Luis國際資訊事務所

by Timothy Laird

The Flying Fish Festival is officially celebrated on Santa Catalina Island every year.
每一年聖卡塔利娜島上都會在飛魚季時舉辦正式慶典。

　　If you travel to Santa Catalina Island at the right time of year, you are in for a real treat. From May to September, this rocky island off the coast of California is visited by some very special guests—flying fish. To welcome these charming creatures, the Flying Fish Festival is celebrated for four days in a row each year, during which millions of tourists crowd the island just to sneak a peek at them.
　　Flying fish don't actually fly. To be precise, they merely glide above the surface of the water for a distance, but they do it so gracefully that people often assume they are flying. There are numerous species of flying fish, most of which can be found in warm ocean waters worldwide. They are all small in size, with a maximum length of about 45 centimeters.
　　The secret to their flying ability lies in their wing-like pectoral fins, which are almost as long as their bodies. The flying fish use these enlarged fins to provide lift during flight. Their strong, unevenly forked tails also play a very important role in helping them take off. When the fish prepare to go into the air, they build up speed underwater and approach the surface with their fins held tightly against their streamlined bodies. Upon breaking the surface, they spread out their fins while their tails continue to beat rapidly underwater, which propels the fish forward. After gaining sufficient speed, the tails temporarily clear the water and the fish are airborne for a short while before falling back into the water.

1. treat n. 樂事；饗宴
2. rocky a. 岩石構成的
3. glide vi. 滑翔，滑行
4. pectoral fin　　胸鰭
pectoral a. 胸的
5. enlarged a. 加大的，放大的
6. lift n. 升力；升起
7. forked a. 分岔的
8. tightly adv. 緊緊地；牢固地
9. streamlined a. 流線型的
10. rapidly adv. 很快地；迅速地
11. forward adv. 向前
12. airborne a. 飛行中的

1. take off　 　起飛
2. Upon + N/V-ing, S + V　　一……，就……
3. spread out...　　攤開……

a. ...is celebrated for four days in a row each year, during which millions of tourists crowd the island just to sneak a peek at them.
注意:
which 是關係代名詞，使用時須遵守下列原則：
1) which 之前要有先行詞（即名詞）；
2) which 要作形容詞子句中的主詞或受詞；
3) 否則 which 之前一定要有介詞。
例: Teresa can't wait until June, during which she'll be on vacation in Tahiti.
（泰瑞莎等不及 6 月的到來，那時候她人將在大溪地渡假。）
b. There are numerous species of flying fish, most of which can be found in warm ocean waters worldwide.
注意:
本句為『主要子句 + 逗點 + 數量詞 + of + 關係代名詞 (whom/which) 引導的形容詞子句』 的句構。在寫作時，學生常誤用受格 them，而不用關係代名詞 whom/which，而造成兩句不連接的錯誤句構。
例: Amy has many bracelets, some of which were made by her mother.
（愛咪有很多手鍊，其中有一些是她媽媽的傑作。）

1. be in for...　 　必定會碰到∕遭遇到……
例: Edward is in for a real surprise. That box doesn't contain what he thinks it does.
（愛德華將會有個大驚喜。那個盒子裡裝的東西和他心裡想的不一樣。）

2. off the coast of...　　在……的外海
例: Albert goes lobster fishing off the coast of Maine every year.
（亞伯特每年都會去緬因州外海捕龍蝦。）

3. 一段時間 + in a row　　連續……一段時間（與數字並用）
for days/weeks/months... + on end　　連續數天∕數星期∕數月等（不與數字並用）
例: It snowed for three days in a row when I was on vacation in Japan last winter.
（去年冬天我到日本渡假時一連下了 3 天雪。）
例: We have worked overtime for weeks on end to finish the job.
（我們已經連續加班好幾個星期來完成這項工作。）

4. sneak/take a peek at...　　看一眼……；偷看……
例: Ben snuck a peek at his presents under the Christmas tree.
（小班偷看了一眼聖誕樹下要送給他的禮物。）

5. to be precise　　精確來說
precise a. 精確的
例: To be precise, I've lived here for 20 years.
（精確來說，我住在這兒已有 20 年了。）

6. gracefully adv. 動作優雅地
例: Phil dove gracefully into the water.
（菲爾以優美的姿式跳入水中。）

7. assume vt. 假定，認為
assume + (that) 子句　　假設……
例: Rita didn't see Al wearing a wedding ring, so she assumed that he was single.
（麗塔沒看到艾爾戴婚戒，所以她便認為他還單身。）

8. maximum [ `mAksJmJm ] a. 最大量的 & n. 最大量
minimum a. 最小量的 & n. 最小量
a maximum/minimum of...　　最多∕少的……
例: This theater can seat a maximum of 300 people.
（這家戲院最多可坐 300 個人。）

9. lie in...　　在於……
= consist in...
例: Success lies in hard work and determination.
（成功在於努力和決心。）

10. unevenly adv. 不規則地，不對稱地
uneven a. 不規則的，不對稱的
例: Anna cut her own hair, so the bangs ended up uneven.
（安娜自己剪頭髮，所以劉海剪得參差不齊。）

11. play an important role/part in...　　在……方面 扮演重要角色
例: Parents play an important role in a child's development.
（父母在兒童的發展上扮演非常重要的角色。）

12. build up...　　逐漸加強……，慢慢累積……
例: Alex built up his strength by working out every day.
（亞力克斯靠每天健身來增強體能。）

13. approach vt. 接近，靠近
例: The traveler approached the old man to ask him for directions.
（那名旅客走向那位老先生向他問路。）

14. propel vt. 推，推動
動詞三態：propel, propelled, propelled。
例: The force of the wind propelled the garbage can across the lawn.
（強風把垃圾筒從草坪的這頭吹到另一頭。）

15. sufficient a. 足夠的
例: This amount will be sufficient for our living expenses.
（這筆數目的錢將足夠應付我們的生活開支。）

16. temporarily adv. 暫時地
permanently [ `pRmJnJntlI ] adv. 永久地
例: The electrician cut our power temporarily in order to fix the wiring.
（電工將我們的電源暫時切斷好修理線路。）
例: Sam will be moving to Tokyo next month to live there permanently.
（山姆下個月就要搬到東京永久定居了。）

你若正巧在一年裡的這個時候到聖卡塔利娜島旅行，你將會有大大的收穫。從 5 月到 9 月，這座位於加州外海岩石遍布的島嶼都會有貴客來訪──飛魚。為了迎接這些迷人的生物，每一年都會連續慶祝 4 天的飛魚節，在這段期間裡，數百萬名遊客湧上這個島嶼只為了看牠們一眼。
　　飛魚並不是真的會飛。確切來說，牠們只是在水面上滑翔一段距離，可是牠們在滑翔的時候是那麼地優雅，常常讓人以為牠們是在飛行。飛魚有許多品種，大多 數都可以在世界上各大洋的溫水海域見到。牠們的尺寸都很小，最長的只有大約 45 公分。
　　飛魚能夠飛行的秘密在於牠們擁有像翅膀一般的胸鰭，這對胸鰭幾乎與牠們的身體一樣長。飛魚運用這對大胸鰭來提供飛行時往上升的力量。牠們強而有力且分 叉參差不齊的尾鰭也在幫助牠們起飛時扮演了重要角色。當飛魚準備躍入空中時會在水裡加速，並在接觸水面時將胸鰭緊貼著牠們流線型的身軀。在破水而出之際， 牠們在伸展胸鰭的同時，尾鰭仍在水下急速擺動，推動飛魚向前。在達到足夠的速度後，尾鰭會暫時離開水面，此時飛魚會在空中滑翔一小段時間才掉回水中。




from 常春藤解析英語 ( HTML 圖文版 )