精美英文欣赏:掉进兔子洞

Part 2 Down the Rabbit-Hole

第二部分 掉进兔子洞

Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, "and what is the use of a book," thought Alice, "without pictures or conversation?"

爱丽丝挨着姐姐坐在河岸边，她开始感到厌烦，讨厌这无事可做的状态。她偷偷瞥了瞥姐姐正在看的书一两眼，但是里面既没有图片，也没有对话，"没有图片和对话的书有什么用呢？ "爱丽丝想。

So she was considering in her own mind, whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her.

于是她在头脑里寻思，编一个雏菊花环的乐趣是否值得她不怕麻烦地站起身去采摘雏菊呢，突然，一只粉色眼睛的白兔跑到她跟前。

There was nothing so very remarkable¹ in that; nor did Alice think it so very much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to itself, "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!" but when the Rabbit actually took a watch out of its waistcoat pocket, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat pocket, or a watch to take out of it and burning with curiosity, she ran across the field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.

这件事并没有什么非常令人惊讶的，当爱丽丝听到兔子自言自语地说，"哦， 天呀！哦，天呀！我要迟到了！ "她也没觉得有多么奇怪，但那只兔子竟然从背心口袋里掏出一块表来，看了看，然后急急忙忙地赶路，爱丽丝站起身，因为她脑海一闪而过的想法是：她从来没有看见过一只兔子有背心口袋，或者能从口袋里掏出一块表来。出于强烈的好奇心，她跟着兔子穿过田野，幸运的是，正好看到它跳进了篱笆底下的一个大兔子洞。

In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again.

转眼工夫，爱丽丝便跟着它跳了下去，从未考虑过自己究竟怎样才能再出去。

The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down a very deep well.

兔子洞像隧道一样直直地向下延伸，一段路后，突然向下倾斜，太突然了，爱丽丝根本来不及想到让自己停下来，便发现她正在顺着一个很深的井往下掉。

Either the well was very deep，or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her and to wonder what was going to happen next. First, she tried to look down and make out what she was coming to, but it was too dark to see anything; then she looked at the sides of the well, and noticed that they were filled with cupboards and bookshelves; here and there she saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs². She took down a jar from one of the shelves as she passed; it was labelled "ORANGE MARMALADE", but to her great disappointment it was empty: she did not like to drop the jar for fear of killing³ somebody, so managed to put it into one of the cupboards as she fell past it.

要么是井非常深，要么是她掉得很慢，因为她在往下掉的同时，还有足够的时间去东张西望，去猜测接下来会发生的事情。首先，她试着往下看，想弄清她要意到哪里，但井里漆黑一片，什么也看不见；然后，她看了看井的四周，发现四面全是橱柜和书架；她看见钉子上到处挂着地图和图片。她从经过的一个架子上拿下一个瓶子，上面贴着"橘子酱"的标签，但是让她大失所望的是，瓶子是空的。她不想扔掉瓶子，因为怕砸死人，所以设法把它放进了下落时又经过的一个橱柜里。

"Well!" thought Alice to herself, "after such a fall as this, I shall think nothing of tumbling⁴ down stairs! How brave they'll all think me at home! Why, I wouldn't say anything about it, even if I fell off the top of the house!"

"好呀！ "爱丽丝心想,"经历过这样一次往下掉，我就不会把从楼梯上滚下去当一回事了！家里人都会觉得我是多么勇敢呀！哎呀，这件事我不会说一个字，即使我从房顶上掉下来！ "

Down, down, down. Would the fall NEVER come to an end! "I wonder how many miles I've fallen by this time?" she said aloud. "I must be getting somewhere near the centre of the earth. Let me see: that would be four thousand miles down, I think-""-yes, that's about the right distance-but then I wonder what Latitude⁵ or Longitude⁶ I've got to?"

向下，向下，向下掉。难道向下掉永远不会结束！ "不知道到这个时候我已经下降了多少英里？ "她大声说。"我一定正在靠近地球中心的某个地方。让我想想：可能掉了四千英里啦，我想, 是的，大概正是这个距离. 但是， 那我达到的纬度和经度是多少呢？ "

Presently she began again. "I wonder if I shall fall right through the earth! How funny it'll seem to come out among the people that walk with their heads downward!? The Antipathies⁷, I think-"

不一会儿她又开始说，"不知道我会不会一直掉下去，穿越地球呢！出来的时候，看到身边的人都头朝下倒着走路，那该有多可笑呀！讨厌的家伙们，我想--"

"-but I shall have to ask them what the name of the country is, you know. Please, Ma'am, is this New Zealand or Australia?"

"--但是，你们知道，我将不得不询问他们国家的名字。夫人，请问这里是新西兰，还是澳大利亚呢？ "

"And what an ignorant little girl she'll think of me for asking! No, it'11 never do to ask: perhaps I shall see it written up somewhere."

"我这么问，她会以为我是一个多么无知的小女孩呀！不，绝不能提问，也许我会看到国名在哪儿写着呢。"

Down, down, down. Finally she came upon a heap of sticks and dry leaves, and the fall was over.

向下，向下，向下掉。最后她掉到了一堆干枝枯叶上，下降结束了。

1 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

2 pegs   

n.衣夹( peg的名词复数 )；挂钉；系帐篷的桩；弦钮v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的第三人称单数 )；使固定在某水平

参考例句：

• She hung up the shirt with two (clothes) pegs. 她用两只衣夹挂上衬衫。 来自辞典例句
• The vice-presidents were all square pegs in round holes. 各位副总裁也都安排得不得其所。 来自辞典例句

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 tumbling   

n.摔跤，翻跟头，翻筋斗adj.歪斜状的v.倒塌( tumble的现在分词 )；翻滚；突然摔倒；恍然大悟

参考例句：

• His eyes were fastened on the boiling, tumbling waves. 他的眼睛凝视着汹涌的波涛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The earthquake sent buildings tumbling into one another like failing dominoes. 地震使大楼哗啦啦倒塌，就像正在倾倒的骨牌一般。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 latitude   

n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区

参考例句：

• The latitude of the island is 20 degrees south.该岛的纬度是南纬20度。
• The two cities are at approximately the same latitude.这两个城市差不多位于同一纬度上。

6 longitude   

n.经线，经度

参考例句：

• The city is at longitude 21°east.这个城市位于东经21度。
• He noted the latitude and longitude,then made a mark on the admiralty chart.他记下纬度和经度，然后在航海图上做了个标记。

7 antipathies   

反感( antipathy的名词复数 )； 引起反感的事物； 憎恶的对象； （在本性、倾向等方面的）不相容

参考例句：

• Yet it breeds antipathies of the most pungent character between those who lay the emphasis differently. 然而，由于个人的着重点不同，彼此之间就产生了许多非常尖锐的嫌恶感。
• Yet breeds antipathies of the most pungent character between those who lay the emphasis differently. 然而。由于个人的着重点不同。彼此之间就产生了许多非常尖锐的嫌恶感。