大学英语精读2 双语 (2)

Unit Two
第二课
Text
课文
A heated discussion about whether men are braver than women
一场关于男人是否比女人勇敢的激烈的讨论
is settled in a rather unexpected way.
以一个意外的方式。
THE DINNER PARTY
晚宴
Mona Gardner
莫娜.加德纳
I first heard this tale in India,
我最初听到这个故事是在印度，
where it is told as if true
那儿的人们今天讲起它来仍好像实有其事似的
--though any naturalist would know it couldn't be.
——尽管任何一位博物学家都知道这不可能是真的。
Later someone told me that the story appeared in a magazine shortly before the the First World War.
后来有人告诉我，在第一次世界大战之后不久就出现在一本杂志上。
That magazine story,
但登在杂志上的那篇故事,
and the person who wrote it,
以及写那篇故事的人，
I have never been able to track down.
我却一直未能找到。
The country is India.
故事发生在印度。
A colonial official and his wife are giving a large dinner party.
某殖民官员和他的夫人举行盛行的晚宴。
They are seated with their guests
跟他们一起就座的客人有
--officers and their wives,
——军官和他人的夫人，
and a visiting American naturalist
另外还有一位来访的美国博物学家
--in their spacious dining room,
——筵席设在他们家宽敞的餐室里，
which has a bare marble floor,
室内大理石地板上没有铺地毯；
open rafters and wide glass doors opening onto a veranda.
屋顶明椽裸露；宽大的玻璃门外便是阳台。
A spirited discussion springs up between a young girl
席间，一位年轻的女士同一位少校展开了热烈的讨论。
who says that women have outgrown the jumping-on-a-chair-at-the-sight-of-a-mouse era
年轻的女士认为，妇女已经有所进步，不再像过去那样一见到老鼠就吓得跳到椅子上；
and a major who says that they haven't.
少校则不以为然。
"A woman's reaction in any crisis," the major says,
“女人一遇到危急情况，”少校说，
"is to scream.
反应便是尖叫。
And while a man may feel like it,
而男人虽然也可能想叫，
he has that ounce more of control than a woman has.
但比起女人来，自制力却略胜一筹。
And that last ounce is what really counts.”
这多出来的一点自制力正是真正起作用的东西。”
The American does not join in the argument
那个美国人没有参加这场争论，
but watches the other guests.
他只是注视着在座的其他客人。
As he looks,
在他这样观察时，
he sees a strange expression come over the face of the hostess.
他发现女主人的脸上显出一种奇异的表情。
She is staring straight ahead,
她两眼盯着正前方，
her muscles contracting slightly.
脸部肌肉在微微抽搐。
She motions to the native boy standing behind her chair
她向站在座椅后面的印度

男仆做了个手势，
and whispers something to him.
对他耳语了几句。
The boy's eyes widen:
男仆两眼睁得大大的，
he quickly leaves the room.
迅速地离开了餐室。
Of the guests,
在座的客人中，
none except the American notices this
除了那位美国人以外论证也没有注意到这一幕，
or sees the boy place a bowl of milk on the veravda just outside the open doors.
也没有看到那个男仆把一碗牛奶放在紧靠门边的阳台上。
The American comes to with a start.
那个美国人突然醒悟过来。
In India,
在印度，
milk in a bowl means only one thing
碗中的牛奶只有一个意思
bait for a snake.
——引蛇的诱饵。
He realizes there must be a cobra in the room.
他意识到餐室里一定有条眼镜蛇。
He looks up at the rafters
他抬头看了看屋顶上的椽子
--the likeliest place
——那是最可能有蛇藏身的地方
--but they are bare.
——但那上面空荡荡的。
Three corners of the room are empty,
室内的三个角落里也是空的，
and in the fourth the servants are waiting to serve the next course.
而在第四个角落里，仆人们正在等着下一道菜。
There is only one place left
这样，剩下的就只有一个地方了
—--under the table.
餐桌下面。
His first impulse is to jump back and warn the others,
他首先想到的是往后一跳，并向其他人发警告。
but he knows the commotion would frighten the cobra into striking.
但他知道这样会引起骚乱，致使眼镜索受惊咬人。
He speaks quickly,
于是他很快讲了一通话，
the tone of his voice so commanding that it silences everyone.
其语气非常威严，竟使所有的人安静了下来。
“I want to know just what control everyone at this table has.
我想了解一下在座的诸位到底有多大的克制能力，
i will count three hundred
我数三百下
--that's five minutes
——也就五分钟
--and not one of you is to move a muscle.
——你们谁都不许动一动。
Those who move will forfeit 50 rupees. Ready!”
动者将罚款五十卢比。准备好！”
The 20 people sit like stone images while he counts.
在他数数的过程中，那20个人像一尊尊石雕一样端坐在那儿。
He is saying“…two hundred and eighty...”
当他数到“……280……”时，
when, out of the corner of his eye,
突然从眼然处看到
he sees the cobra emerge and make for the bowl of milk.
那条眼镜蛇钻了出来，向那碗牛奶爬去。
Screams ring out as he jumps to slam the veranda doors safely shut.
在他跳起来把通往阳台的门全都砰砰地牢牢关上时，室内响起了一片尖叫声。
“You were right,Major!”the host exclaims.
“你刚才说得很对，少校！”男主人大声说。
“A man has just shown us an example of perfect self-control.”
一个男子刚刚为我们显示了从容不迫、镇定自若的范例。”

“Just a minute,”the American says,
“且慢”，那位美国人一边说着
turning to his hostess.
一边转向女主人。
“Mrs. Wynnes, how did you know that cobra was in the room?”
温兹太太，你怎么知道那条眼镜蛇是在屋子里呢？”
A faint smile lights up the woman's face as she replies:
女主人的脸上闪现出一丝淡淡的微笑，回答说：
“because it was crawling across my foot.”
“因为它当时正从我的脚背上爬过去。”
New Words
新单词
heated a.
热烈的；激烈的
unexpected a.
意外的
naturalist n.
博物学家
shortly ad.
不久，马上
colonial a.
殖民地的
spacious a.
广阔的；宽敞的
dining n.
餐厅
bare a.
不铺地毯的；赤裸的；光秃的
marble n.
大理石
rafter n.
椽
onto prep.
到……之上；向……之上
veranda n.
阳台
spirited a.
精神饱满的
outgrow vt.
长大得使……不再适用；成长得不再要
mouse n.
鼠
era n.
时代；年代
major n.
少校
crisis n.
危机
ounce n.
盎司；少量
argument n.
争论；辩论
hostess n.
女主人
muscle n.
肌肉
contract vi. & contraction n
收缩
slightly ad. & slight a.
稍微的
motion vi.
打手势；点（或摇）头示意
widen v.
变宽
bait n.
诱饵
cobra n.
眼镜蛇
likely a.
可能的
impulse n.
冲动
commotion n.
混乱；骚动
tone n.
语气；音调
commanding a.
威严的
forfeit vt.
（作为惩罚而）失去
rupee n.
卢比
image n.
雕像
emerge vi. & emergence n.
显露，出现
slam vt.
砰地关上
host n.
男主人
faint a.
微弱的 ，不明显的
crawl vi.
爬行
Phrases & Expressions
短语和句子
track down
追捕到，追查到
be seated
就座
spring up
突然开始；迅速生长
at the sight of
一看见
feel like
想要
come to
苏醒
make for
走向
ring out
突然响起
light up
照亮；变亮
Proper Names
专有名词
Mona Gardner
莫娜加德纳
India
印度
Wynnes
温兹（姓氏）