经典科幻文学:《宇宙尽头的餐馆》第32章5
日期:2014-09-03 11:25

(单词翻译:单击)

英文原版

“Yes. One of our film producers is already making a fascinating documentary about the indigenous cavemen of the area.”
“They’re not cavemen.”
“They look like cavemen.”
“Do they live in caves?”
“Well…”
“They live in huts.”
“Perhaps they’re having their caves redecorated,” called out a wag from the crowd.
Ford rounded on him angrily.
“Very funny,” he said, “but have you noticed that they’re dying out?”
On their journey back, Ford and Arthur had come across two derelict villages and the bodies of many natives in the woods, where they had crept away to die. Those that still lived were stricken and listless, as if they were suffering some disease of the spirit rather than the body. They moved sluggishly and with an infinite sadness. Their future had been taken away from them.
“Dying out!” repeated Ford. “Do you know what that means?”
“Er… we shouldn’t sell them any life insurance?” called out the wag again.
Ford ignored him, and appealed to the whole crowd.
“Can you try and understand,” he said, “that it’s just since we’ve arrived that they’ve started dying out!”
“In fact that comes over terribly well in this film,” said the marketing girl, “and just gives it that poignant twist which is the hallmark of the really great documentary. The producer’s very committed.”
“He should be,” muttered Ford.
“是的。我们的一个电影制片人正在制作一部迷人的|己录片,关于这片土地的土著穴居人。”
“他们不是穴居人。”
“可他们看起来像是穴居人。”
“他们住在山洞里吗?”
“嗯……”
“他们住在棚屋里。”
“也许他们的山洞正在重新装修。”人群中一个爱打趣的人喊道
福特转过身,愤怒地瞪着他。
“真好笑啊,”他说,“可是你注意到了吗?他们正在灭绝!”
在返回这里的途中,福特和阿瑟经过了两个被抛弃的村庄,树林里还有许多土著人的尸体,他们是偷跑出来死在这儿的。那些还活着的人看上去像受了惊吓,目光呆滞,仿佛他们正在遭受的精神上的苦难远远超出了肉体上的痛苦:他们迟缓地移动着,怀着无尽的哀伤。他们的未来已经被从他们手中夺走了。
“灭绝!”福特重复道,“你知道那是什么意思吗?”
“嗯……我们不能再卖给他们人寿保险了,”那个小丑叉喊道。
福特没有再理睬他,而是向整个人群呼吁。
“你们能稍稍花电力气去理解这一点吗?”他说,“仅仅因为我们的到来就导致了他们的灭绝!”
“实际上,这一点在那部电影里表现得非常出色,”市场部女孩说,“赋予影片一种痛苦感,而这正是一部真正伟大的记录片的特征。这个制片人投入了全部心血。”
“耗尽心血以后,他怎么还不死?”福特喃喃地说。

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。

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重点单词
  • twistv. 拧,捻,搓,扭曲 n. 扭曲,盘旋,捻,拧
  • committedadj. 献身于某种事业的,委托的
  • wagv. 摇摆,踉跄地走,饶舌 n. 摇摆,诙谐幽默的人 v
  • derelictadj. 抛弃的,玩忽职守的 n. 被遗弃的人或物,玩忽
  • fascinatingadj. 迷人的
  • insurancen. 保险,保险费,安全措施
  • poignantadj. 悲伤的,痛切的,严厉的,尖锐的,剧烈的,浓烈的
  • infiniteadj. 无限的,无穷的 n. 无限
  • indigenousadj. 本地的,土生土长的,天生的
  • listlessadj. 无精打采的