# 第三册 Lesson 43 Fully insured 全保险

## 一、课文原文

Insurance companies are normally willing to insure anything. Insuring public or private property is a standard practice in most countries in the world. If, however, you were holding an open air garden party or a fete it would be equally possible to insure yourself in the event of bad weather. Needless to say, the bigger the risk an insurance company takes, the higher the premium you will have to pay. It is not uncommon to hear that a shipping company has made a claim for the cost of salvaging a sunken ship. But the claim made by a local authority to recover the cost of salvaging a sunken pie dish must surely be unique.

Admittedly it was an unusual pie dish, for it was eighteen feet long and six feet wide. It had been purchased by a local authority so that an enormous pie could be baked for an annual fair. The pie committee decided that the best way to transport the dish would be by canal, so they insured it for the trip. Shortly after it was launched, the pie committee went to a local inn to celebrate. At the same time, a number of teenagers climbed on to the dish and held a little party of their own. Dancing proved to be more than the dish could bear, for during the party it capsized and sank in seven feet of water.

The pie committee telephoned a local garage owner who arrived in a recovery truck to salvage the pie dish. Shivering in their wet clothes, the teenagers looked on while three men dived repeatedly into the water to locate the dish. They had little difficulty in finding it, but hauling it out of the water proved to be a serious problem. The sides of the dish were so smooth that it was almost impossible to attach hawsers and chains to the rim without damaging it. Eventually chains were fixed to one end of the dish and a powerful winch was put into operation. The dish rose to the surface and was gently drawn towards the canal bank. For one agonizing moment, the dish was perched precariously on the bank of the canal, but it suddenly overbalanced and slid back into the water. The men were now obliged to try once more. This time they fixed heavy metal clamps to both sides of the dish so that they could fasten the chains. The dish now had to be lifted vertically because one edge was resting against the side of the canal. The winch was again put into operation and one of the men started up the truck. Several minutes later, the dish was successfully hauled above the surface of the water. Water streamed in torrents over its sides with such force that it set up a huge wave in the canal. There was a danger that the wave would rebound off the other side of the bank and send the dish plunging into the water again. By working at tremendous speed, the men managed to get the dish on to dry land before the wave returned.

## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| insure | /ɪnˈʃʊə/ | v. | 为……保险 | insure against 为……投保 |
| premium | /ˈpriːmiəm/ | n. | 保险费 | pay a premium 支付保险费 |
| fete | /feɪt/ | n. | 游园会，义卖会 | open air fete 露天游园会 |
| claim | /kleɪm/ | n./v. | 索赔；声称 | make a claim 提出索赔 |
| admittedly | /ədˈmɪtɪdli/ | adv. | 诚然，公认地 | admittedly it was unusual 诚然它不寻常 |
| capsize | /kæpˈsaɪz/ | v. | 翻船，倾覆 | the dish capsized 盘子翻了 |
| haul | /hɔːl/ | v. | 拖，拉 | haul out of the water 从水中拖出 |
| hawser | /ˈhɔːzə/ | n. | 缆绳，大索 | attach hawsers 系上缆绳 |
| winch | /wɪntʃ/ | n. | 绞盘，绞车 | a powerful winch 强力绞盘 |
| agonizing | /ˈæɡənaɪzɪŋ/ | adj. | 令人焦虑的 | an agonizing moment 令人焦急的时刻 |
| precariously | /prɪˈkeəriəsli/ | adv. | 不稳地，危险地 | perched precariously 危险地搁着 |
| overbalance | /ˌəʊvəˈbæləns/ | v. | 失去平衡 | suddenly overbalanced 突然失去平衡 |
| clamp | /klæmp/ | n. | 夹钳，夹具 | metal clamps 金属夹具 |
| rebound | /rɪˈbaʊnd/ | v. | 弹回，反弹 | rebound off the bank 从岸边反弹 |

## 三、语法知识点

### 1. the + 比较级..., the + 比较级... 越……越……

> **The bigger** the risk an insurance company takes, **the higher** the premium you will have to pay.

| 例句 | 含义 |
|------|------|
| The sooner, the better. | 越快越好 |
| The more you read, the more you know. | 读得越多，知道得越多 |

### 2. so...that... 结果状语从句

> The sides of the dish were **so** smooth **that** it was almost impossible to attach hawsers and chains to the rim without damaging it.

### 3. 现在分词作伴随状语

> **Shivering in their wet clothes**, the teenagers looked on...
> Water streamed in torrents over its sides with **such** force **that** it set up a huge wave...

### 4. such...that... 结果状语从句

> Water streamed...with **such** force **that** it set up a huge wave in the canal.

## 四、重点句型分析

### 1. in the event of 万一，如果发生
> It would be equally possible to insure yourself **in the event of** bad weather.

= in case of; if...happens

### 2. prove to be 证明是，结果是
> Dancing **proved to be** more than the dish could bear.

### 3. put into operation 投入使用
> A powerful winch was **put into operation**.

### 4. 长难句分析
> There was a danger that the wave would rebound off the other side of the bank and send the dish plunging into the water again.

that引导同位语从句解释danger的内容；send the dish plunging中plunging为现在分词作宾补。

## 五、课文翻译

保险公司通常愿意为任何东西保险。为公共或私人财产保险是世界上大多数国家的惯例。然而，如果你要举办露天游园会或义卖会，同样可以为遇到恶劣天气而为自己保险。不用说，保险公司承担的风险越大，你要付的保险费就越高。听到航运公司为打捞沉船的费用提出索赔是并不罕见的。但是一个地方当局为打捞一只沉没的馅饼盘的费用提出索赔，肯定是独一无二的。

诚然，这是一个不寻常的馅饼盘，因为它有十八英尺长、六英尺宽。它是一个地方当局购买的，以便在一年一度的集市上烤一个巨大的馅饼。馅饼委员会决定运输这个盘子的最好方式是走运河，所以他们为这次运输投了保。盘子刚下水不久，馅饼委员会就去当地一家客栈庆祝了。与此同时，一群少年爬上了盘子，开了他们自己的小派对。跳舞 оказалось 超过了盘子所能承受的，因为在派对期间，盘子翻了，沉入了七英尺深的水中。

馅饼委员会给当地一家汽车修理厂的老板打了电话，他开着一辆救援车来打捞馅饼盘。少年们穿着湿衣服在旁边哆嗦着看，三个男人一次又一次地潜入水中寻找盘子。他们毫不费力地找到了它，但把它从水中拖出来却是一个严重的问题。盘子的边缘非常光滑，几乎不可能在不损坏它的情况下把缆绳和铁链系到边上。终于，链条被固定在盘子的一端，一台强力绞盘开始运转。盘子浮出了水面，被慢慢地拉向运河岸边。有一个令人焦灼的瞬间，盘子摇摇欲坠地搁在运河岸边，但突然失去了平衡，又滑回了水中。人们不得不再次尝试。这一次他们在盘子两边固定了沉重的金属夹具，以便系上铁链。现在盘子必须被垂直吊起来，因为有一边靠在运河的壁上。绞盘再次启动，其中一个人发动了卡车。几分钟后，盘子被成功地拖出了水面。水从盘子两侧急流般涌出，力量如此之大，在运河中掀起了一个巨大的波浪。存在这样的危险：波浪可能从对岸反弹回来，使盘子再次冲入水中。工人们以惊人的速度工作，在波浪回来之前成功地把盘子弄上了岸。

## 六、语言点精讲

### 写作手法
1. **以小见大**：从保险的普遍性引出一个荒诞的特殊案例
2. **层层推进**：打捞过程的每一步都有新困难
3. **幽默笔调**：打捞馅饼盘的严肃语气与事件本身的滑稽形成反差

### 文化背景
- 英国地方集市（annual fair）有烤巨型馅饼的传统
- 运河（canal）在英国曾是重要的货物运输通道
- 英国的保险业历史悠久，Lloyd's保险市场闻名世界

## 七、课后练习要点

1. **the more...the more结构**：比较级连用
2. **结果状语从句**：so...that / such...that
3. **词汇辨析**：insure vs. ensure vs. assure
4. **写作练习**：叙述一个过程曲折的事件

## 八、本课小结

本课通过打捞沉入运河的巨型馅饼盘的故事展示了保险的极端案例。语法重点是the+比较级句型和so/such...that结果状语从句。词汇方面掌握insure、premium、capsize、haul、winch等核心词。写作上学习以小见大和层层推进的叙事手法。