A Tale of Two Cities — Page 2

English → Chinese CHAPTER I. Level 8/10

Even the Cock-lane ghost had been laid only a round dozen of years, after rapping out its messages, as the spirits of this very year last past (supernaturally deficient in originality) rapped out theirs.

就连科克巷的鬼魂也不过是在敲出它的讯息之后，才消停了整整十二年，正如去年那些幽灵（在独创性上超自然地匮乏）敲出它们的讯息一样。

Mere messages in the earthly order of events had lately come to the English Crown and People, from a congress of British subjects in America: which, strange to relate, have proved more important to the human race than any communications yet received through any of the chickens of the Cock-lane brood.

不久前，一批旅居美洲的英国臣民所召开的会议，向英国王室和人民传来了一些不过是尘世间寻常事务的讯息：说来奇怪，这些讯息对人类的重要性，竟远超科克巷那一窝鸡所传递的任何信息。

France, less favoured on the whole as to matters spiritual than her sister of the shield and trident, rolled with exceeding smoothness down hill, making paper money and spending it.

法国在精神事务上总体而言不如持盾执戟的姐妹国那般蒙受眷顾，她极为顺畅地滑坡而下，印着纸币，花着纸币。

Under the guidance of her Christian pastors, she entertained herself, besides, with such humane achievements as sentencing a youth to have his hands cut off, his tongue torn out with pincers, and his body burned alive, because he had not kneeled down in the rain to do honour to a dirty procession of monks which passed within his view, at a distance of some fifty or sixty yards.

在基督教牧师们的引导下，她还以如此"人道"的壮举自娱其乐：判处一名青年砍去双手、用钳子拔出舌头、活焚其身，只因他没有在雨中跪下，向一队从他视线所及约五六十码处经过的邋遢僧侣队伍致敬。

It is likely enough that, rooted in the woods of France and Norway, there were growing trees, when that sufferer was put to death, already marked by the Woodman, Fate, to come down and be sawn into boards, to make a certain movable framework with a sack and a knife in it, terrible in history.

极有可能的是，当那名受难者被处死之时，在法国和挪威的森林中，已有一些树木生根生长，它们早已被伐木人——命运——所标记，注定要被砍倒锯成木板，制成那载入史册、令人闻风丧胆的某种可移动架构，其上置有一只布袋和一把刀。

Vocabulary

就连: jiù lián — Even (emphasizing an extreme or unexpected case).
的: de — Structural particle indicating possession or modification.
鬼魂: guǐ hún — Ghost; spirit of a deceased person.
也: yě — Also; too; as well.
不过: bù guò — However; but; merely; no more than.
是: shì — To be; is, am, are.
在: zài — At; in; on; to be present at.
敲出: qiāo chū — To knock out; to produce by knocking.
它: tā — It; third-person singular for non-human entities.
讯息: xùn xī — Message; information; news.
之后: zhī hòu — After; afterwards; following a certain point.
才: cái — Only then; just; indicating a delayed outcome.
消停: xiāo tíng — To calm down; to cease; to quiet down.
了: le — Particle indicating completed action or changed state.
整整: zhěng zhěng — A full; whole; exactly (used with time or quantity).
十二年: shí èr nián — Twelve years; a duration of twelve years.
正如: zhèng rú — Just as; exactly like; in the same way as.
去年: qù nián — Last year; the previous year.
那些: nà xiē — Those; referring to plural things previously mentioned.
幽灵: yōu líng — Specter; ghost; phantom; apparition.
独创性: dú chuàng xìng — Originality; creative ingenuity; innovative quality.
上: shàng — On; above; in terms of; regarding.
超自然: chāo zì rán — Supernatural; beyond the natural world.
地: de — Adverbial particle linking adverb to verb.
匮乏: kuì fá — Lacking; deficient; scarce; in short supply.
它们: tā men — They; them; plural pronoun for non-human entities.
一样: yī yàng — Same; alike; just like; similar to.
不久前: bù jiǔ qián — Not long ago; recently; a short time before.
一批: yī pī — A group of; a batch of people or things.
旅居: lǚ jū — To reside abroad; to live away from one's homeland.
美洲: Měi zhōu — The Americas; North and South America collectively.
英国: Yīng guó — England; Britain; the United Kingdom.
臣民: chén mín — Subjects; citizens under a monarch's rule.
所: suǒ — Particle used before verbs in passive or nominal constructions.
召开: zhào kāi — To convene; to hold a meeting or conference.
会议: huì yì — Meeting; conference; assembly.
向: xiàng — Toward; to; in the direction of.
王室: wáng shì — Royal family; the monarchy; royal household.
和: hé — And; with; together with.
人民: rén mín — The people; citizens; the general population.
传来: chuán lái — To transmit here; to bring news; to come through.
一些: yī xiē — Some; a few; a number of.
尘世间: chén shì jiān — In the mortal world; earthly realm; mundane world.
寻常: xún cháng — Ordinary; common; usual; everyday.
事务: shì wù — Affairs; matters; business; administrative tasks.
说来奇怪: shuō lái qí guài — Strange to say; oddly enough; curiously.
这些: zhè xiē — These; referring to things nearby or just mentioned.
对: duì — For; to; regarding; correct.
人类: rén lèi — Humanity; humankind; the human race.
重要性: zhòng yào xìng — Importance; significance; the quality of being important.
竟: jìng — Actually; unexpectedly; to one's surprise.
远超: yuǎn chāo — Far exceeds; surpasses by a great margin.
那: nà — That; those; referring to something distant.
一窝: yī wō — A nest of; a brood or litter of creatures.
鸡: jī — Chicken; hen; rooster; poultry.
传递: chuán dì — To transmit; to pass along; to relay information.
任何: rèn hé — Any; whatever; no matter what.
信息: xìn xī — Information; message; data; news.
法国: Fǎ guó — France; the French Republic.
精神: jīng shén — Spirit; mind; mental state; morale.
总体: zǒng tǐ — Overall; in general; as a whole.
而言: ér yán — In terms of; speaking of; regarding.
不如: bù rú — Not as good as; inferior to; worse than.
那般: nà bān — Like that; in that manner; such as that.
蒙受: méng shòu — To receive; to be granted; to suffer or enjoy.
眷顾: juàn gù — Favor; grace; to look upon with benevolence.
她: tā — She; her; third-person singular feminine pronoun.
极为: jí wéi — Extremely; exceedingly; to a very great degree.
顺畅: shùn chàng — Smooth; unobstructed; flowing freely without hindrance.
滑坡: huá pō — Landslide; to slide downhill; decline or deterioration.
印着: yìn zhe — Printed with; bearing a printed image or text.
纸币: zhǐ bì — Paper money; banknotes; paper currency.
花着: huā zhe — Spending; using up money or resources continuously.
基督教: Jī dū jiào — Christianity; the Christian religion.
牧师们: mù shī men — Pastors; ministers; Christian clergy members.
引导: yǐn dǎo — To guide; to lead; to direct someone's path.
下: xià — Under; below; beneath; under the guidance of.
还: hái — Still; yet; also; in addition.
以: yǐ — With; by means of; using; in order to.
如此: rú cǐ — Like this; in this way; such; so.
人道: rén dào — Humane; humanitarian; relating to human dignity.
壮举: zhuàng jǔ — Heroic deed; grand act; remarkable achievement.
自娱: zì yú — To amuse oneself; to entertain oneself.
其乐: qí lè — Its pleasure; the joy derived from something.
判处: pàn chǔ — To sentence; to condemn someone to a punishment.
一名: yī míng — One person; a single individual (with measure word).
青年: qīng nián — Youth; young person; young adult.
砍去: kǎn qù — To chop off; to cut away with force.
双手: shuāng shǒu — Both hands; two hands together.
用: yòng — To use; by means of; with a tool or method.
钳子: qián zi — Pliers; pincers; tongs; a gripping tool.
拔出: bá chū — To pull out; to extract; to pluck out.
舌头: shé tou — Tongue; the muscular organ in the mouth.
只因: zhǐ yīn — Simply because; merely due to; only on account of.
他: tā — He; him; third-person singular masculine pronoun.
没有: méi yǒu — Did not; have not; there is no; lacking.
雨中: yǔ zhōng — In the rain; amid rainfall.
跪下: guì xià — To kneel down; to go down on one's knees.
一队: yī duì — A procession; a troop; a line of people.
从: cóng — From; since; following a path or source.
视线: shì xiàn — Line of sight; field of vision; gaze.
所及: suǒ jí — Within reach of; as far as can be seen or reached.
约: yuē — Approximately; about; roughly; around.
五六十: wǔ liù shí — Fifty or sixty; approximately fifty to sixty.
经过: jīng guò — To pass by; to go through; to pass a place.
邋遢: lā tā — Slovenly; dirty; unkempt; untidy in appearance.
僧侣: sēng lǚ — Monks; clergy; members of a religious order.
队伍: duì wǔ — Procession; troop; group marching in formation.
致敬: zhì jìng — To pay respect; to salute; to show reverence.
极有: jí yǒu — Highly likely; very much having; extremely possessing.
可能: kě néng — Possible; likely; perhaps; probability.
当: dāng — When; at the time of; just as something happens.
那名: nà míng — That person; that individual (with measure word).
受难者: shòu nàn zhě — Victim; martyr; one who suffers persecution or death.
被: bèi — Passive marker; by; indicating something done to subject.
处死: chǔ sǐ — To execute; to put to death; capital punishment.
之时: zhī shí — At the time of; at the moment when.
挪威: Nuó wēi — Norway; Scandinavian country in northern Europe.
森林: sēn lín — Forest; woods; a large area of trees.
中: zhōng — In; within; inside; among; middle.
已有: yǐ yǒu — Already had; already existing; there already were.
树木: shù mù — Trees; wood plants; vegetation of tree type.
生根: shēng gēn — To take root; to become rooted in the ground.
生长: shēng zhǎng — To grow; to develop; to sprout and flourish.
早已: zǎo yǐ — Long since; already long ago; for a long time.
伐木人: fá mù rén — Lumberjack; woodcutter; one who fells trees.
命运: mìng yùn — Fate; destiny; one's lot in life.
标记: biāo jì — Mark; label; sign; to mark something for a purpose.
注定: zhù dìng — Destined; fated; predetermined by fate.
要: yào — Will; going to; must; want to; about to.
砍倒: kǎn dǎo — To chop down; to fell a tree by cutting.
锯成: jù chéng — To saw into; to cut into pieces using a saw.
木板: mù bǎn — Wooden plank; board; flat piece of lumber.
制成: zhì chéng — To make into; to manufacture into a finished product.
载入: zǎi rù — To record into; to enter into historical records.
史册: shǐ cè — Historical records; annals; pages of history.
令人: lìng rén — To make people feel; causing one to feel a certain way.
闻风丧胆: wén fēng sàng dǎn — To be terrified at the mere mention; strike terror.
某种: mǒu zhǒng — A certain kind of; some type of; a particular sort.
可: kě — Can; able to; possible; permissible.
移动: yí dòng — To move; to shift position; mobile; movable.
架构: jià gòu — Framework; structure; scaffolding; structural frame.
一只: yī zhī — One (object with measure word for small items).
布袋: bù dài — Cloth bag; sack made of fabric.
一把: yī bǎ — One (tool, knife); a handful; measure for handled objects.
刀: dāo — Knife; blade; sword; cutting implement.

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