A Tale of Two Cities — Page 1
邮件车
The Mail
在十一月末的一个星期五深夜，多佛大道展现在这段历史所涉及的第一位人物面前。
It was the Dover road that lay, on a Friday night late in November, before the first of the persons with whom this history has business.
对他而言，多佛大道就在多佛邮车的前方，那辆邮车正沉重地爬上射手山。
The Dover road lay, as to him, beyond the Dover mail, as it lumbered up Shooter's Hill.
他在泥泞中沿着邮车旁边步行上山，其余乘客也是如此。
He walked up hill in the mire by the side of the mail, as the rest of the passengers did;
并非因为他们在这种情形下对步行锻炼有丝毫兴趣，而是因为山坡、马具、泥泞和邮车都如此沉重，
not because they had the least relish for walking exercise, under the circumstances, but because the hill, and the harness, and the mud, and the mail, were all so heavy,
马匹已经三度停了下来，还有一次险些将马车横拉过路面，企图叛逆地将车拉回布莱克希思。
that the horses had three times already come to a stop, besides once drawing the coach across the road, with the mutinous intent of taking it back to Blackheath.
然而，缰绳、马鞭、车夫和押车人联合起来，宣读了那条禁止此举的战争条例——尽管这一举动原本大力支持了某些野兽具有理性的论点；于是马队就此妥协，重新归于职责。
Reins and whip and coachman and guard, however, in combination, had read that article of war which forbade a purpose otherwise strongly in favour of the argument, that some brute animals are endued with Reason; and the team had capitulated and returned to their duty.
它们垂着头，尾巴颤抖，在厚厚的泥浆中艰难跋涉，时而挣扎，时而踉跄，仿佛四肢的大关节都要散架。
With drooping heads and tremulous tails, they mashed their way through the thick mud, floundering and stumbling between whiles, as if they were falling to pieces at the larger joints.
每当驾车人让它们歇息、令它们停步，谨慎地喊着"吁——好啦！慢慢来——"，靠近领头的那匹马便猛烈地甩动脑袋，连同头上的一切东西一起晃动——好像一匹格外坚决的马，断然否认马车能被拉上山去。
As often as the driver rested them and brought them to a stand, with a wary "Wo-ho! so-ho-then!" the near leader violently shook his head and everything upon it--like an unusually emphatic horse, denying that the coach could be got up the hill.
Vocabulary
- 邮政马车，用于运送邮件和乘客
- lay
- 位于某地，处于某一位置
- whom
- 关系代词，用于指代人，宾格形式
- business
- 事务，关系；此处指"有关联的人"
- beyond
- 超出，在……之外，超过某范围
- 邮政马车，运送邮件的交通工具
- lumbered
- 缓慢笨重地移动，沉重地行进
- mire
- 泥沼，深厚泥泞的地面
- relish
- 喜好，热情；对某事的兴趣或享受
- circumstances
- 情况，环境，发生事件的具体条件
- harness
- 马具，套在马身上的皮带装置
- besides
- 除此之外，另外还有
- drawing
- 拉，拖拽，此处指马拉着马车
- coach
- 四轮马车，载客的大型马拉车辆
- mutinous
- 反叛的，不服从命令的，桀骜不驯的
- intent
- 意图，强烈的目的或打算
- Reins
- 缰绳，驾驭马匹方向的皮带
- whip
- 鞭子，驱赶马匹用的皮制工具
- coachman
- 车夫，驾驶马车的人
- guard
- 警卫，马车上负责安全的人员
- combination
- 组合，多种事物结合在一起
- article
- 条款，此处指一项规定或协议内容
- forbade
- 禁止，forbid的过去式，不允许某事
- otherwise
- 否则，在另一种情况下
- favour
- 支持，赞成某观点或立场
- argument
- 论点，争论中支持某一方的理由
- brute
- 野兽，没有理性的动物
- endued
- 赋予，具备某种能力或特质
- Reason
- 理性，运用逻辑和思维的能力
- team
- 一队马，拉同一辆车的一组马
- capitulated
- 屈服，停止反抗并接受条件
- duty
- 职责，应尽的义务或本分
- drooping
- 低垂的，向下弯曲疲倦下垂的
- tremulous
- 颤抖的，因疲惫或恐惧而抖动的
- mashed
- 踩踏，用力踩压泥泞地面
- floundering
- 挣扎，在泥泞中艰难行进无法控制
- stumbling
- 踉跄，走路时失去平衡差点摔倒
- whiles
- 有时，偶尔，某些时候
- joints
- 关节，骨骼连接处；此处指车身接合处
- wary
- 警惕的，小心谨慎不轻易信任的
- leader
- 领头马，拉车队最前面的马
- violently
- 猛烈地，用强大的力量或激烈程度
- unusually
- 异常地，超出通常程度地
- emphatic
- 强调的，表达明确而有力的
- denying
- 否认，表示拒绝或否定某事
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