美丽新世界Brave New World 第3章(1)

 　　Chapter Three

　　第三章

　　Outside, in the garden, it was playtime.

　　外面，花园里已到了游戏的时候。

　　Naked in the warm June sunshine, six or seven hundred little boys and girls were running with shrill¹ yells over the lawns, or playing ball games, or squatting² silently in twos and threes among the flowering shrubs³.

　　六七百个男孩和女孩在六月的暑热里全脱光了衣服，尖叫着在草地上奔跑、玩球，或是三三两两一声不响蹲在开花的灌木丛里。

　　The roses were in bloom, two nightingales soliloquized in the boskage, a cuckoo was just going out of tune⁴ among the lime trees.

　　玫瑰开得正艳，两只夜莺各自在密林里呢喃，一只杜鹃在菩提树梢开始唱得走了调。

　　The air was drowsy⁵ with the murmur⁶ of bees and helicopters.

　　蜜蜂和直升飞机的嗡嗡声使空气里充满了睡意。

　　The Director and his students stood for a short time watching a game of Centrifugal Bumble-puppy.

　　主任和学生们停下脚步看了一会儿“汪汪狗患离心球”游戏。

　　Twenty children were grouped in a circle round a chrome steel tower.

　　二十个孩子围着一座克罗米钢塔。

　　A ball thrown up so as to land on the platform at the top of the tower rolled down into the interior, fell on a rapidly revolving⁷ disk, was hurled⁸ through one or other of the numerous apertures⁹ pierced in the cylindrical¹⁰ casing, and had to be caught.

　　一个球扔到塔顶的平台上，滚进塔里，落在一个飞速旋转的圆盘里，再从圆筒状的盒子边的洞里甩出来，孩子们抢着去接。

　　"Strange," mused¹¹ the Director, as they turned away, " strange to think that even in Our Ford's day most games were played without more apparatus¹² than a ball or two and a few sticks and perhaps a bit of netting.

　　“多么奇怪，”主任在他们转身走掉时思考着，“在我主福帝的年代里，大部分的游戏设备还只有一两个球，几根棍子，也许加上一张网子，真是奇怪。

　　imagine the folly¹³ of allowing people to play elaborate games which do nothing whatever to increase consumption.

　　想想看，竟然会蠢到允许大家玩各种精心设计的游戏，却并不促进他们消费的程度。

　　It's madness.

　　这简直是发疯。

　　Nowadays the Controllers won't approve of any new game unless it can be shown that it requires at least as much apparatus as the most complicated of existing games."

　　现在管理人员除非能证明一种游戏需用的设备跟现有的游戏一样复杂精巧，否则他们是不会同意的。”

　　He interrupted himself.

　　他自己打断了自己。

　　"That's a charming little group," he said, pointing.

　　“那两个小家伙多迷人。”他说时指了指。

　　In a little grassy¹⁴ bay between tall clumps¹⁵ of Mediterranean¹⁶ heather, two children, a little boy of about seven and a little girl who might have been a year older, were playing, very gravely and with all the focussed attention of scientists intent on a labour of discovery, a rudimentary sexual game.

　　在两丛高大的地中海石南间的一小片草地上，两个孩子（一个男孩大约七岁，一个女孩可能大他一岁）正聚精会神玩着初期的性游戏，像科学家要发现什么奥秘似的。

　　"Charming, charming!" the D.H.C. repeated sentimentally¹⁷.

　　“迷人，迷人，主任动情地叫道。

　　"Charming," the boys politely agreed. But their smile was rather patronizing.

　　“迷人。”孩子们礼貌地表示同意，那笑却很有点居高临下。

　　They had put aside similar childish amusements too recently to be able to watch them now without a touch of contempt.

　　他们是前不久才放弃类似的孩子气的作乐的，看起这两个小家伙来不能不带几分轻蔑。

　　Charming? but it was just a pair of kids fooling about; that was all. Just kids.

　　有什么好迷人的？两个娃娃胡闹而已，小娃娃罢了。

　　"I always think," the Director was continuing in the same rather maudlin¹⁸ tone, when he was interrupted by a loud boo-hooing.

　　“我一向以为……”主任正要以同样的颇为伤感的调子说下去，一阵哇哇大哭打断了他。

　　From a neighbouring shrubbery emerged a nurse, leading by the hand a small boy, who howled as he went.

　　从附近的灌木丛里出现了一个护土，手里换着个小男孩，那孩子一边走一边嚎。

　　An anxious-looking little girl trotted¹⁹ at her heels.

　　一个满面焦急的小姑娘踉踉跄跄跟在护士身后。

　　"What's the matter?" asked the Director.

　　“怎么回事？”主任问。

　　The nurse shrugged²⁰ her shoulders. "Nothing much," she answered.

　　那护土耸耸肩，“没什么大事，”她回答，

　　"It's just that this little boy seems rather reluctant to join in the ordinary erotic play.

　　“这个男孩不大愿意参加一般的性游戏。

　　I'd noticed it once or twice before. And now again to-day. He started yelling just now …"

　　我以前已经注意过两三次，今天他又犯了。他刚才就叫唤……”

　　"Honestly," put in the anxious-looking little girl, "I didn't mean to hurt him or anything. Honestly."

　　“说真的，”那神色焦急的小姑娘插嘴说，“我并没有伤害他的意思，也没有别的意思，真的。”

　　"Of course you didn't, dear," said the nurse reassuringly²¹.

　　“你当然没有伤害他的意思，亲爱的，”护士安慰她道，

　　"And so," she went on, turning back to the Director, "I'm taking him in to see the Assistant Superintendent²² of Psychology²³.

　　“因此，”她转身对着主任说下去，“我要带他到心理总监助理那儿去，

　　Just to see if anything's at all abnormal."

　　看看他是否有什么不正常。”

　　"Ouite right," said the Director. "Take him in. You stay here, little girl," he added, as the nurse moved away with her still howling charge.

　　“很对，”主任说，“你就带他进去吧。你留在这儿，小姑娘，”护士带着那仍在嚎叫的男孩走掉了。主任说，

　　"What's your name?"

　　“你叫什么名字？”

　　"Polly Trotsky."

　　“宝丽·托洛茨基。”

　　"And a very good name too," said the Director. "Run away now and see if you can find some other little boy to play with."

　　“名字也挺好嘛，”主任说，“快走吧，看你能不能够另外找个男孩跟你玩。”

1 shrill   

adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫

参考例句：

• Whistles began to shrill outside the barn.哨声开始在谷仓外面尖叫。
• The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter.刺耳的铃声打散了小汽艇的牌局。

2 squatting   

v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。

参考例句：

• They ended up squatting in the empty houses on Oxford Road. 他们落得在牛津路偷住空房的境地。
• They've been squatting in an apartment for the past two years. 他们过去两年来一直擅自占用一套公寓。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 shrubs   

灌木( shrub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gardener spent a complete morning in trimming those two shrubs. 园丁花了整个上午的时间修剪那两处灌木林。
• These shrubs will need more light to produce flowering shoots. 这些灌木需要更多的光照才能抽出开花的新枝。

4 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

5 drowsy   

adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的

参考例句：

• Exhaust fumes made him drowsy and brought on a headache.废气把他熏得昏昏沉沉，还引起了头疼。
• I feel drowsy after lunch every day.每天午饭后我就想睡觉。

6 murmur   

n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言

参考例句：

• They paid the extra taxes without a murmur.他们毫无怨言地交了附加税。
• There was a low murmur of conversation in the hall.大厅里有窃窃私语声。

7 revolving   

adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想

参考例句：

• The theatre has a revolving stage. 剧院有一个旋转舞台。
• The company became a revolving-door workplace. 这家公司成了工作的中转站。

8 hurled   

v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• He hurled a brick through the window. 他往窗户里扔了块砖。
• The strong wind hurled down bits of the roof. 大风把屋顶的瓦片刮了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 apertures   

n.孔( aperture的名词复数 )；隙缝；（照相机的）光圈；孔径

参考例句：

• These apertures restrict the amount of light that can reach the detector. 这些光阑将会限制到达探测器的光线的总量。 来自互联网
• The virtual anode formation time and propagation velocity at different pressure with different apertures are investigated. 比较了在不同气压和空心阴极孔径下虚阳极的形成时间和扩展速度。 来自互联网

10 cylindrical   

adj.圆筒形的

参考例句：

• huge cylindrical gas tanks 巨大的圆柱形贮气罐
• Beer cans are cylindrical. 啤酒罐子是圆筒形的。

11 mused   

v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事）

参考例句：

• \"I wonder if I shall ever see them again, \"he mused. “我不知道是否还可以再见到他们，”他沉思自问。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"Where are we going from here?\" mused one of Rutherford's guests. 卢瑟福的一位客人忍不住说道：‘我们这是在干什么？” 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

12 apparatus   

n.装置，器械；器具，设备

参考例句：

• The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。
• They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。

13 folly   

n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话

参考例句：

• Learn wisdom by the folly of others.从别人的愚蠢行动中学到智慧。
• Events proved the folly of such calculations.事情的进展证明了这种估计是愚蠢的。

14 grassy   

adj.盖满草的；长满草的

参考例句：

• They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
• Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。

15 clumps   

n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声

参考例句：

• These plants quickly form dense clumps. 这些植物很快形成了浓密的树丛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The bulbs were over. All that remained of them were clumps of brown leaves. 这些鳞茎死了，剩下的只是一丛丛的黃叶子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

17 sentimentally   

adv.富情感地

参考例句：

• I miss the good old days, ' she added sentimentally. ‘我怀念过去那些美好的日子，’她动情地补充道。 来自互联网
• I have an emotional heart, it is sentimentally attached to you unforgettable. 我心中有一份情感，那是对你刻骨铭心的眷恋。 来自互联网

18 maudlin   

adj.感情脆弱的，爱哭的

参考例句：

• He always becomes maudlin after he's had a few drinks.他喝了几杯酒后总是变得多愁善感。
• She continued in the same rather maudlin tone.她继续用那种颇带几分伤感的语调说话。

19 trotted   

小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走

参考例句：

• She trotted her pony around the field. 她骑着小马绕场慢跑。
• Anne trotted obediently beside her mother. 安妮听话地跟在妈妈身边走。

20 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 reassuringly   

ad.安心，可靠

参考例句：

• He patted her knee reassuringly. 他轻拍她的膝盖让她放心。
• The doctor smiled reassuringly. 医生笑了笑，让人心里很踏实。

22 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

23 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。