# Lesson 43 Over the South Pole 飞越南极

## 一、课文原文

In 1929, three years after his flight over the North Pole, the American explorer, R.E. Byrd, successfully flew over the South Pole for the first time. Though, at first, Byrd and his men were able to take a great many photographs of the mountains that lay below, they soon ran into serious trouble. At one point, it seemed certain that their plane would crash. It could only get over the mountains if it rose to 10,000 feet. Byrd at once ordered his men to throw out two heavy food sacks. The plane was then able to rise and it cleared the mountains by 400 feet. Byrd now knew that he would be able to reach the South Pole which was 300 miles away, for there were no more mountains in sight. The aircraft was able to fly over the endless white plains without difficulty.

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## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| **pole** | /pəʊl/ | n. | (地球的)极 | the North Pole 北极；the South Pole 南极 |
| **flight** | /flaɪt/ | n. | 飞行 | fly v. → flight n. |
| **explorer** | /ɪkˈsplɔːrə/ | n. | 探险家 | explore v. 探险；exploration n. |
| **lie** | /laɪ/ | v. | 处于，位于 | 过去式 lay，过去分词 lain |
| **serious** | /ˈsɪəriəs/ | adj. | 严重的 | serious trouble 严重的困难 |
| **point** | /pɔɪnt/ | n. | 地点，点 | at one point 在某个地方/时刻 |
| **seem** | /siːm/ | v. | 似乎，好像 | seem to do / seem that |
| **crash** | /kræʃ/ | v. | 坠毁 | car crash 车祸；plane crash 飞机坠毁 |
| **sack** | /sæk/ | n. | 袋子 | food sacks 食物袋 |
| **clear** | /klɪə/ | v. | 越过 | cleared the mountains 飞越山脉 |
| **aircraft** | /ˈeəkrɑːft/ | n. | 飞机 | 单复数同形 |
| **endless** | /ˈendləs/ | adj. | 无尽的 | end + less（否定后缀） |
| **plain** | /pleɪn/ | n. | 平原 | 也可作 adj. 平淡的、朴素的 |

### 词汇拓展

**1. can 与 be able to 的区别（本课重点）**

| 用法 | can | be able to |
|------|-----|------------|
| 现在能力 | can | am/is/are able to |
| 过去能力（一般） | could | was/were able to |
| 过去某次成功 | — | was/were able to ✓ |
| 将来能力 | — | will be able to |
| 完成时 | — | have been able to |

**关键区别**：could 表示"一般能力"，was/were able to 表示"某次具体成功做到"。

> Byrd and his men **were able to take** a great many photographs.（成功拍到了照片）
> The plane **was then able to rise**.（成功上升了）

**2. lie 的多种含义**

| 含义 | 过去式 | 过去分词 | 例句 |
|------|--------|----------|------|
| 躺，位于 | lay | lain | The mountains lay below. |
| 说谎 | lied | lied | He lied to me. |
| 放置（及物） | laid | laid | She laid the book on the table. |

**3. -less 后缀（否定）**

| 词 | 含义 |
|----|------|
| endless | 无尽的 |
| homeless | 无家可归的 |
| careless | 粗心的 |
| hopeless | 无望的 |

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## 三、语法知识点

### 1. can 与 be able to

本课核心语法：**can 与 be able to 的区别**

**1. 表示能力时，两者可互换**

> He **can** swim. = He **is able to** swim.

**2. 过去时中，could 表示"一般能力"，was/were able to 表示"某次成功做到"**

| 句子 | 含义 |
|------|------|
| I could swim when I was five. | 我5岁时就会游泳。（一般能力） |
| I was able to swim to the shore. | 我成功游到了岸边。（某次成功） |

**3. 课文中的应用**

> Byrd and his men **were able to take** a great many photographs.

这里用 were able to 而不是 could，因为他们确实成功拍到了照片。

> The plane **was then able to rise**.

飞机确实成功上升了，用 was able to。

**4. 只能用 be able to 的情况**

| 情况 | 例句 |
|------|------|
| 将来时 | He will be able to come tomorrow. |
| 完成时 | He has not been able to get his car in. |
| 不定式 | I hope to be able to help you. |

### 2. though 引导让步状语从句

> **Though**, at first, Byrd and his men were able to take photographs, they soon ran into serious trouble.

though = although 虽然

### 3. for 引导原因状语从句

> He would be able to reach the South Pole, **for** there were no more mountains in sight.

for = because 因为（较正式）

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## 四、重点句型分析

### 1. run into trouble 陷入困境

> They soon **ran into serious trouble**.

### 2. it seemed certain that 似乎肯定

> **It seemed certain that** their plane would crash.

### 3. clear the mountains 飞越山脉

> It **cleared the mountains by** 400 feet.

by 400 feet 表示"以400英尺的余量"，即在山头上方400英尺处飞过。

### 4. in sight 看得见

> There were no more mountains **in sight**.

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## 五、课文翻译

美国探险家R·E·伯德在飞越北极3年之后，于1929年第一次飞越了南极。虽然开始时伯德和他的助手们拍下了飞机下面连绵群山的大量照片，但他们很快就陷入了困境。在有个地方，飞机似乎肯定要坠毁了。只有在飞至10,000英尺的高度时，它才能飞过这些山头。伯德马上命令他的助手们把两个沉重的食物袋扔掉，于是飞机可以上升了，它在离山头400英尺的高度飞越了过去。伯德这时知道他能够顺利飞抵300英里以外的南极了，因为前面再没有山了。飞机可以毫无困难地飞过这片茫茫无际的白色原野！

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## 六、语言点精讲

### 1. 伯德南极飞行

R.E. Byrd（理查德·伯德）是美国著名的极地探险家，1926年首次飞越北极，1929年首次飞越南极。课文的叙述基本符合历史事实。

### 2. 扔掉食物袋的智慧

在紧急情况下，减轻飞机重量是最快的解决方案。Byrd 命令扔掉两个沉重的食物袋，飞机才得以升高度飞越山脉。这体现了探险中的果断决策。

### 3. by 400 feet 的含义

"cleared the mountains by 400 feet" 表示飞机在山头上方400英尺处飞过，"by" 表示差距或余量。

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## 七、课后练习要点

### 1. 语法练习
- can / could / be able to 的选择填空
- was/were able to 与 could 的区别

### 2. 词汇练习
- lie / lay / lie 的辨析
- -less 后缀构词

### 3. 写作练习
- 描述一次克服困难的经历（80词左右）

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## 八、本课小结

| 项目 | 内容 |
|------|------|
| **核心语法** | can 与 be able to 的区别（could 表一般能力，was/were able to 表某次成功） |
| **重点词汇** | 13个（pole, flight, explorer, lie, serious, point, seem, crash, sack, clear, aircraft, endless, plain） |
| **重点短语** | run into trouble, at one point, it seemed certain that, clear the mountains, in sight |
| **学习难点** | could 与 was/were able to 的关键区别、lie 的三种过去式、by 表示余量 |

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*本课通过伯德飞越南极的真实故事学习 can 与 be able to 的区别。关键点：could 表"一般能力"，was/were able to 表"某次具体成功做到"。课文紧张刺激，语法点自然融入叙事。*