录音：http://home.ebigear.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=324945

 

 

I nodded speechlessly. I was certain she was speaking the truth. 1.(I knew a little more than I had that summer at Diamond Lake, but I could not reach her now any more than I had then, I was ashamed, ashamed of my own timidity（胆小）, the frightened tendency(character（知难而退）性格) to look the other way. Yet I felt no real warmth towards her（I realize the reality为什么我不敢再接近她的原因）-- I only felt that I ought to, because of that distant summer and because my father had hoped（过去完成时表示未完成的愿望） she would be company for me, or perhaps that I would be for her（would be a good friend to her或许我有一天能和她成为好朋友）, but it had not happened that way.) At this moment, meeting her again, I had to admit that she repelled and embarrassed me, and I could not help despising the self-pity in her voice. I wished she would go away. I did not want to see her. I did not know what to say to her. It seemed that we had nothing to say to one another.
　　"I'll tell you something else," Piquette went on. "All the old bitches an' biddies(老女人们/下女们) in this town will sure be surprised. I'm gettin' married this fall -- my boy friend, he's an English fella, works in the stockyards in the city there, a very tall guy, got blond wavy hair. Gee, is he ever handsome. Got this real classy name. Alvin Gerald Cummings--some handle, eh? They call him Al."
　　For the merest instant, then I saw(see through看清了她) her. I really did see her, for the first and only time in all the years we had both lived in the same town. Her defiant face, momentarily, became unguarded and unmasked, and in her eyes there was a terrifying hope(令人生畏的愿望：a kind of hope which was so intense that it filled people with terror).
　　"Gee, Piquette --" I burst out awkwardly, "that's swell. That's really wonderful. Congratulations—good luck--I hope you'll be happy--"
　　2. (As l mouthed the conventional phrases（礼仪上的客套话）, I could only guess how great her need（her intense hope and desire强烈的渴求） must have been, that she had been forced to seek the very things she so bitterly rejected.)
　　When I was eighteen, I left Manawaka and went away to college. At the end of my first year, I came back home for the summer. I spent the first few days in talking non-stop（谈家常） with my mother, as we exchanged all the news that somehow had not found its way into letters-- what had happened in my life and what had happened here in Manawaka while I was away. My mother searched her memory（try to think） for events that concerned people I knew.
　　"Did I ever write you about Piquette Tonnerre, Vanessa?" she asked one morning.
　　"No, I don't think so," I replied. "Last I heard of her, she was going to marry some guy in the city. Is she still there?"
　　My mother looked perturbed, and it was a moment before she spoke, as though she did not know how to express what she had to tell and wished she did not need to try.

"She's dead," she said at last.　

 

 

 

一、生词：

 

【repel】:to cause feeling of dislike, to drive back by force击退

 同性相吸，异性相斥The different sexes attract each other and the same sexes repel on the contrary

1.    Let me go at once, you repel me. 让我走吧，你真让我恶心

2.    His untidy appearance, filthy hair and stinky clothes repelled her.

3.    He carried a stick to repel the dog.

 

【despise】low sb. Or regard as worthless, dislike very angrily (L15)

I despise such people, they’ve no stand（opinion）.他们没主见

He despises people who were always bossy. (mockery)

 

【old（延）】

1. Any old thing/time will do. (anytime is OK.任何人都可以)

2. Old thing, can you lend me a cigar?

3. Any old place is good enough for me if I stay with you. 什么地方对

于我来说都可以

4. We’re having a high old time. (good time我们玩得很开心)

 

【biddy】a hired woman, esp., a cleaner, an eccentric woman. Here means those women are old ,malicious and bad-tempered.

 

【fella】a boy or man, a fellow

 

【stockyard】a yard in which cattle, sheep, swine or horses are kept temporarily for slaughter, market or shipping

 

【classy】stylish, elegant in style or manner（风俗/举止/谈吐）优雅的上等的

 

【handle】(sl 俚) title 头衔:
* have a handle to one's name, ie have a title, eg `Sir' or `Lord' 姓名带有头衔（如爵士或勋爵）. 

 

Some handle：a special name, P: Isn’t that an impressive name? 难道不是个又好又特别的名字吗( some: considerable/very)口语中some表示极好的，了不起的

1.    It was really some speech you made.

2.    It was quite some design.

 

【mere】：nothing more than

The merest: as small or unimportant

The merest little thing takes away her breath. 他牙口无言（紧张/尴尬/兴奋）

 

【defiant】defy :Her beauty defies description. 她的美难以形容

Defiant: openly opposing or resist sb. (~ manner/look/speech)

 

【swell】stylish, socially prominent, excellent 极好的，时髦的

 

【mouth】litter something without conviction or sincerity 憋出一些套话

 

【perturb】make someone anxious, disturbed, trouble 心烦的

A perturbing rumor

The perturbing mosquitoes are drumming.

 

 

二、Paraphrase：

 

1.    P：I feel so ashamed of my being timid and frightened to avoid the real issue.(no real warmth towards her)

 

Q: Why I couldn’t reach her?

A: 1. Because she’s so self-close and, always keep herself some distant from me and the whole world; 2. I didn’t want to reach her though I feel ashamed of my timidity.

 

2. P：mouth这里是词类活用，n.作v.用。在现代英语中，名词经常作动词用，如：to shoulder one’s responsibility, to tiptoe one’s way, to oil a machine. 找不到相应的动词表示意义的时候，基本上用名词代替，也增强语言表现力和准确性；month：squeeze something conventional from my mouth

 

Q: What are those she has been bitterly seeking? 皮革特苦苦渴求的是什么?

A：1. To be respected; 2. needs phrase and admiration; 3. recognition

 

 

三、参考翻译：

 

我默默无言地点了点头。我知道她讲的是实话。这时我懂得的事儿比在钻石湖避暑的那个夏天要多了一些，但跟当时一样，无法跟她接近。我很惭愧，为自己的怯懦和知难而退的性格而感到惭愧。但我心里对她就是热乎不起来——我只是觉得应该跟她接近，那也是因为多年前的那个夏天，也因为我父亲希望她能成为我的好伙伴，或者也许我能成为她的好伙伴，可是后来事情却没有朝这个方向发展。此时和她再次相遇，说老实话，只能引起我的反感和不快，她说话中流露出的自卑自怜的口气只能引起我的轻视。我盼望她立刻走开，我不想见到她，我也不知道同她说什么，我同她之间似乎无话可说。

　　“我还要告诉你一件事，”皮格特接着说道，“镇上的那些老婊子臭婆娘们一定都会大吃一惊的。今年秋天我就要结婚了——我的男朋友是一个英国小伙子，在那边城里的畜牧场干活，个子高高的，还有着一头金黄色的卷发。嗬，他可真是帅极了!连名字也很高贵，阿尔温?杰拉德?卡明斯——这名字有多伟大，呃?人们都喊他阿尔。”

　　她说这些话的那一瞬间，我算看清了她。虽然我们多年来同住在一个小镇上，这还是第一次，也是唯一的一次，我真正地看清她的本来面目。此时此刻，她那揭下面具和保护罩的脸上露出的是一副坚强不屈、敢于挑战一切的神色，她的眼神里也透出一种强烈得令人害怕的渴望。

　　“嗬，皮格特——”我突然笨口拙腮地说，“那太棒了，真是好极了。祝贺你——好运——祝愿你们生活幸福——”

我从口中挤出这些套语的时候，心里就在想：她对她那么不屑一顾的东西却又要去竭力地追求，可见她心里的渴望是多么地强烈。

　　十八岁时，我离开马纳瓦卡镇去外地上大学。大学第一学年结束的时候，我回家里过暑假。刚回来的那几天，我一直不停地同我母亲谈家常，谈论着一些双方在书信中都没有谈及的事情——我在大学里的生活情况以及我上学期间马纳瓦卡镇上发生的一些事儿。我母亲尽量从记忆中搜出一些有关我所熟识的人的情况对我讲。

　　“凡乃莎，我在信中对你讲过皮格特?坦纳瑞的情况了吗?”有一天早上，她这样问我。 “没有，我想是没有，”我回答说。“我所知道的有关她的最新消息，是她即将同城里的某个小伙子结婚。她还在城里吗?”

　　我母亲脸上露出不安的神色，好半天没吭声，好像有什么话不好讲而又不大愿意讲出来的样子。她死了，母亲终于说。