Lesson 12 Life on a desert island 内容鉴赏

Lesson 12 Life on a desert island

1. Most of us have formed an unrealistic picture of life on a desert island. We sometimes imagine a desert island to be a sort of paradise where the sun always shines.

most of us 我们大多数人.

form an unrealistic picture 形成一张不切合实际的图片. 在此picture被比喻为idea, 所以应理解为"有一种不切合实际的想法".

an unrealistic picture of life on a desert island 对于荒岛生活的一种不切合实际的想法.

imagine a desert island to be ... 将荒岛生活想象成......

a sort of paradise (可以算是/大概算是)天堂.

where the sun always shines 为 paradise 的定语.

a sort of paradise where the sun always shines (可以算是/大概算是)阳光终日普照的天堂.

译: 我们大多数人都有一种对于荒岛生活不切合实际的想法. 我们有时想象荒岛是阳光终日普照的天堂.

2. Life there is simple and good. Ripe fruit falls from the trees and you never have to work. The other side of the picture is quite the opposite.

there 修饰 life, life there 意为"那里的生活".

ripe fruit 成熟的水果.

you never have to work 我们根本无需劳动.

the other side of the picture 这幅图片(这种想法)的另一面.

opposite n.对立面.

quite the opposite 截然相反.

The other side of the picture is quite the opposite. 表面意思是"这幅图片的另一面是截然相反的". 上面我们提到过, picture 被比喻为 idea, 那么 the other side of the picture 就应理解为"另一种想法".

译: 那里的生活是简单而美好的. 成熟的水果从树上掉下, 我们根本无需劳动. 另外一种想法是截然相反的.

3. Life on a desert island is wretched. You either starve to death or live like Robinson Crusoe, waiting for a boat which never comes.

wretched 艰苦的, 可怜的.

starve to death 饿死.

either starve to death or live like Robinson Crusoe 不是饿死就是像罗宾逊·克鲁索那样活着.

waiting for a boat which never comes 为伴随状语.

which never comes 为 a boat 的定语.

译: 荒岛生活是艰苦的. 要么饿死, 要么就像罗宾逊·克鲁索那样, 终日等待一艘永远不会来的小船.

4. Perhaps there is an element of truth in both these pictures, but few of us have had the opportunity to find out.

perhaps 也许.

an element of truth 有可信之处.

few of us 我们中很少有人.

have the opportunity to find out 有机会去一探究竟.

译: 也许这两种观点都有可信之处, 但我们中很少有人已经有机会去一探究竟.

5. Two men who recently spent five days on a coral island wished they had stayed there longer. They were taking a badly damaged boat from the Virgin Islands to Miami to have it repaired.

a coral island 一座珊瑚岛.

who recently spent five days on a coral island 为 two men 的定语.

wish 引导的宾语从句常用虚拟语气, 这里为对过去情况的虚拟, 故表达为 wished they had stayed there longer.

a badly damaged boat 一艘严重损坏的小船.

the Virgin Islands 维京群岛.

have it(the boat) repaired 修理小船.

they were taking a badly damaged boat from the Virgin Islands to Miami to have it repaired 此处使用过去进行时描述背景(从维京群岛驶向迈阿密去修船).

译: 最近有两个人在一座珊瑚岛上呆了五天, 他们真希望能再多呆一些日子. 他们驾驶一艘严重损坏的小船从维京群岛出发去迈阿密修理. 

6. During the journey, their boat began to sink. They quickly loaded a small rubber dinghy with foods, matches, and cans of beer and rowed for a few miles across Caribbean until they arrived at a tiny coral island.

during the journey 在途中.

begin to sink 开始下沉.

a small rubber dinghy 一艘小橡皮救生筏.

foods, matches and cans of beer 食物、火柴和罐装啤酒.

load a small rubber dinghy with foods, matches and cans of beer 将食物、火柴和罐装啤酒装到一艘小橡皮救生筏上.

row for a few miles across Caribbean 在加勒比海上划行了几英里.

a tiny coral island 一座小珊瑚岛.

译: 途中, 他们的船开始下沉. 他们迅速将食物、火柴和罐装啤酒装到一艘小橡皮救生筏上, 然后在加勒比海上划行了几英里才到达一座小珊瑚岛.

7. There were hardly any trees on the island and there was no water, but this did not prove to be a problem. They collected rainwater in the rubber dinghy.

this did not prove to be a problem 这并不算什么问题.

岛上几乎没有一棵树, 也没有淡水, 但这并不算什么问题. 他们用橡皮救生筏收集雨水.

8. As they brought a spear gun with them, they had plenty to eat. They caught lobster and fish every day, as one of them put it ‘ate like kings’.

bring a spear gun with them 随身携带了一把捕鱼枪.

have plenty to eat 有大量可供食用的东西.

catch lobster and fish 捕龙虾和鱼.

put it = say 说.

they had plenty to eat 处时态为过去完成时, 这是因为"他们随身携带了一把捕鱼枪"发生在"有大量可供食用的东西"之前, 即"随身携带了一把捕鱼枪"发生在过去的过去, 所以用过去完成时. (注意从句和主句时态的对应关系)

译: 由于他们随身携带了一把捕鱼枪, 所以有大量可供食用的东西. 他们每天都捕捉龙虾和鱼, 正如其中一位所说"吃得像国王一样".

9. When a passing tanker rescued them five days later, both men were genuinely sorry that they had to leave.

a passing tanker 一艘路过的油轮.

genuinely sorry 由衷地遗憾.

译: 五天后, 一艘油轮从那经过, 搭救了他们. 他们二人为不得不离开而感到由衷地遗憾.