美国语文第四册 第100期:鲁滨逊·克鲁索的住所(2)

 　　And now I began to apply myself to make such necessary things as I found I most wanted, particularly a chair and a table; 这时我开始专心制作最需要的物品，尤其是椅子和桌子；

　　for without these I was not able to enjoy the few comforts I had in the world. 因为没有桌椅，我就没法享受世上为数已不多的乐事。

　　I could not write or eat, or do several things with so much pleasure without a table. 没有桌椅，写作、吃饭也毫无乐趣可言了。

　　So I went to work. I had never handled a tool in my life; and yet in time by labor¹, application, and contrivance, 我开始工作起来，我以前从未使用过工具；可是当我后来花费了很大力气，专心工作，想出不少好点子的时候，

　　I found that I wanted nothing but I could have made it, especially if I had had tools; 我发现不论需要什么，我都能做出来，要是有工具就更好了。

　　however, I made abundance of things, even without tools, and some with no more tools than an adz and a hatchet², 即使没有工具，我还是做了不少东西，有时只使用锛子和斧头，

　　which perhaps were never made that way before, and that with infinite labor. 可能以前还没人这样做出这些东西，或者花这么大的力气。

　　For example, if I wanted a board, I had no other way but to cut down a tree, set it before me, 比如，如果我想要一块木板，就必须先砍倒一棵树，

　　and hew³ it flat on either side with my ax till I had brought it to be as thin as a plank⁴, and then dub⁵ it smooth with my adz. 然后用斧子把两面销平，直到树木像木板一样薄，再用锛子刮光滑。

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 hatchet   

n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀

参考例句：

• I shall have to take a hatchet to that stump.我得用一把短柄斧来劈这树桩。
• Do not remove a fly from your friend's forehead with a hatchet.别用斧头拍打朋友额头上的苍蝇。

3 hew   

v.砍；伐；削

参考例句：

• Hew a path through the underbrush.在灌木丛中砍出一条小路。
• Plant a sapling as tall as yourself and hew it off when it is two times high of you.种一棵与自己身高一样的树苗，长到比自己高两倍时砍掉它。

4 plank   

n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目

参考例句：

• The plank was set against the wall.木板靠着墙壁。
• They intend to win the next election on the plank of developing trade.他们想以发展贸易的纲领来赢得下次选举。

5 dub   

vt.（以某种称号）授予，给...起绰号，复制

参考例句：

• I intend to use simultaneous recording to dub this film.我打算采用同期录音的方法为这部影片配音。
• It was dubbed into Spanish for Mexican audiences.它被译制成西班牙语以方便墨西哥观众观看。