美丽新世界Brave New World 第1章(1)

 　　Chapter One

　　第一章

　　A squat¹ grey building of only thirty-four stories.

　　一幢灰白色的大楼，矮矮的，只有三十四层。

　　Over the main entrance the words, central london hatchery and conditioning centre, and, in a shield, the World State's motto,community,identity,stability.

　　门口大书：中央伦敦孵化与条件设置中心，盾式的图案上是世界国的格言：社会，本分，稳定。

　　The enormous room on the ground floor faced towards the north.

　　底楼的巨大厅堂面对着北方。

　　Cold for all the summer beyond the panes², for all the tropical heat of the room itself, a harsh thin light glared through the windows,

　　尽管对夏天而言窗户外已经很冷，室内却热得像赤道。薄薄一道森严的光耀眼地射进了窗户，

　　hungrily seeking some draped lay figure, some pallid³ shape of academic goose-flesh, but finding only the glass and nickel and bleakly⁴ shining porcelain⁵ of a laboratory.

　　渴望搜索出什么苍白的、长鸡皮疙瘩的穿便衣的非专业人员的形象，却只找到了实验室的玻璃器、镀镍柜橱和闪着凄凉的光的陶瓷。

　　Wintriness responded to wintriness. The overalls⁶ of the workers were white, their hands gloved with a pale corpse-coloured rubber.

　　对荒凉的反应还是荒凉。工人穿的大褂是白色的，手上戴的橡胶手套死尸般煞白。

　　The light was frozen, dead, a ghost.

　　光线冻住了，冻死了，成了幽灵，

　　Only from the yellow barrels of the microscopes did it borrow a certain rich and living substance,

　　只有在显微镜黄色的镜头下，才找到了某种丰腴的有生命的物质。

　　lying along the polished tubes like butter, streak⁷ after luscious⁸ streak in long recession down the work tables.

　　那东西在镜头下浓郁得像奶油，躺在实验桌一排排擦得银亮的漂亮的试管里，向辽远处伸展开去。

　　"And this," said the Director opening the door, "is the Fertilizing⁹ Room."

　　“这里，”主任开了门说，“就是孕育室。”

　　Bent¹⁰ over their instruments, three hundred Fertilizers were plunged¹¹, as the Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning entered the room,

　　孵化与条件设置中心主任进屋时三百个孕育员身子都俯在仪器上。

　　in the scarcely breathing silence, the absent-minded, soliloquizing hum or whistle, of absorbed concentration.

　　有的不声不气，全神贯注，几乎大气不出；有的则。已不在焉地自语着，哼着，吹着口哨。

　　A troop of newly arrived students, very young, pink and callow, followed nervously¹², rather abjectly¹³, at the Director's heels.

　　一群新来的学生低声下气地跟在主任身后，有些紧张。他们全都非常年轻，红扑扑的脸蛋，乳臭未干。

　　Each of them carried a notebook, in which, whenever the great man spoke¹⁴, he desperately¹⁵ scribbled¹⁶. Straight from the horse's mouth.

　　每个人都拿着一个笔记本，那大人物说一句他们就拼命地记一句——从“大人物那里”直接受教是一种难得的特权。

　　It was a rare privilege. The D. H. C. for Central London always made a point of personally conducting his new students round the various departments.

　　中央伦敦孵化与条件设置中心主任对亲自带领新生参观各个部门特别重视。

　　"Just to give you a general idea," he would explain to them.

　　“这只是给你们一个全局的印象。”他向他们解释。

　　For of course some sort of general idea they must have, if they were to do their work intelligently–though as little of one, if they were to be good and happy members of society, as possible.

　　因为既然需要他们动脑筋工作，就得让他们了解一些全局，尽管他们如果想成为良好的社会成员过幸福的日子，还是知道得越少越好。

　　For particulars, as every one knows, make for virture and happiness; generalities are intellectually necessary evils.

　　具体细节通向品德与幸福，而了解全局只是必不可少的邪恶，这个道理凡是聪明人都是明白的。

　　Not philosophers but fretsawyers and stamp collectors compose the backbone¹⁷ of society.

　　因为形成社会脊梁的并不是哲学家，而是细木工和玩集邮的人。

　　"To-morrow," he would add, smiling at them with a slightly menacing geniality¹⁸, "you'll be settling down to serious work.

　　“明天”主任总对他们微笑，亲切而略带威胁他说，“你们就要安下心来做严肃的工作了。

　　You won't have time for generalities.

　　你们不会有多少时间了解全局的。而同时……。”

　　Meanwhile …" Meanwhile, it was a privilege. Straight from the horse's mouth into the notebook.

　　而同时，从大人物的嘴直接到笔记本也是一种特权。

　　The boys scribbled like mad.

　　孩子们发狂地记着笔记。

　　Tall and rather thin but upright, the Director advanced into the room.

　　主任往屋里走去。他身材修长，略显瘦削，身板挺直。

　　He had a long chin and big rather prominent teeth, just covered, when he was not talking, by his full, floridly curved lips.

　　长长的下巴，相当突出的大门牙，不说话时两片嘴唇勉强能包住，嘴唇丰满，曲线好看。

　　Old, young? Thirty? Fifty? Fifty-five? It was hard to say.

　　他究竟是老还是年轻？是三十岁还是五十岁？或是五十五岁？很难讲。

　　And anyhow the question didn't arise; in this year of stability, A. F. 632, it didn't occur to you to ask it.

　　不过，在这个安定的年代，福帝纪元六三二年，并没有谁会想到去问一问。

1 squat   

v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的

参考例句：

• For this exercise you need to get into a squat.在这次练习中你需要蹲下来。
• He is a squat man.他是一个矮胖的男人。

2 panes   

窗玻璃( pane的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sun caught the panes and flashed back at him. 阳光照到窗玻璃上，又反射到他身上。
• The window-panes are dim with steam. 玻璃窗上蒙上了一层蒸汽。

3 pallid   

adj.苍白的，呆板的

参考例句：

• The moon drifted from behind the clouds and exposed the pallid face.月亮从云朵后面钻出来，照着尸体那张苍白的脸。
• His dry pallid face often looked gaunt.他那张干瘪苍白的脸常常显得憔悴。

4 bleakly   

无望地，阴郁地，苍凉地

参考例句：

• The windows of the house stared bleakly down at her. 那座房子的窗户居高临下阴森森地对着她。
• He stared at me bleakly and said nothing. 他阴郁地盯着我，什么也没说。

5 porcelain   

n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的

参考例句：

• These porcelain plates have rather original designs on them.这些瓷盘的花纹很别致。
• The porcelain vase is enveloped in cotton.瓷花瓶用棉花裹着。

6 overalls   

n.（复）工装裤；长罩衣

参考例句：

• He is in overalls today.他今天穿的是工作裤。
• He changed his overalls for a suit.他脱下工装裤，换上了一套西服。

7 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

8 luscious   

adj.美味的；芬芳的；肉感的，引与性欲的

参考例句：

• The watermelon was very luscious.Everyone wanted another slice.西瓜很可口，每个人都想再来一片。
• What I like most about Gabby is her luscious lips!我最喜欢的是盖比那性感饱满的双唇！

9 fertilizing   

v.施肥( fertilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Sometimes the preliminary step must be taken of reducing weed population before fertilizing. 有时候，在施肥之前，必须采取减少杂草密度的预备性步骤。 来自辞典例句
• The self fertilizing garden can also be planted in raised beds. 自我施肥的菜园也可以在苗圃床中种植。 来自互联网

10 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

11 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

12 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

13 abjectly   

凄惨地； 绝望地； 糟透地； 悲惨地

参考例句：

• She shrugged her shoulders abjectly. 她无可奈何地耸了耸肩。
• Xiao Li is abjectly obedient at home, as both his wife and daughter can "direct" him. 小李在家里可是个听话的顺民，妻子女儿都能“领导”他。

14 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。

15 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

16 scribbled   

v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下

参考例句：

• She scribbled his phone number on a scrap of paper. 她把他的电话号码匆匆写在一张小纸片上。
• He scribbled a note to his sister before leaving. 临行前，他给妹妹草草写了一封短信。

17 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。

18 geniality   

n.和蔼，诚恳；愉快

参考例句：

• They said he is a pitiless,cold-blooded fellow,with no geniality in him.他们说他是个毫无怜悯心、一点也不和蔼的冷血动物。
• Not a shade was there of anything save geniality and kindness.他的眼神里只显出愉快与和气，看不出一丝邪意。