【有声英语文学名著】CHAPTER THREE(8)

She pulled a soft pancake from a catering¹ pack of fifty and dangled² it like a wet flannel³. That‘s a burrito. Fill it, deep fry it, melt cheese on it, it‘s an enchilada. A tortilla that‘s been filled is a taco and a burrito that you fill yourself is a fajita.‘

So what‘s a tostada?‘

We‘ll  get  to  that.  Don‘t  run  before  you  can  walk.  Fajitas  come  on  these  red -hot  iron platters.‘ She hefted a greasy⁴ ridged-iron pan, like something from a blacksmith‘s. Careful with  these,  you  wouldn‘t  believe  how  many  times  we‘ve  had  to  peel  a  customer  off  these things. Then they don‘t tip.‘ Ian was staring at her now, grinning goofily. She drew attention to the bucket at her feet. This white stuff here is sour cream, except it‘s not sour, it‘s not cream,  just  some  sort  of  hydrogenated  fat,  I  think.  It‘s  what‘s  left  over  when  they  make petrol. Handy if the heel comes off your shoe, but apart from that . . .‘

I have a question for you.‘

Go on then.‘

What are you doing after work?‘

Benoit, Jesus and Kemal all stopped what they were  doing as Emma readjusted her face and laughed. 

You don‘t hang about, do you, Ian?‘

He had taken his cap off now, and was turning it in his hand, a stage suitor. Not a date or anything,  you‘ve  probably  got  a  boyfriend  anyway!‘  A  moment,  while  he  waited  for  a response, but Emma‘s face didn‘t move. I just thought you might be interested in my—‘ in a nasal voice —unique comedy stylings, that‘s all. I‘m doing a—‘ finger apostrophes —―gig‖  tonight, at Chortles at the Frog and Parrot in Cockfosters.‘

Chortles?‘

In Cockfosters. It‘s Zone 3 which seems like Mars I know on a Sunday night, but even if I‘m  shit  there  are  still  some  other  really  top  notch  comics  there.  Ronny  Butcher,  Steve Sheldon,  the  Kamikaze  Twins—‘  As  he  spoke  Emma  became  aware  of  his  real  accent,  a slight,  pleasant  West  Country  burr,  not  yet  wiped  away  by  the  city,  and  she  thought  once again of tractors. I‘m doing this whole new bit tonight, about the difference between men and women—‘

No doubt about it, he was asking her out on a date. She really ought to go. After all, it wasn‘t like it happened very often, and what was the worst thing that could happen?

And the food‘s not bad there either. Just the usual, burgers, spring rolls, curly fries—‘

It sounds enchanting⁵, Ian, the curly fries and all, but I can‘t tonight, sorry.‘

1 catering   

n. 给养

参考例句：

• Most of our work now involves catering for weddings. 我们现在的工作多半是承办婚宴。
• Who did the catering for your son's wedding? 你儿子的婚宴是由谁承办的？

2 dangled   

悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口

参考例句：

• Gold charms dangled from her bracelet. 她的手镯上挂着许多金饰物。
• It's the biggest financial incentive ever dangled before British footballers. 这是历来对英国足球运动员的最大经济诱惑。

3 flannel   

n.法兰绒；法兰绒衣服

参考例句：

• She always wears a grey flannel trousers.她总是穿一条灰色法兰绒长裤。
• She was looking luscious in a flannel shirt.她穿着法兰绒裙子，看上去楚楚动人。

4 greasy   

adj. 多脂的，油脂的

参考例句：

• He bought a heavy-duty cleanser to clean his greasy oven.昨天他买了强力清洁剂来清洗油污的炉子。
• You loathe the smell of greasy food when you are seasick.当你晕船时，你会厌恶油腻的气味。

5 enchanting   

a.讨人喜欢的

参考例句：

• His smile, at once enchanting and melancholy, is just his father's. 他那种既迷人又有些忧郁的微笑，活脱儿象他父亲。
• Its interior was an enchanting place that both lured and frightened me. 它的里头是个吸引人的地方，我又向往又害怕。