CHAPTER 4 · 全书共 18 章
The Terrible Shovels 可怕的铁锹
第三章结尾，比恩说：“拿铁锹来！”这一章，铁锹真的来了——三把铁锹在狐狸一家头顶挖洞，越挖越近。可狐狸爸爸在惊吓中想到了一个绝妙的办法……全家能逃过这一劫吗？
The shovel breaks through —— 铁锹捅破了洞顶
4Chapter 4
第三章结尾，比恩说：“拿铁锹来！”这一章，铁锹真的来了——三把铁锹在狐狸一家头顶挖洞，越挖越近。可狐狸爸爸在惊吓中想到了一个绝妙的办法……全家能逃过这一劫吗？
The farmers shouted “Get the shovels!” at the end of Chapter 3. Now read “The Terrible Shovels” and listen to the sounds coming closer and closer.第三章结尾农场主们大喊“拿铁锹来！”现在来读《可怕的铁锹》，听一听那越来越近的声音。
Roald Dahl is a master of sound. In this chapter he does not tell us the danger is coming — he lets us hear it: scrape-scrape-scraping, Scrunch, scrunch, scrunch, an especially loud crunch. Writers call words that imitate sounds onomatopoeia.罗尔德·达尔是「声音」的大师。这一章他不直接告诉你危险来了——而是让你「听见」它：刮擦声、嘎吱声、特别响的咔嚓声。模仿声音的词，英文叫 onomatopoeia，中文叫「拟声词」。
Mr Fox escaped the farmers’ guns — but he lost his beautiful tail. Boggis, Bunce and Bean decide they will not wait for him to get hungry. Bean says: “Get the shovels! We can dig him out in a couple of hours!”狐狸先生躲过了农场主的枪——却丢了那条漂亮的尾巴。三位农场主决定不干等他自己饿出来，比恩说：“拿铁锹来！用不了几个小时我们就能把他挖出来！”
The farmers are digging down with shovels. What do you think will happen to the fox family?农场主们正拿着铁锹往下挖，你猜狐狸一家会怎样？
Pick one to remember your prediction — come back after reading to check!
点一个选项记住你的预测，读完全章后回来揭晓答案。
Two more questions after reading · 还有两个小问题：
1. What does Mr Fox shout when the shovel comes through the ceiling?
铁锹穿透天花板时，狐狸先生喊了什么？
2. What does Mrs Fox say to her children at the end?
结尾狐狸太太对孩子们说了什么？
跟着原文读一遍。橙色单词先别查——根据上下文猜一猜。点击任意单词弹出词典卡片（中英释义 · 发音 · 例句）；点段落开头的 ▶ 听朗读（英式男声）。
Down the hole, Mrs Fox was tenderly licking the stump of Mr Fox’s tail to stop the bleeding. ‘It was the finest tail for miles around,’ she said between licks. ‘It hurts,’ said Mr Fox. ‘I know it does, sweetheart. But it’ll soon get better.’ ‘And it will soon grow again, Dad,’ said one of the Small Foxes. ‘It will never grow again,’ said Mr Fox. ‘I shall be tailless for the rest of my life.’ He looked very glum.
There was no food for the foxes that night, and soon the children dozed off. Then Mrs Fox dozed off. But Mr Fox couldn’t sleep because of the pain in the stump of his tail. ‘Well,’ he thought, ‘I suppose I’m lucky to be alive at all. And now they’ve found our hole, we’re going to have to move out as soon as possible. We’ll never get any peace if we . . . What was that?’ He turned his head sharply and listened. The noise he heard now was the most frightening noise a fox can ever hear – the scrape-scrape-scraping of shovels digging into the soil. ‘Wake up!’ he shouted. ‘They’re digging us out!’ Mrs Fox was wide awake in one second. She sat up, quivering all over. ‘Are you sure that’s it?’ she whispered. ‘I’m positive! Listen!’ ‘They’ll kill my children!’ cried Mrs Fox. ‘Never!’ said Mr Fox. ‘But darling, they will!’ sobbed Mrs Fox. ‘You know they will!’
Scrunch, scrunch, scrunch went the shovels above their heads. Small stones and bits of earth began falling from the roof of the tunnel. ‘How will they kill us, Mummy?’ asked one of the Small Foxes. His round black eyes were huge with fright. ‘Will there be dogs?’ he said. Mrs Fox began to cry. She gathered her four children close to her and held them tight. Suddenly there was an especially loud crunch above their heads and the sharp end of a shovel came right through the ceiling. The sight of this awful thing seemed to have an electric effect upon Mr Fox. He jumped up and shouted, ‘I’ve got it! Come on! There’s not a moment to lose! Why didn’t I think of it before!’
‘Think of what, Dad?’ ‘A fox can dig quicker than a man!’ shouted Mr Fox, beginning to dig. ‘Nobody in the world can dig as quick as a fox!’ The soil began to fly out furiously behind Mr Fox as he started to dig for dear life with his front feet. Mrs Fox ran forward to help him. So did the four children. ‘Go downwards!’ ordered Mr Fox. ‘We’ve got to go deep! As deep as we possibly can!’ The tunnel began to grow longer and longer. It sloped steeply downward. Deeper and deeper below the surface of the ground it went. The mother and the father and all four of the children were digging together. Their front legs were moving so fast you couldn’t see them. And gradually the scrunching and scraping of the shovels became fainter and fainter.
After about an hour, Mr Fox stopped digging. ‘Hold it!’ he said. They all stopped. They turned and looked back up the long tunnel they had just dug. All was quiet. ‘Phew!’ said Mr Fox. ‘I think we’ve done it! They’ll never get as deep as this. Well done, everyone!’ They all sat down, panting for breath. And Mrs Fox said to her children, ‘I should like you to know that if it wasn’t for your father we should all be dead by now. Your father is a fantastic fox.’ Mr Fox looked at his wife and she smiled. He loved her more than ever when she said things like that.
这一章：一边是受伤挨饿的狐狸一家，一边是头顶挖洞的农场主。谁先撑不住？
这一章里，狐狸一家在挖地道逃命。记叙文写紧张场面时，常把人物的话、动作和心里的念头穿插在一起写。
His round black eyes were huge with fright.
Three details — round, black, huge with fright — describe a small fox's face in one line. Fear is written on the eyes, not told to us.
圆圆的黑眼睛里满是惊恐——一行字就写出了小狐狸的脸。恐惧写在眼睛里，而不是直接告诉你。
"Go downwards!" ordered Mr Fox. "We've got to go deep! As deep as we possibly can!"
Short, sharp orders, with "deep" repeated three times. In a crisis, Mr Fox speaks in commands — clear, urgent, and steady.
简短有力的命令，「深」字重复三次。危急关头狐狸先生只说指令——清楚、紧迫、镇定。
Their front legs were moving so fast you couldn't see them.
One exaggeration — legs too fast to see — shows how desperately the whole family digs. Action here is the whole story.
一句夸张——前腿快得看不见——写出一家人挖洞有多拼命。在这里，动作本身就是故事。
"Well," he thought, "I suppose I'm lucky to be alive at all."
In the middle of pain, Mr Fox counts himself lucky. A quiet inner thought shows his brave, grateful heart.
在疼痛中，狐狸先生还觉得自己活着就算幸运。一句安静的内心话，写出他勇敢又感恩的心。
He looked very glum.
One short line — "glum" — shows the whole mood on Mr Fox's face. The loss of his tail is written not in words but in his look.
短短一句——「一脸沮丧」——把情绪全写在狐狸先生脸上。丢了尾巴这件事，不用他说，看表情就知道。
Scrunch, scrunch, scrunch went the shovels above their heads. Small stones and bits of earth began falling from the roof of the tunnel.
Onomatopoeia — "scrunch, scrunch, scrunch" — turns sound into setting. Earth falling from the roof shows the walls of the home literally closing in, danger made physical.
拟声词「咯吱、咯吱、咯吱」把声音变成环境。泥土从洞顶落下，家被一寸寸挖塌——危险变成了看得见的物理压迫。
这一章按「时间 + 危机升级」推进：伤口与沮丧（静止）→ 铁锹声（危险逼近）→ 捅穿天花板（最险一刻）→ 挖洞赛跑（行动）→ 脱险与称赞（收束）。危机一波比一波紧。
Mrs Fox licked his wound tenderly to stop it bleeding. ... He would be a tailless fox for the rest of his life. He felt very sad.
狐狸太太为丈夫舔伤口止血；先生为失去尾巴非常沮丧。
How it expands · 怎么展开：从「最私人的痛」写起——围绕 tenderly / sad 展开：先写太太的温柔（爱），再写先生的心事（怕）。静止的悲伤，为接下来的危机做足铺垫。
He heard ... the scraping noise of shovels digging into the earth. ... “Never!” said Mr Fox.
铁锹刮擦声响了——狐狸先生叫醒全家，发誓绝不让他们得逞。
How it expands · 怎么展开：围绕核心词 scraping noise 展开：先写声音（用什么词形容），再写全家反应（太太哭、先生吼）。一个声音引出一整场家庭危机。
The sharp end of a shovel came right through the ceiling ... “I’ve got it!” he cried.
铁锹捅穿天花板，狐狸先生灵光一现：我想到了！
How it expands · 怎么展开：转折点写法：先用孩子的问题（“会有狗吗？”）把恐惧拉到顶点，再让「最糟的一幕」（捅穿）触发灵感。绝处逢生，全靠这一下。
“A fox can dig faster than a man!” ... The tunnel got longer and longer and deeper and deeper, and the sound of the shovels got fainter and fainter and fainter.
全家拼命往下挖，铁锹声越来越远。
How it expands · 怎么展开：行动段用「节奏」展开：豪言壮语喊两遍（反复），再用三组「越来越…」写距离拉开。读者跟着隧道一起往下冲。
“Your father is a fantastic fox.” ... he loved her more than ever before.
全家脱险，狐狸太太说：你们的爸爸是只了不起的狐狸。
How it expands · 怎么展开：用「评价」收尾：太太一句话把这一夜的勇敢提炼成主题（fantastic fox），再落回夫妻相视一笑——爱与智慧，双线收束。
这是时间顺序结构，所以复述也按时间轴：伤口 → 铁锹声 → 捅穿 → 挖洞 → 脱险。
小提示：与「思维导图」搭配用——把导图的枝条按 伤口 → 铁锹声 → 捅穿 → 挖洞 → 脱险 排好，先看导图复述一遍，再合上导图凭记忆复述一遍。
示意图：一个往下逃，一个往下追——比的是谁更快、更深。
把第四章的信息装进这张「思维导图」，再沿着复述支架讲一遍——你也能当小老师！
把句子补充完整，就完成了第四章的复述。
复述加分：用 First / Then / Next / Also / Finally 把六句话串起来；讲到铁锹声时，用越来越响、越来越快的语气，讲到挖洞时放慢，讲到最后一句时放轻、带一点自豪。
5 张图卡按情节顺序排好。看着图片，用英文把第四章讲出来——点击图片可以放大，每张图点开都有一句「提示句」帮你起头。
提示：图卡可左右滑动查看全部 5 张；点「看看提示句」展开英文句子；点图片放大全屏。
小挑战：先看着图讲一遍，再合上图卡，只凭记忆讲一遍——能做到，第四章就真正属于你了！
这一章是 Dahl 的「声音教科书」：他不用描写说“危险来了”，而是用越来越响的声音让你亲耳听见。秘密武器是这六招：
Scrunch 本身就是声音：铁锹扎进泥土的嘎吱声。没有写“危险逼近”，可读者耳朵里全是这个声音——像亲耳听见头顶的土在塌。
以声写景：Scrunch 就是声音本身——中文叫「摹声」，用声音代替大段描写，画面自己就来了。
太太用感叹号和哭腔（cried / sobbed）喊出恐惧，先生只用两个字 Never! 回应——短促、坚定。两句对话就把一个家庭在危险中的两种心情写透了。
哭腔对坚定，长句对短句——中文叫「对比」；Never! 一字一顿，是「短句抒情」，越短越有力。
longer and longer、Deeper and deeper、fainter and fainter——同一个结构反复出现，一步步加深：洞越来越深，铁锹声越来越远。重复就是强调。
同一句式反复出现、程度层层加深——中文叫「反复」与「层递」，一唱三叹，越读越有力量。
不说 “he dug very hard”，而是写泥土“猛烈地向身后飞溅”（fly out furiously）——用看得见的画面，让读者自己读出“拼命”两个字。
不直说心情，借泥土飞溅来写拼命——中文叫「侧面描写」，也叫「以动写情」，比直说更有画面。
同一件危险，声音越来越大、越来越近：刮擦声 → 嘎吱声 → 特别响的 crunch。危险不用写，声音自己爬上来，读者的心越吊越高。
三组声音由远及近、由弱到强——中文叫「由远及近」，配合「蓄势」，让高潮前的每一秒都绷紧。
狐狸太太没有说“谢谢”或“你真棒”，而是把“我们现在还活着”归功于丈夫——fantastic 这个词在结尾轻轻落下，却是整章最重的一笔。把这两句抄进你的「好句本」吧。
结尾借狐狸太太之口点明主题——中文叫「卒章显志」：惊险之后一句温暖的话，让整章的勇气都有了意义。
中西对照小发现：英文 onomatopoeia 就是中文「摹声」，repetition 就是「反复」，contrast 就是「对比」，escalation 就是「蓄势 / 层递」，theme at the end 就是「卒章显志」。给小朋友讲的时候，中英文术语可以互相借用，哪边熟讲哪边。
三个难度层级：先找细节，再推原因，最后谈看法。点「提示」给一点帮助，点「答案」对照想法。
1. What was Mrs Fox doing at the start of the chapter? 这一章开头，狐狸太太在做什么？
2. Why couldn’t Mr Fox sleep? 狐狸先生为什么睡不着？
3. What came right through the ceiling? 什么直接穿透了天花板？
4. What did Mr Fox mean by “A fox can dig quicker than a man!”? 他说这句话是什么意思？
5. Why did the scrunching and scraping become fainter and fainter? 铁锹声为什么越来越小？
6. How did the sight of the shovel affect Mr Fox? 铁锹的出现对狐狸先生有什么影响？
7. Was Mr Fox brave or just clever? Why? 狐狸先生是勇敢还是聪明？为什么？
8. What makes Mrs Fox say “Your father is a fantastic fox”? 狐狸太太为什么这样说？
9. The next chapter is called “The Terrible Tractors”. What do you think happens? 下一章《可怕的拖拉机》，你猜会发生什么？
Chapter 4 turns the worst night into the best proof of family: the fox’s lost tail, the scraping shovels, the shovel that breaks through — and a father who digs faster than any man to save his children. “Your father is a fantastic fox,” says Mrs Fox, and now we know why.
第四章把最糟的一夜变成家庭最好的证明：失去的尾巴、逼近的铁锹、捅穿天花板的铲尖——和一个比任何人都挖得快的爸爸。狐狸太太说「你们的爸爸是只了不起的狐狸」，我们终于知道为什么了。
每张词卡正面是原文句子——先根据上下文猜意思，再点击翻面验证。学完 12 个核心词，别忘了下面的「拓展好词」。
“licking the stump of Mr Fox’s tail”
猜一猜：整条尾巴 / 断剩下的残端 / 尾巴尖？
“was tenderly licking the stump”
猜一猜：粗暴地 / 温柔地 / 飞快地？
“I shall be tailless for the rest of my life.”
猜一猜：尾巴很长的 / 没有尾巴的 / 尾巴漂亮的？
“He looked very glum.”
猜一猜：高兴的 / 闷闷不乐的 / 惊讶的？
“soon the children dozed off”
猜一猜：精神抖擞 / 打盹入睡 / 大哭大闹？
“the scrape-scrape-scraping of shovels”
猜一猜：鸟叫声 / 刮擦声 / 流水声？
“Scrunch, scrunch, scrunch went the shovels”
猜一猜：叮当声 / 嘎吱嘎吱声 / 嗡嗡声？
“She sat up, quivering all over.”
猜一猜：兴高采烈 / 浑身发抖 / 昏昏欲睡？
“came right through the ceiling”
猜一猜：地板 / 天花板 / 墙壁？
“fly out furiously behind Mr Fox”
猜一猜：缓慢地 / 猛烈地 / 整齐地？
“It sloped steeply downward.”
猜一猜：水平向前 / 倾斜向下 / 突然转弯？
“sitting down, panting for breath”
猜一猜：大声唱歌 / 喘着粗气 / 悄悄说话？
| Word | Meaning 释义 | From the text 原文 |
|---|---|---|
| bleeding | n./v. 流血；出血 | “to stop the bleeding” |
| fright | n. 惊吓；恐惧 | “His round black eyes were huge with fright.” |
| electric | adj. 电击般的；令人震动的 | “an electric effect upon Mr Fox” |
| steeply | adv. 陡峭地；急剧地 | “It sloped steeply downward.” |
| fainter | adj. 更微弱的（faint 的比较级） | “became fainter and fainter” |
| fantastic | adj. 极好的；了不起的 | “Your father is a fantastic fox.” |
本章的 4 个语法点都藏在课文句子里：每个点按「规则 → 原文例句 → 即时练习」三步走，最后做 5 道综合小测检验。先划比较级标志词和连接词，再判断句型。
规则：引语后面常用 said / cried / asked / sobbed + 主语。主语是名词时常常倒装：said Mr Fox（= Mr Fox said）；主语是人称代词时不倒装：he said。不同的说话动词还能表达心情：cried（喊）、sobbed（哭诉）、whispered（低语）、shouted（大叫）。
P2“They’ll kill my children!” cried Mrs Fox. “Never!” said Mr Fox. “But darling, they will!” sobbed Mrs Fox.
同样是“说”，cried 是尖叫、sobbed 是哭诉——动词一换，情绪立刻不同。
1“Go downwards!” ___ Mr Fox. A. said B. ordered C. whispered
2“Are you sure that’s it?” she ___.（用 say 的过去式）
3把 “I’m so scared,” my little brother said. 改成倒装：___ my little brother。
1. B（ordered）——狐狸先生在发号施令，用 ordered（命令）最贴切，且名词主语可倒装。
2. said——she said，代词主语不倒装。
3. said——said my little brother。名词主语可倒装，代词主语不倒装。
规则：“比较级 and 比较级” 表示持续变化，意思是「越来越……」。单音节词用 -er：longer and longer（越来越长）、deeper and deeper（越来越深）；fainter and fainter（越来越弱）。
P4The tunnel began to grow longer and longer. Deeper and deeper below the surface of the ground it went. And gradually the scrunching and scraping of the shovels became fainter and fainter.
三组「比较级 and 比较级」像下楼梯：洞越深，声越远——变化是连续的、越来越明显。
1The rain fell ___ and ___ (hard). 雨越下越大。
2The night grew ___ and ___ (dark). 夜越来越黑。
3用 “-er and -er” 翻译：她跑得越来越快。
1. harder and harder——hard 的比较级是 harder，重复表示持续变强。
2. darker and darker——dark → darker，越来越黑。
3. She ran faster and faster.——fast → faster，重复强调变化。
规则：as + 形容词/副词原级 + as 表示同级比较：“和……一样……”。否定时用 not as ... as（不如……）；中间可插入名词短语，如 as deep as we possibly can（尽可能深）。
P3Nobody in the world can dig as quick as a fox! P4As deep as we possibly can!
狐狸先生用 as ... as 夸口：世界上没有谁挖得像狐狸一样快——最高级的骄傲，用最朴素的句型说出来。
1My sister is as ___ (tall) as my mother.
2He can run as ___ (quick) as a horse.
3用 not as ... as 翻译：这本书没有那本有趣。
1. tall——as + 形容词原级 + as，同级比较不用比较级。
2. quick——as quick as，原级；注意不是 quicker。
3. This book is not as interesting as that one.——not as ... as 表示“不如”。
规则：if it wasn’t for + 名词 意思是「要不是因为……（就不会……）」，是一个含蓄条件句：条件没有明说“如果”，而是借“某人/某事”表达。主句常用虚拟语气：we should all be dead（我们早就都没命了）。
P5if it wasn’t for your father, we should all be dead by now.
意思是：要是没有你们的爸爸，我们现在全都没命了——把感谢藏在假设里，格外动人。
1If it wasn’t for the map, we ___ (get) lost. A. will B. would C. do
2If it wasn’t for your help, I ___ (not finish) the work on time.
3用 if it wasn’t for 翻译：要不是下雨，我们就去公园了。
1. B（would）——含蓄条件句的主句常用 would + 动词原形。
2. would not finish——要不是你的帮助，我就不能按时完成工作。
3. If it wasn’t for the rain, we would go to the park.——假设与现在事实相反。
5 道选择题 + 1 个配对游戏。先做选择题，再做配对，看看你能得几分！
1章首 Mrs Fox 在做什么？
2Mr Fox 为什么睡不着？
3“A fox can dig quicker than a ___!” 空格里是？
4铁锹声最后变得怎么样？
5Mrs Fox 最后怎么夸丈夫？
先点左边的角色，再点右边他说的话。
还有 3 对要配对。
这一页是你的自学地图：学习目标、学习步骤和全部答案都在这里，跟着走就能通关第四章。