中英文本

Three A Desert Walk
第三课 沙漠之旅
When Jack's car ran out of gas in the desert, a myriad of thoughts ran through his head.
当杰克的车在沙漠中汽油用完时，他的脑子里冒出了许多问题。
First, he didn't even have a loaf of bread.
首先，他甚至连一块面包都没有。
Second, nor did he have any water.
其次，他离目的地还早着呢。
Third, he was a long way off from anything.
再其次，他离目的地还早着呢。
And without his cell phone, it didn't matter that he could have been just a phone call away from help.
由于没有带移动电话，他就是离救援只差一个电话也无济于事。

It was only a matter of time before he would die.
他的死只是时间问题。
And so he began walking down the road.
因此他开始沿路前行。
After only a quarter of an hour walking under the hot desert sun, he began dreaming of large amounts of water.
在沙漠的骄阳下只走了一刻钟，他就开始梦想着有大量的水。
And when a million other things could have been on his mind as well, he thought back to his wife.
尽管心中可能有许多其他的事情，他还是想起了妻子。
They had just separated over a number of irreconcilable differences.
由于许多不可调和的矛盾，他们刚刚分居了。
And she had always been too much of a live wire for him.
对他来说，她总是太活跃。
It had always been only a question of time before their marriage would fail.
他们的婚姻破裂一直就是迟早的事。
But now, about to die, he began to think that he had been a lucky dog to have such an interesting wife.
可是现在，死之将至，他开始认为有这么个有意思的妻子，他真是个幸运儿。
She had told him a million times that she was good for him.
她告诉过他许多次她对他挺有用。
Now he knew that she had been so.
现在他知道她的确如此。
If only they were still together！
要是他们还在一起就好了。
As he continued walking, Jack noticed an odd pile of stones.
继续往前走的时候，杰克注意到一堆奇怪的石头。
He stopped.
他停下了脚步。
They could be covering a multitude of things, but Jack knew that it was a must for him to see if it was water.
这些石头可能覆盖着许多东西，但杰克知道他必须弄清楚那是不是水。
In a matter of minutes he had removed the rocks from what looked like an old bag.
大约几分钟后，他把石头搬走了，里面看起来像是个旧袋子。
As he opened it, Jack shouted in relief.
打开一看，杰克如释重负地叫了起来。
It was water: enough to last the rest of the day.
原来是水：足够应付那天剩下的时间。
Now he could safely get back to town.
现在他可以安全地回到城里啦！
Back in town, Jack called his wife.
回到城里，杰克给妻子打了个电话。

重点讲解

1.a loaf of bread 一个（或一块）面包

例句:I bought a loaf of bread at the baker's.
我在面包店里买了一大块面包。

2.a lucky dog 幸运儿

例句:His wife is both pretty and smart. He's really a lucky dog.
他妻子又漂亮，又能干。他真是个幸运儿。

3.a matter of ...问题；（表示数量）近似量

例句:I take this seriously. It's a matter of principle.
我对此很认真。这是原则问题。

4.a million times 一百万次，很多次

例句:Why, it's a million times bullier than pirating.
这比当海盗要强一万倍。

5.a number of 若干，许多

例句:There are a number of ducks in the lake.
湖里有很多鸭子。

6.a pile of 一堆，一叠；一大堆，大量

例句:After years of struggle he had finally made a pile of money.
他辛苦了多年，最后积蓄了一大笔钱。