05_The_Facts

05 The Facts

原文译文

Editors of newspapers and magazines often go to extremes to provide their readers with unimportant facts and statistics. Last year a journalist had been instructed by a well-known magazine to write an article on the president's palace in a new African republic. When the article arrived, the editor read the first sentence and then refused to publish it. The article began:'Hundreds of steps lead to the high wall (which surrounds the president's palace).' The editor at once sent the journalist a fax instructing him to find out the exact number of steps and the height of the wall.

The journalist immediately set out to obtain these important facts, but he took a long time to send them. Meanwhile, the editor was getting impatient, for the magazine would soon go to press. He sent the journalist two more faxes, but received no reply. He sent yet another fax (informing the journalist that {if he did not reply soon he would be fired}). When the journalist again failed to reply, the editor reluctantly published the article as it had originally been written. A week later, the editor at last received a fax from the journalist. Not only had the poor man been arrested, but he had been sent to prison as well. However, he had at last been allowed to send a fax (in which he informed the editor that he had been arrested while counting the 1,084 steps (leading to the 15th foot wall (which surrounded the president's palace))).

报刊杂志的编辑常常为了向读者提供一些无关紧要的事实和统计数字而走向极端。去年，一位记者受一家有名的杂志的委托写一篇关于非洲某个新成立共和国总统府的文章。稿子寄来后，编辑看了第一句话就拒绝予以发表。文章的开头是这样的："几百级台阶通向环绕总统府的高墙。"编辑立即给那位记者发去传真，要求他核实一下台阶的确切数字和围墙的高度。

记者立即出发去核实这些重要的事实，但过了好长时间不见他把数字寄来。在此期间，编辑等得不耐烦了，因为杂志马上要付印。他给记者先后发去两份传真，但对方毫无反应。于是他又发了一份传真，通知那位记者说，若再不迅速答复，将被解雇。但记者还是没有回复。编辑无奈，勉强按原样发稿了。一周之后，编辑终于接到了记者的传真。那个可怜的记者不仅被捕了，而且还被送进了监狱。不过，他终于获准发回了一份传真。在传真中他告诉编辑，就在他数通向15英尺高的总统府围墙的1,084级台阶时，被抓了起来。

Words

• statistics /stəˈtɪstɪks/ n. 统计学
  1. Statistics show/suggest that women live longer than men.
  2. The statistics show that, in general, women live longer than men.
• journalist /ˈdʒɝnələst/ n. 记者
  1. Leo spotted that journalist running across the street.
  2. We all know that this journalist takes her job very seriously.
  3. The journalist refused to tell me the truth.
• instructed /ˌɪnˈstrʌktəd/ 委派
• palace /ˈpæləs/ n. 宫殿
  1. There is a palace in the middle of a lake.
  2. This palace was built years ago.
  3. Last Tuesday we went to the Summer Palace.
• republic /riˈpʌblək/ 共和国
• fax /fæks/ n. v. 传真
  1. You needn’t have sent me this fax.
  2. I received this fax this morning.
• reluctantly /rɪˈlʌktəntli/ 不情愿地
• originally /əˈrɪdʒənəli/ adv. 起初,原来
  1. So where's your family from originally?
  2. I live here now, but I wonder who lived here originally.
• poor /pʊr/ 可怜的

not only

not only + will/can ...

And you will not only have to pay him to do this, far more important, you'll have to agree with him.

And not only will you have to pay him to do this, far more important, you'll have to agree with him.

not only + have/has/had ...

You not only have done your work, but it looks like you've done Anderson's work as well…

Not only have you done your work, but it looks like you've done Anderson's work as well…

not only + do/does/did...

Well, the good news is I not only know men, but straight guys are my specialty.

Well, the good news is not only do I know men, but straight guys are my specialty.

not only + am/is/are/was/were...

'Cause she is not only pretty, but... she'll make all your decisions for you.

'Cause not only is she pretty, but... she'll make all your decisions for you.

部分倒装

句首否定词: 包括但不限于

• not/nor/neither
• not only
• never
• no
• hardly
• little
• no sooner ... than seldom
• not until

Expressions

• go to extreme(s) to do sth. 不惜一切代价去做某事
• publish + a book/an article/report... 出版书/发表文章/报告
• send sb. a fax… 给某人发传真
• get impatient 变得不耐烦
• get/be fired 被解雇
• provide sb. with sth. 给某人提供某物
  1. He provided them with a bed for the night.
  2. Perhaps you can provide me with an answer. Darkest Hour (2017)
  3. The police felt obliged to provide the public with information.
  4. This will provide you with two things.
  5. How many times have you found yourself in the awkward position of having to ask a complete stranger in a public restroom to
• sb. be instructed to do sth. 某人被指示做某事
• instruct sb. to do sth. 指示某人做某事
  1. I’m instructed to tell you this.
  2. We’re instructed to change into this.
  3. You were instructed to go to Russia.
  4. They instructed me to left the money over there.
• write an article on/about sth. 写一篇关于/关于某事的文章
  1. I’m writing an article on Art.
  2. I had no idea he was writing an article about me.
• find out sth. 查明某事
  1. They were now fully convinced that she found out about the truth.
  2. I did find out why he was here.
  3. I can't find out anything about him.
• sb. take a long time to do sth. 某人花很长时间做某事
  1. He took a long time to send them.
  2. He took a long time to learn how to swim last summer.
  3. She always takes a long time to take a shower.
  4. When do we go to press?
  5. Larry, we're going to press in six hours.
  6. inform sb. that + 句子 I'm instructed to inform you that you’re fired.
  7. I must inform you that you need to keep a secret.
  8. The company asked me to inform you that you must keep the status quo.
• go to press 送印
• inform sb. that + 句子 通知