又到了每周建昆带你读名著时间,今天我们继续双语读《小王子》。
《小王子》第二期:通情达理之人
I had been disheartened by the failure of my Drawing Number One and my Drawing Number Two.
我的第一号、第二号作品的不成功,使我泄了气。
Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tire some for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.
这些大人们,靠他们自己什么也弄不懂,还得老是不断地给他们作解释。这真叫孩子们腻味。
So then I chose another profession, and learned to pilot airplanes.
后来,我只好选择了另外一个职业,我学会了开飞机,
I have flown a little over all parts of the world; and it is true that geography has been very useful to me.
世界各地差不多都飞到过。的确,地理学帮了我很大的忙。
At a glance I can distinguish China from Arizona.
我一眼就能分辨出中国和亚里桑那。
If one gets lost in the night, such knowledge is
valuable.要是夜里迷失了航向,这是很有用的。
In the course of this life I have had a great many encounters with a great many people who have been concerned with matters of consequence.
这样,在我的生活中,我跟许多严肃的人有过很多的接触。
I have lived a great deal among grown-ups.
我在大人们中间生活过很长时间。
I have seen them intimately, close at hand. And that hasn’t much improved my opinion of them.
我仔细地观察过他们,但这并没有使我对他们的看法有多大的改变。
Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted,
当我遇到一个头脑看来稍微清楚的大人时,
I tried the experiment of showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have always kept.
我就拿出一直保存着的我那第一号作品来测试测试他。
I would try to find out, so, if this was a person of true understanding.
我想知道他是否真的有理解能力。
But, whoever it was, he, or she, would always say: “That is a hat.”
可是,得到的回答总是:“这是顶帽子。”
Then I would never talk to that person about boa constrictors, or primeval forests, or stars.
我就不和他谈巨蟒呀,原始森林呀,或者星星之类的事。
I would bring myself down to his level. I would talk to him about bridge, and golf, and politics, and neckties.
我只得迁就他们的水平,和他们谈些桥牌呀,高尔夫球呀,政治呀,领带呀这些。
And the grown-up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man.
于是大人们就十分高兴能认识我这样一个通情达理的人。
重点词汇
consequence /'kɔnsikwəns/ n.结果,后果
glance /glɑ:ns/ v.一瞥,扫视,匆匆一看,反光,闪烁,掠过
concerned /kən'sə:nd/ adj.担忧的,关心的
primeval /prai'mi:vəl/ adj.原始的,早期的,远古的
sensible /'sensəbl/ adj.可察觉的,意识到的,实用的
distinguish /dis'tiŋgwiʃ/ vt.区别,辨认,使显著
valuable /'væljuəbl/ adj.贵重的,有价值的;n.(pl.)贵
pilot /'pailət/ n.飞行员,领航员,引航员
今天的读书到这里结束,相信只要坚持阅读,你的英文水平一定会蹭蹭往上涨!
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