The Great Gatsby — Page 56
盖茨比认出了自己，一个管家急忙向他走去，告知芝加哥有电话找他。他微微鞠了一躬，向我们每个人依次致意，然后告退。
Gatsby identified himself a butler hurried toward him with the information that Chicago was calling him on the wire. He excused himself with a small bow that included each of us in turn.
"老兄，你要什么尽管开口，"他催促我说。"失陪了，我待会儿再来陪你们。"
"If you want anything just ask for it, old sport," he urged me. "Excuse me. I will rejoin you later."
他离开后，我立刻转向乔丹——迫不及待地要告诉她我有多惊讶。我原以为盖茨比先生会是个中年发福、红光满面的人。
When he was gone I turned immediately to Jordan—constrained to assure her of my surprise. I had expected that Mr. Gatsby would be a florid and corpulent person in his middle years.
"他是什么人？"我追问道。"你认识他吗？"
"Who is he?" I demanded. "Do you know?"
"他只不过是个叫盖茨比的人。"
"He's just a man named Gatsby."
"我是说，他是哪里人？他是做什么的？"
"Where is he from, I mean? And what does he do?"
"你现在开始对这个话题感兴趣了，"她带着一丝苍白的微笑回答道。"嗯，他曾经告诉我他是牛津大学出来的人。"
"Now you're started on the subject," she answered with a wan smile. "Well, he told me once he was an Oxford man."
他身后那段模糊的背景开始逐渐成形，但随着她接下来的一句话，又消散无踪。
A dim background started to take shape behind him, but at her next remark it faded away.
"不过，我不相信。"
"However, I don't believe it."
"为什么不信？"
"Why not?"
"我也说不清楚，"她坚持道，"我只是觉得他没去过那里。"
"I don't know," she insisted, "I just don't think he went there."
她语气中的某些东西让我想起了另一个女孩说的"我觉得他杀过人"，这激起了我更强烈的好奇心。我本可以毫不质疑地接受盖茨比来自路易斯安那的沼泽地或纽约下东区的说法，那倒还说得通。
Something in her tone reminded me of the other girl's "I think he killed a man," and had the effect of stimulating my curiosity. I would have accepted without question the information that Gatsby sprang from the swamps of Louisiana or from the lower East Side of New York. That was comprehensible.
Vocabulary
- identified
- 确认身份；辨认出某人或某物
- himself
- 他自己，反身代词，强调主语本人
- butler
- 男管家，负责管理家庭事务的男仆
- hurried
- 急忙地移动或行动，匆忙赶去
- toward
- 朝着某个方向或目标移动
- information
- 信息，消息，告知某人的内容
- calling
- 打电话联系某人
- wire
- 电报或电话线路，旧时通讯方式
- excused
- 告辞，礼貌地说明离开原因
- bow
- 鞠躬，点头致意表示礼貌
- included
- 包括，把某人或某物纳入其中
- turn
- 依次，轮流，按顺序
- old
- 老朋友，亲切称呼，表示熟悉
- sport
- 朋友，哥们，亲切的称呼语
- urged
- 强烈建议，敦促某人做某事
- Excuse
- 请原谅，打扰一下，表示礼貌道歉
- rejoin
- 重新加入，再次回到某人身边
- immediately
- 立刻，马上，毫不迟疑地
- constrained
- 感到迫切需要，不得不做某事
- assure
- 向某人保证，使某人确信
- surprise
- 惊讶，意想不到的感觉
- expected
- 预期，原本以为某种结果
- florid
- 面色红润的，过于华丽的
- corpulent
- 身体肥胖的，体型臃肿的
- demanded
- 追问，强烈要求知道答案
- subject
- 话题，讨论的主题
- wan
- 苍白无力的，虚弱的神色
- dim
- 模糊的，不清晰的，昏暗的
- background
- 背景，来历，过去的经历
- shape
- 形状，轮廓，逐渐变得清晰
- remark
- 评论，言论，说出的一句话
- faded
- 消退，逐渐变得模糊不清
- However
- 然而，不过，表示转折关系
- insisted
- 坚持认为，坚决主张某观点
- tone
- 语气，说话时的声调或态度
- reminded
- 使人想起，令人联想到某事
- killed
- 消灭，扼杀，彻底消除某效果
- effect
- 效果，影响，产生的作用
- stimulating
- 刺激的，激发兴趣或好奇心的
- curiosity
- 好奇心，对未知事物的探求欲
- accepted
- 接受，认可，相信某事为真
- sprang
- 突然出现，spring的过去式
- swamps
- 沼泽地，低洼潮湿的地带
- comprehensible
- 可以理解的，能被人明白的
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