《时空恋旅人》精讲 01我的家庭成员

I always knew we were a fairly odd family. First there was me.

我向来感觉我们家很古怪， 第一个就是我

Too tall. Too skinny. Too orange.

太高，太瘦，太黄

My mum was lovely, but not like other mums.

我妈是个美女，但跟其他妈妈们 不同

There was something solid about her. Something rectangular, busy and unsentimental.

在她身上固有的几点：不落俗 套、忙碌以及从不感情用事

Her fashion icon¹ was the Queen.

她的时尚教主是女王

Dad, well, he was more normal. He always seemed to have time on his hands.

我老爸呢…他更普通，他总是看 起来很悠闲

After giving up teaching university students on his 50th birthday,

50岁生日那天从大学离教之后…

he was eternally available for a leisurely² chat or

他就常常跟人闲聊，或是…

to let me win at table tennis.

跟我打乒乓球，让我狂赢他

And then there was Mum's brother, Uncle Desmond.

然后便是我老妈的哥哥，德斯蒙 德舅舅

Always impeccably dressed. He spent the days just, well,

他的穿着总是无可挑剔，他每天就是…

being Uncle Desmond.

做他的德斯蒙德舅舅

He was the most charming and least clever man you could ever meet.

他会是你见过的最帅最无脑的家伙

His mind was on other things, though we never found out what.

他的心思都在别的事情上，虽然我们从不知道是什么

And then, finally there was Catherine.

最后一位就是凯瑟琳

Katie. Kit³ Kat. My sister.

凯蒂，我的妹妹

In a household of sensible jackets and haircuts there was this,

身穿居家服，发型总是这个样子…

well, what can I call her, nature thing.

我可以称她为天然尤物

With her elfin eyes, her purple T-shirts and her eternally bare feet,

她的眼睛、紫色T恤，再加上 她永远都是光着脚

she was then, and still is to me,

在我看来，她还是…

about the most wonderful thing in the world.

这世上最美好的东东

All in all, it was a pretty good childhood. Full of repeated rhythms and patterns.

总而言之，童年还是很美好的， 循规蹈矩，日复一日

By the time I was 21, we were still having tea on the beach every single day.

我21岁以前，我们每天都还在 海滩上饮茶

Skimming stones and eating sandwiches,

打水漂，吃三明治…

summer and winter, no matter what the weather.

不管秋冬，不管风雨

And every Friday evening, a film,

每周五晚上，都看部电影…

no matter what the weather.

不管刮风下雨

And then once a year, the dreaded⁴ New Year's Eve party.

还有就是每年举办一次令人生畏 的新年派对

1 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

2 leisurely   

adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的

参考例句：

• We walked in a leisurely manner,looking in all the windows.我们慢悠悠地走着，看遍所有的橱窗。
• He had a leisurely breakfast and drove cheerfully to work.他从容的吃了早餐，高兴的开车去工作。

3 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

4 dreaded   

adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。
• He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》