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His mind was made up that he was not going to spend all of his days, like Tames and Andrew, in bargaining, or all his nights, by candlelight, over long columns of figures. He felt keenly, as his brothers did not, the social stigma attached to those “in trade.” Gerald wanted to be a planter. With the deep hunger of an Irishman who has been a tenant on the lands his people once had owned and hunted, he wanted to see his own acres stretching green before his eyes.

他已下定决心，不要像詹姆斯和安德鲁那样把所有的白天都花费在讨价还价上，或者把所有的夜晚都用来对着灯光检查账目。跟两个哥哥不同，他已深深感到社会上最被人瞧不起的是那些"生意人"。杰拉尔德要当一个地主。他像一个曾经在别人所拥有和猎取的土地上干活的爱尔兰佃农那样，满怀希望看到自己的田地绿油油地从眼前舒展开去。

With a ruthless singleness of purpose, he desired his own house, his own plantation, his own horse, his own slaves. And here in this new country, safe from the twin perils of the land he had left—taxation that ate up crops and barns and the ever-present threat of sudden confiscation—he intended to have them. But having that ambition and bringing it to realization were two different matters, he discovered as time went by. Coastal Georgia was too firmly held by an entrenched aristocracy for him ever to hope to win the place he intended to have.

他无情地、一心一意地追求一个目标，就是要拥有自己的住宅，自己的农场，自己的马匹，自己的奴隶。而在这个新国家里，既然已不像在他所离开的那个国家要冒双重危险，即全部的收获都租税吞掉和随时有可能被突然没收，他就很想得到这些东西了。但是，一个时期以来，他已渐渐发现，怀抱这个雄心和实现这个雄心毕竟是两回事。滨海的佐治亚州是那样牢牢地掌握在一顽强的贵族阶级手中，在这里，他就休想有一天会赢得他所刻意追求的地位。

词汇释义

1.bargaining n. 交易，契约，交涉

Some hard bargaining is called for.
需要进行艰难的谈判。

2.candlelight['k?ndl.lait] n. 烛火，黄昏

The family dined by candlelight.
全家人在烛光下进餐。

3.keenly['ki:nli] adv. 锐利地，敏捷地，激烈地

He observes keenly but says very little.
他观察敏锐，但说得很少。

4.stigma n. 耻辱，污名 n. 柱头

There should be no stigma attached to being poor.
贫穷不应该与耻辱扯上任何关系。

5.tenant n. 房客，佃户，承租人，占用者 vt. 租借，租赁

Are you an owner-occupier or a tenant?
你住自己的房子还是租房住？

6.ruthless['ru:θlis] adj. 残忍的，无情的

He was utterly ruthless in his determination to succeed.
他下定决心争取成功。

7.plantation n. 种植园，大农场，殖民地

There were hundreds of slaves in the plantation.
这个种植园里有数百名奴隶。

8.peril['peril] n. 危险，冒险 vt. 置 ... 于险境，冒险

The ship was in imminent peril of being wrecked.
那条船马上就有失事的危险。

9.barn[bɑ:n] n. 谷仓，牲口棚，车库，大而空荡的农屋

The soldiers bedded down in a barn.
士兵们在谷仓里打铺过夜。

10.confiscation n. 没收，充公，征收

We shall not be responsible for any confiscation and fines arising therefrom.
我们对由此造成的任何展品没收和罚款不予负责。

11.entrench v. 挖壕沟，(牢固地）确立，保护，侵占，侵犯

The enemy were strongly entrenched on the other side of the river.
敌军在河的对岸用坚固的壕沟防守。

12.aristocracy n. 贵族，贵族阶级

That expert is an aristocracy of his society.
那个专家是他所在的学会里最权威的人。

难句解析

1.His mind was made up that he was not going to spend all of his days, like Tames and Andrew, in bargaining, or all his nights, by candlelight, over long columns of figures.

【句子翻译】他已下定决心，不要像詹姆斯和安德鲁那样把所有的白天都花费在讨价还价上，或者把所有的夜晚都用来对着灯光检查账目。

【难句解析】one's mind was made up，make up one's mind“某人下决心”；

She made up her mind that being a excellent translator one day.
她下决心要成为一名优秀的翻译人员；

2.And here in this new country, safe from the twin perils of the land he had left—taxation that ate up crops and barns and the ever-present threat of sudden confiscation—he intended to have them. But having that ambition and bringing it to realization were two different matters, he discovered as time went by. Coastal Georgia was too firmly held by an entrenched aristocracy for him ever to hope to win the place he intended to have.

【句子翻译】而在这个新国家里，既然已不像在他所离开的那个国家要冒双重危险，即全部的收获都租税吞掉和随时有可能被突然没收，他就很想得到这些东西了。但是，一个时期以来，他已渐渐发现，怀抱这个雄心和实现这个雄心毕竟是两回事。滨海的佐治亚州是那样牢牢地掌握在一顽强的贵族阶级手中，在这里，他就休想有一天会赢得他所刻意追求的地位。

【难句解析】safe from...“免于...；不遭受...”；eat up“吃光、吃完”；intend to“想要、打算”；go by“(时间)过去，经过，走过，依照”；

In a church, everybody is safe from the law.
在教学里每一个人都不受法律管。

She got back safe from her adventure.
她有惊无险已安全返回。

He was so hungry that he ate up his meal at a stretch.
他太饥饿了，一口气就把饭吃光了。

Eat up your vegetables.
把你的青菜吃光。

I hear they intend to marry/intend marrying.
听说他们要结婚了。

I don't intend to listen to this rubbish any longer!
我再也不想听这种无稽之谈了！

He let a week go by before answering the letter.
他一周以后才回信。