美国语文第五册 第312期:论烤猪(2)

 　　China pigs have been esteemed¹ a luxury all over the East from the remotest periods we read of. 什么窝棚，猪崽呀，统统在冲天大火中化为乌有。追溯到我们尚且可查的悠久记载中，中国猪一向堪为整个东方世界奢侈生活的象征。

　　Bo-bo was in the utmost consternation², as you may think, not so much for the sake of the tenement³, 不难想象，波波当时的错愕不已，当然他并不担心那间糟糕茅屋；

　　which his father and he could easily build up again with a few dry branches, and the labor⁴ of an hour or two, at any time, as for the loss of the pigs. 随便拈来三两根枯枝干柴，他与父亲只消花上一两个时辰就可重新铺盖完毕。

　　While he was thinking what he should say to his father, 让波波百般纠结的是，他如何向父亲大人交差，

　　and wringing⁵ his hands over the smoking remnants of one of those untimely sufferers, 因此不停地摩挲双手，不知所措。眼前一具烧焦的猪崽冒出缕缕青烟，

　　an odor assailed⁶ his nostrils⁷ unlike any scent⁸ which he had before experienced. 一股平生未曾闻到的香味扑鼻而来。

　　What, could it proceed from? Not from the burnt cottage,— he had smelt⁹ that smell before, 天呀，究竟哪里飘来的香味？这味道不是来自灰烬尚存的茅屋，

　　indeed, this was by no means the first accident of the kind which had occurred through the negligence¹⁰ of this unlucky young firebrand. 那位倒霉孩子的疏忽过失引起火灾频发，当然祝融绝非第一次光顾这间茅庵破窝；

　　Much less did it resemble that of any known herb, weed, or flower. 至于波波熟悉的那些花草植物，更是八竿子沾不上边；

　　A premonitory moistening at the same time overflowed¹¹ his nether¹² lip. He knew not what to think. 波波居然有了某种预感，他的涎水嗒嗒滴地流了下来，尽管眼前一切看来似乎懵懂未知。

　　He next stooped down to feel the pig, if there were any signs of life in it. 波波俯身弯腰摸了摸火中小猪，想看看是否猪崽还存有一丝气息，

　　He burnt his fingers, and to cool them he applied¹³ them in his booby fashion to his mouth. 没想到蓦然缩回烫疼的手，于是愠恼地凑在嘴边猛吹；

　　Some of the crumbs¹⁴ of the scorched¹⁵ skin had come away with his fingers, 烤焦乳猪的零星碎屑碰巧沾到他的手指，

　　and for the first time in his life (in the world's life, indeed, for before him no man had known it) he tasted—crackling! 于是，他平生第一次品咂到烤乳猪的焦脆美味（这也是人类有史以来第一次体验未曾品尝的口腹之妙）。

1 esteemed   

adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为

参考例句：

• The art of conversation is highly esteemed in France. 在法国十分尊重谈话技巧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He esteemed that he understood what I had said. 他认为已经听懂我说的意思了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 consternation   

n.大为吃惊，惊骇

参考例句：

• He was filled with consternation to hear that his friend was so ill.他听说朋友病得那么厉害，感到非常震惊。
• Sam stared at him in consternation.萨姆惊恐不安地注视着他。

3 tenement   

n.公寓；房屋

参考例句：

• They live in a tenement.他们住在廉价公寓里。
• She felt very smug in a tenement yard like this.就是在个这样的杂院里，她觉得很得意。

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 wringing   

淋湿的，湿透的

参考例句：

• He was wringing wet after working in the field in the hot sun. 烈日下在田里干活使他汗流满面。
• He is wringing out the water from his swimming trunks. 他正在把游泳裤中的水绞出来。

6 assailed   

v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对

参考例句：

• He was assailed with fierce blows to the head. 他的头遭到猛烈殴打。
• He has been assailed by bad breaks all these years. 这些年来他接二连三地倒霉。 来自《用法词典》

7 nostrils   

鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her nostrils flared with anger. 她气得两个鼻孔都鼓了起来。
• The horse dilated its nostrils. 马张大鼻孔。

8 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

9 smelt   

v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼

参考例句：

• Tin is a comparatively easy metal to smelt.锡是比较容易熔化的金属。
• Darby was looking for a way to improve iron when he hit upon the idea of smelting it with coke instead of charcoal.达比一直在寻找改善铁质的方法，他猛然想到可以不用木炭熔炼，而改用焦炭。

10 negligence   

n.疏忽，玩忽，粗心大意

参考例句：

• They charged him with negligence of duty.他们指责他玩忽职守。
• The traffic accident was allegedly due to negligence.这次车祸据说是由于疏忽造成的。

11 overflowed   

溢出的

参考例句：

• Plates overflowed with party food. 聚会上的食物碟满盘盈。
• A great throng packed out the theater and overflowed into the corridors. 一大群人坐满剧院并且还有人涌到了走廊上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 nether   

adj.下部的，下面的；n.阴间；下层社会

参考例句：

• This terracotta army well represents his ambition yet to be realized in the nether-world.这一批兵马俑很可能代表他死后也要去实现的雄心。
• He was escorted back to the nether regions of Main Street.他被护送回中央大道南面的地方。

13 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

14 crumbs   

int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式

参考例句：

• She stood up and brushed the crumbs from her sweater. 她站起身掸掉了毛衣上的面包屑。
• Oh crumbs! Is that the time? 啊，天哪！都这会儿啦？

15 scorched   

烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦

参考例句：

• I scorched my dress when I was ironing it. 我把自己的连衣裙熨焦了。
• The hot iron scorched the tablecloth. 热熨斗把桌布烫焦了。