木偶奇遇记 第137期:匹诺曹登台献艺(9)

 　　Then, in order to teach the Donkey that it was not good manners to bray¹ before the public, 于是，班主为了让驴子懂得当着观众的面驴叫是没有规矩的，

　　the Manager hit him on the nose with the handle of the whip. 就用鞭子柄在他鼻子上打了一下。

　　The poor little Donkey stuck out a long tongue and licked his nose for a long time in an effort to take away the pain. 可怜的小驴子伸出长舌头，把鼻子舔了很久来减轻痛楚。

　　And what was his grief when on looking up toward the boxes, he saw that the Fairy had disappeared! 当他再转过脸去看包厢时，仙女已经不见了，这让他伤心不已。

　　He felt himself fainting, his eyes filled with tears, and he wept bitterly. 他觉得自己快要晕倒了，眼里满是泪水，伤心的抽泣起来。

　　No one knew it, however, least of all the Manager, who, cracking his whip, cried out: 可是没有人明白他的意思，尤其是班主，反而抽着鞭子叫道：

　　"Bravo, Pinocchio! Now show us how gracefully² you can jump through the rings." “勇敢点，皮诺乔，现在让我们看看你能够多么优美地跳圈。”

　　Pinocchio tried two or three times, but each time he came near the ring, he found it more to his taste to go under it. 皮诺乔试了两三次，可是每次到了圆圈前面，他发现他更中意从圆圈下面溜过去。

　　but as he did so his hind³ legs caught in the ring and he fell to the floor in a heap. 可实际上他的后腿勾住了圆圈，于是他扑通跌倒在地，缩成一团。

　　When he got up, he was lame⁴ and could hardly limp as far as the stable. 等到他站起来，脚已经瘸了，几乎无力的回到他的栏里。

　　"Pinocchio! We want Pinocchio! We want the little Donkey!" cried the boys from the orchestra, saddened by the accident. “皮诺乔出来！我们要看皮诺乔！我们要看小驴子！”池座里的小朋友们大叫，对这次事故感到难过。

　　No one saw Pinocchio again that evening. 这晚没有人再看见过皮诺乔。

　　The next morning the veterinary—that is, the animal doctor—declared that he would be lame for the rest of his life. 第二天早晨，一位兽医宣称他要一辈子瘸腿了。

1 bray   

n.驴叫声, 喇叭声；v.驴叫

参考例句：

• She cut him off with a wild bray of laughter.她用刺耳的狂笑打断了他的讲话。
• The donkey brayed and tried to bolt.这头驴嘶叫着试图脱缰而逃。

2 gracefully   

ad.大大方方地；优美地

参考例句：

• She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet. 她优雅地坐到他脚旁的垫子上。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line. 新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

3 hind   

adj.后面的，后部的

参考例句：

• The animal is able to stand up on its hind limbs.这种动物能够用后肢站立。
• Don't hind her in her studies.不要在学业上扯她后腿。

4 lame   

adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的

参考例句：

• The lame man needs a stick when he walks.那跛脚男子走路时需借助拐棍。
• I don't believe his story.It'sounds a bit lame.我不信他讲的那一套。他的话听起来有些靠不住。