The Diary of a Nobody

INTRODUCTION BY MR. POOTER

普特尔先生的序言
播放器默认关闭，请点击播放按钮收听Introduction

 Why should I not publish my diary? I have often seen reminiscences of people I have never even heard of, and I fail to see--because I do not happen to be a 'Somebody'--why my diary should not be interesting. My only regret is that I did not commence it when I was a youth.

 Charles Pooter The Laurels, Brickfield Terrace Holloway.

我为什么不能出版自己的日记呢？我经常看到我从没听说过的人写的回忆录，而且我也看不出--因为我没有碰巧成为大人物--我的日记就会无趣。唯一的遗憾就是我没有从年轻时开始记。

查尔斯·普特尔

贝克菲尔德特勒斯，霍洛威

月桂府

[本段要点]

1. reminiscence [U] 回忆；怀旧 [pl] 经验谈；回忆录

2. fail to do sth. 做某事没有成功；未能做某事

    He never fails to write to his mother every week. 他每周都给母亲写信。

3. happen to do/be 碰巧做某事/成为

   You want to learn English? Well, I happen to be a teacher of English.

  你想要学习英语？我碰巧是英语老师。

4. somebody 除了我们所熟悉的“某个人”的意思外，还可表示“an important person"，即“重要人物”，是nobody（小人物）的反义词。

5. My only regret is that....我唯一的遗憾是......

   My only regret is that I didn't come across this book earlier. 我唯一的遗憾就是没有早点看到这本书。

6. commence [vt. vi.] 开始

  Shall we commence (the ceremoney)? 我们可以开始（典礼）了吗？

常用搭配：

commmence with sth. 以某事开始

commence doing开始做某事

 CHAPTER I

播放嚣默认关闭，点击播放按钮即可收听Chapter1

 

 We settle down in our new home, and I resolve to keep a diary. Tradesmen trouble us a bit, so does the scraper. The Curate calls and pays me a great compliment.

[本段要点]

1. settle down 定居；平静下来

2. resolve to do sth.决心做某事

3. keep a diary 记日记 
   注意这是一个习语，中间用不定冠词。

4. pay sb. a great compliment 对某人是一种极大的恭维

 My dear wife Carrie and I have just been a week in our new house, "The Laurels," Brickfield Terrace, Holloway--a nice six-roomed residence, not counting basement, with a front breakfast-parlour. We have a little front garden; and there is a flight of ten steps up to the front door, which, by-the-by, we keep locked with the chain up. Cummings, Gowing, and our other intimate friends always come to the little side entrance, which saves the servant the trouble of going up to the front door, thereby taking her from her work. We have a nice little back garden which runs down to the railway. We were rather afraid of the noise of the trains at first, but the landlord said we should not notice them after a bit, and took 2 pounds off the rent. He was certainly right; and beyond the cracking of the garden wall at the bottom, we have suffered no inconvenience.

[本段要点]

1. residence [C U ] 居住；住处；居住的地方

2. breadfast-parlour 早餐室

3. a flight of sten steps up to the front door 一段通往前门的十级台阶

4. by-the-by（e）顺便说到；附带提及。相当于by the way。

5. intimate friends 密友

6. side entrance 边门

7. save somebody the trouble/bother (of doing something) 省去了某人做某事的麻烦
I'll get a taxi from the station to save you the trouble of coming to collect me.
我将从车站打的，以省去你接我的麻烦。

8. take sb. from sb.'s work. 使某人不能工作

9. take 2 pounds off the rent 从租多中减去两镑

10. cracking 破裂；裂口

11. at the bottom 在底部

12. suffer no inconvenience 没有什么不便

 After my work in the City, I like to be at home. What's the good of a home, if you are never in it? "Home, Sweet Home," that's my motto. I am always in of an evening. Our old friend Gowing may drop in without ceremony; so may Cummings, who lives opposite. My dear wife Caroline and I are pleased to see them, if they like to drop in on us. But Carrie and I can manage to pass our evenings together without friends. There is always something to be done: a tin-tack here, a Venetian blind to put straight, a fan to nail up, or part of a carpet to nail down--all of which I can do with my pipe in my mouth; while Carrie is not above putting a button on a shirt, mending a pillow-case, or practising the "Sylvia Gavotte" on our new cottage piano (on the three years' system), manufactured by W. Bilkson (in small letters), from Collard and Collard (in very large letters). It is also a great comfort to us to know that our boy Willie is getting on so well in the Bank at Oldham. We should like to see more of him. Now for my diary:

[本段要点]

1. What's the good of a home, if you are never in it? 如果你从不呆在家里，那要家有什么用呢？

2. drop in (on somebody) 顺路拜访某人：不作预先通知的访问
Why don't you drop in for a drink one evening?为什么有时间为何不来喝杯茶呢？

3. withouth ceremony 不拘礼节；随便地

4. manage to do设法做到某事

5. tin-tack 镀锡铁钉  
   tin锡；tack 大头钉

6. blind 窗帘；百叶窗
   blind最常用的意思是“瞎的；看不见的”，而窗帘、百叶窗就可以遮挡人们的视线，使人看不见，所以这个词又用来表示窗帘；百叶窗等遮蔽物。
7. nail up 将某物用钉子钉牢使之悬挂于墙、柱等上

8. nail down 将（地毯、盖子等）用钉子钉牢

 April 3.--Tradesmen called for custom, and I promised Farmerson, the ironmonger, to give him a turn if I wanted any nails or tools. By-the-by, that reminds me there is no key to our bedroom door, and the bells must be seen to. The parlour bell is broken, and the front door rings up in the servant's bedroom, which is ridiculous. Dear friend Gowing dropped in, but wouldn't stay, saying there was an infernal smell of paint.

 [本段要点]

1. ironmonger  铁器商, 五金商

2. key to 某房间的钥匙；某问题的答案

   注意其与介词to搭配。

3. see to 负责；处理某事；照料某人

 Go on, you go out. I'll see to the washing up. 去吧，你尽管出去好了。我来负责洗涮（餐具）。

4. ridiculous 好笑的；荒谬的

5. infernal 可恶的；讨厌的；阴间的；恶魔的

April 4. Tradesmen still calling; Carrie being out, I arranged to deal with Horwin, who seemed a civil butcher with a nice clean shop. Ordered a shoulder of mutton for to-morrow, to give him a trial. Carrie arranged with Borset, the butterman, and ordered a pound of fresh butter, and a pound and a half of salt ditto for kitchen, and a shilling's worth of eggs. In the evening, Cummings unexpectedly dropped in to show me a meerschaum pipe he had won in a raffle in the City, and told me to handle it carefully, as it would spoil the colouring if the hand was moist. He said he wouldn't stay, as he didn't care much for the smell of the paint, and fell over the scraper as he went out. Must get the scraper removed, or else I shall get into a SCRAPE. I don't often make jokes.

 [本段要点]

1. deal with处理；应付

2. give sb. a trial 让某人试试看看

3. ditto adv.同样地

---I hated school. 我讨厌学校。

----Ditto. 我也讨厌。

Where should we go? Mississippi? Too hot. Ditto Alabama.我们去哪儿呢？密西西比？太热。阿拉巴马也是。

4. raffle 抽彩

5. meerschaum [矿]海泡石, 海泡石的烟斗

6. moist 潮湿的

 April 5.--Two shoulders of mutton arrived, Carrie having arranged with another butcher without consulting me. Gowing called, and fell over scraper coming in. MUST get that scraper removed.

[本段要点]

1. consult [vt. vi.] 请教；参考；商量

常用搭配：consult sb./sth. (about sth.) (就某事）请教某人/查阅某资料

                  consult with sb. 与某人商量

I consulted a doctor about my pains. 我就我的疼痛请教了医生。

She said she had to consult with her partners. 她说她要和她的合伙人商量一下。

 April 6.--Eggs for breakfast simply shocking; sent them back to Borset with my compliments, and he needn't call any more for orders. Couldn't find umbrella, and though it was pouring with rain, had to go without it. Sarah said Mr. Gowing must have took it by mistake last night, as there was a stick in the hall that didn't belong to nobody. In the evening, hearing someone talking in a loud voice to the servant in the downstairs hall, I went out to see who it was, and was surprised to find it was Borset, the butterman, who was both drunk and offensive. Borset, on seeing me, said he would be hanged if he would ever serve City clerks any more--the game wasn't worth the candle. I restrained my feelings, and quietly remarked that I thought it was POSSIBLE for a city clerk to be a GENTLEMAN. He replied he was very glad to hear it, and wanted to know whether I had ever come across one, for HE hadn't. He left the house, slamming the door after him, which nearly broke the fanlight; and I heard him fall over the scraper, which made me feel glad I hadn't removed it. When he had gone, I thought of a splendid answer I ought to have given him. However, I will keep it for another occasion.

 [本段要点]

 1. shocking 极坏的；非常令人讨厌的；极糟的

     此外，shocking还可表示“令人震惊的”。

2. by mistake 错误的（因粗心等所致）；无意地

3. belong to 属于

4. offensive 讨厌的；无礼的；令人恼怒的；攻击性的

5. the game is not worth the candle不值得做；得不偿失

在100多年前的北美，人们通常用蜡烛来驱逐黑暗。父亲在摇曳的烛光下为孩子们读故事，家人们在烛光下玩游戏。蜡烛被视为很有价值的东西。所以人们根据事情的重要性来决定是否点燃蜡烛，因为蜡烛只能燃烧一定的时间。如果说一件事不值为它点蜡烛，说明这件事不重要，不值得做，做了反而会得不偿失。

6. restrain vt. 抑制；管制；约束

常用搭配：restrain sb./sth. from sth./doing sth. 阻止某人做某事；抑制住（愤怒、笑声等）

I had to restrain her from running out into the street.我不得不阻止她跑到大街上。
Price rises should restrain consumer spending.价格增长应当能抑制消费。

7. remark vt. vi. 说；评论

"This house must be very old," he remarked. “这座房子一定很老了”，他（评论）说。

常用搭配：remark on/upon sb. /sth. 评论某人/某事

He remarked on the difference in security measures at the two airports.
他论述了两个机场安保措施上的差异。

8. slam the door 砰的摔门；猛力关门

9. fanlight 扇形窗

10. occassion [C] 时机；场合；机会
I'm saving this bottle of champagne for a special occasion. 我保留这瓶香槟以供特殊场合印用。

If ever the occasion arises when I want advice, you're the first person I'll come to.
如果万一我需要建议，你将是我第一个要找的人。

April 7.--Being Saturday, I looked forward to being home early, and putting a few things straight; but two of our principals at the office were absent through illness, and I did not get home till seven. Found Borset waiting. He had been three times during the day to apologise for his conduct last night. He said he was unable to take his Bank Holiday last Monday, and took it last night instead. He begged me to accept his apology, and a pound of fresh butter. He seems, after all, a decent sort of fellow; so I gave him an order for some fresh eggs, with a request that on this occasion they SHOULD be fresh. I am afraid we shall have to get some new stair-carpets after all; our old ones are not quite wide enough to meet the paint on either side. Carrie suggests that we might ourselves broaden the paint. I will see if we can match the colour (dark chocolate) on Monday.

[本段要点]

 1. look forward to sth./doing sth. 期待；期盼（做）某事
注意to为介词，其后接动词时需用动词的ing形式。

2. Bank Holiday 银行休假日
  周六、周日以外的银行假日，通常为公众假日，如复活节后的星期一、圣诞节等。

3. accept one's apology接受某人的道歉

4. after all毕竟；终究

Prisoners should be treated with respect - they are human beings after all.
犯人应当受到尊重--毕竟他们也是人。
I don't know why you're so concerned - it isn't your problem after all.
我不知道你为何如此关心--这毕竟不是你的问题。

April 8, Sunday.--After Church, the Curate came back with us. I sent Carrie in to open front door, which we do not use except on special occasions. She could not get it open, and after all my display, I had to take the Curate (whose name, by-the-by, I did not catch,) round the side entrance. He caught his foot in the scraper, and tore the bottom of his trousers. Most annoying, as Carrie could not well offer to repair them on a Sunday. After dinner, went to sleep. Took a walk round the garden, and discovered a beautiful spot for sowing mustard-and-cress and radishes. Went to Church again in the evening: walked back with the Curate. Carrie noticed he had got on the same pair of trousers, only repaired. He wants me to take round the plate, which I think a great compliment.

[本段要点]

1. curate 副牧师；助理牧师

2. send sb. to do sth.派某人做某事

The U.S. offered to send ships to help in the rescue operation. 美国主动提出派遣船只支援营救行动。

3. on special occasions在特殊场合下；在特殊情况下

4. display [C] 展示；陈列

  after all my display 字面意思为“在我展示了所有能展示的之后”，这里表示“使出浑身解数之后”。