# Lesson 56 Faster than sound! 比声音还快！

## 一、课文原文

Once a year, a race is held for old cars. A lot of cars entered for this race last year and there was a great deal of excitement just before it began. One of the most handsome cars was a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. The most unusual car was a Benz which had only three wheels. Built in 1885, it was the oldest car taking part. After a great many loud explosions, the race began. Many of the cars broke down on the course and some drivers spent more time under their cars than in them! A few cars, however, completed the race. The winning car reached a speed of forty miles an hour——much faster than any of its rivals. It sped downhill at the end of the race and its driver had a lot of trouble trying to stop it. It was very different from modern car races but no less exciting.

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## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| **sound** | /saʊnd/ | n. | 声音 | faster than sound 比声音还快 |
| **excitement** | /ɪkˈsaɪtmənt/ | n. | 激动，兴奋 | excite + ment |
| **handsome** | /ˈhænsəm/ | adj. | 漂亮的，美观的 | 形容车/男子"英俊" |
| **explosion** | /ɪkˈspləʊʒn/ | n. | 爆炸，轰响 | explode(v.) → explosion |
| **course** | /kɔːs/ | n. | 跑道，行程 | on the course 在跑道上 |
| **rival** | /ˈraɪvl/ | n. | 对手 | rivals 对手们 |
| **speed** | /spiːd/ | v./n. | 疾驶；速度 | 过去式 sped；at a speed of |
| **downhill** | /ˌdaʊnˈhɪl/ | adv. | 下坡 | down + hill |
| **wheel** | /wiːl/ | n. | 轮子 | three wheels 三个轮子 |

### 词汇拓展

**1. a great deal of vs. a great many**

| 短语 | 修饰 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| a great deal of | 不可数名词 | a great deal of excitement |
| a great many | 可数名词复数 | a great many loud explosions |
| a lot of | 两者皆可 | a lot of cars / a lot of excitement |

**2. handsome 的用法**
- 形容男子：英俊的——a handsome man
- 形容女子：端庄的（非漂亮）
- 形容物：美观的——a handsome car

**3. speed 的搭配**
- at a speed of... 以……的速度
- at full speed 全速
- speed up 加速

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## 三、语法知识点

### 1. 比较级复习

| 结构 | 例句 | 含义 |
|---|---|---|
| 比较级 + than | much faster than any of its rivals | 比任何对手都快得多 |
| the + 最高级 | One of the most handsome cars | 最漂亮的车之一 |
| as...as | as fast as sound | 和声音一样快 |
| no less...than | no less exciting | 不亚于……的激动人心 |

### 2. 过去分词短语作状语

> **Built in 1885**, it was the oldest car taking part.

- Built in 1885 是过去分词短语，作定语/状语
- 相当于：As it was built in 1885

### 3. 现在分词作后置定语

> ...the oldest car **taking part**.

- taking part 是现在分词短语，作后置定语修饰 car
- 相当于：the oldest car that was taking part

### 4. have trouble (in) doing sth.

> Its driver **had a lot of trouble trying** to stop it.

- 结构：have trouble/difficulty (in) doing sth.
- 意为"做某事有困难/费劲"

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## 四、重点句型分析

### 1. 固定搭配

| 短语 | 含义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| **once a year** | 每年一次 | Once a year, a race is held. |
| **enter for** | 报名参加 | A lot of cars entered for this race. |
| **a great deal of** | 大量的（接不可数） | a great deal of excitement |
| **break down** | 抛锚，出故障 | Many of the cars broke down. |
| **have trouble doing** | 做某事有困难 | He had a lot of trouble trying to stop it. |
| **no less...than** | 不亚于 | no less exciting 不亚于（一样激动人心） |
| **different from** | 与……不同 | It was very different from modern car races. |

### 2. spend time doing sth.

> Some drivers **spent** more time under their cars **than in them**.

- spend time doing sth. 花时间做某事
- 此处用 under/in 对比，产生幽默效果

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## 五、课文翻译

每年举行一次老式汽车比赛。去年许多车报名参加了这项比赛，比赛开始前人们非常激动。最漂亮的汽车之一是罗尔斯-罗伊斯生产的"银鬼"。最不寻常的汽车是一辆只有三个轮子的奔驰车。这辆车造于1885年，是参赛车中最老的一辆。在一阵震耳欲聋的爆炸声之后，比赛开始了。许多汽车在跑道上抛了锚，有些驾驶员花在汽车底下的时间比坐在汽车里面的时间还长！然而，有几辆车跑完了全程。获胜的那辆车时速达到了40英里——比它的任何对手都要快得多。在比赛终点，它飞速冲下坡，驾驶员费了好大劲才把它停下来。这和现代汽车大赛大不相同，但激动人心的程度并不亚于现代汽车赛。

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## 六、语言点精讲

### 1. "more time under their cars than in them" 幽默
- 花在车底修车的时间比坐在车里驾驶的时间还多
- 形容老式车经常抛锚的窘况

### 2. "no less exciting" 省略比较
- 完整形式：no less exciting than modern car races
- 与现代汽车赛一样激动人心
- no less + 原级 + than = as + 原级 + as

### 3. "Built in 1885" 过去分词表被动
- 汽车是被制造的（被动）
- 所以用过去分词而非现在分词

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## 七、课后练习要点

### 1. 语法练习
- 比较级和最高级的各种结构
- a great deal of / a great many / a lot of 的选用

### 2. 词汇运用
- enter for / break down / have trouble doing 的用法
- speed 的搭配

### 3. 写作练习
- 描述一场比赛或竞赛（使用比较级结构）

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## 八、本课小结

| 项目 | 内容 |
|------|------|
| **核心语法** | 比较级复习、过去分词作状语、现在分词作后置定语、have trouble doing |
| **重点词汇** | 9个（sound, excitement, handsome, explosion, course, rival, speed, downhill, wheel） |
| **重点短语** | once a year, enter for, a great deal of, break down, have trouble doing, no less...than |
| **学习难点** | a great deal of vs. a great many、no less...than 的理解 |

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*本课核心是比较级的复习，需重点掌握各种比较结构及其含义。*