美国语文第五册 第156期:回家之路(3)

 　　I went to England. 后来，我去了英国。

　　At first I met with no encouragement whatever, and came very near jumping off London Bridge.  刚开始，无论我做什么，都没有任何转机，还差点从伦敦桥上跳下去。

　　I went into a workshop to earn money enough to come home with: there I met the man I wanted.  再后来，我又去了家工厂，赚足能带回家的钱，就在那里，我遇见了希望见到的人。

　　To make a long story short, I've brought home 50,000 pounds with me, and here I am. 长话短说，我这次带回五万英镑，喏，情况就是这样。

　　"Good!" I exclaimed¹. “Yes,” said he, and the best of it is, she knows nothing about it.  “很好，”我叫了起来。“是的，”他说，最好的是，我老婆压根不知道这些。

　　She has been disappointed so often that I concluded I would not write to her about my unexpected² good luck.  她一直很沮丧，所以，我决定不写信告诉她我走了天大的好运，

　　When I got my money, though, I started for home at once. 尽管一拿到钱，我立马准备回家。

　　"And now, I suppose, you will make her happy?" “那么，现在，你会使她幸福吗？”

　　"Happy!" he replied; why, you don't know anything about it! “当然！”他回答，哎呀，你什么也不知道！

　　She's worked night and day since I have been in England, trying to support herself and the children decently³.  自从我去英国后，她从早到晚干活支撑这个家，想让孩子们活得更好些。

　　They paid her thirteen cents apiece for making shirts, and that's the way she has lived half the time.  她加工每件衬衫只能拿十三美分的报酬，那就是她上半辈子的活命方式。

　　She'll come down to the depot⁴ to meet me in a gingham dress and a shawl a hundred years old, and she'll think she's dressed up!   她会穿着一身粗布衣衫，戴条怕有百年光景的破围巾来车站接我。她觉得，她穿得不错了，

　　Perhaps she won't have any fine dresses in a week or so, eh?  或许一周左右，她根本不会买好点的衣服，呃？

　　The stranger then strode⁵ down the passageway again,  陌生人随后又迈步走向过道，

　　and getting in a corner where he seemed to suppose that he was out of sight,  蜷缩到一处拐角，或许他觉得这样做，别人才无法看见他，

　　went through the strangest pantomime,—laughing,putting his mouth into the drollest shapes, and swinging himself back and forth⁶ in the limited space. 接着又开始表演哑剧——大笑，用嘴做出各种搞笑怪状，在并不宽敞的空间前后摇晃不停。

1 exclaimed   

vt.exclaim的过去式v.呼喊，惊叫，大声说( exclaim的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "We have a good chance of winning," he exclaimed optimistically. “我们很可能获胜。”他乐观地喊道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She exclaimed in delight when she saw the presents. 她见到礼品高兴得叫了起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 unexpected   

adj.想不到的，意外的

参考例句：

• I always keep some good wine in for unexpected guests.我总保存些好酒，用来招待不速之客。
• His promotion was unexpected.他的升迁出人意料。

3 decently   

adv. 正派地，体面地，大方地，有礼地

参考例句：

• The children do not know how to behave themselves decently. 小孩子不懂如何举止得体。
• The new servant was decently dressed. 新来的佣人衣着得体。

4 depot   

n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站

参考例句：

• The depot is only a few blocks from here.公共汽车站离这儿只有几个街区。
• They leased the building as a depot.他们租用这栋大楼作仓库。

5 strode   

大踏步走，跨过( stride的过去式 )； (stride的过去式)

参考例句：

• She strode past him without a backward glance . 她大步从他身边走过，都没有回头瞧他一眼。
• We strode across the snowy fields. 我们大步流星地穿过雪封的旷野。

6 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。