今天偷懒了。不过还是准备进行一章。
Claudia和Jamie出了站之后,就来到了纽约这个大都市。两人计划去博物馆,因为弟弟是个小气鬼(文中描述这个细节都特别好玩),而姐姐明显是个追求生活质量的人,在此有了一点小争执。之后抵达博物馆后策划并实施了计划,安全度过了第一天。
AS SOON AS THEY REACHED THE SIDEWALK, JAMIE made his first decision as treasurer. “We’ll walk from here to the museum.”
“Walk?” Claudia asked. “Do you realize that it is over forty blocks from here?”
“Well, how much does the bus cost?”
“The bus!” Claudia exclaimed. “Who said anything about taking a bus? I want to take a taxi.”
弟弟省钱第一步,步行去目的地。姐姐一听要疯,40条街(街区)呢,但弟弟是个小气鬼,别说打的了,公交都不行。
treasurer财务主管,后文出现的 Chancellor of the Exchequer是指财政大臣(英官方正式,简称the Chancellor)
职位例如as assisstant就可以,不用+an/the
所以后文说No wonder Jamie had more than twenty-four dollars; he was a gambler and a cheapskate.怪不得Jamie能存下那么多钱,他不但是个赌徒还是和吝啬鬼。
cheap+skate→(美俚)守财奴
Claudia was tired and cold at the tips; her fingers, her toes, her nose were all cold while the rest of her was perspiring under the weight of her winter clothes. She never liked feeling either very hot or very cold, and she hated feeling both at the same time.
姐姐感觉痛苦死了,她感觉她的tips又冷又累,这里tips尖很好玩是指后面给出的指头尖,脚尖和鼻子尖。但是翻译真不好翻。
除了衣服裹得地方热乎乎的,都出汗了,其他地方则冷乎乎的。而Claudia只喜欢恒温空调系统体温,所以又冷又热简直受不了。
Claudia needed an argument. Her internal heat, the heat of anger, was cooking that accumulated carbon dioxide. It would soon explode out of her if she didn’t give it some vent.
Claudia觉得必须要和弟弟理论一下,不然体内的二氧化碳会炸的。她必须给排排气。
之所以这么说是因为前文提到
As Claudia’s pace slowed down from what she was sure was an accumulation of carbon dioxide in her system (she had not yet learned about muscle fatigue in science class even though she was in the sixth grade honors class), ...
Claudia认为体内的co2随着走路增加太多了,所以很累。所以这里中文版本翻译有点乱,Claudia还没学到肌肉疲劳的课程而不是Jamie没学到生理疲劳。(补充一句肌肉疲劳应该是肌肉缺氧造成的。)
"What’s inconspicuous?”
“Un-noticeable.”
这两个词正好同义替换,不引人注目的
Guards always count the people going into the museum, but they don’t count them going out.
这里作者吐槽了一下博物馆的安保问题,哈哈。这本书写得比较早,但现实中安保还是很严格的,24小时监控。
You can tell them because the men carry cameras, and the women look as if their feet hurt; they wear high heeled shoes. (I always say that those who wear ’em deserve ’em.)
这一段描述了博物馆中形形色色的人群,旅游的人属于一类。
you can tell可以略等于you know
high heeled shoes就是高跟鞋。那些穿高跟鞋的女性看起来很遭罪,但是爱美就别怕受罪。those who wear ’em deserve ’em.
You can tell that they are a set because they carry matching black sketchbooks.
那些参观的艺术生则可以从他们随身携带的素描本看出来。
sketch+book→n.素描簿。sketch是素描或者草图,本书后面会大量出现此词。
A big sign in the checking room said NO TIPPING.
标语均大写,no tipping不要小费,此处在博物馆存包处就是免费存包。
其他常见的标语Admission free免费入场,One way street 单行道 ,Out of order 故障,No entry等。(均大写)
Claudia wished to eat in the restaurant on the main floor, but Jamie wished to eat in the snack bar downstairs; he thought it would be less glamorous, but cheaper, ...
这一段把Jamie的小气(stingy)写得很好玩。
包括下段James was dismayed at the prices. They had $28.61 when they went into the cafeteria, and only $27.11 when they came out still feeling hungry. “Claudia,” he demanded, “did you know food would cost so much? Now, aren’t you glad that we didn’t take a bus?”
你看吃个饭就花了1.5美元,不乘车是对的。
以及Jamie didn’t notice; he was completely wrapped up in problems of finance.弟弟已经深深陷入到财政问题之中了。
“I’m not spending a night in a men’s room. All that tile. It’s cold. And, besides, men’s rooms make noises sound louder. And I rattle enough now.”
Claudia explained to Jamie that he was to enter a booth in the men’s room. “And then stand on it,” she continued.
姐姐建议闭馆以后先去厕所待着,踩在马桶上,头低下,门开条缝(豹豹觉得Claudia还是相当聪明哒)。弟弟则说地板(tile)那么凉,回声那么大(真得是有点笨)。
booth在这里等同于stall/cubicle都表示隔间的意思,booth 和stall也同样有摊位的意思,在芒果街做过笔记就不过多说了。
“How about the night watchman?” Jamie asked.
Claudia displayed a lot more confidence than she really felt. ..."They call what he walks, a cat walk. ..."
晚班警卫怎么办?
姐姐表现出胸有成竹的样子,尽管感觉上又是另一回事(中文翻译后半部分直接吃了……)
cat walk或catwalk就是猫步,模特中叫做台步。
文中出现了Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette是路易十六的王后(路易十六是一个倒霉鬼啊!)还有一部片子《绝代艳后》就是此名。莫名想起盖茨比中出现的Madame de Maintenon曼特农夫人(路易十四的情妇,后秘密结婚),也是一个传奇人物。
Jamie, on the other hand, thought that running away from home to sleep in just another bed was really no challenge at all. He, James, would rather sleep on the bathroom floor, after all.
最后Claudia把目标锁定在一张展出的大床上,即Marie Antoinette皇后的床,而弟弟则觉得大老远来了和家里没什么两样还不如睡厕所地板呢。
后来那张床又霉又呛,Claudia并不中意。
Both Claudia and Jamie tried to explain to me about it, but they couldn’t quite. I know what happened, though I never told them. Having words and explanations for everything is too modern. I especially wouldn’t tell Claudia. She has too many explanations already.
这段话莫名想起小王子中的那句Words are the source of misunderstandings
这里是指两个孩子给我描述的时候总是不能精确到他们想表达的点。我知道原因,是因为过多的语言和解释会越描越黑。所以我也没有特别指出Claudia诠释的字眼太多了。
这里too modern豹豹查了字典和网络的确只有现代,时髦,新潮等我们常知道的意思,对于too modern保留疑问,句子解释参考了翻译版本,不过modern在一处解释中确实有消极(passive)的意味。
Of course, Saxonberg, the draperies of that bed helped, too.
两个孩子在闭馆后躲藏到天色暗下来。终于摸到了休息处,却无论如何睡不着。不仅仅是因为没吃饱,睡得早,思索了很久Jamie有了结论“You know, Claude,” he whispered, “I didn’t brush my teeth.”(没刷牙),最终两人还是在疲惫的一天后沉沉地睡着了,两人没被发现当然也有drapery(床幔)的功劳。
drapery:
You can refer to cloth, curtains, or clothing hanging in folds as drapery or draperies. (打褶悬挂的) 织物; 窗帘; 衣物
和它很接近的drapes
N-COUNT 可数名词 [usually pl]
(AM)Drapes are pieces of heavy fabric that you hang from the top of a window and can close to keep the light out or stop people looking in. (厚的) 帘子, 帷幕 [in BRIT, use 英国英语用 curtains]
第三章就结束了,第四章略有些长。看时间再说吧。因为是畅销书,所以估计第五章或第六章结束试读。全书共十章加后面附录不过170页,可以读的一本书。
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