英语PK台 第592期:听爷爷讲故事:《一条不安于做自己的狗》

 　　Granddad's dog Rex

　　听爷爷讲那过去的事：一只不安于be himself的狗

　　We always suspected Granddad was unusual. There always was a bit of a mystery about his past. But when we got on his lap and he told us about things that happened when he was a little boy, well, somehow we knew it was all true.

　　我们一直觉得爷爷非常不寻常，他的过去总显得有点神秘。但直到有一次我们围坐在他的大腿上，听他讲自己小时候的事情时，我们才知道事实确实如此。

　　"Let me just tell you about when I was your age," Granddad would say. "Things were much different than now for you children" "How, Granddad? How?" I begged. I loved Granddad's stories. "Well, Steven, in a lot of ways, but for one thing, when I was a child, all the animals could talk."

　　爷爷说：“我给你们讲一讲我小时候的事情。”“我像你们这么大时遇到的事情与你们现在的差别很大”“有什么差别，爷爷？有什么差别？”我央求爷爷继续讲下去。我非常爱听爷爷讲的故事。“好吧，史蒂文，差别在很多方面。我们先从一件事情讲起吧——我小时候，所有动物都会说话。”

　　"No way, Granddad," Susannah nit-picked. "Yes, Susanna, and the animal that seemed to have the most to say was Rex." "Your dog, Rex, Granddad?" Harrison asked. "That's the one. Why, I remember one day when Rex came to me and told me he wasn't satisfied being a dog?"

　　“这不可能，爷爷，”苏珊娜挑剔地指出。“它们真的会说，苏珊娜，其中话最多的似乎是雷克斯。”“是您的那只狗雷克斯吗，爷爷？”哈里森问道。“没错，就是他。记得有一天雷克斯来到我身边，告诉我他对自己的生活感到不满，不想再做一只狗了。”

　　"Was it the dog food, Granddad? Didn't you give him good things to eat?" I wondered. "No, it wasn't the dog food. Seems Rex had been looking around, at other animals, at humans, even at other dogs, and he just wasn't satisfied."

　　“是狗粮的问题吗，爷爷？您不给他好东西吃吗？”我好奇地问道。“不是狗粮的事儿。似乎雷克斯之前一直在四处观望，观察其他动物、人类，甚至其他狗的生活，他只是感到对自己的生活不满意而已。”

　　"What did you tell him, Granddad?" Jenny asked. "Well, I didn't tell him anything, Jenny. I learned that Rex does better if he learns lessons himself. Just like you children do. Seems Rex had been to the circus, snuck under the tent and had seen the high wire act. That's what Rex wanted to be—a high wire trapeze artist, walking on the wire."

　　“那您是怎么回答他的，爷爷？”珍妮问道。“嗯，我什么也没说，珍妮。我了解，如果让雷克斯亲自去学习经验教训，应该会对他更有好处。就像你们这些孩子们一样。后来，雷克斯好像去了趟马戏团。他躲在马戏团的帐篷下，看到了踩钢丝表演。这就是雷克斯想要的——做一名空中飞人踩钢丝演员。”

　　"But dogs can't walk on wire, Granddad," Susanna noted¹. "It's already hard for them to hold the balancing pole in their paws." "Well, that's right, and when he tried it by walking on the back of the couch, well, he fell right off and yipped and yipped and yipped."

　　“但是，狗狗不会踩钢丝啊，爷爷，”苏珊娜指出。“如何用爪子拿住平衡杆已经足够难倒他们了。”“没错，当他试着在沙发靠背上走两步时，就直接跌了下来，然后就是不停地尖叫，不停地尖叫。

　　We all laughed. "Well, that didn't seem to teach him his lesson, children, so he tried something new. This time he had been in the garden and it seems he had been chatting with a snake. Apparently², the snake bragged³ a lot and convinced Rex he should become a snake."

　　我们全都大笑起来。“他似乎没有从中吸取什么教训，孩子们，于是他又开始尝试一些新的东西。这一次，他来到了花园里，好像在那里与一条蛇聊了会儿天。 显然，那条蛇对他说了很多大话，并让雷克斯确信自己应该成为一条蛇。”

　　"Granddad!" Harrison spoke⁴ up. "Dogs cannot be snakes!" He poked⁵ Granddad as he lectured him. "They would have trouble making that hissing⁶ sound."

　　“爷爷！”哈里森大声说道。“狗不可能成为蛇！”，他比比划划地向爷爷讲解着，“他们很难发出嘶嘶的声音。”

　　"Yes, and Harrison, when Rex practiced slithering, he accidentally wrapped himself around the toilet and could not get out of the bathroom for a while." "What did you do, Granddad, did you leave him there?" wondered Jenny.

　　“是的，哈里森，当雷克斯练习像蛇一样在地上爬行时，不小心把自己缠在了马桶上，被困在卫生间里好长时间。”“那然后呢？您怎么做的，爷爷？把他自己留在那里了吗？”珍妮好奇地问道。

　　"Well, no, your Grandma was pretty crafty⁷ with her knitting needles. No need to go into details, but after some additional yelping⁸ we got him out. He was pretty embarrassed about that episode; I can tell you that. Rex told me later that he felt that the snake project was poorly planned, but he knew for sure what he was going to be."

　　“没有啊，你们奶奶的织针手艺很棒的。但具体我们怎么做的就不多说了，反正在他的一阵尖叫声后，我们把他救了出来。我可以告诉你们的是，他对这段插曲感到非常尴尬。雷克斯后来告诉我，他觉得变成蛇的项目计划得不够周密，但他现在毫无疑问地知道自己想要成为什么了。”

　　"What did he decide, Granddad?" Harrison wanted to know. "Well, Rex had been watching TV, and he decided⁹ he wanted to be Miss America."

　　“他做了什么决定，爷爷？”哈里森想知道个究竟。“好吧，雷克斯当时一直在看电视，于是他决定要成为‘美国小姐'。”

　　"MISS AMERICA???" Jenny objected. "But REX is a boy dog!" "That was a drawback," Granddad admitted. "But Granddad," Susanna interrupted, "does he know about the swimsuit competition?"

　　珍妮反驳说：“但雷克斯是一只男狗啊！”“这确实是一个不利条件，”爷爷承认说。“还有，爷爷，”苏珊娜插嘴说，“他了解泳装秀是怎么回事吗？”

　　"Well, children that was a problem. When we got it on him, Rex not only looked silly, it slowed him down when he chased squirrels. Finally, it was Grandma who talked some sense into him."

　　“嗯，孩子们，这是个问题。当我们帮他穿上泳装时，雷克斯不仅看起来傻兮兮的，而且追松鼠时的速度都变慢了。最终还是奶奶劝说他放弃了这个念头。

　　"Grandma could speak dog?" Harrison was amazed. "Oh, fluently. She finally sat him down, got him a cup of tea and explained to him what you all know, don't you children?" "Yes, he has to be himself. That's how you get people to like you—be yourself, Granddad." I instructed. "Did she teach him to use his natural talents?"

　　“奶奶会说狗的语言？！”哈里森很惊讶。“嗯，还很流利呢。最后，奶奶让他坐了下来，给他一杯茶，向他解释了你们都知道的道理，没错吧孩子们？”“是的，他应该做他自己。要想让别人喜欢你——必须做你自己。”我回答道。“奶奶教他利用自己的天赋了吗？”

　　"Yes, Steven, she did. She showed him that we loved him for what he was already good at." "What was Rex good at, Granddad?" wondered Susanna. "Oh, scratching himself, barking, frightening squirrels. He was a very talented dog."

　　“是的，史蒂文，奶奶这样做了。奶奶告诉他，我们爱他正是因为他所擅长的。”“那，爷爷，雷克斯擅长什么啊？”苏珊娜好奇地问道。“哦，为自己抓痒痒、汪汪叫、吓唬松鼠。嗯，他是一只很有才华的狗。”

　　"A talking dog? Can that possibly be true, Granddad?" wondered Harrison. "It could possibly, Harry¹⁰. Just possibly." "I wish Rex and Grandma didn't die, Granddad," said Jenny sadly. "Oh, they are together right now Jenny," Granddad said whimsically. "In Heaven, Granddad?" She brightened up. "Oh, no, Jenny. Not in heaven. Grandma and Rex aren't dead. They are just together. In another place. And it isn't far from here, children. Would you like to go see them?" "YEAH!!!!!!" All of us cheered. And we meant it, too.

　　“一只会说话的狗？这可能是真的吗，爷爷？”哈里森好奇地问。“有可能的，哈利。但只是可能而已。”“要是雷克斯和奶奶都没有死该多好啊，爷爷，”珍妮悲伤地说。“哦，他们现在在一起呢，珍妮，”爷爷用古怪的语气说道。“他们在天堂吗，爷爷？”珍妮变得高兴起来。“哦，珍妮，他们不在天堂。奶奶和雷克斯都没有死。他们只是在一起，住在另一个地方，这个地方离我们并不太远。你们想去看看他们吗？“当然想！！！！！”我们都欢呼了起来。我们确实也想去见见他们。

1 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

2 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

3 bragged   

v.自夸，吹嘘( brag的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He bragged to his friends about the crime. 他向朋友炫耀他的罪行。
• Mary bragged that she could run faster than Jack. 玛丽夸口说她比杰克跑得快。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 poked   

v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交

参考例句：

• She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。
• His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 hissing   

n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The steam escaped with a loud hissing noise. 蒸汽大声地嘶嘶冒了出来。
• His ears were still hissing with the rustle of the leaves. 他耳朵里还听得萨萨萨的声音和屑索屑索的怪声。 来自汉英文学 - 春蚕

7 crafty   

adj.狡猾的，诡诈的

参考例句：

• He admired the old man for his crafty plan.他敬佩老者的神机妙算。
• He was an accomplished politician and a crafty autocrat.他是个有造诣的政治家，也是个狡黠的独裁者。

8 yelping   

v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• In the middle of the table sat a little dog, shaking its paw and yelping. 在桌子中间有一只小狗坐在那儿，抖着它的爪子，汪汪地叫。 来自辞典例句
• He saved men from drowning and you shake at a cur's yelping. 他搭救了快要溺死的人们，你呢，听到一条野狗叫唤也瑟瑟发抖。 来自互联网

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。