雙語小說連載:《董貝父子》第7章 Part 5
'His mother, my dear,' said Miss Tox, 'whose acquaintance I was to have made through you, does he at all resemble her?'
“他像他的母親嗎？”托克斯小姐問道，“我親愛的，我得通過您才能瞭解她呀。”
'Not at all,' returned Louisa.
“一點也不像，”路易莎回答道。
'She was - she was pretty, I believe?' faltered Miss Tox.
“她——她長得漂亮吧。我想？”托克斯小姐遲疑地說道。
'Why, poor dear Fanny was interesting,' said Mrs Chick, after some judicial consideration. 'Certainly interesting. She had not that air of commanding superiority which one would somehow expect, almost as a matter of course, to find in my brother's wife; nor had she that strength and vigour of mind which such a man requires.'
“是的，可憐的親愛的範妮是有趣的，”奇剋夫人經過一些慎重的考慮以後說道。“確實是有趣的。人們不知怎麼樣，幾乎理所當然地本指望會在我的哥哥的妻子身上看到那種威風凜凜、高人一等的氣派，可是她並沒有這種氣派。她也沒有這樣一位男人所需要的那種精力與氣魄。”
Miss Tox heaved a deep sigh.
托克斯小姐深深地嘆了一口氣。
'But she was pleasing:' said Mrs Chick: 'extremely so. And she meant! - oh, dear, how well poor Fanny meant!'
“不過她是討人喜歡的，”奇剋夫人說道，“非常討人喜歡。還有她的心眼兒！——啊，親愛的，可憐的範妮心眼兒多麼好啊！”
'You Angel!' cried Miss Tox to little Paul. 'You Picture of your own Papa!'
“您這小天使！”托克斯小姐對小保羅喊道，“您跟您爸爸真是長得一模一樣啊！”
If the Major could have known how many hopes and ventures, what a multitude of plans and speculations, rested on that baby head; and could have seen them hovering, in all their heterogeneous confusion and disorder, round the puckered cap of the unconscious little Paul; he might have stared indeed. Then would he have recognised, among the crowd, some few ambitious motes and beams belonging to Miss Tox; then would he perhaps have understood the nature of that lady's faltering investment in the Dombey Firm.
如果少校能知道，在那嬰孩的頭上寄託了多少希望與夢想，多少計劃與打算的話，如果他能看到它們參差錯亂、混雜無序地在一無所知的小保羅的帶褶的帽子四周盤旋的話，那麼他確實可能會把眼睛瞪得大大地來看的。那時候他就會從那成羣的事物中辨認出屬於托克斯小姐的一些野心勃勃的塵埃與光束了；那時候他也許就會明白那位女士畏畏縮縮地對董貝公司進行投資的性質了。
If the child himself could have awakened in the night, and seen, gathered about his cradle-curtains, faint reflections of the dreams that other people had of him, they might have scared him, with good reason. But he slumbered on, alike unconscious of the kind intentions of Miss Tox, the wonder of the Major, the early sorrows of his sister, and the stern visions of his father; and innocent that any spot of earth contained a Dombey or a Son.
如果這孩子本人能在夜間醒過來，看到聚集在他的搖籃帳子周圍、其他人們對他所抱的夢想的微弱的映像的話，那麼它們很有理由會把他嚇壞了。可是他卻繼續呼呼地酣睡，對托克斯小姐的善良的意圖，少校的納悶不解，他姐姐過早的悲哀和他父親嚴峻的夢幻，都一概不知；他也不瞭解在地面上的什麼地方還存在着一位董貝或一個他的兒子。
註釋：1. superiority n. 優越，優勢；優越性
詞組：
air superiority 空中優勢；空優戰鬥機；空優
superiority complex 優越感；自尊情結；過於自尊
overwhelming superiority 絕對優勢
例句：
(1). They won the battle because of their superiority in numbers.
他們在數量上佔了優勢，所以取得了戰爭的勝利。
(2). Information means superiority, and knowledge leads to progress.
信息就是優勢，知識就是發展。
(3). The resources are the superiority for the development of west China.
這些資源對於開發中國西部來說是一種優勢。
(4). The moral superiority of the west was also expressed through its ideology.
西方的道德優越感還通過其意識形態表現出來。
(5). America's material superiority could operate only in a more limited time span.
美國在物質上的優勢只能在有限的一段時間起作用。
(6). Friendships last when each friend thinks he has a slight superiority over the other.
當朋友之間人認爲彼此都比對方優秀一點時友誼才能長存。
2. speculation n. 投機；推測；思索；投機買賣
詞組：
speculation about n. 關於……猜測
例句：
(1). She lose all her money in stock exchange speculation.
她將所有的錢賠進了股票投機生意。
(2). They have much speculation over the cause of the air crash.
他們對飛機墜毀原因有多方推測。
(3). Speculation has reached such a pitch that a decision will have to be made immediately.
這種胡亂猜測甚囂塵上，已經到了必須立即解決的程度了。
(4). By reducing the cost of speculation, they encourage bubbles.
通過減少投機的成本，他們催生了泡沫。
(5). Human exposure to various chemicals has been the subject of much speculation.
人類所置身其中的各種化學物質已成爲思考的對象。
