 了不起，令人吃惊 do the Dutch/ Dutch act 自杀
Dutch comfort 退一步想得到的安慰 Doutch courage 匹夫之勇 Go Dutch AA制
Dutch concert 各唱各调 的音乐会 Dutch treat 各自付费的聚餐或娱乐活动 Dutch uncle 严厉的训斥者 in Dutch 处于困境，失宠
Double Dutch / double talk莫名其妙的话。 eg. Terrorism is a threat to the entire human race. 恐怖主义是对全人类的威胁。 under threat of punishment
在处罚的威胁下（under后不加冠词） threatening adj. 恐吓的，威胁的
5. surrounding [s?'raundi?] adj. 周围的 surround v. 围绕，包围，围住
eg. Troops have surrounded the town. 军队包围了这座城市。
eg. He like to surround himself with beauties. 他喜欢泡在脂粉堆里。 eg. The wall surrounds the jail.
= The jail is surrounded with the wall. = The jail is surrounded by the wall. 监狱被围墙围着。
eg. Mystery surrounds the actress’ s death. 这个女演员的死亡笼罩着神秘的色彩。 surrounding adj. 周围的
the surrounding villages 周围的村庄
Beinjing and the surrounding countryside 北京及其近郊 surroundings (pl.)n. 周围的物体，条件等，环境 eg. No one can avoid being influenced by surroundings. 没有人能避免不被环境影响。
eg. I’d like to bring up my child in healthy surroundings. 我想在健康的环境里抚养孩子。
6. destruction [di'str?k??n] n.[u]破坏，毁灭
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