名著精讀:《小婦人》第三章:勞倫斯家的男孩 第11節
"Curly black hair, brown skin, big black eyes, handsome nose, fine teeth, small hands and feet, taller than I am, very polite, for a boy, and altogether jolly. Wonder how old he is?"
“捲曲的黑頭髮，棕色皮膚，黑色的大眼睛，好看的鼻子，牙齒潔白，手腳不大，比我略高，顯得溫文爾雅，不乏風趣。只是不知他多大年紀？”
It was on the tip of Jo's tongue to ask, but she checked herself in time and, with unusual tact, tried to find out in a round-about way.
喬正開口要問，卻又及時收住，轉而機智地換了一種婉轉的口吻。
"I suppose you are going to college soon? I see you pegging away at your books, no, I mean studying hard." And Jo blushed at the dreadful 'pegging' which had escaped her.
“我想你很快就要念大學了吧？我看到你在啃書本--不，我是指用功讀書。“喬爲自己衝口說了個不雅的"啃"字而漲紅了臉。
Laurie smiled but didn't seem shocked, and answered with a shrug. "Not for a year or two. I won't go before seventeen, anyway."
勞裏並沒有在意，他微笑着聳聳肩回答：“這一兩年內都不會；要到十七歲我才念大學。”
"Aren't you but fifteen?" asked Jo, looking at the tall lad, whom she had imagined seventeen already.
“你才十五歲嗎？”喬望着這位高高的小夥子問。她以爲他已經十七歲了。
"Sixteen, next month."
“下個月滿十六歲。”
"How I wish I was going to college! You don't look as if you liked it."
“如果我可以念大學就好了！而你似乎不大喜歡呢。”
"I hate it! Nothing but grinding or skylarking. And I don't like the way fellows do either, in this country."
“我討厭讀文學，一味只是灌輸和玩樂。我也不喜歡這個國家的生活方式。”
"What do you like?"
“你喜歡什麼呢？”
"To live in Italy, and to enjoy myself in my own way."
“住在意大利，按自己的方式做事。”
Jo wanted very much to ask what his own way was, but his black brows looked rather threatening as he knit them, so she changed the subject by saying, as her foot kept time, "That's a splendid polka! Why don't you go and try it?"
喬非常想問問他自己的方式是什麼，但他鎖起雙眉，樣子顯得極爲嚴肅，喬便一邊用腳踏着節拍，一邊換了個話題：“這支波爾卡舞曲棒極了！你爲什麼不去跳？”
"If you will come too," he answered, with a gallant little bow.
“如果你也一起來的話，”他說道，並頗有修養地輕輕一躬身子。
"I can't, for I told Meg I wouldn't, because . . ." There Jo stopped, and looked undecided whether to tell or to laugh.
“我不能，因爲我跟梅格說過我不跳，因爲—-"喬欲言又止，思量着是說出來呢還是一笑了之。
"Because, what?"
“因爲什麼？”
"You won't tell?"
“你不會說出去吧？”
"Never!"
“絕對不會！”
k v. 檢查，阻止，覈對
They checked their steps.
他們突然停住腳步。
[tækt] n. 機智，手法
Her patience and tact were legendary.
她的耐心和機智是出名的。
away v. 堅待不懈地工作，勤奮工作
The boy pegged away at a home assignment.
男孩毫不懈怠地做老師佈置的家庭作業。
ark['skailɑ:k] n. 雲雀 vi. 嬉戲
ant adj. 英勇的，華麗的，殷勤的 n. 時髦男士，對女子殷勤的男士，求愛者，情夫 vt. 獻殷勤
He was very gallant at the ball.
他在舞會上對婦女大獻殷勤。
was on the tip of Jo's tongue to ask, but she checked herself in time and, with unusual tact, tried to find out in a round-about way.
【難句解析】on the tip of one's tongue意思是“差點要說出”；round-about 意思是“迂迴的，委婉的”；
【句子翻譯】喬正開口要問，卻又及時收住，轉而機智地換了一種婉轉的口吻。
