208. Office drearms办公室的梦想 stack-stationary
It was July 1830. On a sunny, hot day, feeling as if all his stamina had left him, Case Steele staggered up the staircase and into his office. A stack of papers nearly reaching the ceiling greeted him. His assistant, Ward Stevens, came in and stood next to him. Case was a staggering 2.2 meters tall. Since this was the case, he stood in stark contrast to the rest of his staff, and Ward, at 1.6 meters tall, was no exception.
“Good morning, sir,” Ward greeted him.
“Is that the stale smell of alcohol on your breath, Ward? Are you still stashing a bottle of whiskey in your desk drawer?”
“Yse sir. It’s the one stain on my personal character that I regret. Please don’t let others know, sir, for I have good standing in our company, and it is my desire to move up in the business. If I were forced to stay stationary for too long, my ambition would become stagnant. The whiskey simply helps me deal with the perssure.”
“I understand. This city can really feel like it’s stalking you at times. You know, sometimes, Ward, I think we should just hop onto a stagecoach and go out west, Missouri territory or some place like that.”
“I’ll admit, it sounds like an adventure, sir. But I’ve heard reports of starvation out there. I don’t care to starve, sir.”
“Oh, you won’t starve, Ward. It’s a land of plenty out there, and beautiful. I love nature and I bet I could wirte some nice stanzas of poetry about the wilderness. Things here in the city were static, with stately, ornate buildings and the same people seeking temporary stardom withing those confines. I need change and excitement!”
“But sir, nothing out there has been standardized like here in the city. Maybe one day you do things one way, then the next, another. I find it too dangerous. I think that’s the reason shy folks have starved out there.”
“Oh, Ward, no one out there is hungry. They have plenty of staple foods. You know, flapjacke, beans, and other starches.”
“Isn’t this really just a fantasy, sir? We aren’t really going to get a stagecoach and go out west, are we?”
“Probably not, Ward. But it never hures to dream.”
stack vt.堆积n.堆
staff n.全体人员或职员
stagecoach n.驿马车,公共马车
stagger vi.蹒跚,摇晃
staggering adj.巨大的,惊人的
stagnant adj.(尤指水)不流动的,有臭味的,不发展的,停滞不前的
stain n.污点,瑕疵
staircase n.楼梯,楼梯间
stale adj.不新鲜的,走味的,无趣味的,陈腐的
stalk vt. 隐伏跟踪)猎物n.茎,柄,梗
stamina n.体力,耐力
stand vt.站立,忍受,容忍
standardize vt.使符合标准,使标准化
standing adj.固定的,常设的 n.身份,名望
stanza n.(诗)节,段
staple n. 主要产品,日常必需品adj. 主要的,常用的vt.把…订起来
starch n.淀粉,淀粉食物
stardom n.明星的身份或地位
stark adj.光秃秃的,荒凉的,分明的
starvation n.饥饿,饿死
starve v.挨饿
stash vt.藏起来,隐藏起来
stately adj.庄严的,堂皇的
static adj.静态的,呆板的
stationary adj.固定的,静止的 |