红发会 23开始调查(4)

The road in which we found ourselves as we turned round the corner from the retired¹ Saxe-Coburg Square

当我们从那偏僻的萨克斯·科伯格广场的拐角转过弯来的时候，

presented as great a contrast to it as the front of a picture does to the back.

呈现在我们面前的道路是一种截然不同的景象，就象一幅画的正面和背面那样地截然不同。

It was one of the main arteries² which conveyed the traffic of the City to the north and west.

那是市区通向西北的一条交通大动脉。

The roadway was blocked with the immense stream of commerce flowing in a double tide inward and outward,

街道被一股熙熙攘攘做生意的人的洪流堵塞住了；在这洪流中，有向内流的，也有向外流的。

while the foot-paths were black with the hurrying swarm³ of pedestrians⁴.

人行道则被蜂拥而来的无数行人踩得发黑。

It was difficult to realize as we looked at the line of fine shops and stately business premises⁵

当我们看着那一排华丽的商店和富丽堂皇的商业楼宇的时候，

that they really abutted⁶ on the other side upon the faded and stagnant⁷ square which we had just quitted.

简直难以确认这些楼宇和我们离开的死气沉沉的广场那一边是紧靠在一起的。

"Let me see," said Holmes, standing⁸ at the corner and glancing along the line,

福尔摩斯站在一个拐角顺着那一排房子看过去，说，"让我们想想看，

"I should like just to remember the order of the houses here.

我很想记住这里这些房子的顺序。

It is a hobby of mine to have an exact knowledge of London.

准确了解伦敦是我的一种癖好。

There is Mortimer's, the tobacconist, the little newspaper shop,

这里有一家叫莫蒂然的烟草店，那边是一家卖报纸的小店！

the Coburg branch of the City and Suburban⁹ Bank, the Vegetarian¹⁰ Restaurant, and McFarlane's carriage-building depot¹¹.

再过去是城市与郊区银行的科伯格分行、素食餐馆、麦克法兰马车制造厂，

That carries us right on to the other block.

一直延伸到另一个街区。

"And now, Doctor, we've done our work, so it's time we had some play.

好啦，大夫，我们已完成了我们的工作，该去消遣一会了。

A sandwich and a cup of coffee, and then off to violin-land,

来份三明治和一杯咖啡，然后到演奏提琴的场地去转一转，

where all is sweetness and delicacy¹² and harmony, and there are no red-headed clients to vex¹³ us with their conundrums¹⁴."

在那里一切都是悦耳的、优雅的、和谐的，在那里没有红头发委托人出难题来打扰我们。"

1 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

2 arteries   

n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道

参考例句：

• Even grafting new blood vessels in place of the diseased coronary arteries has been tried. 甚至移植新血管代替不健康的冠状动脉的方法都已经试过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is the place where the three main arteries of West London traffic met. 这就是伦敦西部三条主要交通干线的交汇处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 swarm   

n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入

参考例句：

• There is a swarm of bees in the tree.这树上有一窝蜜蜂。
• A swarm of ants are moving busily.一群蚂蚁正在忙碌地搬家。

4 pedestrians   

n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Several pedestrians had come to grief on the icy pavement. 几个行人在结冰的人行道上滑倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Pedestrians keep to the sidewalk [footpath]! 行人走便道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 premises   

n.建筑物，房屋

参考例句：

• According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定，场内不准饮酒。
• All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行，不用送到外面去做。

6 abutted   

v.（与…）邻接( abut的过去式和过去分词 )；（与…）毗连；接触；倚靠

参考例句：

• Their house abutted against the hill. 他们的房子紧靠着山。 来自辞典例句
• The sidewalk abutted on the river. 人行道紧挨着河川。 来自辞典例句

7 stagnant   

adj.不流动的，停滞的，不景气的

参考例句：

• Due to low investment,industrial output has remained stagnant.由于投资少，工业生产一直停滞不前。
• Their national economy is stagnant.他们的国家经济停滞不前。

8 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。

9 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

10 vegetarian   

n.素食者；adj.素食的

参考例句：

• She got used gradually to the vegetarian diet.她逐渐习惯吃素食。
• I didn't realize you were a vegetarian.我不知道你是个素食者。

11 depot   

n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站

参考例句：

• The depot is only a few blocks from here.公共汽车站离这儿只有几个街区。
• They leased the building as a depot.他们租用这栋大楼作仓库。

12 delicacy   

n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴

参考例句：

• We admired the delicacy of the craftsmanship.我们佩服工艺师精巧的手艺。
• He sensed the delicacy of the situation.他感觉到了形势的微妙。

13 vex   

vt.使烦恼，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Everything about her vexed him.有关她的一切都令他困惑。
• It vexed me to think of others gossiping behind my back.一想到别人在背后说我闲话，我就很恼火。

14 conundrums   

n.谜，猜不透的难题，难答的问题( conundrum的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• After all the conundrums of Hungary, the second Turkish Grand Prix promises much. 继匈牙利站所有猜不透的事之后，第二届土耳其大奖赛许诺了太多。 来自互联网
• I see conundrums, dilemmas, quandaries, impasses, gnarly thickets of fateful possibility with no obvious way out. 眼看问题经纬万端，进退两难、入困境，死路一条，盘根错节的命定可能性，但找不到明显的出路。 来自互联网