Lesson 19 A very dear cat 内容鉴赏

Lesson 19 A very dear cat

1. Kidnappers are rarely interested in animals, but they recently took considerable interest in Mrs. Eleanor Ramsay’s cat.

kidnapper 绑架者, considerable 相当大的(值得掂量的)

be interested in ... 对......感兴趣     be rarely interested in ... 很少对......感兴趣  注意rarely是否定词

take interest in ... 对......感兴趣      take considerable interest in ... 对......有相当大的兴趣

译: 绑架者很少对动物感兴趣, 但是最近绑架者盯上了埃莉诺·拉姆齐太太的猫.

2. Mrs. Eleanor Ramsay, a very wealthy old lady, has shared her flat with her cat, Rastus, for a great many years.

橙色标记的部分为句子的主干, 粉色标记的部分是插入语.

Mrs. Eleanor Ramsay 埃莉诺·拉姆齐太太 

wealthy 富有的,    flat 公寓(也可作形容词, 意为"平坦的")

Mrs. Eleanor Ramsay shares her flat with her cat. 埃莉诺·拉姆齐太太和她养的猫一起住在一所公寓里.

译: 埃莉诺·拉姆齐太太, 一个十分富有的老妇人, 多年来, 一直和她养的猫拉斯特斯一起住在一所公寓里.

3. Rastus leads an orderly life. He usually takes a short walk in the evenings and is always home by seven o’clock.

orderly 有规律的 

take a short walk 出去溜达一会儿,  by seven o'clock 在7点钟前

译: 拉斯特斯的生活十分规律, 傍晚常常出去溜达一会儿, 并且总是能在七点钟前回家.

4. One evening, however, he failed to arrive. Mrs. Ramsay got very worried. She looked everywhere for him but could not find him.

fail to ... 未能...... , get very worried 感到十分担心, look everywhere for ... 到处找......

在第二句话中, 由于 looked 为一般过去时, 所以后面要用 can 的过去形态 could.

译: 可是, 有一天晚上, 它出去之后再也没回来. 拉姆齐太太感到非常担心, 她四处找拉斯特斯, 可是没有找到.

5. Three days after Rastus’ disappearance, Mrs. Ramsay received an anonymous letter.

disappearance 消失, 失踪, anonymous 匿名的

译: 拉斯特斯失踪三天后, 拉姆齐太太收到了一封匿名信.

6. The writer stated that Rastus was in safe hands and would be returned immediately if Mrs. Ramsay paid a ransom of 1,000 pounds.

state 声明(书面语)

in safe hands 安然无恙

if引导的条件状语从句的主句时态常为一般将来时, 从句为一般现在时.

※若if引导的条件状语从句表虚拟语气, 且主句时态为过去将来时, 那么从句时态为一般过去时. 

译: 写信人声称拉斯特斯现在安然无恙, 只要拉姆齐太太愿意支付1000英镑的赎金, 便可以将猫立即归还.

7. Mrs. Ramsay was instructed (by the kidnapper) to place the money in a cardboard box and to leave it outside her door.

A is instructed by B to do ... B要求A去...... 或 A受B的委托去......

cardboard box 硬纸盒

译: 绑架者要求拉姆齐太太把钱放到一个硬纸盒里, 然后将盒子放到门外. 

8. At first, she decided to go to the police, but fearing that she would never see Rastus again-the letter had made that quite clear-she changed her mind.

橙色标记的是句子的主干, 蓝色标记的是句子的状语部分, 粉色标记的是插入语.

go to the police 报警(去警察局报警), change her mind 她改变主意,

译: 起初, 拉姆齐太太打算报警, 但害怕她再也见不到拉斯特斯了-信中对此说得很明白-她改变了主意.

9. She withdrew 1,000 pounds from her bank and followed the kidnapper’s instructions.

withdraw 1,000 pounds from her bank 她从银行提出1000英镑.

kidnapper's instructions 绑架者的要求.

译: 她从银行提出1000英镑, 然后按照绑架者的要求做了.

10. The next morning, the box had disappeared but Mrs. Ramsay was sure that the kidnapper would keep his word.

keep one's word 遵守某人的诺言

在Mrs. Ramsay was sure that the kidnapper would keep his word 中, 由于主句的谓语动词时态是一般过去时, 所以从句中用would而不是will.

由于硬纸盒消失发生在拉姆齐太太确信绑架者会信守诺言之前, 而拉姆齐太太的这个动作是过去的一个节点, 所以用过去完成时.

译: 第二天早晨, 硬纸盒消失了, 但拉姆齐太太确信绑架者会信守诺言.

11. Sure enough, Rastus arrived punctually at seven o’clock that evening.

sure enough 果然, punctually 准时地

that evening 与上一句中的 the next morning 相对应, 指已提到过的那一天的晚上.

译: 果然, 当天晚上七点, 拉斯特斯准时回来了.

12. He looked very well, though he was rather thirsty, for he drank half a bottle of milk.

though 然而, 尽管, 虽然, 可是,  在此根据语境, 意为"虽然".

rather在此表程度加深.

half a bottle of milk 半瓶牛奶.

译: 他看起来一切正常, 虽然(就是)很渴, (因为)喝了半瓶牛奶.

13. The police were astounded when Mrs. Ramsay told them what she had done.

astound 使......吃惊

对于拉姆齐太太告诉警察和拉姆齐太太的所作所为这两个动作, 显然拉姆齐太太的所作所为在她告诉警察这一动作的前面, 而拉姆齐太太告诉警察这一动作是过去的一个节点, 所以用过去完成时修饰拉姆齐太太的所作所为, 即what she had done.

译: 拉姆齐太太告诉警察她的所作所为后, 警察大为吃惊.

14. She explained that Rastus was very dear to her. Considering the amount she paid, he was dear in more ways than one.

Rastus was very dear to her 拉斯特斯对于拉姆齐太太来说十分珍贵.

in more ways than one 在更多方面, 在此结合语境翻译为"具有双重意义(金钱上、情感上)".

译: 她解释道, 拉斯特斯对于她来说十分珍贵. 考虑到她支付的赎金, 拉斯特斯的珍贵就具有双重意义了.

在本课的最后, 我有一些经验想和大家分享.

       要想在英语考试(CET4、CET6、考研英语等)中取得高分, 必须要对英语的语态、句法有着极其透彻的理解: 不能马马虎虎.

       我从高中开始, 自以为英语学得非常不错(也确实不错), 在CET4、CET6考试前没做一份试题, 也没复习, 然后CET4以545分的较高分数通过, CET6也顺利通过. 在大一的英语考试中, 也都是卷面成绩91+(满分100)的存在. 可是我总感觉在理解句子时有些许的困难, 特别是听力. 这是因为我没有注重对句子时态, 导致我在理解句子时总是不够透彻, 所以导致英语学习一直处于瓶颈期. 

       大约从8月开始, 我才将学习重心移到句法和时态上, 参照新概念英语3的课文, 一句一句地分析, 不放过一个死角——这为我换回了突破瓶颈的钥匙.  

       以前总觉得英语没有语法(当然我句法功底很好), 可在这些天的努力后, 我才意识到, 语法十分重要: 特别是句法和时态. 

       最后, 我给出我提升英语的路线: 听读较简单的英语文章(新概念英语2) -> 听读较难的英语文章(新概念英语3) -> 通过反复的听说将课文内容记个大概 -> 精度较难的英语文章(新概念3) -> 通过较难的文章查漏补缺 -> 突破瓶颈. 在此过程中, 无须刻意背单词, 但你会发现, 词汇量在一天天积累, 且你对单词的理解远远超出整日拿着单词书死记硬背的人.