课文 · 精读
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On Wednesday evening, we went to the Town Hall.
星期三晚上，我们去了市政厅。
on Wednesday evening 是“具体某天晚上”的时间表达；went to the Town Hall 交代场景。
It was the last day of the year and a large crowd of people had gathered under the Town Hall clock.
那是一年的最后一天，一大群人已经聚集在市政厅的大钟下面。
had gathered 用过去完成时，表示在“我们到达/观察到”之前，人群就已经聚集好了。
It would strike twelve in twenty minutes' time.
再过二十分钟，大钟就会敲十二下。
would strike 是过去将来时；in twenty minutes' time 表示“二十分钟后”，minutes' 是时间名词所有格。
Fifteen minutes passed and then, at five to twelve, the clock stopped.
十五分钟过去了，然后在十一点五十五分时，大钟停了。
fifteen minutes passed 是叙事推进句型；at five to twelve 是英式时间表达。
The big minute hand did not move.
那根大分针不动了。
minute hand 表“分针”；did not move 说明停摆状态非常具体可见。
We waited and waited, but nothing happened.
我们等啊等啊，可是什么也没有发生。
waited and waited 表动作重复；nothing happened 是高频叙事句。
Suddenly someone shouted.
突然有人喊了起来。
suddenly 拉出转折；someone shouted 把人群反应聚焦到一个声音上。
'It's two minutes past twelve!
那钟已经停了！”
The clock has stopped!'
我看了一下我的手表，果真如此。
I looked at my watch.
我看了看手表。
looked at my watch 是验证前面喊声是否属实的动作。
It was true.
那是真的。
it 指前面的判断；这个短句在叙事里很有力。
The big clock refused to welcome the New Year.
这座大钟拒绝迎接新年。
refused to welcome 用拟人写法；也正是标题 a cold welcome 的核心来源。
At that moment, everybody began to laugh and sing.
就在那时，大家都开始笑起来、唱起歌来。
at that moment 表“就在那一刻”；began to laugh and sing 说明气氛从失望转向自嘲式欢乐。
单元概要
本课写人们在市政厅等新年钟声，却遇到大钟临门停摆的冷幽默场景，重点训练时间表达、过去完成时与现在完成时的作用差别，以及标题 a cold welcome 的引申义。
精读导图 1. 先写年末夜晚，人群聚集等待钟声。 2. 再写大钟在临近零点时突然停摆。 3. 结尾用拟人化表达点题：这座钟给了新年一个冷遇。 复述提示 A large crowd had gathered because ... At five to twelve, ... In the end, the clock ... and everybody ...
单词表
| 单词 | 音标 | 释义 | 精讲 |
|---|---|---|---|
| welcome | /ˈwelkəm/ | n./v. 欢迎 |
|
| crowd | /kraʊd/ | n. 人群 |
|
| gather | /ˈɡæðə(r)/ | v. 聚集 |
|
| strike | /straɪk/ | v. 敲响 |
|
| hand | /hænd/ | n. 指针 |
|
| shout | /ʃaʊt/ | v. 喊叫 |
|
| refuse | /rɪˈfjuːz/ | v. 拒绝 |
|
| moment | /ˈməʊmənt/ | n. 时刻 |
|
| laugh | — | v. 笑 | — |
短语
| 短语 | 意思 |
|---|---|
| the last day of the year | 一年中的最后一天 |
| a large crowd of people | 一大群人 |
| in twenty minutes' time | 二十分钟后 |
| at five to twelve | 十一点五十五分 |
| wait and wait | 一直等啊等 |
| nothing happened | 什么也没有发生 |
| look at one's watch | 看手表 |
| at that moment | 就在那时 |
| a cold welcome | 冷遇 |
| I spotted him in the crowd | 我在人群中一眼就认出了他 |
| a crowd of people | 没有次序的人群, 拥挤的人群 |
| a group of people | 有次序的人群 |
| people gathered | 人们聚集在一起, 尤指自发性的聚集 |
| second hand | 二手的, 旧的 |
| call out | 大声喊叫 |
| cry out | 大声哭喊 |
语法点
过去完成时写“人群先已经聚集”
a large crowd of people had gathered 表示到叙述者到达和观察时，人群早已在那里了，所以用过去完成时更自然。
相似句：
- By the time we arrived, the guests had left.
- She found that someone had opened the window.
现在完成时强调“钟停了且现在仍停着”
The clock has stopped 不是只陈述过去某个动作，而是强调大钟现在已经停摆，这个结果直接影响迎新场景。
相似句：
- My watch has stopped.
- The bus has already gone.
时间表达：past / to / in ... time
two minutes past twelve、five to twelve、in twenty minutes' time 都是本课高频时间表达，既能说时刻，也能说“再过多久”。
相似句：
- It's a quarter past six.
- The meeting will begin in ten minutes' time.
refuse to do 的拟人化用法
The big clock refused to welcome the New Year 并不是钟真的有意志，而是作者借拟人手法让标题更生动。
相似句：
- The old car refused to start.
- The door refused to open.
读写提示
- 节日场景复述要先写气氛，再写突发情况，最后写人群反应。
- 时间表达是这课的命门，最好顺手记住 past / to / in ... time 三组形式。
- 标题理解题常要从字面义转到文中真实所指，这课就是大钟没敲响零点。
- 拟人化句子很适合做结尾总结。
考点
4
考点
4第 1 / 4 题
What does 'a cold welcome' refer to?
选择题精讲
5
选择题精讲
5Multiple choice questions
4The people ______ under the Town Hall clock.未做
a.were b.was c.is d.be
4A未做
显示答案与解析
people:人们, 做主语是一定是复数
police, cattle是复数
8How many times did the clock ______ ?未做
a.hit b.beat c.knock d.strike
8D未做
显示答案与解析
敲门用knock
敲钟用strike
hit轻和strike重(hit hard)在一定的时候可以互换, 一般表示打一下
beat 连续不断的打 beat drums敲鼓
12It refused to welcome the New Year. It ______ .未做
a.denied it b.wanted to c.didn't want to d.wished to
显示答案与解析
deny:否认, 拒绝去承认, 后面一般加名词
refuse:拒绝