《夏洛的网》英文版精读训练(15)


耐心读好书

Chapter4 Loneliness(2)

本部分如果只选一个词,我选择"toasty"。因为我偶尔会吃吐司(toast),刚做好的吐司热乎乎,香喷喷,吃起来很舒服。toasty就有温暖舒适的意思。

现在开始读原文:

Wilbur had gone to sleep thinking about these plans. He awoke at six and saw the rain, and it seemed as though he couldn't bear it.

"I get everything all beautifully planned out and it has to go and rain," he said.

For a while he stood gloomily indoors. Then he walked to the door and looked out. Drops of rain struck his face. His yard was cold and wet. His trough had an inch of rainwater in it. Templeton was nowhere to be seen.

"Are you out there, Templeton?" called Wilbur. There was no answer. Suddenly Wilbur felt lonely and friendless.

"One day just like another," he groaned. "I'm very young, I have no real friend here in the barn, it's going to rain all morning and all afternoon, and Fern won't come in such bad weather. Oh, Honestly!" And Wilbur was crying again, for the second time in two days.

At six-thirty Wilbur heard the banging of a pail. Lurvy was standing outside in the rain, stirring up breakfast.

"C'mon, pig!" said Lurvy.

Wilbur did not budge. Lurvy dumped the slops, scraped the pail, and walked away. He noticed that something wrong with the pig.

Wilbur didn't want food, he wanted love. He wanted a friend---someone would play with him. He mentioned this to the goose, who was sitting quietly in a corner of the sheepfold.

"Would you come over and play with me?" he asked.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," said the goose. "I'm sitting-sitting on my eggs. Eight of them. Got to keep them toasty-toasty-toasty warm. I have to stay right here, I'm no flibberty-ibberty-gibbet. I do not play when there are eggs to hatch. I'm expecting goslings."

"Well, I didn't think you were expecting woodpeckers," said Wilbur, bitterly.

Wilbur next tried one of the lambs.

"Will you please play with me?" he asked.

"Certainly not," said the lamb. "In the first place, I cannot get into your pen, as I am not old enough to jump ove the fence. In the second place, I am not interested in pigs. Pigs mean less than nothing to me."

"What do you mean, less than nothing?" replied Wilbur. "I don't think there is any such thing as less than nothing. Nothing is absolutely the limit of nothingness. It's the lowist you can go. It's the end of the line. How can something be less than nothing? If there were something that was less than nothing, then nothing would not be nothing, it would be something---even though it's just a very little bit of something. But if nothing is nothing, then nothing has nothing that is less than it is."

"Oh, be quiet!" said the lamb. "Go play by yourself! I don't play with pigs."

原文中的动词:

1. groan:抱怨

2. bang:重击

3. budge:挪动

4. scrape:刮掉

原文中的名词:

1. gosling: 小鹅

2. woodpecker:啄木鸟

3. Flibbertigibbet: a silly flighty person 不负责任的人

flighty:轻浮的,多用于形容女性。

原文中的形容词和副词:

1. gloomily: 沮丧地

2. toasty: 暖和舒适的


原文赏析:

"Will you please play with me?" he asked.

"Certainly not," said the lamb. "In the first place, I cannot get into your pen, as I am not old enough to jump ove the fence. In the second place, I am not interested in pigs. Pigs mean less than nothing to me."

"What do you mean, less than nothing?" replied Wilbur. "I don't think there is any such thing as less than nothing. Nothing is absolutely the limit of nothingness. It's the lowist you can go. It's the end of the line. How can something be less than nothing? If there were something that was less than nothing, then nothing would not be nothing, it would be something---even though it's just a very little bit of something. But if nothing is nothing, then nothing has nothing that is less than it is."

从原文可以看出:小羊和威尔伯说话都很有条理,特别是威尔伯,不经意间就展现出很强的逻辑分析能力。

小羊在说明自己不和威尔伯玩的原因时用到了:in the first place; in the second place. 这样我们明明白白就知道了小羊有两点理由,清晰明了。

小猪威尔伯的论证就更有意思了。小羊很看不起小猪威尔伯,所以它说威尔伯对于它来说比“没有”还要少,威尔伯反驳说:我不认为有什么东西比“没有”还要少,“没有”就是少到了极限。怎么可能有东西比“没有”还要少?如果真有什么东西比“没有”还要少,那这个“没有”就不是真正的“没有”,它就是“有一点”,即使是很少很少的一点。如果“没有”就是“没有”,那么就没有什么东西比“没有”还要少。

这段论证真是严密有力。

原文中威尔伯对自己抱怨说:“One day just like another.” 

 我需要不断提醒自己,不要让生活是“天天一个样”的状态。每天都有意识的问问自己有没有新的体验,新的尝试,新的收获。争取每天都“长”一点点。

©著作权归作者所有,转载或内容合作请联系作者
  • 序言:七十年代末,一起剥皮案震惊了整个滨河市,随后出现的几起案子,更是在滨河造成了极大的恐慌,老刑警刘岩,带你破解...
    沈念sama阅读 216,163评论 6 498
  • 序言:滨河连续发生了三起死亡事件,死亡现场离奇诡异,居然都是意外死亡,警方通过查阅死者的电脑和手机,发现死者居然都...
    沈念sama阅读 92,301评论 3 392
  • 文/潘晓璐 我一进店门,熙熙楼的掌柜王于贵愁眉苦脸地迎上来,“玉大人,你说我怎么就摊上这事。” “怎么了?”我有些...
    开封第一讲书人阅读 162,089评论 0 352
  • 文/不坏的土叔 我叫张陵,是天一观的道长。 经常有香客问我,道长,这世上最难降的妖魔是什么? 我笑而不...
    开封第一讲书人阅读 58,093评论 1 292
  • 正文 为了忘掉前任,我火速办了婚礼,结果婚礼上,老公的妹妹穿的比我还像新娘。我一直安慰自己,他们只是感情好,可当我...
    茶点故事阅读 67,110评论 6 388
  • 文/花漫 我一把揭开白布。 她就那样静静地躺着,像睡着了一般。 火红的嫁衣衬着肌肤如雪。 梳的纹丝不乱的头发上,一...
    开封第一讲书人阅读 51,079评论 1 295
  • 那天,我揣着相机与录音,去河边找鬼。 笑死,一个胖子当着我的面吹牛,可吹牛的内容都是我干的。 我是一名探鬼主播,决...
    沈念sama阅读 40,005评论 3 417
  • 文/苍兰香墨 我猛地睁开眼,长吁一口气:“原来是场噩梦啊……” “哼!你这毒妇竟也来了?” 一声冷哼从身侧响起,我...
    开封第一讲书人阅读 38,840评论 0 273
  • 序言:老挝万荣一对情侣失踪,失踪者是张志新(化名)和其女友刘颖,没想到半个月后,有当地人在树林里发现了一具尸体,经...
    沈念sama阅读 45,278评论 1 310
  • 正文 独居荒郊野岭守林人离奇死亡,尸身上长有42处带血的脓包…… 初始之章·张勋 以下内容为张勋视角 年9月15日...
    茶点故事阅读 37,497评论 2 332
  • 正文 我和宋清朗相恋三年,在试婚纱的时候发现自己被绿了。 大学时的朋友给我发了我未婚夫和他白月光在一起吃饭的照片。...
    茶点故事阅读 39,667评论 1 348
  • 序言:一个原本活蹦乱跳的男人离奇死亡,死状恐怖,灵堂内的尸体忽然破棺而出,到底是诈尸还是另有隐情,我是刑警宁泽,带...
    沈念sama阅读 35,394评论 5 343
  • 正文 年R本政府宣布,位于F岛的核电站,受9级特大地震影响,放射性物质发生泄漏。R本人自食恶果不足惜,却给世界环境...
    茶点故事阅读 40,980评论 3 325
  • 文/蒙蒙 一、第九天 我趴在偏房一处隐蔽的房顶上张望。 院中可真热闹,春花似锦、人声如沸。这庄子的主人今日做“春日...
    开封第一讲书人阅读 31,628评论 0 21
  • 文/苍兰香墨 我抬头看了看天上的太阳。三九已至,却和暖如春,着一层夹袄步出监牢的瞬间,已是汗流浃背。 一阵脚步声响...
    开封第一讲书人阅读 32,796评论 1 268
  • 我被黑心中介骗来泰国打工, 没想到刚下飞机就差点儿被人妖公主榨干…… 1. 我叫王不留,地道东北人。 一个月前我还...
    沈念sama阅读 47,649评论 2 368
  • 正文 我出身青楼,却偏偏与公主长得像,于是被迫代替她去往敌国和亲。 传闻我的和亲对象是个残疾皇子,可洞房花烛夜当晚...
    茶点故事阅读 44,548评论 2 352

推荐阅读更多精彩内容