美国语文第四册 第30期:两种方式讲述同一个故事(2)

 　　Yesterday afternoon a very venerable old clergyman was on his way from Boston to Salem, to pass the rest of the winter at the house of his son. 昨天下午，一位非常德高望重的老牧师从波士顿赶往塞伦，去他儿子家过冬。

　　That he might be prepared for journeying in the following spring he took with him his wagon¹, and for the winter his sleigh, which he fastened behind the wagon. 为了准备明年春天的旅行，所以他驾驶着自己的马车，同时为了适应冬季的需要，还带上了雪橇，并把它绑在了马车后边。

　　His sight and hearing were somewhat blunted by age, and he was proceeding² very slowly; for his horse was old and feeble, like his owner. 岁月的风霜使他的视力和听力都变得不再敏锐，他走得非常缓慢，因为他的马和主人一样，已经年老体衰。

　　He was suddenly disturbed by loud hurrahs from behind, and by a furious pelting³ of balls of snow and ice upon the top of his wagon. 突然间，吵闹的叫嚷声、猛烈的雪球和冰块击打马车顶篷的声音从后面传来，惊扰了老人家。

　　In his alarm he dropped his reins⁴, and his horse began to run away. 一阵惊慌间，缰绳脱手了，他的马开始乱跑。

　　In the midst of the old man's trouble, there rushed by him, with loud shouts, a large party of boys, in a sleigh drawn⁵ by six horses. 就在老人家陷入困境时，一群男孩子乘坐着六匹马的雪橇从他身后急速冲过来，

　　Turn out! turn out, old fellow!Give us the road! What will you take for your pony⁶? 大声喊着,靠边！靠边，老家伙！给我们让路!你花多少钱买的小马啊？

　　What's the price of oats, old man? were the various cries that met his ears. 麦子多少钱啊，老头子？，类似的叫喊声传到了他的车里。

　　Pray, do not frighten my horse!exclaimed the infirm driver. 请不要吓到我的马！年迈的车夫叫道。

　　Turn out, then! turn out! was the answer, which was followed by repeated cracks and blows from the long whip of the grand sleigh, 得到的回答却是‘那就靠边！靠边！’，接着是‘大雪橇’上的长鞭发出的不断抽打的声音，

　　with showers of snowballs, and three tremendous hurrahs from the boys. 一阵阵的雪球如雨点般砸过来，男孩子们大喊了三声。

　　The terror of the old man and his horse was increased, and the latter ran away with him, to the great danger of his life. 老人家和他的马受到了更大的惊吓，马儿带着他不停地奔跑，给他的生命带来了极大危险。

　　He contrived⁷, however, to stop his horse just in season to prevent his being dashed against a loaded wagon. 但是他设法让马停下来，避免了撞上一辆满载货物的马车。

　　A short distance brought him to the house of his son. 离那里不远的地方就是他儿子的住处了。

　　That son, boys, is your instructor⁸, and that 'old fellow,' was your teacher's father! 孩子们，那个儿子，就是你们的老师，而那个‘老家伙’正是你们老师的父亲！

　　When the boys perceived how rude and unkind their conduct appeared from another point of view, 当意识到他们的行为从另一个角度看来是多么粗鲁和冷酷时，

　　they were very much ashamed of their thoughtlessness, and most of them had the manliness⁹ to apologize to their teacher for what they had done. 孩子们都为自己的无所顾忌感到羞愧。他们中的大多数人都很有担当地去找老师道了歉。

1 wagon   

n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车

参考例句：

• We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
• The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

2 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

3 pelting   

微不足道的，无价值的，盛怒的

参考例句：

• The rain came pelting down. 倾盆大雨劈头盖脸地浇了下来。
• Hailstones of abuse were pelting him. 阵阵辱骂冰雹般地向他袭来。

4 reins   

感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带

参考例句：

• She pulled gently on the reins. 她轻轻地拉着缰绳。
• The government has imposed strict reins on the import of luxury goods. 政府对奢侈品的进口有严格的控制手段。

5 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

6 pony   

adj.小型的；n.小马

参考例句：

• His father gave him a pony as a Christmas present.他父亲给了他一匹小马驹作为圣诞礼物。
• They made him pony up the money he owed.他们逼他还债。

7 contrived   

adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的

参考例句：

• There was nothing contrived or calculated about what he said.他说的话里没有任何蓄意捏造的成分。
• The plot seems contrived.情节看起来不真实。

8 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

9 manliness   

刚毅

参考例句：

• She was really fond of his strength, his wholesome looks, his manliness. 她真喜欢他的坚强，他那健康的容貌，他的男子气概。
• His confidence, his manliness and bravery, turn his wit into wisdom. 他的自信、男子气概和勇敢将他的风趣变为智慧。