铜山毛榉案 01对华生文笔的探讨(1)

The Copper¹ Beeches²

铜山毛榉案

"To the man who loves art for its own sake," remarked Sherlock Holmes, tossing aside the advertisement sheet of the Daily Telegraph,

"一个为艺术而爱好艺术的人，"歇洛克·福尔摩斯将《每日电讯报》的广告专页扔在一边说，

"it is frequently in its least important and lowliest manifestations³ that the keenest pleasure is to be derived⁴.

"常常是从最不重要和最平凡的形象中得到最大的乐趣。

It is pleasant to me to observe, Watson, that you have so far grasped this truth that in these little records of our cases which you have been good enough to draw up,

华生，我高兴地观察到，从你诚诚恳恳地为我们的案件所作的那些记录中，你已经掌握了这个真理，

and, I am bound to say, occasionally to embellish⁵,

而且，我肯定地讲，有时你还加以润色，

you have given prominence⁶ not so much to the many causes célèbres and sensational⁷ trials in which I have figured

你加以突出的并不是那些我曾经参与过的许多著名案件的侦破和轰动一时的审讯，

but rather to those incidents which may have been trivial in themselves,

而是那些本身情节可能是平凡琐细的案件，

but which have given room for those faculties⁸ of deduction⁹ and of logical synthesis which I have made my special province."

然而这些案件有发挥推论和逻辑综合的才能的余地，我把它们列入我的特殊的研究范围之内。"

"And yet," said I, smiling, "I cannot quite hold myself absolved¹⁰ from the charge of sensationalism which has been urged against my records."

"然而，"我微笑着说，"我不能完全为自己在记录中采用耸人听闻的手法开脱。"

"You have erred¹¹, perhaps," he observed, taking up a glowing cinder¹² with the tongs¹³ and lighting¹⁴ with it the long cherry-wood pipe

"也许你确有错误，"他边评论述用火钳夹起火红的炉渣来点燃他那长把的樱挑木烟斗，

which was wont¹⁵ to replace his clay when he was in a disputatious rather than a meditative¹⁶ mood.

当他是在争论问题而不是在思考问题的时候，他常常是用这个烟斗来替换陶制烟斗的。

"You have erred perhaps in attempting to put colour and life into each of your statements

"也许你错就错在总是想把你的每项记述都写得生动活泼些，

instead of confining yourself to the task of placing upon record that severe reasoning from cause to effect

而不是将你的任务限制在记述事物因果关系的严谨的推理上，

which is really the only notable feature about the thing."

这实际上是事物唯一值得注意的特点。"

1 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

2 beeches   

n.山毛榉( beech的名词复数 )；山毛榉木材

参考例句：

• The beeches, oaks and chestnuts all belong to the same family. 山毛榉树、橡树和栗子树属于同科树种。 来自互联网
• There are many beeches in this wood. 这片树林里有许多山毛榉。 来自互联网

3 manifestations   

n.表示，显示（manifestation的复数形式）

参考例句：

• These were manifestations of the darker side of his character. 这些是他性格阴暗面的表现。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• To be wordly-wise and play safe is one of the manifestations of liberalism. 明哲保身是自由主义的表现之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 embellish   

v.装饰，布置；给…添加细节，润饰

参考例句：

• I asked him not to embellish the truth with ideas of his own.我要他不对事实添油加醋。
• Can you embellish your refusal just a little bit?你可以对你的婉拒之辞略加修饰吗？

6 prominence   

n.突出；显著；杰出；重要

参考例句：

• He came to prominence during the World Cup in Italy.他在意大利的世界杯赛中声名鹊起。
• This young fashion designer is rising to prominence.这位年轻的时装设计师的声望越来越高。

7 sensational   

adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的

参考例句：

• Papers of this kind are full of sensational news reports.这类报纸满是耸人听闻的新闻报道。
• Their performance was sensational.他们的演出妙极了。

8 faculties   

n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院

参考例句：

• Although he's ninety, his mental faculties remain unimpaired. 他虽年届九旬，但头脑仍然清晰。
• All your faculties have come into play in your work. 在你的工作中，你的全部才能已起到了作用。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 deduction   

n.减除，扣除，减除额；推论，推理，演绎

参考例句：

• No deduction in pay is made for absence due to illness.因病请假不扣工资。
• His deduction led him to the correct conclusion.他的推断使他得出正确的结论。

10 absolved   

宣告…无罪，赦免…的罪行，宽恕…的罪行( absolve的过去式和过去分词 )； 不受责难，免除责任 [义务] ,开脱（罪责）

参考例句：

• The court absolved him of all responsibility for the accident. 法院宣告他对该事故不负任何责任。
• The court absolved him of guilt in her death. 法庭赦免了他在她的死亡中所犯的罪。

11 erred   

犯错误，做错事( err的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He erred in his judgement. 他判断错了。
• We will work on those who have erred and help them do right. 我们将对犯了错误的人做工作，并帮助他们改正。

12 cinder   

n.余烬，矿渣

参考例句：

• The new technology for the preparation of superfine ferric oxide from pyrite cinder is studied.研究了用硫铁矿烧渣为原料，制取超细氧化铁红的新工艺。
• The cinder contains useful iron,down from producing sulphuric acid by contact process.接触法制硫酸的矿渣中含有铁矿。

13 tongs   

n.钳；夹子

参考例句：

• She used tongs to put some more coal on the fire.她用火钳再夹一些煤放进炉子里。
• He picked up the hot metal with a pair of tongs.他用一把钳子夹起这块热金属。

14 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

15 wont   

adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯

参考例句：

• He was wont to say that children are lazy.他常常说小孩子们懒惰。
• It is his wont to get up early.早起是他的习惯。

16 meditative   

adj.沉思的，冥想的

参考例句：

• A stupid fellow is talkative;a wise man is meditative.蠢人饶舌，智者思虑。
• Music can induce a meditative state in the listener.音乐能够引导倾听者沉思。