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'Has the little boy been long ill, Susan?' inquired Walter, as they hurried on.
“小孩子病得很久了吗，苏珊？”当他们急忙往前走去的时候，沃尔特问道。
'Ailing for a deal of time, but no one knew how much,' said Susan; adding, with excessive sharpness, 'Oh, them Blimbers!'
“折磨好长久的时间了，可是谁也不知道病有多重，”苏珊回答道，接着又格外尖声厉气地说道，“唉！都怪布林伯他们这一家人！”
'Blimbers?' echoed Walter.
“布林伯他们这一家人？”沃尔特重复了一句问道。
'I couldn't forgive myself at such a time as this, Mr Walter,' said Susan, 'and when there's so much serious distress to think about, if I rested hard on anyone, especially on them that little darling Paul speaks well of, but I may wish that the family was set to work in a stony soil to make new roads, and that Miss Blimber went in front, and had the pickaxe!'
“沃尔特先生，”苏珊说，“事到如此，当想起许许多多事情都是令人痛苦的时候，如果我责怪什么人，特别是责怪亲爱的小保罗一口称赞的那些人的话，那么我就无法原谅自己，可是我还是真心盼望把这一家人都派到那石头最多的地段去修筑新道路，让布林伯小姐扛着鹤嘴锄走在最前头！”
Miss Nipper then took breath, and went on faster than before, as if this extraordinary aspiration had relieved her. Walter, who had by this time no breath of his own to spare, hurried along without asking any more questions; and they soon, in their impatience, burst in at a little door and came into a clean parlour full of children.
尼珀姑娘说完之后喘了一口气，比先前走得更快，仿佛她这不同寻常的愿望使她的心情轻松了一些。沃尔特自己这时也是上气不接下气，不再问什么问题，匆匆忙忙地往前赶路。他们不久就急不可耐地从一个小门闯进去，来到了一个干净的、挤满了孩子的客厅里。
'Where's Mrs Richards?' exclaimed Susan Nipper, looking round.
“理查兹大嫂在哪里？”苏珊向四处张望着，大声喊道。
'Oh Mrs Richards, Mrs Richards, come along with me, my dear creetur!'
“啊！理查兹大嫂，理查兹大嫂，跟我一道走吧，我亲爱的人儿！”
'Why, if it ain't Susan!' cried Polly, rising with her honest face and motherly figure from among the group, in great surprIse.
“呀！这不是苏珊吗？”波利十分吃惊地喊道，一边从孩子群中站起身来，露出她那诚实的脸孔和慈母的身形。
重点讲解
一.inquire:vt.询问, 查究 vi.询问, 查究
【词义辨析】
ask, demand, inquire, question
这些动词均含有“问，询问”之意。
ask最普通用词，可与demand, inquire和question换用，但ask用于口语中，指提出问题让人回答。
demand指根据自己的权利、职责或身份认为有必要弄清情况而正式发问，常隐含命令对方回答的意味。
inquire较正式用词，指为得到真实情况而详细询问或调查了解。
question指因感到可疑或为了解情况，弄清究竟而发问，有时指一连串的发问。
【例句用法】
He asked me to inquire after you.
他要我问候你。
The police will inquire into the cause of his death.
警方将调查他的死因。
二.a deal of:大量的, 相当多的
deal：n.协定, 交易, 大量 v.应付, 分配, 处理, 交易, 经营 v.发牌 n.杉树,松树
【语法用法】
a great deal与a good deal一个是表示很多，一个表示相当多，前者比后者语气更重一点；
a great deal与a good deal都只能用来修饰不可数名词，不用来修饰可数名词。例：a great (good) deal of money，a great (good) deal of trouble。a

great deal of laughter and kisses的表达方式也可以，因这里的kisses跟laughter用在一起，并不是数量的意思；
a great (good) deal可以用作状语短语。
I am a great (good) deal better today.
我今天好很多。
a deal在口语里可以解释为a great deal。
【错句举例与错句分析】
错句: This shop deal with woollen goods.
订正: This shop deal in woollen goods.
翻译: 这家商店经营羊毛类的商品。
分析: 混淆了deal in 与deal with的用法，deal in表示“经营”，或者“买卖”，后接商品，deal with表示“和……打交道，做生意”，“处理”，“对付”的意思。
【词义辨析】
business, commerce, trade, bargain, deal
这些名词均含“贸易，交易”之意。
business指包括售货、购货、换货在内的综合商业活动，方式可以是批发或零售。
commerce多指大规模的买卖或易货关系。
trade普通用词，含义广。既可指某种具体的商业又可指广泛的贸易。
bargain多指买卖双方通过谈判、协商就商品质量、数量、价格等项达成协议所成的生意。
deal口语用词，指买卖双方经过交涉达成协议成交。
【例句用法】
My bank deals in stocks and shares now.
我们银行现在经营债券与股票。
If she lost her job for being late once, she got a pretty raw deal.
她若只因迟到一次就失去了工作，这样对她未免太不公平了。