听播客学英语 28 提防

 　　Today’s podcast is about taking care!

　　I want you to imagine that you are visiting England. You and some friends decide to go for a walk in the country. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and all is right with the world. You walk through a pretty village, and then through a wood. You climb over a fence into a big field. “This would be a good place for a picnic,” you say. So you sit down on the grass under a tree, and unpack¹ your picnic.

　　Then your friend sees something. “There is a notice on the fence over there,” he says. “can you read what it says?”

　　You look hard at the notice. You can hardly see the writing. “I think it says – beware of the bull!” you say. “What does ‘beware’ mean?”

　　You find your English dictionary at the bottom of your rucksack, You have just started to look for ‘beware’ when you hear a snorting noise. You look up to see a large bull standing² about 10 metres away.

　　Now, some bulls are kind and “hospitable³“http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/hospitable. They are pleased when visitors come to their field, and they try to make them welcome. One look at this bull, however, tells you that this is not the kind and hospitable sort of bull. He is, rather, the unkind and inhospitable sort of bull. There is only one thing to do. You and your friend run to the fence and climb over it. The bull runs after you, snorting angrily. He stares at you for a few minutes; then he goes back to the tree where you were sitting and starts to eat your picnic.

　　Now you know what “beware” means. It means “danger! be careful!” “Beware” is actually a shortened form of “be aware”. You can use “beware” as an imperative⁴ verb – that means, a verb which gives orders or instructions. You can tell somebody “beware of the bull” or “beware of the dog”. But you cannot say “I beware of the bull” or “you beware of the the dog.” So, “beware” is an incomplete verb – you can only use it to warn someone to be careful.

　　You will often see “beware” on notices that warn people about dangers. Near a railway line, there might be a notice “Beware of the trains”. Beside a river – “beware – deep water”. Or near a road junction⁵ – “beware of traffic from the right”.

　　And here are some other words or phrases which you can use to tell somebody that something may be dangerous.

　　danger!

　　warning!

　　caution!

　　be careful!

　　look out!

　　take care!

　　mind out!

　　There is a little quiz on the website about warning notices and the places where you might find them. Take care!

1 unpack   

vt.打开包裹（或行李），卸货

参考例句：

• I must unpack before dinner.我得在饭前把行李打开。
• She said she would unpack the items later.她说以后再把箱子里的东西拿出来。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 hospitable   

adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的

参考例句：

• The man is very hospitable.He keeps open house for his friends and fellow-workers.那人十分好客，无论是他的朋友还是同事，他都盛情接待。
• The locals are hospitable and welcoming.当地人热情好客。

4 imperative   

n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的

参考例句：

• He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
• The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。

5 junction   

n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站

参考例句：

• There's a bridge at the junction of the two rivers.两河的汇合处有座桥。
• You must give way when you come to this junction.你到了这个路口必须让路。