狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第15章Part14

'Has the little boy been long ill, Susan?' inquired Walter, as they hurried on.

“小孩子病得很久了嗎，蘇珊？”當他們急忙往前走去的時候，沃爾特問道。

'Ailing for a deal of time, but no one knew how much,' said Susan; adding, with excessive sharpness, 'Oh, them Blimbers!'

“折磨好長久的時間了，可是誰也不知道病有多重，”蘇珊回答道，接着又格外尖聲厲氣地說道，“唉！都怪布林伯他們這一家人！”

'Blimbers?' echoed Walter.

“布林伯他們這一家人？”沃爾特重複了一句問道。

'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!'

“沃爾特先生，”蘇珊說，“事到如此，當想起許許多多事情都是令人痛苦的時候，如果我責怪什麼人，特別是責怪親愛的小保羅一口稱讚的那些人的話，那麼我就無法原諒自己，可是我還是真心盼望把這一家人都派到那石頭最多的地段去修築新道路，讓布林伯小姐扛着鶴嘴鋤走在最前頭！”

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.

尼珀姑娘說完之後喘了一口氣，比先前走得更快，彷彿她這不同尋常的願望使她的心情輕鬆了一些。沃爾特自己這時也是上氣不接下氣，不再問什麼問題，匆匆忙忙地往前趕路。他們不久就急不可耐地從一個小門闖進去，來到了一個乾淨的、擠滿了孩子的客廳裏。

'Where's Mrs Richards?' exclaimed Susan Nipper, looking round.

“理查茲大嫂在哪裏？”蘇珊向四處張望着，大聲喊道。

'Oh Mrs Richards, Mrs Richards, come along with me, my dear creetur!'

“啊！理查茲大嫂，理查茲大嫂，跟我一道走吧，我親愛的人兒！”

'Why, if it ain't Susan!' cried Polly, rising with her honest face and motherly figure from among the group, in great surprIse.

“呀！這不是蘇珊嗎？”波利十分吃驚地喊道，一邊從孩子羣中站起身來，露出她那誠實的臉孔和慈母的身形。

一ire:vt.詢問, 查究 vi.詢問, 查究
【詞義辨析】
ask, demand, inquire, question
這些動詞均含有“問，詢問”之意。
ask最普通用詞，可與demand, inquire和question換用，但ask用於口語中，指提出問題讓人回答。
demand指根據自己的權利、職責或身份認爲有必要弄清情況而正式發問，常隱含命令對方回答的意味。
inquire較正式用詞，指爲得到真實情況而詳細詢問或調查瞭解。
question指因感到可疑或爲了解情況，弄清究竟而發問，有時指一連串的發問。
【例句用法】
He asked me to inquire after you.
他要我問候你。
The police will inquire into the cause of his death.
警方將調查他的死因。
二.a deal of:大量的, 相當多的
deal：n.協定, 交易, 大量 v.應付, 分配, 處理, 交易, 經營 v.發牌 n.杉樹,松樹
【語法用法】
a great deal與a good deal一個是表示很多，一個表示相當多，前者比後者語氣更重一點；
a great deal與a good deal都只能用來修飾不可數名詞，不用來修飾可數名詞。例：a great (good) deal of money，a great (good) deal of trouble。a

great deal of laughter and kisses的表達方式也可以，因這裏的kisses跟laughter用在一起，並不是數量的意思；
a great (good) deal可以用作狀語短語。
I am a great (good) deal better today.
我今天好很多。
a deal在口語裏可以解釋爲a great deal。
【錯句舉例與錯句分析】
錯句: This shop deal with woollen goods.
訂正: This shop deal in woollen goods.
翻譯: 這家商店經營羊毛類的商品。
分析: 混淆了deal in 與deal with的用法，deal in表示“經營”，或者“買賣”，後接商品，deal with表示“和……打交道，做生意”，“處理”，“對付”的意思。
【詞義辨析】
business, commerce, trade, bargain, deal
這些名詞均含“貿易，交易”之意。
business指包括售貨、購貨、換貨在內的綜合商業活動，方式可以是批發或零售。
commerce多指大規模的買賣或易貨關係。
trade普通用詞，含義廣。既可指某種具體的商業又可指廣泛的貿易。
bargain多指買賣雙方通過談判、協商就商品質量、數量、價格等項達成協議所成的生意。
deal口語用詞，指買賣雙方經過交涉達成協議成交。
【例句用法】
My bank deals in stocks and shares now.
我們銀行現在經營債券與股票。
If she lost her job for being late once, she got a pretty raw deal.
她若只因遲到一次就失去了工作，這樣對她未免太不公平了。