Way out at the end of a tiny little town was an old overgrown garden, and in the garden was an old house, and in the house lived Pippi Longstocking. She was nine years old, and she lived there all alone. She had no mother and no father, and that was of course very nice because there was no one to tell her to go to bed just when she was having the most fun, and no one who could make her take cod liver oil when she much preferred caramel candy.
在一座小镇的尽头有一座古老的花园，花园里有一座老房子，房子里住着长袜子皮皮。她九岁，独自一个人住在那里。她没有妈妈，也没有爸爸.这当然很好，因为在她玩得最高兴的时候，不会有人来叫她睡觉，当她更喜欢奶油糖果时，没有人会让她吃鱼肝油。
Once upon a time Pippi had had a father of whom she was extremely fond. Naturally she had had a mother too, but that was so long ago that Pippi didn't remember her at all. Her mother had died when Pippi was just a tiny baby and lay in a cradle and howled so that nobody could go anywhere near her. Pippi was sure that her mother was now up in Heaven, watching her little girl through a peephole in the sky, and Pippi often waved up at her and called, "Don't you worry about me. I'1l always come out on top."
很久以前，皮皮有过爸爸，她极其喜欢自己的爸爸。当然她也有过妈妈，但是这是许久以前了，皮皮一点也不记得了。当皮皮还是一个小婴儿躺在摇蓝里的时候，她的妈妈就去世了。她号啕大哭，谁都不敢靠近她。皮皮相信她的妈妈正在天堂里，通过天上的一个小孔看着她的小女儿，皮皮经常对她挥挥手，呼喊着:“不用担心我，我会过得很好。”
Pippi had not forgotten her father. He was a sea captain who sailed on the great ocean,and Pippi had sailed with him in his ship until one day her father was blown overboard in a storm and disappeared. But Pippi was absolutely certain that he would come back.She would never believe that he had drowned; she was sure he had floated until he landed on an island inhabited by cannibals. And she thought he had become the king of all the cannibals and went around with a golden crown on his head all day along.
皮皮没有忘记她的爸爸。他是一个海上的船长，航行在无边无际的大海上，皮皮曾经和他一起在他的船上航行，直到有一天爸爸在一场风暴中被刮下了船，消失了。但是，皮皮完全相信他会回来的。她绝不相信他会溺水而死，她相信他在海上漂流，漂到一个黑人居住的岛屿上。她想他当上了黑人国王，头上戴着一顶金冠整日四处走动。
"My papa is a cannibal king; it certainly isn't every child who has such a stylish papa," Pippi used to say with satisfaction. "And as soon as my papa has built himself a boat he will come and get me, and I'll be a cannibal princess. Heigh-ho, won't that be exciting?"
“我的爸爸是黑人国王，当然，并不是每个孩子都能有这样与众不同的爸爸。”皮皮’常常满意地自言自语。“我爸爸一建好小船，他就会来接我，我将成为黑人公主。哎呀，那难道不是很让人兴奋的事吗?”
Her father had bought the old house in the garden many years ago. He thought he would live there with Pippi when he grew old and couldn't sail the seas any longer. And then this annoying thing had to happen, that he was blown into the ocean, and while Pippi was waiting for him to come back she went straight home to Villa Villekulla. That was the name of the house. It stood there ready and waiting for her. One lovely summer evening she had said good-by to all the sailors on her father's boat. They were all fond of Pippi, and she of them.
许多年前，她的爸爸就买下了花园里的房子。他想等他老了，再也不能出海了，就和皮皮住在这里。之后这件讨厌的事情发生了，他被刮进了大海。而皮皮要等着爸爸回来，她直接住进了维拉维洛古拉的家。维拉维洛古拉，这就是房子的名字，它坐落在那里，准备就绪，等待着她。一个令人愉快的夏夜，她告别了爸爸船上所有的水手，他们全都喜欢皮皮，皮皮也喜欢他们。
"So long, boys," she said and kissed each one on the forehead. "Don't you worry about me. I'll always come out on top."
“再见了，小伙子们。”她说，吻了每一个水手的额头，“不要担心我，我会一直过得很好。”
Two things she took with her from the ship: a little monkey whose name was Mr. Nilsson--he was a present from her father-and a big suitcase full of gold pieces. The sailors stood upon the deck and watched as long as they could see her. She walked straight ahead without looking back at all, with Mr. Nilsson on her shoulder and her suitcase in her hand.
她从船上带走了两样东西:一只小猴子，他叫尼尔森先生—这是爸爸送给她的礼物，以及一个装满金币的大箱子。水手们站在甲板上看着，直到看不到她为止。她头也不回地径直向前走着，肩上站着尼尔森先生，手里提着大箱子。
"A remarkable child," said one of the sailors as Pippi disappeared in the distance.
“多了不起的孩子呀!”一个水手说，这时皮皮已经消失在远方。
He was right. Pippi was indeed a remarkable child. The most remarkable thing about her was that she was so strong. She was so very strong that in the whole wide world there was not a single police officer as strong as she. Why, she could lift a whole horse if she wanted to! And she had bought with one of her many gold pieces the day she came home to Villa Villekulla. She had always longed for a horse, anct now here he was, living on the porch. When Pippi wanted to drink her afternoon coffee there, she simply lifted him down into the garden.
他是对的。皮皮确实是一个了不起的孩子。她最非同寻常的地方是她力大无穷。她力气大极了，恐怕世界上没有一个警察能和她一样。为什么呢，如果她想的话，她能举起一整匹马!当她来到维拉维洛古拉这个家的时候，用一块金币买了一匹马。她一直渴望能有一匹马，现在他就住在门廊里。当皮皮想在门廊上喝下午的咖啡时，她只要把马举到花园里去。
课堂笔记：
1.这是一个由“and'连接的并列句，由三个简单的倒装句构成.当表示方位的介词或介词短语置于句首时，句子倒装，如“in”(在里面)，"at the end of "(在...尽头)，"in the middle of"〔在……之中)等。副词短语“way out”表示“远离”之义。
2.这是一个由“when"连接的主从复合句.“when"引导时间状语从句，表示“当……时候”从句中的“so that，又引导一个结果状语从句，意思是“因此，所以”，表示皮皮号淘大哭的结果。
3.“come out on top”有“占优势，脱颖而出，出人头地，大有成就，获取胜刊.”等意思。皮皮用到这一短语，表示她非常自信，相信自己完全能照顾好自己的一切。 |