美国小学英语教材6:第231课 明星学徒(4)

For a moment the boy's mind went blank, and then he saw in a flash all the horror of the situation he was in.

那一刻男孩的脑子突然一片空白，转瞬间他看到了他面临的所有恐怖。

The acceptance tests were to begin at seven sharp in the morning!

明天早上准七点会开始验收试验！

There would be only a scant¹ five minutes after the whistle blew to get someone's attention,

在哨声引起人们注意之前，只有短短的五分钟，

even if he could find that wrench² in the night and judge the right time to begin his signals for help; for he had no watch.

即使他可以在夜间找到扳手，判断出发出求助信号的时间，但他没有表。

And unless he banged all night, he couldn't be sure of being heard in the morning.

除非他整夜敲击，他无法保证早上有人会听见。

Tim's flashlight, fortunately, was a new one, and undoubtedly³ he would be able to locate the wrench with it before long.

幸运的是，蒂姆的手电是个新的，毫无疑问他很快就可以用手电找寻扳手。

But as he set about doing it, his mind raced on, picturing what might happen within the next few hours. Suppose he found the wrench and used it.

但就在他准备行动时，他的心在加速，想象着未来几个小时会发生的事情，或许他可以找到扳手，并使用它。

Even suppose the men heard the noise he made before they started the Blower. Would they recognize it as a call for help,

甚至想有人会在启动吹风机之前听到他制造的噪音，他们会认为这是求救信号吗？

or would they think the great machine was merely stretching itself for its morning run?

或许会认为大型机器只不过是在早上进行简单的拉伸？

He was desperately⁴ afraid that they would do the latter.

他非常害怕他们会选择后者。

TIM MAKES HIS ESCAPE

蒂姆逃脱了

And now Tim's nerve was weakening. He slumped⁵ down in his tracks and wept, wept because,

如今蒂姆的神经正在衰弱，他在寻觅过程中突然坐下，并开始哭泣

as it suddenly flashed upon him, he would not be there to see his beloved Blower pass her tests.

他突然想到，他无法在现场看到心爱的吹风机通过测试。

Then came the slight bump of something touching⁶ his neck, it was the medal.

他感觉到有东西轻微触碰他的脖子，那是奖牌。

With his flash-light he examined its greasy⁷ inscription⁸, as if he did not know every word of it by heart already.

通过手电筒，他检查了泛着光的奖牌刻字，好似他已经记不起奖牌上的每一个字了。

For Faithful Service in the Company's Interest it read around the edge. The well-remembered words steadied him.

奖牌的边缘一周写着“送给为公司利益做出忠实服务的人”，这些已牢记的字让他镇定了下来。

Would it be faithful service, he asked himself, until all service was complete, and the Blower was on her way to India?

他扪心自问，这是忠诚的服务吗？直到所有服务结束，吹风机将前往印度？

No, it would not, decided⁹ the boy. It's up to me to come out of this hole alive, he said.

男孩认为这不是，他说是否活着从洞里出来由我来决定。

I believe it can be done, and I'll do it!

我相信可以做到，我可以做到！

1 scant   

adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略

参考例句：

• Don't scant the butter when you make a cake.做糕饼时不要吝惜奶油。
• Many mothers pay scant attention to their own needs when their children are small.孩子们小的时候，许多母亲都忽视自己的需求。

2 wrench   

v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受

参考例句：

• He gave a wrench to his ankle when he jumped down.他跳下去的时候扭伤了足踝。
• It was a wrench to leave the old home.离开这个老家非常痛苦。

3 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

4 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

5 slumped   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Sales have slumped this year. 今年销售量锐减。
• The driver was slumped exhausted over the wheel. 司机伏在方向盘上，疲惫得睡着了。

6 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

7 greasy   

adj. 多脂的，油脂的

参考例句：

• He bought a heavy-duty cleanser to clean his greasy oven.昨天他买了强力清洁剂来清洗油污的炉子。
• You loathe the smell of greasy food when you are seasick.当你晕船时，你会厌恶油腻的气味。

8 inscription   

n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文

参考例句：

• The inscription has worn away and can no longer be read.铭文已磨损，无法辨认了。
• He chiselled an inscription on the marble.他在大理石上刻碑文。

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。