--- url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-2/238-the-sacred-tree.md description: 新概念英语第二册：The Sacred Tree。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。 --- # 圣树 ## 课文学习台 {#study} ### 第1段 In the nineteenth century, Mugo Kibiru, a famous prophet of the Kikuyu tribe, foretold that a fig tree at Thika, twenty-six miles north of Nairobi, would wither and die on the day that Kenya gained independence. Kibiru also prophesied that Kenya would become a white man's colony, but that one day the white man would return the land to the Africans. He foresaw the coming of the railway which he described as 'an iron snake with many legs, like an earthworm'. Kibiru's prophecies proved to be so accurate that for many years the tree at Thika was regarded as sacred. Even the white men took the prophecy seriously, for they built the tree up with earth and put a concrete wall around it so that it would not fall. These measures were doomed to fail. Shortly before Kenya gained independence, the tree was struck by lightning and it began to wither rapidly. By the day Kenya officially became independent, it had decayed completely, fulfilling the prophecy made over seventy years before by Kibiru. 中文理解：在19世纪，肯尼亚一位著名的预言家 Mugo Kibiru预言：锡卡有一棵无花果树，会在肯尼亚获得独立的那一天枯萎死去。 锡卡在内罗毕往北26英里处。Kibiru 还预言肯尼亚将会变成白种人的殖民地，而且有一天白种人会将土地归还给非洲人。他预见铁路的到来，他描述为“一条有着很多腿的钢铁之蛇，就像蚯蚓”。 Kibiru 的预言被证明非常精准，所以多年以来，锡卡的树也被认为是神圣的。甚至白种人也把预言当回事，因为他们在树周围培土，又围了一圈混凝土墙，以防树倒塌。这些措施注定失败。就在肯尼亚获得独立前不久，这棵圣树就被闪电击中，并迅速枯萎。在肯尼亚正式独立当天，圣树也完全腐烂，基比鲁七十多年前作出的预言得以实现。 * **was regarded as**：被看作；说明某种看法；原句是谁这样看，复述时要保留。 * **so that**：以便或以致 / 尽管 / 即使 / 仿佛；先判断两部分的关系；even though 说已知情况，even if 常说假设。 #### 这一段的读法与用法 \[1] 选自《新概念英语2》，北京：外语教学与研究出版社2019.7. 第339页. #### 1. Mugo Kibiru foretold that a fig tree would wither and die… that Kenya gained independence. 复合句，主句主谓 + 宾语从句结构，that 引导的宾语从句为主谓结构，后面跟了一个that 引导的定语从句修饰day. 这位预言家在历史上似有其人，英文维基百科有对应词条，但提示需要更多的资料予以证实，全名是Mugo wa Kibiru，其中Mugo 是a healer 治愈师的意思. 他的这些故事都缺乏史料证实，所以我们只能说这些是anecdotes，轶事. #### 2. Kibiru prophesied that Kenya would become a white man's colony, but that the white man would return the land… 并列复合句，主句主谓 + that 引导的宾语从句结构，有两个that 引导的宾语从句，他们是并列的，由but 予以连接. 第一个宾语从句为主系表结构；第二个则为主谓宾结构. #### 3. He foresaw the coming which he described as… 复合句，主句主谓宾结构，后面有一个which 引导的定语从句修饰railway ，主谓宾 + 宾补结构. #### 4. Kibiru's prophecies proved to be accurate that the tree was regarded as sacred. 复合句，主句主系表结构，后面是so…that 结构的结果状语从句，主谓 + 主语补语结构，因为是被动语态，所以原本的宾语补足语转作主语补足语，主动语态是regard the tree . #### 5. Even the white men took the prophecy, for they built the tree and put a concrete wall so that it would not fall. 并列复合句，for 作连词，连接前后两句，前句为简单句，主谓宾结构；后句为复合句，主句为主谓宾结构，后面是so that 引导的目的状语从句，该从句为主谓结构. #### 6. These measures were doomed to fail. 简单句，主干 These measures were doomed 表示“这些措施注定……”，to fail 补充注定发生的结果；不宜把 were doomed 当作主动及物谓语、把 to fail 简单列为直接宾语。 #### 7. Shortly before Kenya gained independence, the tree was struck and it began to wither. 复合句，主句为并列句，两句由and 连接，前句为主谓结构，后句为主谓宾结构，动词不定式作宾语；句首是时间状语从句，主谓宾结构. #### 8. By the day Kenya became independent, it had decayed… 复合句，主句主谓结构，用了过去完成时，had done，句首是时间状语从句，主系表结构. ## 学完这一课 换一个时间、人物或地点，用三句话讲一件自己的小事。 [Nce · 本册复习台](/new-concept/book-2/review) · [三册选择地图](/new-concept/) *译文与解析据吴应时整理资料及本站首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第238—239页，2022年3月第1版。*