1、Notes 1. The Amazon rainforest crosses into eight countries, including Brazil and Peru, and one overseas region of France, all on the South American continent. (page 2, lines 4 5) Here the adjective “overseas” means “being connected with foreign countries, especially those separated from your countr
2、y by the sea or ocean”. e.g. The company is trying to attract overseas investment. 这家公司在争取吸引海外投资。 Their overseas market is Japan. 他们的主要海外市场是日本。 It can also be used as an adverb, meaning “being to or in a foreign country, especially 11 those separated from your country by the sea or ocean”. e.g. Alex
3、 is going to study overseas. 亚历克斯要去国外学习。 Most visitors came from overseas. 大多数游客来自海外。 2. Above that is the mass of leaf litter on the dark forest floor. (page 3, line 16) Here the phrase “mass of something” means “a large amount of s substance that does not have a definite shape or form”. e.g. A mas
4、s of rocks fell down the mountain last night. 昨晚一大堆石块从山上掉了下来。 There were all dark masses of clouds in the sky. 天空乌云密布。 The phrase “mass of something” also means “a large number of people or things grouped together, often in a confused way”. e.g. The note book was covered with a mass of letters and f
5、igures. 笔记本上密密麻麻写满了字母和数字。 He struggled through the mass of people to the entrance. 他在人群里挤来挤去，到了入口处。 The phrase “the mass of somebody or something” can mean “the most of or the majority of somebody or something”. e.g. The new measures taken by the school were popular with the mass of teachers and par
6、ents. 学校采取的新措施受到大多数教师和家长的欢迎。 3. This jaguar is one example. It has a yellowish-brown coat with black spots. (page 3, lines 22 23) Here the noun “coat” means “the fur, hair or wool that covers an animals body”. e.g. The dog shook the wet from its coat. 狗抖掉了毛上的水。 These rabbit are bred for their long c
7、oats. 养这些兔子是为了获取它们的长毛。 The word “coat” can also be used as a verb, which means “to cover something with a layer of a substance”. e.g. Coat the fish in breadcrumbs and fry. 把鱼裹上面包糠油炸。 Richards favourite snacks are cakes and cookies thickly coated with chocolate. 理查德最喜欢的零食就是裹上厚厚巧克力的蛋糕和饼干。 4. Then ther
8、e are the towering ancient hardwoods, and finally the tops of the tallest trees many metres above the ground. (page 3, lines 17 19) Here “towering” is used as an adjective to mean “being extremely tall or high and therefore impressive”. e.g. There is a dark valley overshadowed by towering peaks. 那有一
9、个被高耸的山峰遮蔽的幽暗山谷。 Even the sky was shut out by the towering stone walls. 就连天空都被高耸的石墙挡住了。12 Grammar and usage 内容分析 本板块围绕单元话题，以“环保纪录片和环保志愿者活动”创设情境，引 导学生在谈论关于环境保护的纪录片的对话中观察、探究省略这一语法现 象，并自主归纳其核心语法规则；接着通过单句和语篇两个层面的练习巩固所 学、内化新知；最后要求学生正确运用省略这一语法规则创作几条环保的宣 传语。 The word “towering” can also mean “(of emotions)
10、being extremely strong”. e.g. Knowing that his son had been lying to him all the time, the old man left family in a towering rage. 知道他儿子过去一直在骗他后，老人怒气冲天地离开了家。 It also means “of extremely high quality”. e.g. He is a towering genius of his time. 他在他那个时代是一名盖世英才。 Their towering performance went down a bo
11、mb. 他们出色的表演取得了很大的成功。 5. When a jaguar dies, a tiny army of microorganisms helps break down its body and return the nutrients to the earth. (page 3, lines 27 29) (1) Here the phrase “an army of somebody or something” means “a large number of (people or things)”. e.g. An army of ants marched across th
12、e path. 一大群蚂蚁浩浩荡荡地穿过小径。 I soon had an army of willing helpers. 我很快就拥有了一批热心的帮手。 (2) Here “break down” means “to make a substance separate into parts or change into a different form in a chemical process”. e.g. Food is broken down in the stomach. 食物在胃里分解。 Bacteria are added to help break down the sewage. 加入细菌以帮助分解污物。
