# Lesson 7 Too late 为时太晚

## 一、课文原文

The plane was late and detectives were waiting at the airport all morning. They were expecting a valuable parcel of diamonds from South Africa. A few hours earlier, someone had told the police that thieves would try to steal the diamonds. When the plane arrived, some of the detectives were waiting inside the main building while others were waiting on the airfield. Two men took the parcel off the plane and carried it into the Customs House. While two detectives were keeping guard at the door, two others opened the parcel. To their surprise, the precious parcel was full of stones and sand!

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## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| **detective** | /dɪˈtektɪv/ | n. | 侦探 | detective story 侦探小说 |
| **airport** | /ˈeəpɔːt/ | n. | 机场 | at the airport 在机场 |
| **expect** | /ɪkˈspekt/ | v. | 期待，等待 | expect to do sth 期待做某事 |
| **valuable** | /ˈvæljuəbl/ | adj. | 珍贵的 | value n. 价值；valuable = precious |
| **parcel** | /ˈpɑːsl/ | n. | 包裹 | 同义词 package |
| **diamond** | /ˈdaɪmənd/ | n. | 钻石 | diamond ring 钻石戒指 |
| **steal** | /stiːl/ | v. | 偷 | 过去式 stole，过去分词 stolen；steal sth from sb |
| **main** | /meɪn/ | adj. | 主要的 | main road 主路；main idea 主旨 |
| **airfield** | /ˈeəfiːld/ | n. | 飞机起落的场地 | airport 的一部分 |
| **guard** | /ɡɑːd/ | n. | 警戒，守卫 | keep guard 守卫；guard against 防范 |
| **precious** | /ˈpreʃəs/ | adj. | 珍贵的 | precious stone 宝石；precious time 宝贵时间 |
| **stone** | /stəʊn/ | n. | 石子 | precious stone 宝石 |
| **sand** | /sænd/ | n. | 沙子 | sandy adj. 沙的 |

### 词汇拓展

**1. steal vs. rob**

| 词 | 结构 | 含义 | 例句 |
|----|------|------|------|
| steal | steal sth from sb | 偷某人的东西 | Thieves stole the diamonds. |
| rob | rob sb of sth | 抢劫某人 | They robbed him of his wallet. |

**2. valuable vs. precious**
- valuable：有价值的，贵重的（侧重经济价值）
- precious：珍贵的（侧重稀有、珍贵）
- 课文中两个词都出现了：a valuable parcel / the precious parcel

**3. keep guard**
- keep guard = stand guard 站岗，守卫
- on guard 警惕
- off guard 不警惕

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## 三、语法知识点

### 1. 过去进行时

**结构**：was/were + doing

**用法**：表示过去某一时刻或某段时间正在进行的动作

| 用法 | 课文例句 |
|------|----------|
| 过去某段时间持续的动作 | Detectives **were waiting** at the airport all morning. |
| 过去某时正在进行的动作 | Some detectives **were waiting** inside the main building. |
| 与 while 连用，表示同时进行 | **While** two detectives **were keeping** guard, two others opened the parcel. |

### 2. 过去进行时与一般过去时的配合

**句型**：过去进行时（背景动作）+ when + 一般过去时（打断动作）

> They **were expecting** a parcel when the plane **arrived**.
> While they **were keeping** guard, two others **opened** the parcel.

| 时态 | 作用 | 课文例句 |
|------|------|----------|
| 过去进行时 | 背景/正在进行的动作 | were waiting, were keeping guard |
| 一般过去时 | 完成/打断的动作 | arrived, took, opened |

### 3. while vs. when

| 连词 | 用法 | 例句 |
|------|------|------|
| while | 后接进行时，强调同时进行 | While they were keeping guard... |
| when | 后接一般时，强调时间点 | When the plane arrived... |

### 4. 过去完成时（初步接触）

> A few hours earlier, someone **had told** the police...

过去完成时（had done）：表示"过去的过去"——在侦探等待之前，已经有人通知了警察。

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## 四、重点句型分析

### 1. to one's surprise 使某人吃惊

> **To their surprise**, the precious parcel was full of stones and sand!

类似结构：
- to one's joy 使某人高兴
- to one's disappointment 使某人失望
- to one's relief 使某人松口气

### 2. some...others... 一些……另一些……

> **Some of** the detectives were waiting inside... while **others** were waiting on the airfield.

| 结构 | 含义 |
|------|------|
| some...others... | 一些……另一些……（不是全部） |
| some...the others... | 一些……其余全部…… |

### 3. be full of 充满

> The parcel **was full of** stones and sand.

同义表达：be filled with

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## 五、课文翻译

飞机误点了，侦探们在机场等了整整一上午。他们正期待着从南非来的一个装着钻石的贵重包裹。数小时以前，有人已向警方报告说有人企图偷走这些钻石。当飞机到达时，一些侦探等候在主楼内，另一些侦探则候在停机坪上。有两个人把包裹拿下飞机，拎进了海关。当两个侦探在门口守卫时，另外两个侦探打开了包裹。令他们吃惊的是，那珍贵的包裹里装的全是石头和沙子！

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## 六、语言点精讲

### 1. 故事的悬念与反转

课文采用了典型的侦探故事结构：先设置悬念（钻石包裹即将到来），制造紧张气氛（侦探们严阵以待），最后反转（包裹里是石头和沙子）。标题 "Too late" 暗示钻石可能在飞机到达之前就被调包了。

### 2. Customs House 海关

 Customs House（海关）是进出境物品必须经过的检查站。钻石等贵重物品需要经过海关检查，但窃贼似乎在包裹到达海关之前就已经得手了。

### 3. all morning 的用法

> ...were waiting at the airport **all morning**.

all morning = the whole morning，强调等待的时间之长。

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## 七、课后练习要点

### 1. 时态练习
- 过去进行时 vs 一般过去时选择填空
- while / when 用法练习

### 2. 词汇练习
- steal / rob 区别
- valuable / precious 辨析
- to one's surprise 造句

### 3. 写作练习
- 写一个小侦探故事（使用过去进行时和一般过去时）

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## 八、本课小结

| 项目 | 内容 |
|------|------|
| **核心语法** | 过去进行时、过去进行时与一般过去时的配合 |
| **重点词汇** | 13个（detective, airport, expect, valuable, parcel, diamond, steal, main, airfield, guard, precious, stone, sand） |
| **重点短语** | keep guard, to one's surprise, be full of, some...others... |
| **学习难点** | 过去进行时与一般过去时的配合使用、while/when区别 |

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*本课核心是过去进行时，需掌握其与一般过去时的配合：进行时为背景，一般时为突发动作。*