美国语文第五册 第6期:温柔的手(1)

 　　When and where it matters not now to relate—but once upon a time, 究竟什么时间、地点，现在看来似乎无关紧要——姑且算是从前吧，

　　as I was passing through a thinly peopled district of country, night came down upon me almost unawares. 当我走过一处人烟稀少的地区，不知不觉间，夜幕降临了。

　　Being on foot, I could not hope to gain the village toward which my steps were directed, until a late hour; 由于步行，我不可能指望找到一处乡镇或村庄。又过了一个小时，

　　and I therefore preferred seeking shelter and a night's lodging¹ at the first humble² dwelling³ that presented itself. 我急切地想找处地方过夜，没别的，最先撞见的地方，无论怎样粗鄙简陋，对付一晚足矣。

　　Dusky twilight⁴ was giving place to deeper shadows, when I found myself in the vicinity of a dwelling, 昏暗灯火来自深不可测的黑暗，我突然发现附近有户人家，

　　from the small uncurtained windows of which the light shone with a pleasant promise of good cheer and comfort. 从那扇光秃秃的窗口里，似乎感觉到灯火里透出喜悦的安详。

　　The house stood within an inclosure, and a short distance from the road along which I was moving with wearied feet. 屋子四周有栅栏，离我走的路很近，那时，我可真是走得太累了。

　　Turning aside, and passing through the ill-hung gate, I approached the dwelling. 走下路，跨过那扇歪扭的大门，我走向那处屋子。

　　Slowly the gate swung on its wooden hinges,  大门在木质铰链上慢慢晃动，

　　and the rattle⁵ of its latch⁶, in closing, did not disturb the air until I had nearly reached the porch in front of the house, 门闩的吱呀声悄无声息，直到最后关门才发出轻微声响。待我走到房前走廊时，

　　in which a slender girl, who had noticed my entrance, stood awaiting my arrival. 才看到一位身材修长的姑娘站在那里，显然，刚才她听到了我的脚步。

　　A deep, quick bark answered, almost like an echo, the sound of the shutting gate, 门甫关上，旋即响起一声低沉的狗吠，

　　and, sudden as an apparition⁷, the form of an immense dog loomed⁸ in the doorway⁹. 一条体型硕大的狗幽灵般出现在我的身边。

　　At the instant when he was about to spring, a light hand was laid upon his shaggy neck, and a low word spoken. 就在它立马扑过来的刹那，一只手轻轻搭在那只狗毛发蓬松的脖颈。

　　"Go in, Tiger," said the girl, not in a voice of authority, yet in her gentle tones was the consciousness that she would be obeyed; “虎子，进去，”姑娘低声说道，声音并不威严，但温柔中含有不得不服从的暗示，

　　and, as she spoke¹⁰, she lightly bore upon the animal with her hand, and he turned away and disappeared within the dwelling. 与此同时，她轻轻地拍打那狗几下，于是那狗转身闪进屋内。

1 lodging   

n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍

参考例句：

• The bill is inclusive of the food and lodging. 账单包括吃、住费用。
• Where can you find lodging for the night? 你今晚在哪里借宿?

2 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

3 dwelling   

n.住宅，住所，寓所

参考例句：

• Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
• He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。

4 twilight   

n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期

参考例句：

• Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
• Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

5 rattle   

v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓

参考例句：

• The baby only shook the rattle and laughed and crowed.孩子只是摇着拨浪鼓，笑着叫着。
• She could hear the rattle of the teacups.她听见茶具叮当响。

6 latch   

n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁

参考例句：

• She laid her hand on the latch of the door.她把手放在门闩上。
• The repairman installed an iron latch on the door.修理工在门上安了铁门闩。

7 apparition   

n.幽灵，神奇的现象

参考例句：

• He saw the apparition of his dead wife.他看见了他亡妻的幽灵。
• But the terror of this new apparition brought me to a stand.这新出现的幽灵吓得我站在那里一动也不敢动。

8 loomed   

v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• A dark shape loomed up ahead of us. 一个黑糊糊的影子隐隐出现在我们的前面。
• The prospect of war loomed large in everyone's mind. 战事将起的庞大阴影占据每个人的心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。