译文及生词短语整理:朗读者小组
Translation
Jane Eyre
《简爱》
By Charlotte Brontë
CHAPTER I
There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. We had been wandering, indeed, in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning; but since dinner (Mrs. Reed, when there was no company, dined early) the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so sombre, and a rain so penetrating, that further out-door exercise was now out of the question.
那天,出去散步是不可能了。其实,早上我们还在光秃秃的灌木林中溜达了一个小时,但从午饭时起(无客造访时,里德太太很早就用午饭)便刮起了冬日凛冽的寒风,随后阴云密布,大雨滂沱,室外的活动也就只能作罢了。
I was glad of it: I never liked long walks, especially on chilly afternoons: dreadful to me was the coming home in the raw twilight, with nipped fingers and toes, and a heart saddened by the chidings of Bessie, the nurse, and humbled by the consciousness of my physical inferiority to Eliza, John, and Georgiana Reed.
我倒是求之不得。我向来不喜欢远距离散步,尤其在冷飕飕的下午。试想,阴冷的薄暮时分回得家来,手脚都冻僵了,还要受到保姆贝茜的数落,又自觉体格不如伊丽莎、约翰和乔治亚娜,心里既难过又惭愧,那情形委实可怕。
The said Eliza, John, and Georgiana were now clustered round their mama in the drawing-room: she lay reclined on a sofa by the fireside, and with her darlings about her (for the time neither quarrelling nor crying) looked perfectly happy. Me, she had dispensed from joining the group; saying, “She regretted to be under the necessity of keeping me at a distance; but that until she heard from Bessie, and could discover by her own observation, that I was endeavouring in good earnest to acquire a more sociable and childlike disposition, a more attractive and sprightly manner—something lighter, franker, more natural, as it were—she really must exclude me from privileges intended only for contented, happy, little children.”
此时此刻,刚才提到的伊丽莎、约翰和乔治亚娜都在客厅里,簇拥着他们的妈妈。她则斜倚在炉边的沙发上,身旁坐着自己的小宝贝们(眼下既未争吵也未哭叫),看上去幸福无比。而我呢,她恩准我不必同他们坐在一起了,说是她很遗憾,不得不让我独个儿在一旁呆着。要是没有亲耳从贝茜那儿听到,并且亲眼看到,我确实在尽力养成一种比较单纯随和的习性,活泼可爱的举止,也就是更开朗、更率直、更自然些,那她当真不让我享受那些只配给予快乐知足的孩子们的特权了。
New words
1.shrubbery 英 ['ʃrʌb(ə)rɪ] 美 ['ʃrʌbəri]
n. 灌木;灌木林
e.g.She saw Charlotte and Belinda emerge from the shrubbery across the lawn.
她看见夏洛蒂和比琳达从草坪对过的灌木丛走出来。
2.dine [daɪn]
vi. 进餐,用餐 vt. 宴请
e.g.We afford you the opportunity to dine with delight, to sip in style, to relax in Comfort.
我们将竭诚为您提供愉快进餐的良机,优雅的啜饮,舒适的休憩。
3.penetrating 英 ['penɪtreɪtɪŋ] 美 ['pɛnɪtretɪŋ]
adj. 渗透的;尖锐的;有洞察力的 v. 穿透;贯穿(penetrate的ing形式)
e.g.These new ideas are penetrating into the minds of the younger generation.
这些新思想正在渗透到年轻一代人的头脑里。
4.dreadful 英 ['dredfʊl; -f(ə)l] 美 ['drɛdfəl]
adj. 可怕的;糟透的,令人不快的
e.g.One dreadful night, he felt the snake wiggling under his pillow, and he jumped out of bed in a cold sweat.
在一个可怕的夜晚, 他感觉到蛇在枕头下面蠕动著,吓得他出了一身冷汗,马上跳下床。
5.twilight ['twaɪlaɪt]
n. 黄昏;薄暮;衰退期;朦胧状态
e.g.Myriad of mosquito from the swamp invade our village every twilight.
每天黄昏无数蚊虫从沼泽地飞来侵袭我们的村子。
6.chide [tʃaɪd]
vt. &vi. 斥责;责骂
e.g.Why did Chinese media chide Cuba for warming up to the US?
为什么中国媒体要斥责古巴和美国关系的回温?
7.humble 英 ['hʌmbl] 美 ['hʌmbl]
adj. 谦逊的;简陋的;(级别或地位)低下的;不大的 vt. 使谦恭;轻松打败(尤指强大的对手);低声下气
e.g.Adults are humbled by the unselfishness of this little girl.
成年人在这个小姑娘的无私面前自惭形秽。
8.inferiority 英 [ɪn,fɪərɪ'ɒrɪtɪ] 美 [ɪn,fɪrɪ'ɔrəti]
n. 自卑;下属;次等;下部
e.g.This kind of sentiment is a very interesting combination of superiority and inferiority.
这种情感是非常有趣的,是一种高傲和自卑的结合体。
9.recline 英 [rɪ'klaɪn] 美 [rɪ'klaɪn]
vi. 靠;依赖;斜倚 vt. 使躺下;使斜倚
e.g.All commercial planes have seats that recline and almost all are made in the US or Europe.
所有商用飞机的座椅都可以斜靠,几乎全部是美国制造或者欧洲制造。
10.quarrel 英 ['kwɒr(ə)l] 美 ['kwɔrəl]
vi. 吵架;争论;挑剔 n. 吵架;怨言;
e.g.When they home, they often quarrel with each other for some trifles.
当他们回到家后,他们经常会为一些鸡毛蒜皮的小事吵架。
11.endeavour 英 [ɪn'devə; en-] 美 [ɪndɛvəʳ]
n. 尽力,竭力 vi. 竭力;企图
e.g.I will endeavour to arrange it.
我会尽力安排。
12.sprightly 英 ['spraɪtlɪ] 美 ['spraɪtli]
adj. 活泼的;愉快的 adv. 活泼地
e.g.The patient smiled when he heard the sprightly music on the radio.
听到收音机里传来的轻快乐曲,这个病人笑了。
Phrases
1.taking a walk 散步
2.out of the question 不可能;不知底细;根本谈不上
3.drawing-room 客厅;休息室
4.dispensed from 豁免,免除,省却
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