The Great Gatsby — Page 4
中西部不再是世界温暖的中心,反而像是宇宙荒凉的边缘——于是我决定去东部,学习债券生意。
Instead of being the warm centre of the world, the Middle West now seemed like the ragged edge of the universe—so I decided to go East and learn the bond business.
我认识的人都在做债券生意,所以我觉得这行业再多养活一个单身汉应该不成问题。
Everybody I knew was in the bond business, so I supposed it could support one more single man.
我所有的叔叔伯伯和舅舅阿姨都聚在一起商量此事,仿佛是在为我挑选一所预科学校,最后他们神情严肃、迟疑地说:"好——吧——。"
All my aunts and uncles talked it over as if they were choosing a prep school for me, and finally said, "Why—ye-es," with very grave, hesitant faces.
父亲同意资助我一年,经过种种延误之后,我在二二年的春天来到了东部,我当时以为会就此定居于此。
Father agreed to finance me for a year, and after various delays I came East, permanently, I thought, in the spring of twenty-two.
实际的做法是在城里找几间房,但那正是温暖的季节,而我刚刚离开了一片绿草宽广、树木亲切的土地。
The practical thing was to find rooms in the city, but it was a warm season, and I had just left a country of wide lawns and friendly trees,
所以当办公室里一个年轻人建议我们在通勤小镇合租一栋房子时,听起来真是个好主意。
so when a young man at the office suggested that we take a house together in a commuting town, it sounded like a great idea.
他找到了一栋房子,一间饱经风吹日晒的纸板平房,每月租金八十元,但在最后一刻,公司命令他去华盛顿,我只好独自去了乡下。
He found the house, a weather-beaten cardboard bungalow at eighty a month, but at the last minute the firm ordered him to Washington, and I went out to the country alone.
我养了一条狗——至少养了几天,直到它跑掉——还有一辆旧道奇车和一个芬兰女人,她帮我铺床、做早饭,并对着电炉喃喃自语着芬兰式的人生智慧。
I had a dog—at least I had him for a few days until he ran away—and an old Dodge and a Finnish woman, who made my bed and cooked breakfast and muttered Finnish wisdom to herself over the electric stove.
孤独了一两天之后,一天早晨,一个比我更晚到来的男人在路上拦住了我。
It was lonely for a day or so until one morning some man, more recently arrived than I, stopped me on the road.
Vocabulary
- Instead
- 用来表示"而是"或"代替"的连接词
- warm
- 温暖的,给人舒适感的
- centre
- 中心,核心位置(英式拼写)
- Middle
- 中间的,位于两端之间的
- West
- 西方,西部地区
- seemed
- seem的过去式,看起来像,感觉像
- ragged
- 破烂的,参差不齐的,粗糙的
- edge
- 边缘,边界,末端
- universe
- 宇宙,所有存在的事物的总体
- decided
- decide的过去式,决定,下决心
- East
- 东方,东部地区
- bond
- 债券,一种金融投资工具
- business
- 商业,生意,业务
- Everybody
- 每个人,所有人
- supposed
- 被认为应该;supposed to意为"应该"
- support
- 支持,供养,维持生计
- single
- 单身的;单一的,只有一个的
- aunts
- 阿姨,姑姑,伯母等女性长辈
- uncles
- 叔叔,伯伯,舅舅等男性长辈
- choosing
- choose的现在分词,选择,挑选
- prep
- 预科的,preparatory的缩写
- finally
- 最终,最后,终于
- ye
- 古英语中"你们"的意思
- grave
- 严肃的,严重的;也指坟墓
- hesitant
- 犹豫的,迟疑不决的
- agreed
- agree的过去式,同意,答应
- finance
- 资助,提供资金;也指金融
- various
- 各种各样的,多种的
- delays
- 延迟,推迟;delay的复数
- permanently
- 永久地,长期地,固定地
- spring
- 春天,春季;也指弹簧或泉水
- practical
- 实际的,实用的,切实可行的
- rooms
- 房间,住所;room的复数
- season
- 季节;也指某一特定时期
- country
- 乡村,农村;也指国家
- wide
- 宽阔的,广泛的
- lawns
- 草坪,草地;lawn的复数
- friendly
- 友好的,亲切的
- office
- 办公室,办公场所
- suggested
- suggest的过去式,建议,提议
- together
- 一起,共同,联合
- commuting
- 通勤,每天往返于住所和工作地
- town
- 城镇,小城市
- sounded
- sound的过去式,听起来像
- idea
- 主意,想法,概念
- weather
- 天气,气候状况
- beaten
- beat的过去分词,被打败;破旧
- cardboard
- 纸板,硬纸板;也形容简陋的
- bungalow
- 平房,一层楼的小屋
- minute
- 分钟;also指很小的,微小的
- firm
- 公司,商行;also指坚定的
- ordered
- order的过去式,命令,下令
- Washington
- 华盛顿,美国首都或州名
- alone
- 独自,单独,没有他人陪伴
- least
- 最少,最小;at least意为至少
- until
- 直到,表示时间延续到某点
- away
- 离开,逃走,远离
- Dodge
- 道奇,美国汽车品牌名
- Finnish
- 芬兰的,芬兰人的,来自芬兰
- breakfast
- 早餐,一天的第一顿饭
- muttered
- mutter的过去式,低声抱怨,咕哝
- wisdom
- 智慧,见识,聪明才智
- herself
- 她自己,反身代词,强调独自
- electric
- 电的,电动的,用电驱动的
- stove
- 炉子,烹饪用的加热设备
- lonely
- 孤独的,寂寞的,无人陪伴的
- recently
- 最近,不久前,近来
- arrived
- arrive的过去式,到达,抵达
- road
- 道路,马路,公路
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