【荆棘鸟】第四章 01

 第04章

　　牧场工头的房子建在支撑桩上，比下面的那道狭窄的干谷高出30来英尺，干谷的周围有一片高大、稀疏的桉树林和许多柳。看过了壮观的德罗海达宅院以后一这里未免显得十分光秃和过于着眼于实用了，但从屋子里的东西看，它和他们在新西兰时住的房子所差无几。满屋子结实的维多利亚朝代的家具多得用不了，上面覆盖着一层厚厚的、细细的红色尘土。

 

　　"你们在这儿很运气，有一间浴室。"拉尔夫神父领着他们踏上通往前廊的厚板条台阶时，说道。这段台阶够爬一气的，因为那平平稳稳地建在支撑桩上的房子拔地15英尺。"要是那条小河涨水，"拉尔夫神父解释道，"你们在这个高度就正合适，我听说，它一夜之间能涨60英尺呢。"

　　他们的确有一间浴室；在后廊的一头用墙隔出的一个小室里有一只旧的澡盆和一个满是缺口的热水器。可是，使女人们感到极不满意的是，她们发觉厕所在离房子大约200码的地方，它除了地面上有个洞之外，就别无所有了，而且还臭气熏天。这还不如新西兰呢，真是太原始了。

　　"不管是谁在这儿住过，都不是个干净人。"菲一边用手指抹着餐具橱上的灰尘，一边说道。

　　拉尔夫神父笑了起来。"你要想消灭灰尘那是要白费力气。"他说。"这里可是内地，有三样东西你永远也休想战胜，那就是暑气、灰尘和苍蝇。无论你怎么办，它们总是缠着你。"

　　菲望望神父。"你对我们真好，神父。"

   　"为什么不对你们好呢？你们是我的密友玛丽·卡森的唯一的亲戚嘛。"

　　她耸了耸肩，丝毫也没被他的话感动。"我还不习惯和一位神父友好相处呢。在新西兰，他们总是独往独来。"

 

Chapter 4

  The head stockman's house stood on piles some thirty feet above a narrow gulch¹ fringed with tall, straggling gum trees and many weeping willows². After the splendor³ of Drogheda homestead it was rather bare and utilitarian⁴, but in its appurtenances it was not unlike the house they had left behind in New Zealand. Solid Victorian furniture filled the rooms to overflowing⁵, smothered⁶ in fine red dust.

  "You're lucky here, you have a bathroom," Father Ralph said as he brought them up the plank⁷ steps to the front veranda⁸; it was quite a climb, for the piles upon which the house was poised⁹ were fifteen feet high. "In case the creek¹⁰ runs a banker," Father Ralph explained. "You're right on it here and I've heard it can rise sixty feet in a night."

  They did indeed have a bathroom; an old tin bath and a chipped water heater stood in a walled-off alcove¹¹ at the end of the back veranda. But, as the women found to their disgust, the lavatory¹² was nothing more than a hole in the ground some two hundred yards away from the house, and it stank¹³. After New Zealand, primitive¹⁴.

  "Whoever lived here wasn't very clean," Fee said as she ran her finger through the dust on the sideboard.

  Father Ralph laughed. "You'll fight a losing battle trying to get rid of that," he said. "This is the Outback, and there are three things you'll never defeat-the heat, the dust and the flies. No matter what you do, they'll always be with you."

  Fee looked at the priest. "You're very good to us, Father."

  "And why not? You're the only relatives of my very good friend, Mary Carson."

  She shrugged¹⁵, unimpressed. "I'm not used to being on friendly terms with a priest. In New Zealand they kept themselves very much to themselves." "You're not a Catholic, are you?"

1 gulch   

n.深谷，峡谷

参考例句：

• The trail ducks into a narrow gulch.这条羊肠小道突然下到一个狭窄的峡谷里。
• This is a picture of California Gulch.这是加利福尼亚峡谷的图片。

2 willows   

n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木

参考例句：

• The willows along the river bank look very beautiful. 河岸边的柳树很美。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Willows are planted on both sides of the streets. 街道两侧种着柳树。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 splendor   

n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌

参考例句：

• Never in his life had he gazed on such splendor.他生平从没有见过如此辉煌壮丽的场面。
• All the splendor in the world is not worth a good friend.人世间所有的荣华富贵不如一个好朋友。

4 utilitarian   

adj.实用的，功利的

参考例句：

• On the utilitarian side American education has outstridden the rest of the world.在实用方面美国教育已超越世界各国。
• A good cloth coat is more utilitarian than a fur one.一件优质的布外衣要比一件毛皮外衣更有用。

5 overflowing   

n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
• The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。

6 smothered   

（使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制

参考例句：

• He smothered the baby with a pillow. 他用枕头把婴儿闷死了。
• The fire is smothered by ashes. 火被灰闷熄了。

7 plank   

n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目

参考例句：

• The plank was set against the wall.木板靠着墙壁。
• They intend to win the next election on the plank of developing trade.他们想以发展贸易的纲领来赢得下次选举。

8 veranda   

n.走廊；阳台

参考例句：

• She sat in the shade on the veranda.她坐在阳台上的遮荫处。
• They were strolling up and down the veranda.他们在走廊上来回徜徉。

9 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

10 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

11 alcove   

n.凹室

参考例句：

• The bookcase fits neatly into the alcove.书架正好放得进壁凹。
• In the alcoves on either side of the fire were bookshelves.火炉两边的凹室里是书架。

12 lavatory   

n.盥洗室，厕所

参考例句：

• Is there any lavatory in this building?这座楼里有厕所吗？
• The use of the lavatory has been suspended during take-off.在飞机起飞期间，盥洗室暂停使用。

13 stank   

n. (英)坝，堰，池塘 动词stink的过去式

参考例句：

• Her breath stank of garlic. 她嘴里有股大蒜味。
• The place stank of decayed fish. 那地方有烂鱼的臭味。

14 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

15 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》