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 are holding an open air garden party or a fete it would be equally possible to insure youself 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 common to hear that a ship ping 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 eight feet long and six feet wide. It has 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 cannal,so they ensured 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 water proved to be a serious problem. The sides of the dish was 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 into the surface and was gently drawn towards the cannal bank. For one agonizing moment, the dish was perched precariously on the bank of the cannal, 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 cannal. 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 cannal. There was 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 a dry land before the wave returned.
Vocabulary
'
insure ' /ɪn'ʃɔː; ɪn'ʃʊə/ vt. 确保,保证; 给…保险 vi. 确保;投保
arrange for compensation in the event of damage to or loss of (property),
or injury to or the death of (someone), in exchange for regular advance payments
to a company or government agency
短语
' insure against ' 给……保险以防
' pension insure ' 养老保险
' insure workers ' 给工人保险
' He was insured against death '
他给自己保了人寿险。
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'assure' /ə'ʃʊə; ə'ʃɔː/ vt. 保证；担保；使确信；弄清楚
'tell someone something positively or confidently to dispel any doubts they may have'
短语
' Assure myths ' 不弃神话
' assure that ' 确保;保证
' assure system ' 担保制度
例子'
Jack assured himself that they did as they were told'.
杰克确信他们是按照要求的那样去干的
'
The news assured me. '
这消息使我放心了。
I assure you I'll be there。
我向你保证我一定到那儿去。
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ensure /ɪn'ʃɔː; -'ʃʊə; en-/ vt. 保证，确保；使安全
make certain that (something) shall occur or be the case.
短语
to ensure 确保 ; 保证 ; 以保证 ; 表示目的
例子
They should ensure that everybody is present.
Ensure that you read each question.
The client must ensure that accurate records are kept.
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fete /feɪt/ n. 祭祀；庆祝；节日；游乐会 vt. 宴请；招待， v.赞扬
过去式 feted 过去分词 feted
例子
The hero was feted wherever he went.
那位英雄无论走到哪里都受到热情款待
He has been feted as a great thinker.
他被赞誉为大思想家。
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premium /'priːmɪəm/ n. 额外费用；奖金；保险费;(商)溢价 adj. 高价的；优质的
n. an amount to be paid for an insurance policy
'... the amount of the premium he would have to pay to an insurance company
for the acquisition of... '
a sum added to an ordinary price or charge.
' customers are reluctant to pay a premium for organic fruit '
something given as a reward, prize, or incentive.
' the Society of Arts awarded him a premium '
短语
' gross premium ' 毛保险费用
' initial premium ' 初期保险费用
' insurance premium ' 保险费
' at a premium' 溢价；非常珍贵；在票面价值以上'
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' recover ' vt. 恢复；弥补；重新获得 vi. 恢复；胜诉；重新得球
v. return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength
' Neil is still recovering from shock. '
find or regain possession of (something stolen or lost).
' police recovered a stolen video '
例子
' We must recover our losses immediately,or we shall be bankrupt.'
我们必须立即弥补上我们的损失，否则我们将破产。
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admittedly /əd'mɪtɪdlɪ/ adv. 公认地；无可否认地；明白地
used to introduce a concession or recognition that something is true or is the case.
' Admittedly, the salary was not wonderful, but the duties were light.'
'Admittedly, the salary was not wonderful'
'This is admittedly an extreme case'
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'purchase /'pɜ:tʃəs/ n. 购买；紧握；起重装置 vt. 购买；赢得 vi. 购买东西
'n. the action of buying something.
' The large number of videos currently available for purchase'
a hold or position on something for applying power advantageously,
or the advantage gained by such application.
v. acquire (something) by paying for it; buy.
'Mr. Gill spotted the manuscript at a local auction and purchased it for $500'
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annual /'ænjʊəl/ adj. 年度的；每年的 n. 年刊，年鉴；一年生植物
adj. occurring once every year
' the union's annual conference '
n. a book or magazine that is published once a year under the same title
but with different contents.
' a Christmas annual '
短语
annual leave ' 年假 '
annual account ' 年度决算 ; 周年帐目 ; 年结 ; 周年帐目报表'
annual survey '年度检验 ; 年检 ; 年度调查 ; 岁验'
annual pension '年薪 ; 每年退休金 ; 每年抚恤金 ; 年养老金'
Annual bonus '年终分红 ; 年终奖 ; 年度奖金 ; 年初分成'
annual report, annual leave, annual income, annual fee, annual meeting,
annual general meeting, annual revenue, annual salary, annual return,
annual sales
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短语
runaway teenager '离家出走的少年'
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capsize / kæp'saɪz / vt. 倾覆（特指船）；翻覆；弄翻 vi. 翻；倾覆；翻覆
'v. (of a boat) overturn in the water.
' the craft capsized in heavy seas '
n. an instance of capsizing.
'The trainees got to sail the boats with time spent as crew, helm,
flying the spinnaker, and some ‘lucky’ few even got to see a capsize
up close.'
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shiver /'ʃɪvə/ n. 颤抖，战栗；碎片 v. 颤抖；哆嗦；打碎
' n. a momentary trembling movement.
' she gave a little shiver as the wind flicked at her bare arms '
v. (of a person or animal) shake slightly and uncontrollably as a result of being
cold, frightened, or excited.
' they shivered in the damp foggy cold '
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dive / daɪv / vi. 潜水；跳水；俯冲；急剧下降 n. 潜水；跳水；俯冲；扑
n. a plunge head first into water.
' he hit the sea in a shallow dive '
v. plunge head first into water
' she walked to the deep end, then she dived in '
词组短语
dive into ' v. 投入、把手深入、钻研'
dive in ' 开始大吃、头朝下跳入水中'
dive for ' v. 扑向、潜水寻找'
take a dive ' 突然下降、继续下降、（市场）暴跌'
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ditch /dɪtʃ/ 'n. 沟渠；壕沟 vi. 开沟；掘沟 vt. 在…上掘沟; 丢弃'
n. a narrow channel dug in the ground, typically used for drainage
alongside a road or the edge of a field.
'And there was no drainage ditch on the side. '
v. provide with ditches.
' he was praised for ditching the coastal areas '
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haul /hɔːl/ ' n. 拖，拉；用力拖拉；努力得到的结果；捕获物；
一网捕获的鱼量；拖运距离'
' vt. 拖运；拖拉'
n. a quantity of something that was stolen or is possessed illegally.
' they escaped with a haul of antiques '
a distance to be traversed.
' the thirty-mile haul to Tallahassee '
v. (of a person) pull or drag with effort or force.
' he hauled his bike out of the shed '
(of a vehicle) pull (an attached trailer or load) behind it.
' the train was hauling a cargo of liquid chemicals '
词组短语
long haul ' 长途运输'
over the long haul '从长远来看'
haul distance '运输距离、行程长度'
for the long haul '从长远来看'
short haul '短途运输 、短途旅行'
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rim /rɪm/ ' n. 边，边缘；轮辋；圆圈 v. 作…的边，装边于 '
n. the upper or outer edge of an object, typically something circular or approximately circular. '
a china egg cup with a gold rim
'v. form or act as an outer edge or rim for
' a huge lake rimmed by glaciers '
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pacific rim ' 环太平洋,太平洋沿岸地区 '
n. the countries and regions bordering the Pacific Ocean, especially the small nations of eastern Asia.
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' salvage ' /'sælvɪdʒ/ ' ' n. 打捞；海上救助；抢救财货；救难的奖金'
' vt. 抢救；海上救助'
n. the rescue of a wrecked or disabled ship or its cargo from loss at sea.
' a salvage operation was under way
v. ' rescue (a wrecked or disabled ship or its cargo) from loss at sea.
' an emerald and gold cross was salvaged from the wreck
' salvage operation ' 海上救援行动
例句
They also found remnant ingots from the 1951/52 salvage operation
The rescue boat attempted to salvage the smaller vessel yesterday '
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'smooth' /smuːð/ ' adj. 顺利的；光滑的；平稳的 '
'vt. 使光滑；消除（障碍等）；使优雅；缓和 '
' n. 平滑部分；一块平地'
'n. having an even and regular surface or consistency; free from perceptible projections, lumps, or indentations.'
smooth flat rocks
'v. give (something) a flat, regular surface or appearance by running one's hand over it.
she smoothed out the newspaper
'adv. in a way that is without difficulties
' the course of true love never did run smooth '
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'hawser' /'hɔːzə/ ' n. 粗缆；系船索'
' n. a thick rope or cable for mooring or towing a ship.
'短语'
'wire hawser ' ' 钢丝缆 ; 钢缆'
'例句'
He managed to get a line and hawser ashore, across which some 40 men scrambled to safety
Fortunately, her dogs were tied to a tree by what appeared to be old tug hawsers . '
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winch /wɪn(t)ʃ/ ' vt. 用绞盘拉 n. 绞车；曲柄 '
短语
cable winch '缆索绞车'
n. a hauling or lifting device consisting of a rope, cable, or chain...
'They do the work of motorized winches - haul logs, or move stuck tractors..'
v. hoist or haul with a winch.
'Dramatic television footage showed rescue workers winching the nine survivors one-by-one..'
例句
' I'd say it was an ex-fishing boat because it's got a drum winch on the front.'
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agonizing /'ægənaɪzɪŋ/ adj. 苦恼的；痛苦难忍的
vt. 使极度痛苦；折磨（agonize的ing形式）
vi. 感到极度痛苦（agonize的ing形式）
' adj. causing great physical or mental pain. '
there is an agonizing choice to make
' v. undergo great mental anguish through worrying about something.'
' I didn't agonize over the problem'
例句
' Apparently, if I'm not in agonizing pain, he doesn't want to hear about it.'
' Once more I woke up to an agonizing pain in my torso. '
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perch /pɜːtʃ/ 'n. 鲈鱼; 高位；栖木；杆'
'v. 栖息；就位；位于；使坐落于'
n. a thing on which a bird alights or roosts, typically a branch or a horizontal rod or bar in a birdcage.
' Dead branches also make perfect perches for resting birds and... '
n. an edible freshwater fish with a high spiny dorsal fin
' 30-acre lake stocked with largemouth bass, yellow perch , pumpkinseed sunfish, and more.'
v. (of a bird) alight or rest on something.
'a herring gull perched on the mast'
短语
yellow perch ' 黄鲈 ; 美国黄金鲈鱼简介 ; 黄金鲈鱼 ; 黄鲈鱼 '
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precariously /pri'kɛəriəsli/ adv. 不安全地；不牢靠地
adv. precarious的变形
' precarious ' /prɪ'keərɪəs/ ' adj. 危险的；不确定的 '
' (推测等)可疑的；根据不足的；前提有问题的；臆断的'
' 碰机会的，说不定的'
adj. not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse.
'a precarious ladder'
adj. dependent on chance; uncertain
'she made a precarious living by writing'
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overbalance /əʊvə'bæl(ə)ns/ n. 超额；超量；不平衡
v. 使失去均衡；使过重
过去式 overbalanced 过去分词 overbalanced 现在分词 overbalancing
' n. outweigh '
I fault the university for many things, but all are overbalanced by its unparalleled resources
' n. excess of weight, value, or amount.'
overbalance of propriety
'例句'
I managed to sit down a little heavily into a canvas director's chair, causing me to overbalance and topple over backward.
'Her sudden bolt as he had been about to catch her had caused Father to overbalance and fall in the dirt.'
'an overbalance of propriety'
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clamp /klæmp/ ' vt. 夹紧，固定住'
' n. 夹钳，螺丝钳'
n. a brace, band, or clasp used for strengthening or holding things together
'Start by attaching the flexible vent from vent-connection kit to the periscope vent, using the band clamps in the kit'
v. fasten (something) in place with a clamp.
'the sander is clamped onto the edge of a workbench'
例句
'The dolphins could also attach a clamp onto an intruding diver, which would act as a restraint device.'
'I clamp together the second corner with the vices.'
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vertically /'vɝtɪkli/ adv. 垂直地
adj. 顶的，顶点的，绝顶的，最高点的
'例句'
Well, we cut it into vertically simple pieces. '
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torrent /'tɒr(ə)nt/ n. 奔流；倾注；迸发；连续不断
' n. a strong and fast-moving stream of water or other liquid.'
rain poured down in torrents '
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rebound /rɪ'baʊnd/ n. 回弹；篮板球
vi. 回升；弹回
vt. 使弹回
v. 重新装订（rebind的过去式和过去分词）
' n. (in sporting contexts) a ball or shot that bounces back after striking a hard surface. '
he blasted the rebound into the net
'v. bounce back through the air after hitting a hard surface or object.'
his shot hammered into the post and rebounded across the goal
'give a new binding to (a book).'
The sewn paper binding seems sturdy enough, but libraries will likely want to rebind the book for their collections. '
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Notes on the text
in the event of 倘若、万一 、如果发生...
make a claim for 要求得到....
put into operation 使...运转
for one agonizing 在令人忐忑不安的瞬间
set up 激起
参考译文
保险公司一般来说愿意承保一切东西。 承办公共财产或私人财产保险是世界上大部分国家正常业务。 如果你要举办一次露天游会或者盛宴，为了避免碰到不好天气而遭受损失同样可以投保。 不用说，保险公司承担的风险越大，你付出的保险费就越高。 航空公司为打捞沉船而提出索赔，这是常有的事，但是某地当局为了打捞一只焙制馅饼的盘子提出索赔，倒是件新鲜事。
这个馅饼盘子确实少见，有18英尺长，6英尺宽。 某地方当局买下它用来焙制一个巨大的馅饼为一年一度的交易会助兴。 馅饼委员会确定运输这只盘子的最佳方案是通过运河水运。于是，他们对这只盘子的运输安全投了保。 盘子下水后不久，馅饼委员会的成员们来到当地一家小酒店庆祝。 就在这个时候，许多十几岁的孩子爬上盘子举行他们的集会。 他们跳起了舞，但盘子难以承受。 在舞会进行过程中，盘子倾覆，沉入7英尺深的水中。
馅饼委员会给当地汽车修理厂老板打电话，他闻讯后，开了一辆急修车来打捞盘子。 那些孩子们穿着湿衣服浑身哆嗦，看着3个工人轮番潜入水中以确定盘子的位置。 他们没费多大事就找到了盘子，可是要把盘子捞上来却是一个很大的难题。 盘子四边十分的光滑，要在盘边栓上绳子或者链条而又不损坏它是很难办到的。 不过，他们终于将链条固定在盘子的一端，一台大功率绞车开动起来。 盘子慢慢浮出水面，被轻轻的拽向运河岸边。 在令人忐忑不安的瞬间，盘子晃悠悠的上了岸，但它突然失去平衡，又跌回水中。 工人们只得再来一次。 这次他们用沉重的金属夹子把盘子夹住，以便往盘子上安装铁链。 这次盘子必须垂直吊出水面，因为盘子的一边紧靠着运河河岸。 绞盘机再次启动，一位工人发动了急修车的引擎。 几分钟后，盘子被成功拽出了水面。 波浪从盘子两侧急涌而出，在运河里掀起了大浪。 但是当波浪从河对岸折回来时，就有再次把盘子冲进水里的危险。 工人们动作迅速，终于赶在大浪返回之前把盘子拽到河对岸。
Comprehension
- In the case of the pie dish,the insurance company concerned _________
(a) demanded a high premium in view of the ununusal size of the dish
(b) was asked to pay the costs of the salvaging operation
(c) agreed to pay the cost of transporting the dish by cannal
(d) arranged for the dish to be recovered from the cannal
- When the pie dish had capsized,the man who came to recover it _______
(a) had some difficulty finding it as they had been drinking locally
(b) had little difficulty in finding it as it had not sunk to the bottom
(c) found it difficult to devise a way of getting it out of the water
(d) damaged the dish when they attach hawsers and chains to the rim
- The huge wave in the cannal was caused by _______
(a) the sinking of the pie dish
(b) the dish sliding back into the river
(c) the great quantity of water which poured off the dish when they were getting it out
(d) they party of teenager
4. Eventually the dish was successfully recovered by_______
(a) resting one of its edges on the bank and attaching chains to the other
(b) securing the winch chains with metal clamps and lifting it veritally
(c) one of the men getting on to the trunk so as to pull the action
(d) some men who hauled it to the surface of the water at tremendous speed
Structure
- The bigger the risk an insurance company takes, ______to pay as a premium.
(a) the bigger you will have (b) the more you will have
(c) more you will have (d) you will have higer
(6) It is not uncommon to hear ______ a claim for ...
(a) of a shipping company making (b) a shipping company to have made
(c) the shipping company which has made (d) a shipping company making
(7) The sides of the dish were so smooth that attaching hawsers and chains to the rim ______ almost certainly to damage it.
(a) had (b) were (c) it was (d) was
(8) There was a danger that when the wave ______ off the other side,it would send the dish plunging into the water again.
(a) was rebounding (b) has rebound (c) rebounded (d) would rebound
Vocabulary
- Three men dived _____ into the water
(a) now and again // adv. 不时；时而
(b) one after another //adv. 接连地；一个接一个地
(c) time and again // adv. 屡次；常常
(d) many a time // 许多次
- A powerful winch was ______
(a) got going //get going开始；出发；着手
(b) made to work // to make things work 使有事情做
(c) taken to task //责备；批评；找麻烦
(d) given a function //给一个函数？
- For one ______ moment,the dish ...
(a) dangerous
(b) frightening
(c) exciting
(d) painful
- This time they put metal clamps ______ both sides of the dish
(a) over
(b) on to
(c) astride // adj. adv. 跨着；两腿分开着
(d) upon