LESSON 48 The speaking chip
第四十八課 會(huì)說話的木板
As I had gone to work one morning without my square, I took up a chip, and with a piece of charcoal wrote upon it a request that Mrs. Williams would send me that article. I called a chief, who was looking after a portion of the work, and said to him, "Friend, take this; go to our house and give it to Mrs. Williams."
我早上工作時(shí)忘記帶水準(zhǔn)尺,我就撿起一塊木板,用碳在上面寫上了我的需求,以便Williams太太能把我要的東西送來,我就找了一位以跑腿送貨為工作的師傅,對(duì)他說,“朋友,麻煩把這個(gè)送到我家給威廉姆斯太太。”
He was a strange-looking man. He had been a great warrior; and, in one of the many battles he had fought, he had lost an eye. Giving me a look of wonder with the other, he said, "Take that! She will call me foolish, and scold me, if I carry chip to her."
這個(gè)師傅面相很怪,他曾是一名戰(zhàn)士,在他參加的眾多戰(zhàn)役中的一場(chǎng)奮戰(zhàn)中,失去了一只眼睛,他用另一只眼睛奇怪的看著我,說“帶上這個(gè)給她,她會(huì)說我神經(jīng)病的,會(huì)責(zé)罵我的。”
"No," I replied, "she will not. Take it and go at once; I am in haste."
我回答道:“不會(huì)的,帶上它,立刻走,我很著急。”
Seeing that I was in earnest, he took it, and asked, "What must I say?"
看到我很真誠(chéng),他拿起了木板,問道,“我要說些什么呢?”
I replied, "You have nothing to say; the chip will say all I wish."
我回答道:“你什么都不用說,這個(gè)木塊會(huì)表達(dá)出我所有的需求。”
With a look of surprise and contempt, he held up the piece of wood, and said, "How can this speak? Has this a mouth?"
帶著吃驚和懷疑的表情,他舉起了那塊木板,說道“它怎么可能說話?它都沒有嘴巴。”
I desired him to take it instantly, and not spend so much time in talking about it. On reaching the house, he gave the chip to Mrs. Williams; who read it, threw it away, and went to the tool-chest. The chief wishing to see the result of this strange affair, followed her closely. On receiving the square from her, he said, "Stay, daughter; how do you know that this is what Mr. Williams wants?"
我希望他立刻帶走它,不想花費(fèi)太多的時(shí)間來討論這些,一到我家,他就把木板給了我太太,她讀過之后,把木板扔到一邊,直奔工具箱,這個(gè)師傅很想弄明白這件奇怪的事情,就緊跟著她。從她手里拿到水準(zhǔn)尺就問“等下,女士,你怎么知道這就是威廉姆斯先生想要的東西?”
"Why," she replied, "did you not bring me a chip just now?"
為什么,她回答道, “你不是帶給我一塊木板嗎?”
"Yes," said the astonished warrior; "but I did not hear it say anything."
是呀,這個(gè)戰(zhàn)士驚訝的回答,但是我沒有聽到它說什么呀。
"If you did not, I did," was the reply, "for it made known to me what he wanted; and all you have to do is to return with it as quickly as possible."
你沒聽到,我聽到了,女士回答道,它讓我知道我的先生需要什么,你所要做的就是盡快把它帶給我先生。
Upon this, the chief rushed out of the house; and catching up the piece of wood, he ran through the settlement with the chip in one band and the square in the other. Holding them up as high as his arms could reach, he shouted as he went, "See the wisdom of these English people; they can make chips talk!"
聽到這個(gè)師傅就沖出了房間,抓起那塊木板,一手拿著木板一手拿著水準(zhǔn)尺,把它們舉到手臂能伸到的最高位置,邊走邊喊著,“看看這些英國(guó)人的聰明智慧吧,他們能讓木板說話。”
On giving me the square, he wished to know how it was possible thus to talk with persons at a distance. I explained the matter to him as well as I could; but it was so great a mystery, that he actually tied a string to the chip, hung it round his neck, and wore it for some time!
給我水準(zhǔn)尺的時(shí)候,他希望知道遠(yuǎn)距離和人交流是怎么實(shí)現(xiàn)的,我盡我所能的向他解釋了事情的原委,這事兒太神奇了,以至于他在那塊木板上打了一個(gè)結(jié),把它掛在了脖子上,并掛了很長(zhǎng)一段時(shí)間。
During several following days, we often saw him surrounded by a crowd, who listened with the greatest interest while he told them the wonders which the chip had performed.
接下來的幾天里,我們經(jīng)??吹剿磉厙艘蝗喝耍d致勃勃地在聽著他講木板的神奇的故事。
QUESTIONS
問題
What was written on the chip? What did the chief say when it was given to him? What did he say when he got the square? What did he do with the chip?
木板上寫了什么?當(dāng)把木板給他時(shí),師傅說了什么?當(dāng)拿到水準(zhǔn)尺時(shí)他又說了什么?他用木板做了什么?
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