【有声英语文学名著】夜色温柔 Book 1(18)
时间:2019-01-26 作者:英语课 分类:有声英语文学名著
英语课
Tender Is the Night - Book One
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Chapter 18
Although the Divers 1 were honestly apathetic 2 to organized fashion, they were nevertheless too acute to abandon its contemporaneous rhythm and beat—Dick's parties were all concerned with excitement, and a chance breath of fresh night air was the more precious for being experienced in the intervals 3 of the excitement.
The party that night moved with the speed of a slapstick comedy. They were twelve, they were sixteen, they were quartets in separate motors bound on a quick Odyssey 4 over Paris. Everything had been foreseen. People joined them as if by magic, accompanied them as specialists, almost guides, through a phase of the evening, dropped out and were succeeded by other people, so that it appeared as if the freshness of each one had been husbanded for them all day. Rosemary appreciated how different it was from any party in Hollywood, no matter how splendid in scale. There was, among many diversions, the car of the Shah of Persia. Where Dick had commandeered this vehicle, what bribery 5 was employed, these were facts of irrelevance 6. Rosemary accepted it as merely a new facet 7 of the fabulous 8, which for two years had filled her life. The car had been built on a special chassis 9 in America. Its wheels were of silver, so was the radiator 10. The inside of the body was inlaid with innumerable brilliants which would be replaced with true gems 11 by the court jeweller when the car arrived in Teheran the following week. There was only one real seat in back, because the Shah must ride alone, so they took turns riding in it and sitting on the marten fur that covered the floor.
But always there was Dick. Rosemary assured the image of her mother, ever carried with her, that never, never had she known any one so nice, so thoroughly 12 nice as Dick was that night. She compared him with the two Englishmen, whom Abe addressed conscientiously 13 as "Major Hengest and Mr. Horsa," and with the heir to a Scandinavian throne and the novelist just back from Russia, and with Abe, who was desperate and witty 14, and with Collis Clay, who joined them somewhere and stayed along—and felt there was no comparison. The enthusiasm, the selflessness behind the whole performance ravished her, the technic of moving many varied 15 types, each as immobile, as dependent on supplies of attention as an infantry 16 battalion 17 is dependent on rations 18, appeared so effortless that he still had pieces of his own most personal self for everyone.
—Afterward she remembered the times when she had felt the happiest. The first time was when she and Dick danced together and she felt her beauty sparkling bright against his tall, strong form as they floated, hovering 19 like people in an amusing dream—he turned her here and there with such a delicacy 20 of suggestion that she was like a bright bouquet 21, a piece of precious cloth being displayed before fifty eyes. There was a moment when they were not dancing at all, simply clinging together. Some time in the early morning they were alone, and her damp powdery young body came up close to him in a crush of tired cloth, and stayed there, crushed against a background of other people's hats and wraps… .
The time she laughed most was later, when six of them, the best of them, noblest relics 22 of the evening, stood in the dusky front lobby of the Ritz telling the night concierge 23 that General Pershing was outside and wanted caviare and champagne 25. "He brooks 26 no delay. Every man, every gun is at his service." Frantic 27 waiters emerged from nowhere, a table was set in the lobby, and Abe came in representing General Pershing while they stood up and mumbled 28 remembered fragments of war songs at him. In the waiters' injured reaction to this anti-climax they found themselves neglected, so they built a waiter trap—a huge and fantastic device constructed of all the furniture in the lobby and functioning like one of the bizarre machines of a Goldberg cartoon. Abe shook his head doubtfully at it.
"Perhaps it would be better to steal a musical saw and—"
"That's enough," Mary interrupted. "When Abe begins bringing up that it's time to go home." Anxiously she confided 29 to Rosemary:
"I've got to get Abe home. His boat train leaves at eleven. It's so important—I feel the whole future depends on his catching 30 it, but whenever I argue with him he does the exact opposite."
"I'll try and persuade him," offered Rosemary.
"Would you?" Mary said doubtfully. "Maybe you could."
Then Dick came up to Rosemary:
"Nicole and I are going home and we thought you'd want to go with us."
Her face was pale with fatigue 31 in the false dawn. Two wan 24 dark spots in her cheek marked where the color was by day.
"I can't," she said. "I promised Mary North to stay along with them—or Abe'll never go to bed. Maybe you could do something."
"Don't you know you can't do anything about people?" he advised her. "If Abe was my room-mate in college, tight for the first time, it'd be different. Now there's nothing to do."
"Well, I've got to stay. He says he'll go to bed if we only come to the Halles with him," she said, almost defiantly 32.
He kissed the inside of her elbow quickly.
"Don't let Rosemary go home alone," Nicole called to Mary as they left. "We feel responsible to her mother."
—Later Rosemary and the Norths and a manufacturer of dolls' voices from Newark and ubiquitous Collis and a big splendidly dressed oil Indian named George T. Horseprotection were riding along on top of thousands of carrots in a market wagon 33. The earth in the carrot beards was fragrant 34 and sweet in the darkness, and Rosemary was so high up in the load that she could hardly see the others in the long shadow between infrequent street lamps. Their voices came from far off, as if they were having experiences different from hers, different and far away, for she was with Dick in her heart, sorry she had come with the Norths, wishing she was at the hotel and him asleep across the hall, or that he was here beside her with the warm darkness streaming down.
"Don't come up," she called to Collis, "the carrots will all roll." She threw one at Abe who was sitting beside the driver, stiffly like an old man… .
Later she was homeward bound at last in broad daylight, with the pigeons already breaking over Saint-Sulpice. All of them began to laugh spontaneously because they knew it was still last night while the people in the streets had the delusion 35 that it was bright hot morning.
"At last I've been on a wild party," thought Rosemary, "but it's no fun when Dick isn't there."
She felt a little betrayed and sad, but presently a moving object came into sight. It was a huge horse-chestnut tree in full bloom bound for the Champs Élysées, strapped 36 now into a long truck and simply shaking with laughter—like a lovely person in an undignified position yet confident none the less of being lovely. Looking at it with fascination 37 Rosemary identified herself with it, and laughed cheerfully with it, and everything all at once seemed gorgeous.
adj.不同的;种种的
- He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人,要他们和他作伴。
- Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作,同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。
adj.冷漠的,无动于衷的
- I realised I was becoming increasingly depressed and apathetic.我意识到自己越来越消沉、越来越冷漠了。
- You won't succeed if you are apathetic.要是你冷淡,你就不能成功。
n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 );间隔时间;[数学]区间;(戏剧、电影或音乐会的)幕间休息
- The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴,有阵雨。
- Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。
n.长途冒险旅行;一连串的冒险
- The march to Travnik was the final stretch of a 16-hour odyssey.去特拉夫尼克的这段路是长达16小时艰险旅行的最后一程。
- His odyssey of passion, friendship,love,and revenge was now finished.他的热情、友谊、爱情和复仇的漫长历程,到此结束了。
n.贿络行为,行贿,受贿
- FBI found out that the senator committed bribery.美国联邦调查局查明这个参议员有受贿行为。
- He was charged with bribery.他被指控受贿。
n.无关紧要;不相关;不相关的事物
- the irrelevance of the curriculum to children's daily life 课程与孩子们日常生活的脱节
- A President who identifies leadership with public opinion polls dooms himself to irrelevance. 一位总统如果把他的领导和民意测验投票结果等同起来,那么他注定将成为一个可有可无的人物。 来自辞典例句
n.(问题等的)一个方面;(多面体的)面
- He has perfected himself in every facet of his job.他已使自己对工作的各个方面都得心应手。
- Every facet of college life is fascinating.大学生活的每个方面都令人兴奋。
adj.极好的;极为巨大的;寓言中的,传说中的
- We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
- This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。
n.汽车等之底盘;(飞机的)起落架;炮底架
- The new parts may include the sheet metal,the transmission,or the chassis.新部件可能包括钢壳,变速器或底盘。
- Can chassis and whole-vehicle manufacturers co-exist peacefully?底盘企业和整车企业能相安无事吗?
n.暖气片,散热器
- The two ends of the pipeline are connected with the radiator.管道的两端与暖气片相连接。
- Top up the radiator before making a long journey.在长途旅行前加满散热器。
growth; economy; management; and customer satisfaction 增长
- a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
- The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地
- The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
- The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。
adv.凭良心地;认真地,负责尽职地;老老实实
- He kept silent,eating just as conscientiously but as though everything tasted alike. 他一声不吭,闷头吃着,仿佛桌上的饭菜都一个味儿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- She discharged all the responsibilities of a minister conscientiously. 她自觉地履行部长的一切职责。 来自《简明英汉词典》
adj.机智的,风趣的
- Her witty remarks added a little salt to the conversation.她的妙语使谈话增添了一些风趣。
- He scored a bull's-eye in their argument with that witty retort.在他们的辩论中他那一句机智的反驳击中了要害。
adj.多样的,多变化的
- The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
- The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。
n.[总称]步兵(部队)
- The infantry were equipped with flame throwers.步兵都装备有喷火器。
- We have less infantry than the enemy.我们的步兵比敌人少。
n.营;部队;大队(的人)
- The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
- At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后,队伍解散了。
定量( ration的名词复数 ); 配给量; 正常量; 合理的量
- They are provisioned with seven days' rations. 他们得到了7天的给养。
- The soldiers complained that they were getting short rations. 士兵们抱怨他们得到的配给不够数。
鸟( hover的现在分词 ); 靠近(某事物); (人)徘徊; 犹豫
- The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。
- I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。
n.精致,细微,微妙,精良;美味,佳肴
- We admired the delicacy of the craftsmanship.我们佩服工艺师精巧的手艺。
- He sensed the delicacy of the situation.他感觉到了形势的微妙。
n.花束,酒香
- This wine has a rich bouquet.这种葡萄酒有浓郁的香气。
- Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。
[pl.]n.遗物,遗迹,遗产;遗体,尸骸
- The area is a treasure house of archaeological relics. 这个地区是古文物遗迹的宝库。
- Xi'an is an ancient city full of treasures and saintly relics. 西安是一个有很多宝藏和神圣的遗物的古老城市。
n.管理员;门房
- This time the concierge was surprised to the point of bewilderment.这时候看门人惊奇到了困惑不解的地步。
- As I went into the dining-room the concierge brought me a police bulletin to fill out.我走进餐厅的时候,看门人拿来一张警察局发的表格要我填。
(wide area network)广域网
- The shared connection can be an Ethernet,wireless LAN,or wireless WAN connection.提供共享的网络连接可以是以太网、无线局域网或无线广域网。
n.香槟酒;微黄色
- There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
- They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。
n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )
- Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时,狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了,今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》
adj.狂乱的,错乱的,激昂的
- I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。
- He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。
含糊地说某事,叽咕,咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 )
- He mumbled something to me which I did not quite catch. 他对我叽咕了几句话,可我没太听清楚。
- George mumbled incoherently to himself. 乔治语无伦次地喃喃自语。
v.吐露(秘密,心事等)( confide的过去式和过去分词 );(向某人)吐露(隐私、秘密等)
- She confided all her secrets to her best friend. 她向她最要好的朋友倾吐了自己所有的秘密。
- He confided to me that he had spent five years in prison. 他私下向我透露,他蹲过五年监狱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住
- There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
- Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。
n.疲劳,劳累
- The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
- I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。
adv.挑战地,大胆对抗地
- Braving snow and frost, the plum trees blossomed defiantly. 红梅傲雪凌霜开。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.四轮马车,手推车,面包车;无盖运货列车
- We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
- The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。
adj.芬香的,馥郁的,愉快的
- The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
- The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。
n.谬见,欺骗,幻觉,迷惑
- He is under the delusion that he is Napoleon.他患了妄想症,认为自己是拿破仑。
- I was under the delusion that he intended to marry me.我误认为他要娶我。
adj.用皮带捆住的,用皮带装饰的;身无分文的;缺钱;手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词);用皮带抽打;包扎;给…打绷带
- Make sure that the child is strapped tightly into the buggy. 一定要把孩子牢牢地拴在婴儿车上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The soldiers' great coats were strapped on their packs. 战士们的厚大衣扎捆在背包上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.令人着迷的事物,魅力,迷恋
- He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport.他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
- His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。