美国语文第五册 第4期:朗读者(4)

 　　"As for you, my young lady," continued the King, “至于你，我的孩子，”国王接着说，

　　I know you will ask no better reward for your trouble than the pleasure of carrying to this poor widow my order for her son's immediate¹ discharge. 相信你会高兴地带上我的手令，立刻解除那可怜寡妇孩子的兵役，我想，假若给你其他任何报酬，亦不会比这更开心吧。

　　Let me see whether you can write as well as you can read. 我要看看，你是否也能准确书写，像你的阅读那样棒。

　　Take this pen, and write as I dictate². 拿这支笔，写下我口授的话。

　　He then dictated³ an order, which Ernestine wrote, and he signed. 他接着口授了一份命令，欧内斯廷记录完毕，国王随后签上自己名字。

　　Calling one of his guards, he bade him go with the girl and see that the order was obeyed. 然后他又吩咐一个卫兵过来，安排他与姑娘一同前去执行他的命令。

　　How much happiness was Ernestine the means of bestowing⁴ through her good elocution,  通过感情真挚的阅读，获取这种特殊赠与，欧内斯廷简直快乐极了！

　　united to the happy circumstance that brought it to the knowledge of the King! 国王获悉了民情，内心产生共鸣，并最终授于树内。

　　First, there were her poor neighbors, to whom she could give instruction and entertainment. 起初，那些贫困邻居们从姑娘那里找到安慰，

　　Then, there was the poor widow who sent the petition, and who not only regained⁵ her son, 随后，送出请愿书的那位寡妇不仅能与儿子重新一起生活，

　　but received through Ernestine an order for him to paint the King's likeness⁶; 还接受了欧内斯廷带来的国王旨意，安排她的儿子前去宫廷为国王画像。

　　so that the poor boy soon rose to great distinction, and had more orders than he could attend to. 不久，那位贫苦人家孩子便迅速得以擢升，并获得更多的发展机会。

　　Words could not express his gratitude⁷, and that of his mother, to the little girl. 千言万语无法表达那位少年还有他的寡母对小姑娘欧内斯廷的深深感激之情。

　　And Ernestine had, moreover, the satisfaction of aiding her father to rise in the world, so that he became the King's chief gardener. 不仅如此，欧内斯廷的父亲后来成为国王的首席园艺师，在世界园林界赢得了声誉，这一点，让欧内斯廷非常自豪。

　　The King did not forget her, but had her well educated at his own expense. 国王并没有忘记这个小姑娘，花钱让她受到最好的教育。

　　As for the two pages, she was indirectly⁸ the means of doing them good, also; 至于那两位侍童，她亦间接帮助了他们。

　　for, ashamed of their bad reading, they commenced studying in earnest, till they overcame the faults that had offended the King. 由于对自己阅读能力深感羞愧，他们急切想重新获得学习机会。两人通过读书最终弥补了阅读能力的不足，

　　Both finally rose to distinction, one as a lawyer, and the other as a statesman;  随后皆获取了提升机会，一位做了律师，还有一位成了政治家，

　　and they owed their advancement⁹ in life chiefly to their good elocution. 他们把生命升华归功于极有裨益的开卷阅读。

1 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

2 dictate   

v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令

参考例句：

• It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
• What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令？

3 dictated   

v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布

参考例句：

• He dictated a letter to his secretary. 他向秘书口授信稿。
• No person of a strong character likes to be dictated to. 没有一个个性强的人愿受人使唤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 bestowing   

砖窑中砖堆上层已烧透的砖

参考例句：

• Apollo, you see, is bestowing the razor on the Triptolemus of our craft. 你瞧，阿波罗正在把剃刀赠给我们这项手艺的特里泼托勒默斯。
• What thanks do we not owe to Heaven for thus bestowing tranquillity, health and competence! 我们要谢谢上苍，赐我们的安乐、健康和饱暖。

5 regained   

复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。

6 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。

7 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

8 indirectly   

adv.间接地，不直接了当地

参考例句：

• I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
• They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人，他们进行了间接接触。

9 advancement   

n.前进，促进，提升

参考例句：

• His new contribution to the advancement of physiology was well appreciated.他对生理学发展的新贡献获得高度赞赏。
• The aim of a university should be the advancement of learning.大学的目标应是促进学术。