12. I earned my passage by working as an unpaid band, which accounts for my appearance.我是作为一个不拿工资的帮手赚来我的船费的，这就是我为什么会衣冠不整的原因了。

该句中which accounts for my appearance 是非限定性定语从句，which代表了前面的整个句子。

earn one’s passage 挣取旅费。如：

He couldn’t afford the fare, and so he had to earn his passage by doing jobs on the ship. 他交不起船费，只得靠在船上做些零活来挣取路费。

account for : be the explanation of sth.; explain the cause of sth 做某事的解释；解释某事物的原因。

His illness accounts for his absence. 他因病缺席。

Please account for your own conduct. 请你对自己的行为作出解释。

11. And it was the ship that brought you to England. 正是那艘船把你带到了英国。

该句为强调句，其句型为“It was +被强调的部分+that +句子的剩余部分”。

It was in this room that Lu Xun once lived. 这就是鲁迅生前曾经住过的房间。

Was it because his mother was ill that he didn’t go to school? 他不来上学是因为他妈妈病了吗？

When was it that the club was set up? 这个俱乐部的成立是什么时候？

10. The next morning I’d about given myself up for lost when I was spotted by a ship. 第二天早上，我正感到绝望的时候，一艘船发现了我。

spot 做动词时有“认出”的意思。如：

He is very tall and can be easily spotted in the crowed. 他很高，在人群中一眼就能看见。

The thief was spotted by the police as he was leaving the bank.　 那小偷离开银行时被警察发现了。

9.About a month ago I was sailing out of the bay-(his eyes stare at what is left of the brothers’ dinner on the table) 大约一个月前，我扬帆驶出了海湾-(他的眼睛盯在桌子上兄弟俩剩下的残羹剩菜上。)

stare at 盯着瞧，凝视。如：

It is not polite to stare at other people.盯着看别人是不礼貌的。

Don’t stare at me! I am not to blamed! 别盯着我！不该怪我！

8. As a matter of fact, I landed in Britain by accident.事实上，我在英国上岸是偶然的。

as a matter of fact=in fact实际上；事实上。如：

He appears to be in very good health but as a matter of fact，he suffers from a weak heart. 他好象很健康，实际上他的心脏很不好。

I didn’t go to the club yesterday. As a matter of fact, I haven’t been there for a long time. 我昨天没有去俱乐部，实际上，我已很长时间没有去那里了。

by accident 偶然地。如：

By accident, he found the place where his brother had hidden the treasure. 他偶然发现了他弟弟藏宝藏的地方。

7. I wonder, Mr. Adams, if you’d mind us asking a few questions. 亚当斯先生，不知你是否介意我们问几个问题。

I wonder whether (if ) you…是表示委婉请求的句式，用于较为正式的场合。译为：不知您是否……

… whether (if) you mind us asking a few questions 在句中作wonder的宾语从句，该句中的(mind us)asking a few questions为动名词的复合结构在句中能做动词mind的宾语。

“名词所有格/形容词性物主代词+doing”为动名词(-ing形式)的复合结构，该结构在句中能做主语、表语和宾语。

用作主语：

Sophia’s having seen them did not surprise us. 索菲亚看见了他们，这并不使我们感到惊讶。

用作宾语: Excuse my interrupting you. 请原谅我打断你的话。

用作表语：

What worried the child most was his not being allowed to visit his mother in the hospital. 使那孩子焦虑不安的是不允许他到医院探望他的妈妈。

在现代英语中，动名词复合结构用作宾语时，其名词多用通格，形容词性物主代词也多用代词的宾格。mind us asking…就属这种情况。再如：

I hate people being unhappy. 我不意人们不快乐。

Please say noting about us calling. 请不要(对别人)说我们来拜访的事。

6. Permit me to lead the way, sir.先生，请让我来带路吧。

permit sb.to do sth. =allow sb to do sth. 准许……做某事 如：

Will you permit us to use this room for a meeting this afternoon? 你能准许我们今天下午在这个房间开个会吗？

Permit me to explain it.容我解释一下。

She won’t permit her dogs to enter this yard. 她不允许她的狗进这个院子。

但要注意“准许做某事”应当是permit doing, 不是permit to do。如：

The rules of the club don’t permit smoking. 俱乐部的规矩是不允许吸烟。

permit sth. =allow sth. to exist, happen, or to be done (very formal)许可、容许(某事物)存在、发生或被(某人)做(非常正式)

The prisoners were permitted two hours’ outdoor exercise a day. 犯人每天允许有两个小时的户外运动。

5. He is lost in London. 他在伦敦迷了路。

be lost迷路；倾心于某事。如：

He was lost in the forest for three days and nights and was finally rescued by his friends.他迷失在树林里三天三夜，最后被朋友们救了出来。

He was lost in reading his book that he forget the time of his train.他看书入了神，把上火车的时间都忘了。

4. Now ladies and gentlemen, you are about to hear the most incredible tale.女士们，先生们，你们将要听到一个最令人难以置信的故事。

be about to do 正要(即将)做某事

Just as I was about to leave the room, the telephone rang. 我正要离开房间，电话铃响了。

He was about to say something when he saw her winking at him. 他刚要开口，突然看到她在向自己使眼色。

incredible (adj.)

(informal) difficult to believe; amazing or fantastic 难以置信的；不可思议的；惊人的；奇异的

Sally earns an incredible amount of money in that company. 萨莉在那家公司薪水多的惊人。

The Gates had an incredible (extremely good) holiday in Greece.盖茨一家在希腊度过了一个极愉快的假日。

impossible to believe 不可相信

They told us an incredible story! 他们对我们讲了个不可信的故事！

incredibly (adv.)

to a great degree; extremely or unusually 非常地；极端地；异乎寻常地

incredibly hot weather

in a way that is difficult to believe; amazingly难以置信地；惊人地

Incredibly, no one had ever thought of such a simple idea before.真是难以置信，这样简单的主意竟然没有人想到。

3. Have you ever read the story “The Million Pound Band-Note”? 你读过“百万英镑”这个故事吗？

“The Million Pound Band-Note” 《百万英镑》，是美国作家马克•吐温的短篇小说。大意是一个流落伦敦街头的穷光蛋忽然得到了一张百万英镑的钞票，他的生活由此而改变，人们的态度也随着钞票的得而复失、失而复得而做180度的大转弯，讽刺了赤裸裸的拜金主义。