英文书摘精选 不朽名著02：小王子拜访爱慕虚荣的人

The Little Prince Visits the Conceited 1 Man



小王子拜访爱慕虚荣的人



The second planet was inhabited by a conceited man.



第二颗行星上住着一个爱慕虚荣的人。



“Ah! Ah! I am about to receive a visit from an admirer!” he exclaimed from afar, when he first saw the little prince coming.



“啊！啊！我马上要接待一位仰慕者的拜访了！ ”这个自命不凡的人一看到小王子朝他走来，远远地就叫起来。



For, to conceited men, all other men are admirers.



在一个虚荣自负的人眼里，其他所有人都成了他的崇拜者。



“Good morning，” said the little prince. “That is a queer hat you are wearing.”



“早上好！ ”小王子说，“你戴的帽子很奇怪。”



“It is a hat for salutes，” the conceited man replied. “It is to raise in salute 2 when people acclaim 3 me. Unfortunately, nobody at all ever passes this way.”



“这是为了向人们致意用的。”爱慕虚荣的人回答道，“当人们为我喝彩时，我就拿起帽子向他们致意。不幸的是，从来没有一个人从这里经过。”



“Yes?” said the little prince, who did not understand what the conceited man was talking about.



“是吗？ ”小王子说，他不太明白这个人在说些什么。



“Clap your hands, one against the other,” the conceited man now directed him.



“拍拍你的手，用一只手去拍另一只。”爱慕虚荣的人开始指导他。



The little prince clapped his hands. The conceited man raised his hat in a modest salute.



小王子就拍起巴掌来，那人便举起他的帽子，谦虚地行礼。



“This is more entertaining than the visit to the king，”the little prince said to himself. And he began again to clap his hands, one against the other. The conceited man again raised his hat in salute.



“这比拜访国王有意思多了。”小王子自言自语地说。之后他又开始拍手，用一 只手拍打另一只。爱慕虚荣的人再次向他脱帽回礼。



After five minutes of this exercise the little prince grew tired of the game’s monotony.



小王子这样做了五分钟’之后对这种单调乏味的把戏有点厌烦了。



“And what should one do to make the hat come down?” he asked.



“要让你的帽子掉下来，该怎么做呢？ ”他问道。



But the conceited man did not hear him. Conceited people never hear anything but praise.



可这回那个虚荣自负的人听不进他的话。因为凡是爱慕虚荣的人只听得到赞美 之辞。



“Do you really admire me very much?” he demanded of the little prince.



“你真的非常崇拜我吗？ ”他问小王子。



“What does that mean—‘admire’？”



“你说的‘崇拜’是什么意思？ ”



“To admire mean that you regard me as the handsomest, the best-dressed, the richest, and the most intelligent man on this planet.”



“崇拜就是说你认为我是这个星球上最帅气、着装最美、最富有、最智慧的 人。”



“But you are the only man on your planet!”



“但你是你的星球上唯一的人呀！ ”



“Do me this kindness. Admire me just the same.”



“行行好吧，请你还是一样地崇拜我吧！ ”



“I admire you，” said the little prince, shrugging his shoulders slightly, “but what is there in that to interest you so much?”



“我崇拜你。”小王子轻轻地耸耸肩，说道，“但是为什么这让你如此感兴趣 呢？ ”



And the little prince went away.



于是小王子走开了。



“The grown-ups are certainly very odd，”he said to himself, as he continued on his journey.



“这些大人真的非常古怪。”他对自己说，又开始继续他的旅行。



课堂笔记：

1.小王子离开自己的星球后，开始访问其他星球。第一座小小的星球上仅仅住着一位骄傲的、高高在上的国王，他向小王子发号施令，处处彰显自己的权威，使小王子觉得很无趣。之后，他来到了爱慕虚荣的人所在的星球，所以，他认为和拜访国王相比，这里更加有趣（moreentertaining)。

2.固定搭配形式“demand sth. of/from sb.”表示“要求某人做某事”之意。在此句中，引号中的问句为“demand”的直接宾语.

3.指示代词“that”指代前文提到的“I admire you”，介词“in”表示“在某方面”，不定式“to interest you so much”用作定语，修饰“there be”句型中“be”动词的表语。

4.与小王子的纯真坦诚相比，其他星球上的人虚荣伪善，所以小王子觉得那些大人们很古怪。