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【chapter 4】

 

"But Ewen, what about Roddie and Vanessa?"
　　 "She's not contagious（传染的）," my father said. "And it would be company for Vanessa."
　　 "Oh dear," my mother said in distress, "①（I'll bet anything she has nits（虱子） in her hair."）
　　 "For Pete's sake（看在老天的份上for Heaven’s sake）," my father said crossly（生气的, "do you think Matron would let her stay in the hospital for all this time like that? Don't be silly, Beth. "
　　 Grandmother MacLeod, her delicately featured face as rigid as a cameo（玉石）, now brought her mauve（淡紫色）-veined hands together as though she were about to begin prayer.
　　 "Ewen, if that half breed youngster（指代Piquette，表示出祖母对她的偏见） comes along to Diamond Lake, I'm not going," she announced. "I'll go to Morag's for the summer."
　　 I had trouble in stifling（令人窒息的） my urge to laugh, for my mother brightened visibly and quickly tried to hide it. ②（If it came to a choice between Grandmother MacLeod and Piquette, Piquette would win hands down（轻易获胜to win easily）, nits or not.）
     "It might be quite nice for you, at that（perhaps, besides, additionally, as well并列）," she mused. "You haven't seen Morag for over a year, and you might enjoy being in the city for a while. Well, Ewen dear, you do what you think best. If you think it would do Piquette some good, then we' II be glad to have her, as long as she behaves herself."
　　 So it happened that several weeks later, when we all piled into my father's old Nash, surrounded by suitcases and boxes of provisions（生活必需品necessary supplies） and toys for my ten-month-old brother, Piquette was with us and Grandmother MacLeod, miraculously, was not. ③（My father would only be staying at the cottage for a couple of weeks, for he had to get back to his practice（back to work回去工作）, but the rest of us would stay at Diamond Lake until the end of August.）

 

 

 

一、生词：

 

【contagious】：spread by touch, or by direct contact with a diseased individual感染，传染，蔓延

 

◆与infectious区别：

 

Contagious表示“直接传染的”一般是跟病人接触感染。

E.G.：They lively spirits were too contagious to make her happy.她们那种活泼的精神很有感染力，使她感到很愉快

Infectious表示“间接传染的”，无需接触而传染的，指通过病菌通过空气、食物、水、衣服、容器的传染

E.G.：Infectious disease was very common in undeveloped countries. 传染病在不发达国家是很普遍的

 

【company】：companionship陪伴，陪同

1.    John is poor company at home, but when Jenny comes, he changes completely.他是难以相处的人，但是珍妮一来，他就完全改变了

2.    keep company 相处（好）He often keep each other’s company in class.他在班上和别人相处的很好

3.    part company分手/parting words 临别赠言 

 

【nit】：1. the egg or young form of a louse虱子2. a stupid person傻瓜，笨蛋，没用的人

She didn’t want to be regarded as a nit.她不想被别人看作是个没用的人

Non-contributing zero/good-for-nothing/shunk/freak/bug/repugnant讨厌的人

 

【for sb.’s sake】：god’s/goodness’s/Heaven’s/gosh’s/Christ’s, etc. sake, it is an interjection before or after a command or request

For God’s sake, stop that whining! 天啊！求你别再抱怨了！

 

【crossly】：madly, angrily, irritably; cross：rather angry

She gave me a cross look.他剜了我一眼

Why do you so cross about? 生什么气啊？

I am cross with him for being late. 他迟到了我很生气

 

【cameo】：玉雕a stone with such an engraving(engrave a deep impression on me)

 

【mauve】：moderate pinkish-purple or bluish-purple colors 淡紫色

 

【stifle】：

1. to smother or suppress抑制：she tried hard to stifle misery to go on doing this job. 她强忍住痛苦继续做这份工作

2. to feel unable to breathe because it is too hot/or there is no fresh air（使）窒息，无法正常呼吸，感觉窒闷：The smoke stifled the two students. 浓烟使两位学生感到窒息

 

【to win hands down】：to win easily轻易获胜

The Chinese football team won the match hands down. 国足队大获全胜

 

【at that】：perhaps, besides, additionally, as well 并列

It’s an idea, and a good idea at that. 这里有个主意，还是个好主意

 

 

二、Paraphrase：

 

①I’ll bet anything she has nits in her hair.

P：I am definitely sure she has nits in her hair. I’ll bet anything..或者说I bet..甚至可以是I’ll bet a million dollars..相当于汉语中的“我敢打赌”，用来表达说话者对某件事的确定性

 

②：If it came to a choice between Grandmother MacLeod and Piquette…nits or not.

P：Mother would rather choose to spend holiday with Piquette than Grandmother Macleod. 这句话体现出作者的母亲与麦克里奥祖母之间的不合。Win hands down是“轻而易举得胜”，意思是“to win easily or without effort”。

 

③My father would only be staying…until the end of August.

P：My father would live with us at the cottage for merely several weeks, because he must go back to his work as a doctor. Would be doing 是过去将来进行时，用于表示在过去将来的某段时间里正在进行的动作或者是在过去某一时间段之内即将发生的动作。

 

 

三、参考翻译：

 

　  “可是艾文——罗迪和凡乃莎怎么办呢?”

　　“她的病并不是传染性的，”我父亲说。“这样凡乃莎还会多一个伙伴。”

　　“天哪!”我母亲无可奈何地说，①（“我敢保证她头上一定有虱子。”）

　　“看在圣彼得的份上，”我父亲生气地说，“你以为护士长会让她一直那样在医院里住下去吗?别太天真了，贝丝。”

　　麦克里奥祖母那清秀的脸上此时显得像玉石雕像般的冷峻，她那紫红色血管鼓起的双手此时也合到一起，像是准备做祷告的样子。

　　“艾文，如果那个混血儿要去钻石湖的话，那我就不去了，”她声明说。“我要去莫拉格家度夏。”

　　我几乎忍不住要哈哈大笑了，因为我看到我母亲突然面露喜色但马上又极力加以掩饰。②（如果要我母亲在麦克里奥祖母和皮格特之间选择一个的话，那中选的毫无疑问就是皮格特，不管她头上是否有虱子。）

“说起来，那样对您老人家也是好事，”她若有所思地说。“您已有一年多没见过莫拉格了，而且，到大城市里去住一阵子也是一种享受。好吧，亲爱的艾文，你认为怎么好就怎么着吧。假如你认为同我们一起住一段日子对皮格特有好处，那我们欢迎她，只要她能守规矩就行。”

　　于是，几个星期以后，当我们全家带着一箱箱的衣物、食品以及给我那才满十个月的小弟弟玩的玩具挤进父亲那辆旧“纳什”轿车时，皮格特也同我们在一起，而麦克里奥祖母却奇迹般地没有同我们在一起。③（我父亲只能在别墅里住两个星期，因为他要回去上班，但我其余的人却要在钻石湖一直住到八月底。）