英语听力 暮光之城•暮色 第264期:第十六章 卡莱尔(2)

 The wall we faced now was different from the others. 现在我们正对着的这面墙和别的墙都不一样。

Instead of bookshelves, this wall was crowded with framed pictures of all sizes, some in vibrant¹ colors, others dull monochromes. 这面墙上没有书架，却挂满了各种尺寸的镶着相框的照片。有些是模糊生硬的彩色照片，另一些则是黯淡的黑白照片。

I searched for some logic², some binding³ motif⁴ the collection had in common, but I found nothing in my hasty examination. 我试图找出某种逻辑，某个这些收藏品所共有的主题，但在我匆忙的审视中，我没有任何发现。

Edward pulled me toward the far left side, standing⁵ me in front of a small square oil painting in a plain wooden frame. 爱德华把我拉到了最左边，让我站到了一张装裱在一个简朴的木框里的小小的方形油画前。

This one did not stand out among the bigger and brighter pieces; 这幅油画在众多尺寸更大，颜色更鲜亮的油画里并不显眼，

painted in varying tones of sepia, it depicted⁶ a miniature city full of steeply slanted⁷ roofs, with thin spires⁸ atop a few scattered⁹ towers. 它是用各种色调的深褐色画成的。它描绘了一个微缩的城市，那里到处是陡峭的斜屋顶，散落在各处的几座高塔露出窄窄的塔尖。

A wide river filled the foreground, crossed by a bridge covered with structures that looked like tiny cathedrals. 一条宽广的河流填满了远景，河上横跨着一座桥梁，桥上布满了看上去像是小巧的教堂的建筑。

"London in the sixteen-fifties," Edward said. “十七世纪五十年代的伦敦。”爱德华说道。

"The London of my youth," Carlisle added, from a few feet behind us. “我年少时的伦敦。”卡莱尔补充道，他站在离我们只有几英尺远的地方。

I flinched¹⁰; I hadn't heard him approach. Edward squeezed my hand. 我畏缩了一下，我根本没听到他走近的声音。爱德华紧握住我的手。

"Will you tell the story?" Edward asked. “你愿意讲这个故事吗？”爱德华问道。

I twisted a little to see Carlisle's reaction. 我稍微转过头，想看看卡莱尔的反应。

He met my glance and smiled. 他对上了我的目光，笑了起来。

"I would," he replied. “我很乐意。”他回答道。

"But I'm actually running a bit late. “但我确实有点赶时间。

The hospital called this morning—Dr. Snow is taking a sick day. 医院今天早上给我打了电话——斯诺医生请了一天病假。

Besides, you know the stories as well as I do," he added, grinning at Edward now. 另外，你对这个故事的熟悉程度不亚于我。”他补充道，瞥了一眼爱德华。

It was a strange combination to absorb— 这实在是个奇怪的难于理解的混合体——

the everyday concerns of the town doctor stuck in the middle of a discussion of his early days in seventeenth-century London. 那位每天关心着镇上事务的医生正陷于关于他早年在十七世纪的伦敦的经历的讨论之中。

1 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

2 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

3 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

4 motif   

n.(图案的)基本花纹，(衣服的)花边；主题

参考例句：

• Alienation is a central motif in her novels.疏离感是她小说的一个重要的主题。
• The jacket has a rose motif on the collar.这件夹克衫领子上有一朵玫瑰花的图案。

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 depicted   

描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• Other animals were depicted on the periphery of the group. 其他动物在群像的外围加以修饰。
• They depicted the thrilling situation to us in great detail. 他们向我们详细地描述了那激动人心的场面。

7 slanted   

有偏见的； 倾斜的

参考例句：

• The sun slanted through the window. 太阳斜照进窗户。
• She had slanted brown eyes. 她有一双棕色的丹凤眼。

8 spires   

n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her masts leveled with the spires of churches. 船的桅杆和教堂的塔尖一样高。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• White church spires lift above green valleys. 教堂的白色尖顶耸立在绿色山谷中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

10 flinched   

v.（因危险和痛苦）退缩，畏惧( flinch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He flinched at the sight of the blood. 他一见到血就往后退。
• This tough Corsican never flinched or failed. 这个刚毅的科西嘉人从来没有任何畏缩或沮丧。 来自辞典例句