43_Fully_Insured

43 Fully Insured¶

Insurance companies are normally willing to insure anything. Insuring public or private property is a standard practice in most countries in the world. If, however, you were holding an open air garden party or a fete it would be equally possible to insure yourself in the event of bad weather. Needless to say, the bigger the risk an insurance company takes, the higher the premium you will have to pay. It is not uncommon to hear that a shipping company has made a claim for the cost of salvaging a sunken ship. But the claim made by a local authority to recover the cost of salvaging a sunken pie dish must surely be unique.

Admittedly it was an unusual pie dish, for it was eighteen feet long and six feet wide. It had been purchased by a local authority so that an enormous pie could be baked for an annual fair. The pie committee decided that the best way to transport the dish would be by canal so they insured it for the trip. Shortly after it was launched, the pie committee went to a local inn to celebrate. At the same time, a number of teenagers climbed on to the dish and held a little party of their own. Dancing proved to be more than the dish could bear, for during the party it capsized and sank in seven feet of water.

The pie committee telephoned a local garage owner who arrived in a recovery truck to salvage the pie dish. Shivering in their wet clothes, the teenagers looked on while three men dived repeatedly into the water to locate the dish. They had little difficulty in finding it, but hauling it out of the water proved to be a serious problem. The sides of the dish were so smooth that it was almost impossible to attach hawsers and chains to the rim without damaging it. Eventually chains were fixed to one end of the dish and a powerful winch was put into operation. The dish rose to the surface and was gently drawn towards the canal bank. For one agonizing moment, the dish was perched precariously on the bank of the canal, but it suddenly overbalanced and slid back into the water. The men were now obliged to try once more. This time they fixed heavy metal clamps to both sides of the dish so that they could fasten the chains. The dish now had to be lifted vertically because one edge was resting against the side of the canal. The winch was again put into operation and one of the men started up the truck. Several minutes later, the dish was successfully hauled above the surface of the water. Water streamed in torrents over its sides with such force that it set up a huge wave in the canal. There was a danger that the wave would rebound off the other side of the bank and send the dish plunging into the water again. By working at tremendous speed, the men managed to get the dish on to dry land before the wave returned.

Words¶

Insurance /ˌɪnˈʃʊrəns/ 保险
fete /fet/ 游园会
premium /ˈprimiəm/ 保险费
claim /klem/ 索赔
recover /rɪˈkʌvɚ/ 弥补
Admittedly /ædˈmɪtɪdli/ 公认地
purchased /ˈpɝtʃəst/ 买
annual /ˈænjuəl/ 一年一度地
capsized /ˈkæpˌsaɪzd/ 翻
Shivering /ˈʃɪvɚɪŋ/ 打颤
dived /daɪvd/ 跳水
hauling /ˈhɔlɪŋ/ 拖拽
hawsers /ˈhɔzɚz/ 粗缆绳
rim /rɪm/ 外沿
winch /wɪntʃ/ 绞车
agonizing /ˈæɡənaɪzɪŋ/ 精神紧张的
perched /pɝtʃt/ 处于
precariously /prɪˈkɛriəsli/ 危险地
vertically /ˈvɝtɪkli/ 垂直的
torrents /ˈtɔrənts/ 激流
rebound /riˈbaʊnd/ 弹回

Expressions¶

insure (something/somebody) 给（某物/某人）投保
against loss/damage/theft/sickness 防止...
pay the premium 付保险费
recover the cost of 收回…的成本
haul something off/onto/out of something 把某物拖走/拖上/拖出
for one agonizing moment 在令人忐忑不安的瞬间
be perched on sth. 坐在…上
a torrent of 一股洪流
rebound off 反弹
doing sth…is a standard practice =it’s a standard practice to do sth. 做某事是惯例
in the event of 万一
It is not uncommon to hear that … 听到这种事并不罕见
make a claim for 要求得到...
at the same time 同时
look on 旁观
put sth. into operation 使某物投入运行
was drawn towards 被吸引到……
x a. to b./be fixed to 把 A 固定在 B 上
rest against 靠在……上休息
start up 发动；启动
set up 激起
send a. doing 使 A 做……