---
url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-2/238-the-sacred-tree.md
description: 新概念英语第二册：The Sacred Tree。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。
---

# 拓展 · 圣树

### 第1段

In the nineteenth century, Mugo Kibiru, a famous prophet of the Kikuyu tribe, foretold that a fig tree at Thika, twenty-six miles north of Nairobi, would wither and die on the day that Kenya gained independence. Kibiru also prophesied that Kenya would become a white man's colony, but that one day the white man would return the land to the Africans. He foresaw the coming of the railway which he described as 'an iron snake with many legs, like an earthworm'. Kibiru's prophecies proved to be so accurate that for many years the tree at Thika was regarded as sacred. Even the white men took the prophecy seriously, for they built the tree up with earth and put a concrete wall around it so that it would not fall. These measures were doomed to fail. Shortly before Kenya gained independence, the tree was struck by lightning and it began to wither rapidly. By the day Kenya officially became independent, it had decayed completely, fulfilling the prophecy made over seventy years before by Kibiru.

中文理解：十九世纪，基库尤部落著名先知穆戈·基比鲁预言：肯尼亚获得独立的那一天，内罗毕以北二十六英里的锡卡镇，有一棵无花果树会枯萎死去。 他还预言，肯尼亚会成为白人的殖民地，但终有一天，白人会把土地还给非洲人。他也预见了铁路的到来，把它形容成“一条长着许多腿、像蚯蚓一样的铁蛇”。 这些预言准确得令人吃惊，多年来，锡卡的那棵树一直被视为神树。连白人也认真对待这个预言，在树周围培土，又筑起混凝土围墙，免得它倒下。 可这些措施注定无济于事。肯尼亚独立前不久，树遭雷击，迅速开始枯萎。 到肯尼亚正式独立那天，它已经彻底枯死，印证了基比鲁七十多年前的预言。

* **gained independence**：获得独立；independence通常不可数，from说明脱离谁的统治。

* **proved to be**：结果证明是；本课prove作系动词，不需要be proved。

* **was regarded as**：被看作；被认为是；表达某种看法，不直接等于客观事实；as 后说明被看成什么。

* **took the prophecy seriously**：认真对待预言；seriously修饰take，整体是认真对待；宾语放在take和seriously之间。

* **doomed to fail**：注定失败；强烈判断失败不可避免，不是普通的可能失败。

* **struck by lightning**：遭到雷击；strike过去分词struck，lightning不可数。

#### 标题与阅读提示

\[1] 选自《新概念英语2》，北京：外语教学与研究出版社2019.7. 第339页.

#### In the nineteenth century, Mugo Kibiru, a famous prophet of the Kikuyu tribe, foretold that a fig tree at Thika, twenty-six miles north of Nairobi, would wither and die on the day that Kenya gained independence.

复合句，主句主谓 + 宾语从句结构，that 引导的宾语从句为主谓结构，后面跟了一个that 引导的定语从句修饰day.

这位预言家在历史上似有其人，英文维基百科有对应词条，但提示需要更多的资料予以证实，全名是Mugo wa Kibiru，其中Mugo 是a healer 治愈师的意思. 他的这些故事都缺乏史料证实，所以我们只能说这些是anecdotes，轶事.

#### Kibiru also prophesied that Kenya would become a white man's colony, but that one day the white man would return the land to the Africans.

man would return the land…

并列复合句，主句主谓 + that 引导的宾语从句结构，有两个that 引导的宾语从句，他们是并列的，由but 予以连接. 第一个宾语从句为主系表结构；第二个则为主谓宾结构.

#### He foresaw the coming of the railway which he described as 'an iron snake with many legs, like an earthworm'.

复合句，主句主谓宾结构，后面有一个which 引导的定语从句修饰railway ，主谓宾 + 宾补结构.

#### Kibiru's prophecies proved to be so accurate that for many years the tree at Thika was regarded as sacred.

复合句，主句主系表结构，后面是so…that 结构的结果状语从句，主谓 + 主语补语结构，因为是被动语态，所以原本的宾语补足语转作主语补足语，主动语态是regard the tree .

#### Even the white men took the prophecy seriously, for they built the tree up with earth and put a concrete wall around it so that it would not fall.

并列复合句，for 作连词，连接前后两句，前句为简单句，主谓宾结构；后句为复合句，主句为主谓宾结构，后面是so that 引导的目的状语从句，该从句为主谓结构.

#### These measures were doomed to fail.

简单句，主干 These measures were doomed 表示“这些措施注定……”，to fail 补充注定发生的结果；不宜把 were doomed 当作主动及物谓语、把 to fail 简单列为直接宾语。

#### Shortly before Kenya gained independence, the tree was struck by lightning and it began to wither rapidly.

复合句，主句为并列句，两句由and 连接，前句为主谓结构，后句为主谓宾结构，动词不定式作宾语；句首是时间状语从句，主谓宾结构.

#### By the day Kenya officially became independent, it had decayed completely, fulfilling the prophecy made over seventy years before by Kibiru.

复合句，主句主谓结构，用了过去完成时，had done，句首是时间状语从句，主系表结构.

## 学完这一课

先沿这条线复述《圣树》：预言独立日树会枯死 → 还预见殖民与铁路 → 预言准确，树被奉为神圣 → 保护仍未挡住雷击 → 独立当天预言应验。再借一个结构讲自己的事：把本课一句直接引语转述给第三个人，检查人称和时间是否仍然合理。

[Nce · 本册复习台](/new-concept/book-2/review) · [三册选择地图](/new-concept/)

*译文依据整理稿，由本站按中文表达重新校订；解析据吴应时整理资料及首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第238—239页，2022年3月第1版。*