精灵鼠小弟 第23期:寻找最好的帆船

 　　"Excuse me, sir," said Stuart to the man who was turning her, "but are you the owner of the schooner¹ Wasp²?"

　　“请原谅，先生，”斯图亚特对船边的一个男人说，“你是这纵帆船的船主吗？”

　　"I am," replied the man, surprised to be addressed by a mouse in a sailor suit.

　　“是的，”这个男人回答着，惊奇地看着这个穿水手服的老鼠。

　　"I'm looking for a berth³ in a good ship," continued Stuart," and I thought perhaps you might sign me on.

　　“我正在找一艘最好的帆船，”斯图亚特继续说，“我想你可能会与我签约。”

　　I'm strong and I'm quick.

　　我既强壮又机敏。

　　"Are you sober?" asked the owner of the Wasp.

　　“你没喝多吧？”黄蜂号的船主问。

　　"I do my work," said Stuart, crisply.

　　“我完全能能胜任这工作。”斯图亚特爽快地回答。

　　The man looked sharply at him.

　　这个男人挑剔地看了看他。

　　He couldn't help admiring the trim appearance and bold manner of this diminutive⁴ seafaring character.

　　但不久就被这个小水手漂亮的水手服和航海家般的勇敢气质所打动了。

　　"Well," he said at length, pointing the prow⁵ of the Wasp out toward the center of the pond, "I'll tell you what I'll do with you.

　　“好吧，”他终于说着，指指池塘中心方向的一艘船，“我要告诉你我要你做什么。

　　You see that big racing⁶ sloop⁷ out there?

　　你看到那边的大赛船了吗？

　　"I do," said Stuart.

　　“看见了，”斯图亚特说。

　　"That's the Lillian B.Womrath," said the man, "and I hate her with all my heart."

　　“那是莉莲B.沃拉尔号”，那男人说，“我从心底里恨她。”

　　"Then so do I," cried Stuart, loyally.

　　“那么我也恨她，”斯图亚特忠诚地叫道。

　　"I hate her because she is always bumping into my boat," continued the man,

　　“我恨她是因为她总是撞上我的船，”那个男人继续说，

　　and because her owner is a lazy boy who doesn't understand sailing and who hardly knows a squall from a squid.

　　因为她的船主是一个不懂航海的懒孩子，他几乎都不知道乌贼与乌云的分别。

　　"Or a jib from a jibe," cried Stuart.

　　“或者改舷与三角帆的分别，”斯图亚特叫。

　　"Or a luff from a leech," bellowed⁸ the man.

　　“或者纵帆的外边和里边的分别。”那个男人吼。

　　"Or a deck from a dock," screamed Stuart.

　　“或者码头与甲板的分别。”斯图亚特尖叫。

　　"Or a mast from a mist," yelled the man.

　　“或者雾与桅杆的分别，”那男人叫。

　　But hold on, now, no more of this!

　　好了，够了，别再说了！

　　I'll tell you what we'll do.

　　我要告诉你我要你做什么。

1 schooner   

n.纵帆船

参考例句：

• The schooner was driven ashore.那条帆船被冲上了岸。
• The current was bearing coracle and schooner southward at an equal rate.急流正以同样的速度将小筏子和帆船一起冲向南方。

2 wasp   

n.黄蜂，蚂蜂

参考例句：

• A wasp stung me on the arm.黄蜂蜇了我的手臂。
• Through the glass we can see the wasp.透过玻璃我们可以看到黄蜂。

3 berth   

n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊

参考例句：

• She booked a berth on the train from London to Aberdeen.她订了一张由伦敦开往阿伯丁的火车卧铺票。
• They took up a berth near the harbor.他们在港口附近找了个位置下锚。

4 diminutive   

adj.小巧可爱的，小的

参考例句：

• Despite its diminutive size,the car is quite comfortable.尽管这辆车很小，但相当舒服。
• She has diminutive hands for an adult.作为一个成年人，她的手显得非常小。

5 prow   

n.(飞机)机头，船头

参考例句：

• The prow of the motor-boat cut through the water like a knife.汽艇的船头像一把刀子劈开水面向前行驶。
• He stands on the prow looking at the seadj.他站在船首看着大海。

6 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

7 sloop   

n.单桅帆船

参考例句：

• They heeled the sloop well over,skimming it along to windward.他们使单桅小船倾斜适当，让它顶着风向前滑去。
• While a sloop always has two sails,a cat-rigged boat generally has only one.一艘单桅帆船总是有两面帆，但一艘单桅艇通常只有一面帆。

8 bellowed   

v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫

参考例句：

• They bellowed at her to stop. 他们吼叫着让她停下。
• He bellowed with pain when the tooth was pulled out. 当牙齿被拔掉时，他痛得大叫。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》