【有声英语文学名著】CHAPTER THREE(12)

To complete the image he had acquired a cautious tattoo¹ on his ankle, a non-committal yin-and-yang that he would probably regret back in London. But that was fine. In London he would wear socks.

Sobered by the cold shower, he returned to the tiny room and dug deep in his rucksack to find something to wear for the Dutch medical students, smelling each item of clothing until they lay in a damp, ripe pile on the worn raffia rug. He settled on the least offensive item, a vintage  American  short-sleeved  shirt,  and  pulled  on  some  jeans,  cut  off  at  the  calves  and worn with no underwear, so that he felt bold and daredevil. An adventurer, a pioneer

And then he saw the letter. Six blue sheets densely² written on both sides. He stared at it as if an intruder had left it behind, and with his new sobriety  came the  first twinge of doubt. Picking  it  up  gingerly,  he  glanced  at  a  page  at  random and  immediately  looked  away,  his mouth  puckered  tight.  All  those  capitals  and  exclamation  marks  and  awful  jokes.  He  had called her ‗sexy‘, he had used the word ‗discersion‘ which wasn‘t even a proper word. He sounded like some poetry-reading sixth-former, not a pioneer, an adventurer with a shaved head  and  a  tattoo  and  no  underpants  beneath  his  jeans.  I  will  find  you,  I’ve  been  thinking about you, Dex and Em, Em and Dex  –  what was he thinking? What had seemed urgent and touching³  an  hour  ago  now  seemed  mawkish  and  gauche  and  sometimes  frankly  deceitful; there had been no praying mantis⁴ on the wall, he hadn‘t been listening to her compilation⁵ tape as he wrote, had lost his cassette player in Goa. Clearly the letter would change everything, and  weren‘t  things  fine  just  as  they  were?  Did  he  really  want  Emma  with  him  in  India, laughing  at  his  tattoo,  making  smart  remarks?  Would  he  have  to  kiss  her  at  the  airport? Would they have to share a bed? Did he really want to see her that much?

Yes, he decided⁶, he did.  Because for all its obvious idiocy⁷, there was a sincere affection, more than affection, in what he had written and he would definitely post it that night. If she over-reacted, he could always say he was drunk. That much at least was true.

Without further hesitation⁸ he packed the letter into an airmail envelope and slipped it into his copy of Howards End, next to Emma‘s handwritten dedication⁹. Then he headed off to the bar to meet his new Dutch friends.

1 tattoo   

n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于

参考例句：

• I've decided to get my tattoo removed.我已经决定去掉我身上的纹身。
• He had a tattoo on the back of his hand.他手背上刺有花纹。

2 densely   

ad.密集地；浓厚地

参考例句：

• A grove of trees shadowed the house densely. 树丛把这幢房子遮蔽得很密实。
• We passed through miles of densely wooded country. 我们穿过好几英里茂密的林地。

3 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

4 mantis   

n.螳螂

参考例句：

• Praying mantis has two powerful claws like sharp knives.螳螂有一对强壮的爪子，它们像锋利的刀。
• In her mind,it was a female mantis,devouring her mates.她的意识中，是一只雌螳螂正吞咽她的配偶。

5 compilation   

n.编译，编辑

参考例句：

• One of the first steps taken was the compilation of a report.首先采取的步骤之一是写一份报告。
• The compilation of such diagrams,is of lasting value for astronomy.绘制这样的图对天文学有永恒的价值。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 idiocy   

n.愚蠢

参考例句：

• Stealing a car and then driving it drunk was the ultimate idiocy.偷了车然后醉酒开车真是愚蠢到极点。
• In this war there is an idiocy without bounds.这次战争疯癫得没底。

8 hesitation   

n.犹豫，踌躇

参考例句：

• After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天，他终于直说了。
• There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。

9 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。