美国语文第四册 第6期:海水为什么是咸的(3)

 　　When the people went by the house to church, the next day, they could hardly believe their eyes. 第二天，当人们去教堂路过他家时，他们简直不敢相信自己的眼睛。

　　There was glass in the windows instead of a wooden shutter¹, 他家窗户上不再是木头窗板，而是装上了玻璃。

　　and the poor man and his wife, dressed in nice new clothes, were seen devoutly² kneeling in the church. 人们看到那个穷人和他妻子穿着体面的新衣服跪在教堂祈祷。

　　"There is something very strange in all this," said everyone. "Something very strange indeed," said the rich man, 每个人都说：“这其中肯定发生了非常奇怪的事。”“的确有奇怪的事发生，”有钱人说道。

　　when three days afterwards he received an invitation from his once poor brother to a grand feast. 之后第三天，他接到了那位曾经一贫如洗的兄弟发来的请柬，邀请他去享用一顿盛宴。

　　And what a feast it was! The table was covered with a cloth as white as snow, and the dishes were all of silver or gold. 那是怎样的一个盛宴啊！餐桌上铺着雪白雪白的桌布，餐具不是金的就是银的。

　　The rich man could not, in his great house, and with all his wealth, set out such a table. 即便是在有钱人的大房子里，倾其所有，也准备不出这样一张餐桌。

　　"Where did you get all these things?" exclaimed he. “你是从哪里弄到这些东西的？”他大叫道。

　　His brother told him all about the bargain he had made with the dwarfs³, and putting the mill on the table, 他兄弟源源本本地告诉了他和矮人们做的交易的事，并把磨粉机放在桌子上转，

　　ground out boots and shoes, coats and cloaks, stockings, gowns, and blankets, 转出了靴子和鞋子，衣服和披风，还有长袜、女士长袍和毯子。

　　and bade his wife give them to the poor people that had gathered about the house to get a sight of the grand feast the poor brother had made for the rich one. 穷人让妻子把这些东西分给那些围观的穷人们，他们聚集在房子周围，想来看看穷兄弟为有钱人准备的大餐。

　　The rich man was very envious⁴ of his brother's good fortune, 有钱人非常嫉妒他兄弟的好运气，

　　and wanted to borrow the mill, intending—for he was not an honest man— never to return it again. 想要借走磨粉机——由于他是一个不讲诚信的人，他根本没打算归还。

　　His brother would not lend it, for the old man with the white beard had told him never to sell or lend it to anyone. 他的兄弟没有答应，因为白胡子老者曾经告诫他不要把磨粉机借给或卖给任何人。

　　Some years went on, and, at last, the possessor of the mill built himself a grand castle on a rock by the sea, facing the west. 许多年过去了，磨粉机的拥有者终于为他自己建造了一座很大的城堡。它坐落在紧临海边的岩石上，朝向西方。

　　Its windows, reflecting the golden sunset, could be seen far out from the shore. 每当夕阳西下的时候，窗户上便会反射上金色的余晖，从距离海边很远的地方就能看到，

　　It became a noted⁵ landmark⁶ for sailors. 这也就成了水手们眼中的显著标志物。

　　Strangers from foreign parts often came to see this castle and the wonderful mill of which the most extraordinary tales were told. 通常有很多外乡的陌生人慕名而来，就是想看看这座城堡以及这台出现在最不同寻常的传说故事中的磨粉机。

1 shutter   

n.百叶窗；(照相机)快门；关闭装置

参考例句：

• The camera has a shutter speed of one-sixtieth of a second.这架照像机的快门速度达六十分之一秒。
• The shutter rattled in the wind.百叶窗在风中发出嘎嘎声。

2 devoutly   

adv.虔诚地，虔敬地，衷心地

参考例句：

• She was a devoutly Catholic. 她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This was not a boast, but a hope, at once bold and devoutly humble. 这不是夸夸其谈，而是一个即大胆而又诚心、谦虚的希望。 来自辞典例句

3 dwarfs   

n.侏儒，矮子（dwarf的复数形式）vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Shakespeare dwarfs other dramatists. 莎士比亚使其他剧作家相形见绌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The new building dwarfs all the other buildings in the town. 新大楼使城里所有其他建筑物都显得矮小了。 来自辞典例句

4 envious   

adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的

参考例句：

• I don't think I'm envious of your success.我想我并不嫉妒你的成功。
• She is envious of Jane's good looks and covetous of her car.她既忌妒简的美貌又垂涎她的汽车。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。