# 第三册 Lesson 60 Too early and too late 太早和太迟

## 一、课文原文

Punctuality is a necessary habit in all public affairs in civilized society. Without it, nothing could ever be brought to a conclusion; everything would be in a state of chaos. Only in a sparsely-populated rural community is it possible to disregard it. In ordinary living, there can be some tolerance of unpunctuality. The intellectual, who is working on some abstruse problem, has everything coordinated and organized for the matter in hand. He is therefore forgiven if late for a dinner party. But people are often reproached for unpunctuality when their only fault is cutting things fine. It is hard for energetic, quick-minded people to waste time, so they are often tempted to finish a job before setting out to keep an appointment. If no accidents occur on the way, like punctured tyres, diversions of traffic, sudden descent of fog, they will be on time. They are often more industrious, useful citizens than those who are never late. The over-punctual can be as much a trial to others as the unpunctual. The guest who arrives half an hour too soon is the greatest nuisance. Some friends of my family had this irritating habit. The only thing to do was ask them to come half an hour later than the other guests. Then they arrived just when we wanted them.

If you are catching a train, it is always better to be comfortably early than even a fraction of a minute too late. Although being early may mean wasting a little time, this will be less than if you miss the train and have to wait an hour or more for the next one; and you avoid the frustration of arriving at the very moment when the train is drawing out of the station and being unable to get on it. An even harder situation is to be on the platform in good time for a train and still to see it go off without you. Such an experience befell a certain young girl the first time she was travelling alone.

She entered the station twenty minutes before the train was due, since her parents had impressed upon her that it would be unforgivable to miss it and cause the friends with whom she was going to stay to make two journeys to meet her. She gave her luggage to a porter and showed him her ticket. To her horror he said that she was two hours too soon. She felt in her handbag for the piece of paper on which her father had written down all the details of the journey and gave it to the porter. He agreed that a train did come into the station at the time on the paper and that it did stop, but only to take on mail, not passengers. The girl asked to see a timetable, feeling sure that her father could not have made such a mistake. The porter went to fetch one and arrived back with the station master, who produced it with a flourish and pointed out a microscopic 'o' beside the time of the arrival of the train at his station; this little 'o' indicated that the train only stopped for mail. Just at that moment the train came into the station. The girl, tears streaming down her face, begged to be allowed to slip into the guard's van. But the station master was adamant: rules could not be broken. And she had to watch that train disappear towards her destination while she was left behind.

## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| punctuality | /ˌpʌŋktʃuˈæləti/ | n. | 准时 | — |
| sparsely | /ˈspɑːsli/ | adv. | 稀少地 | sparsely-populated 人口稀少的 |
| disregard | /ˌdɪsrɪˈɡɑːrd/ | v. | 忽视 | disregard punctuality 不顾准时 |
| tolerance | /ˈtɒlərəns/ | n. | 宽容 | some tolerance 一定程度的宽容 |
| abstruse | /əbˈstruːs/ | adj. | 深奥的 | abstruse problem 深奥的问题 |
| reproach | /rɪˈprəʊtʃ/ | v. | 责备 | reproached for unpunctuality 因不准时而受责备 |
| cut things fine | /kʌt θɪŋz faɪn/ | phr. | 扣得太紧 | cutting things fine 时间安排太紧 |
| puncture | /ˈpʌŋktʃə/ | v. | 刺穿 | punctured tyres 爆胎 |
| diversion | /daɪˈvɜːʃən/ | n. | 绕道 | diversions of traffic 交通绕行 |
| over-punctual | /ˌəʊvəˈpʌŋktʃuəl/ | adj. | 过分准时的 | the over-punctual 过分准时的人 |
| nuisance | /ˈnjuːsəns/ | n. | 讨厌的人/事 | the greatest nuisance 最大的麻烦 |
| befell | /bɪˈfel/ | v. | 降临于 | such an experience befell 这样的经历发生在 |
| adamant | /ˈædəmənt/ | adj. | 坚决的 | the station master was adamant 站长态度坚决 |
| microscopic | /ˌmaɪkrəˈskɒpɪk/ | adj. | 极小的 | a microscopic 'o' 一个极小的"o" |

## 三、语法知识点

### 1. Only + 状语前置引起倒装

> **Only in a sparsely-populated rural community is it** possible to disregard it.

only + 介词短语置于句首时，主句部分倒装。

### 2. 虚拟语气（without条件）

> **Without it**, nothing **could ever be brought** to a conclusion; everything **would be** in a state of chaos.

without = if it were not for，表示与现在事实相反的假设。

### 3. 独立主格

> The girl, **tears streaming down her face**, begged to be allowed to slip into the guard's van.

名词 + 现在分词，构成独立主格结构，表伴随状态。

### 4. it is + adj. + to do

> **It is always better to be** comfortably early than even a fraction of a minute too late.

it为形式主语，真正主语为to be comfortably early。

## 四、重点句型分析

### 1. cut things fine 时间扣得太紧
> Their only fault is **cutting things fine**.

= leave very little time; cut it close

### 2. impress upon 强调，使铭记
> Her parents had **impressed upon her** that it would be unforgivable to miss the train.

### 3. with a flourish 夸张地
> The station master produced it **with a flourish**.

= with a dramatic gesture

### 4. 长难句分析
> She entered the station twenty minutes before the train was due, since her parents had impressed upon her that it would be unforgivable to miss it and cause the friends with whom she was going to stay to make two journeys to meet her.

before引导时间状语；since引导原因状语；that引导宾语从句；with whom引导定语从句修饰friends；to make two journeys是不定式作宾补。这是一个多重嵌套的长句。

## 五、课文翻译

准时是文明社会一切公共事务中必不可少的习惯。没有它，什么事都无法完成；一切都会陷入混乱。只有在人口稀少的农村社区才可能无视它。在日常生活中，对不准时可以有一定的宽容。正在研究某个深奥问题的知识分子，把手头的事情安排得井井有条。因此如果参加晚宴迟到了，他可以被原谅。但人们常常因不准时而受到责备，而他们唯一的过错就是时间安排得太紧。精力充沛、头脑敏捷的人很难浪费时间，所以他们常常忍不住在出发赴约之前完成一项工作。如果路上不出意外——比如轮胎爆了、交通绕行、突然下雾——他们就会准时到达。他们往往比从不迟到的人更加勤奋、更有用。过分准时的人和不准时的人一样让人头疼。提前半小时到达的客人是最令人烦恼的。我家有些朋友就有这种恼人的习惯。唯一的办法就是请他们比其他客人晚半小时到。这样他们就会在我们需要他们的时候到达。

如果你要赶火车，从容地早到总比迟到哪怕一分钟好。虽然早到可能意味着浪费一点时间，但这比误了火车不得不等一小时或更长时间等下一班要少；而且你可以避免在火车正好驶出车站时到达而无法上车的沮丧。更糟糕的情况是及时到了站台却仍然看着火车没有你就开走了。这种经历发生在一个年轻女孩第一次独自旅行的时候。

她在火车到站前二十分钟进了车站，因为父母叮嘱过她，误了火车是不可原谅的，会让去接她的朋友跑两趟。她把行李交给搬运工并给他看了车票。令她惊恐的是，他说她早到了两个小时。她在手提包里摸出父亲写着旅行所有细节的那张纸递给搬运工。他承认确实有一列火车在纸上写的时间到达车站，也确实停靠，但只为了装邮件，不载客。女孩要求看时刻表，确信父亲不可能犯这样的错误。搬运工去取时刻表，回来时带着站长，站长夸张地拿出时刻表，指出了火车到达该站时间旁边一个极小的"o"；这个小"o"表示火车只为邮件停靠。就在那一刻，火车进站了。女孩泪流满面，恳求让她溜进行李车厢。但站长态度坚决：规则不能打破。她只好看着那列火车消失在驶向她目的地的方向，而她被留在了身后。

## 六、语言点精讲

### 写作手法
1. **对比论证**：太迟vs太早，两者都不可取
2. **具体案例**：用女孩的故事说明"太早"也可能导致问题
3. **首尾呼应**：与Lesson 37（Westhaven Express）的火车时刻表脚注遥相呼应

### 文化背景
- 英国铁路时刻表中的符号标注是实际做法
- "o"表示火车只为邮件停靠（mail stop only）
- 英国人以守时著称，"too early and too late"是对守时文化的反思

## 七、课后练习要点

1. **倒装句**：Only + 状语前置
2. **虚拟语气**：without条件句
3. **独立主格**：tears streaming down her face
4. **写作练习**：就"守时"话题写一篇议论文

## 八、本课小结

本课通过对比"太迟"和"太早"的弊端，以女孩误乘火车的故事说明守时需要恰到好处。语法重点是Only倒装、without虚拟条件和独立主格。词汇方面掌握punctuality、reproach、cut things fine、adamant、microscopic等核心词。写作上学习对比论证和具体案例论证。