经典科幻文学:《银河系漫游指南》第1章Part 2
日期:2013-06-27 13:56

(单词翻译:单击)

名著阅读

"What do you mean, why's it got to be built?" he said. "It's a bypass. You've got to build bypasses."
“你这是什么意思,凭什么它一定得建?”他说,“这是通道。你们总得建通道吧。”
Bypasses are devices which allow some people to drive from point A to point B very fast whilst other people dash from point B to point A very fast. People living at point C, being a point directly in between, are often given to wonder what's so great about point A that so many people of point B are so keen to get there, and what's so great about point B that so many people of point A are so keen to get there. They often wish that people would just once and for all work out where the hell they wanted to be.
通道是一种装置,它使A点的人能够很快地到达B点,同时B点的人也能够很快地到达A点。住在两点之间的C点的人,通常会感到非常奇怪:A点有什么好,弄得B点的这么多人都渴望去那儿:B点又有什么好,使得A点的这么多人都渴望去那儿。他们通常倾向于希望人们能一劳永逸地去到自己想去的任何地方。
Mr Prosser wanted to be at point D. Point D wasn't anywhere in particular, it was just any convenient point a very long way from points A, B and C. He would have a nice little cottage at point D, with axes over the door, and spend a pleasant amount of time at point E, which would be the nearest pub to point D. His wife of course wanted climbing roses, but he wanted axes. He didn't know why - he just liked axes. He flushed hotly under the derisive grins of the bulldozer drivers.
普洛塞先生想去D点。D点并不是一个特定的什么地方,它只是远离A、B和C点的任何一个方便的去处。他在那儿会有一间舒适的乡间小屋,门上挂着斧头,他可以在E点度过快乐的时光,而E点是指距离D点最近的酒馆。当然,他的妻子会更希望要生长着的玫瑰,但他就是想要斧头。他也不知道为什么——就是喜欢斧头。这时,他看到了推土机司机们嘲弄的笑容,脸一下子变得通红。
He shifted his weight from foot to foot, but it was equally uncomfortable on each. Obviously somebody had been appallingly incompetent and he hoped to God it wasn't him.
他换着脚支撑身体,但两只都不舒服。显然,这里将会有什么人不能胜任,上帝保佑,他希望不是自己。
Mr Prosser said: "You were quite entitled to make any suggestions or protests at the appropriate time you know."
普洛塞先生说:“你被赋予了充分的权利在适当的时候提出建议或是抗议,这一点你是知道的。”
"Appropriate time?" hooted Arthur. "Appropriate time? The first I knew about it was when a workman arrived at my home yesterday. I asked him if he'd come to clean the windows and he said no he'd come to demolish the house. He didn't tell me straight away of course. Oh no. First he wiped a couple of windows and charged me a fiver. Then he told me."
“适当的时候?”阿瑟轻蔑地哼了一声。“适当的时候?昨天有个工人到我家来,我才头一次听说这件事情。当时我问他是不是来擦窗户的,他说不是,他是来推倒我这间房子的。当然,他并没有直接告诉我这个。他先为我擦了两扇窗户,收了我5块钱,然后才告诉我的。”
"But Mr Dent, the plans have been available in the local planning office for the last nine month."
“可是,邓特先生,你要知道,这些计划在本地的规划办公室已经放了9个月了。”
"Oh yes, well as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them, yesterday afternoon. You hadn't exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them had you? I mean like actually telling anybody or anything."
“噢,是吗?那好吧,我告诉你,我一听到这个消息就直接去找这些计划来看,那是昨天下午的事儿。但你好像忘了去关注它们一下,不是吗?我是指,像你刚才所说的那样。”
"But the plans were on display ..."
“可是,这些计划应该就是向公众展示的啊……”
"On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them."
“展示?我最后不得不到地下室里去把它们翻出来。”
"That's the display department."
“那儿就是我们的展示室呀。”
"With a torch."
“那么昏暗的灯光?”
"Ah, well the lights had probably gone."
“哦,是这样,有的灯可能坏了。”
"So had the stairs."
“还有楼梯也坏了。”
"But look, you found the notice didn't you?"
“好吧。不过你瞧,你最终还是看到通告了,不是吗?”
"Yes," said Arthur, "yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying Beware of the Leopard."
“是,”阿瑟说,“我确实是看到了。只不过是在一间废弃厕所里扔着的一个上了锁的文件柜的最低层,厕所门上还写着‘小心豹子’。”

背景阅读

作者简介:

道格拉斯·亚当斯(Douglas Noël Adams,1952年3月11日-2001年5月11日)是一位英国广播剧作家、和音乐家,尤其以《银河系漫游指南》系列作品出名。亚当斯自称为“极端无神论者”。在去世以前,他是一位非常受欢迎的演讲者,尤其是在科技和环保等题材方面。他在49岁时的早逝在科幻和奇幻社群中引起了极大的哀悼。

本书简介:

地球被毁灭了,因为要在它所在的地方修建一条超空间快速通道。主人公阿瑟·邓特活下来了,因为他有一位名叫福特·长官的朋友。这位朋友表面上是个找不着工作的演员,其实是个外星人,是名著《银河系漫游指南》派赴地球的研究员。两人开始了一场穿越银河的冒险,能够帮助他们的只有《银河系漫游指南》一书中所包括的无限智慧。

豆瓣书评:

《银河系漫游指南》的小说很好看,比电影好看10倍。

它是一个叫道格拉斯·亚当斯的人写的,他当过阿拉伯王公的保镖,准备着一旦有人举着鸡蛋或者炸弹尖叫着跑过来,就立刻鼠窜,他客串过PINKFLOYD的吉他手,因为跟乐队成员是好朋友,他还做过鸡场清洁工,一个扫鸡粪的。。。

我惟一可以与他相媲美的经历是,我小时候在农场放过猪。我的姥爷是大队的饲养员,麾下五百多号猪,甚是了得。年少有为的我帮他拿着一条长鞭子,把猪全都赶回圈里,一头都不能少。谁想这段经历奠定了我一生的命运,我后来当上了主编(猪编)。王小波也放过猪,他写了《一只特立独行的猪》,我的境界没那么高,我从农场所惟一获取的知识是——尽管猪粪很臭,但猪肉却是好香的。

遗憾的是,道格拉斯·亚当斯于2001年死掉了,才49岁。为什么这些聪明而有趣的人总是活不长久?我知道王小波的时候,他也刚刚死掉。我一直不喜欢巴金,或许是因为他活得太久了,越来越干燥,越来越无趣。。。。

我联系到了出版社,可以搞到《银河系漫游指南》和它的续篇《宇宙尽头的餐馆》。一般的书店找不到这两本书。资料上说,《银河系漫游指南》写了5本,卖了1400万册,是“科幻圣经”,有大批忠实的粉丝。粉丝们对电影不大满意,因为电影很多有趣的东西没传达。但是,我认为电影已经做得很好了,起码,它让我知道了亚当斯。我认为,亚当斯比卢卡斯牛逼100倍。虽然,他赚的钱比卢卡斯少100倍,或者1000倍。我也一直不喜欢卢卡斯的《星球大战》,它太幼稚了。。。。。

这个世界的“快乐与财富关系之定律”是:如果你只让一小撮聪明人或者自以为聪明的人感到快乐,你肯定会早死,并且几乎赚不到什么钱,像亚当斯;如果你让每一个傻瓜和小孩子都乐不可支,你肯定会名利双收,长命百岁,像卢卡斯。

在书的扉页上,有道格拉斯亚当斯的照片。十足一个加肥版的罗伯特德尼罗——只是少了点阴鸷,多了些顽皮。

我爱他,而我并非同性恋。通常,我爱一个女人的身体,爱一个男人的头脑。直到现在,我还没遇到一个有女人身体和男人头脑的女人,却遇到了一大堆有男人身体和女人头脑的男人。 (From:加肥猫)

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重点单词
  • eventuallyadv. 终于,最后
  • uncomfortableadj. 不舒服的,不自在的
  • entitledadj. 有资格的,已被命名的 动词entitle的过去
  • convenientadj. 方便的,便利的
  • keenadj. 锋利的,敏锐的,强烈的,精明的,热衷的
  • availableadj. 可用的,可得到的,有用的,有效的
  • cabinetn. 橱柜,内阁 adj. 私人的
  • dentn. 凹痕,心理阴影,挫伤 vt. 弄凹 vi. 形成凹
  • cellarn. 地窖,地下室 vt. 把 ... 藏入地窑(或酒窑
  • derisiveadj. 嘲弄的