课文阅读

"You're right! I hope Jimmy has done half as well. He was a kind of slow man, though, good fellow as he was. I've had to compete with some of the sharpest brains going to get my money. A man gets stuck in New York. It takes the West to make a man really keen."
The policeman swung his club and took a step or two.

"I'll be on my way. Hope your friend comes around all right. Are you going to leave immediately?"
"I should say not!" said the other. "I'll give him half an hour at least. If Jimmy is alive on earth he'll be here by that time. So long, officer."
"Good night, sir," said the policeman, passing on along his beat.

There was now a fine, cold rain falling, and the wind had risen to a steady blow. The few foot passengers in that quarter hurried dismally and silently along with coat collars turned high and pocketed hands. And in the door of the hardware store the man who had come a thousand miles to fill an appointment, with the friend of his youth, smoked his cigar and waited.

参考译文

“当然了！吉米的光景要是能赶上我的一半就好了。他虽说有点笨，却是个好人。为了挣钱，我不得不跟那些最聪明的人竞争。纽约不会让人有所进步的，而西部就可以把人的头脑锻炼得很机灵。警察挥舞着警棍，向前走了一两步。

“我要走了，希望你的朋友回来，你会很快离开这里吗？”
“不会的。我起码要再等他半个小时。如果吉米他还活在人间，他到时候一定会来到这儿的。就说这些吧，再见，警官先生”，他说。
“再见，先生。”警察一边说着，一边沿街走去。

这时下起细雨来，冷冷的，风也刮起来了。街上行人不多，他们静悄悄又沮丧地向前赶着，一边把外套领子竖起来，双手插在衣袋里。五金店门口，这个从千里之外赶来要和年轻时的朋友见面的男子，一边抽烟，一边等着。

词汇释义

1.keen adj. 锋利的,敏锐的,强烈的

例句：
The blind have a keen sense of touch.
盲人有敏锐的触觉。

2.immediately adv. 立即

例句：
If you want to catch that train we'd better set off for the station immediately.
你要是想赶上那班火车，咱们就最好马上动身去火车站。

3.dismally adv.阴暗地, 沉闷地

例句：
He could see quite clearly how he had failed so dismally with Alice and how Tom had taken over so easily.
他十分清楚自己如何在爱丽丝身上败得这么惨，而汤姆又是如何轻而易举便得到了她。

4.pocket v. 装...在口袋里,隐藏,私吞

例句：
She quickly pocketed the note without reading it.
她很快把通知放进口袋里，连看都没看。

难句解析

1.And in the door of the hardware store the man who had come a thousand miles to fill an appointment, with the friend of his youth, smoked his cigar and waited.

【参考译文】五金店门口，这个从千里之外赶来要和年轻时的朋友见面的男子，一边抽烟，一边等着。

【结构解析】句子的主干是"The man smoked and waited",“who had come a thousand miles to fill an appointment, with the friend of his youth”做定语，修饰“the man”。