# Lesson 53 Hot snake 触电的蛇

## 一、课文原文

At last firemen have put out a big forest fire in California. Since then, they have been trying to find out how the fire began. Forest fires are often caused by broken glass or by cigarette ends which people carelessly throw away. Yesterday the firemen examined the ground carefully, but were not able to find any broken glass. They were also quite sure that a cigarette end did not start the fire. This morning, however, a fireman accidentally discovered the cause. He noticed the remains of a snake which was wound round the electric wires of a 16,000-volt power line. In this way, he was able to solve the mystery. The explanation was simple but very unusual. A bird had snatched up the snake from the ground and then dropped it on to the wires. The snake then wound itself round the wires. When it did so, it sent sparks down to the ground and these immediately started a fire.

---

## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| **hot** | /hɒt/ | adj. | 带电的，充电的 | 本课特殊含义；另义"热的" |
| **fireman** | /ˈfaɪəmən/ | n. | 消防队员 | 复数 firemen |
| **cause** | /kɔːz/ | v./n. | 引起；原因 | cause sb. trouble 给某人带来麻烦 |
| **examine** | /ɪɡˈzæmɪn/ | v. | 检查 | examine sth. carefully 仔细检查 |
| **accidentally** | /ˌæksɪˈdentəli/ | adv. | 意外地 | accidental + ly |
| **remains** | /rɪˈmeɪnz/ | n. | 尸体，残骸 | 常用复数形式 |
| **snatch** | /snætʃ/ | v. | 抓住 | snatch up 一把抓起 |
| **wire** | /ˈwaɪə/ | n. | 电线 | electric wires 电线 |
| **volt** | /vəʊlt/ | n. | 伏特 | 电压单位 |
| **power line** | /ˈpaʊəlaɪn/ | n. | 电力线 | 输电线 |
| **solve** | /sɒlv/ | v. | 解决 | solve a mystery/problem |
| **mystery** | /ˈmɪstəri/ | n. | 谜 | 复数 mysteries |
| **spark** | /spɑːk/ | n. | 电火花 | send sparks 发出火花 |
| **wound** | /waʊnd/ | v. | 缠绕 | wind 的过去式；注意与 wound（伤口）区分 |

### 词汇拓展

**1. cause 的用法**
- v. 引起：The fire was caused by broken glass.
- n. 原因：the cause of the fire 火灾的起因
- n. 事业：a good cause 崇高的事业

**2. wound 的多义**

| 词 | 含义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| wound (wind的过去式) | 缠绕 | The snake wound itself round the wires. |
| wound (名词) | 伤口 | He has a deep wound on his arm. |
| wound (wound的过去式) | 使受伤 | He was wounded in the battle. |

**3. remains 的用法**
- 表示"残骸、遗体"时常用复数
- the remains of a snake 蛇的残骸
- the remains of the meal 剩饭

---

## 三、语法知识点

### 1. 三种时态的对比运用

| 时态 | 课文例句 | 用法 |
|---|---|---|
| **一般过去时** | They examined the ground carefully. | 过去发生的动作 |
| **现在完成时** | Firemen have put out a big forest fire. | 已完成的动作对现在有影响 |
| **现在完成进行时** | They have been trying to find out... | 从过去持续至今的动作 |

### 2. 被动语态

> Forest fires **are often caused** by broken glass.

- 结构：be + 过去分词
- 表示主语是动作的承受者

| 时态 | 被动结构 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| 一般现在时 | am/is/are done | Fires are caused by glass. |
| 一般过去时 | was/were done | The fire was started by a snake. |
| 现在完成时 | have/has been done | The fire has been put out. |

### 3. 定语从句

> ...cigarette ends **which people carelessly throw away**
> ...the remains of a snake **which was wound round the electric wires**

- which 引导定语从句，修饰先行词
- which 在从句中可作主语或宾语

### 4. 宾语从句

> ...find out **how the fire began**

- 疑问词 how 引导宾语从句
- 从句用陈述语序

---

## 四、重点句型分析

### 1. 固定搭配

| 短语 | 含义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| **put out** | 扑灭（火） | Firemen have put out the fire. |
| **find out** | 查明，找出 | They have been trying to find out the cause. |
| **throw away** | 扔掉 | Cigarette ends which people carelessly throw away |
| **in this way** | 就这样 | In this way, he was able to solve the mystery. |
| **snatch up** | 一把抓起 | A bird had snatched up the snake. |

### 2. be able to vs. can

| 结构 | 用法 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| can | 表示一般能力 | I can swim. |
| be able to | 表示具体场合的能力 | They were able to find the cause. |
| was/were able to | 成功做成某事 | He was able to solve the mystery. |

---

## 五、课文翻译

消防队员们终于扑灭了加利福尼亚的一场森林大火。从那以后，他们一直在试图查明这场大火是如何引起的。森林火灾常常由碎玻璃或人们随手扔掉的烟头引起。昨天，消防队员们仔细检查了地面，但未能找到任何碎玻璃。他们也很确信不是烟头引起了这场火灾。然而今天上午，一名消防队员偶然发现了起火的原因。他注意到了一条蛇的残骸，它缠绕在一根16,000伏特输电线的电线上。就这样，他解开了这个谜。解释很简单，但很不寻常。一只鸟从地上抓起了这条蛇，然后把它扔到了电线上。蛇于是缠绕在电线上。当它这样做时，它把火花送到了地面，这些火花立刻引燃了大火。

---

## 六、语言点精讲

### 1. 标题 "Hot snake" 的双关
- hot：热的 → 带电的（触电）
- snake：蛇被电击，故为"hot snake"（触电的蛇）
- 幽默地用拟人手法描述了蛇"触电"的离奇经历

### 2. "16,000-volt" 复合形容词
- 数字 + 连字符 + 单数名词 = 复合形容词
- a 16,000-volt power line（一根16,000伏特的输电线）
- 类似：a five-year-old boy, a two-day trip

### 3. 课文的叙事结构
- 先结果（fire put out）→ 再调查（find out cause）→ 揭示真相（snake caused fire）
- 倒叙手法，增加趣味性

---

## 七、课后练习要点

### 1. 时态练习
- 一般过去时、现在完成时、现在完成进行时的综合运用

### 2. 词汇运用
- cause 作名词和动词的不同用法
- put out / find out / throw away 动副词组

### 3. 写作练习
- 用三种时态混合叙述一个事件

---

## 八、本课小结

| 项目 | 内容 |
|------|------|
| **核心语法** | 一般过去时/完成时/完成进行时的综合运用、被动语态、定语从句、宾语从句 |
| **重点词汇** | 14个（hot, fireman, cause, examine, accidentally, remains, snatch, wire, volt, power line, solve, mystery, spark, wound） |
| **重点短语** | put out, find out, throw away, in this way, snatch up |
| **学习难点** | 三种时态的选择与区分、wound的多义辨析 |

---

*本课核心是三种过去相关时态的综合运用，需重点体会不同时态的语义差别。*