1 The Happy Couples幸福夫妇-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《101条花斑狗The Hundred and One Dalmatians》

Dodie Smith 真膏 1 The Happy Couples Not long ago,there lived in London a young married couple of Dalmatian dogs named Pongo and Missis Pongo.(Missis had added Pongo's name to her own on their marriage,but was still called Missis by most people.)They were lucky enough to own a young married couple of humans named Mr and Mrs Dearly,who were gentle, obedient②，and unusually intelligent--almost canine③at times.They understood quite a number of barks:the barks for 'Out,please!', 'In,please！',‘Hurry up with my dinner！',and‘What about a walk?'And even when they could not understand,they could often guess-if looked at soulfully5 or scratched by an eager paw.Like many other much-loved humans,they believed that they owned their dogs,instead of realizing that their dogs owned them.Pongo and Missis found this touching and amusing and let their pets think it was true. Mr Dearly,who had an office in the City,was particularly good at arithmetic.Many people called him a wizard of finance-which is not the same thing as a wizard of magic,though sometimes fairly similar. At the time when this story started he was rather unusually rich for a ·004· 1 幸福夫妇 从前，在伦敦生活着一对年轻的花斑狗夫妇， DDalmatian /dacl'meifj()n/ 名叫庞果和密西斯·庞果（密西斯于结婚时在自己 n达尔马提亚狗〔白毛，有 黑斑或褐斑]，斑点狗 的名字之后加上了庞果的名字，但是大多数人依 旧叫她密西斯)。他们很幸运，拥有一对年轻的人 2 obedient /a'bi:djant,-diont/ 类夫妇，人称甜来先生和甜来夫人，他们俩温和、 a顺从的 顺从，而且格外聪明一有时几乎像狗一样聪明。 3 canine /keinain/a.犬的： 似犬的 他们懂得好多种吠叫声的含意：懂得什么样的叫 ④bark /ba:k/n.(狗等)吠，叫 声是“请出去”“请进”“快把我的午饭端来”， 5 soulfully /'soulfolli/ad. 情地，充满激情地 以及“出去散散步怎么样”。即使在他们不理解的 6scratch/skratf/.(用爪、 针等)搔 时候，也经常能猜中一如果狗热情地看着他们， 或者用爪子渴望地搔他们的话。他们像其他许多 深受宠爱的人一样，相信是他们拥有这两条狗， 却没有体会到是他们的狗拥有他们。庞果和密西 ⑦arithmetic/a'r6 motik/n.算 斯觉得这件事既动人、又有趣，就让他们的宠儿 米 去信以为真吧。 ⑧wizard'wIZ3d/n,巫师 甜来先生在市区里有个写字间，他特别精于 计算。许多人称他为理财魔术师一这和真正的 ·005· The HundredandOne Dalmatians rather unusual reason.He had done the Government a great service (something to do with getting rid of the National Debt)and,as a reward,had been let off his Income Tax for life.Also the Government had lent him a small house on the Outer Circle of Regent's Park-just the right house for a man with a wife and dogs. Before their marriages,Mr Dearly and Pongo had lived in a bachelor3 flat,where they were looked after by Mr Dearly's old nurse, Nanny Butler.Mrs Dearly and Missis had also lived in a bachelor flat (there are no such things as spinster 5 flats),where they were looked after by Mrs Dearly's old nurse,Nanny Cook.The dogs and their pets met at the same time and shared a wonderfully happy double engagement,but they were all a little worried about what was to happen to Nanny Cook and Nanny Butler.It would be all right when the Dearlys started a family,particularly if it could be twins,with one twin for each Nanny,but until then,what were the Nannies going to do?For though they could cook breakfast and provide meals on trays(meals called 'A nice egg by the fire')neither of them was capable of running a smart little house in Regent's Park,where the Dearlys hoped to invite their friends to dinner. And then something happened.Nanny Cook and Nanny Butler met and,after a few minutes of deep suspicion,took a great liking to each other.And they had a good laugh about their names. 'What a pity we're not a real cook and butler,'said Nanny Cook. 'Yes,that's what's needed now,said Nanny Butler. And then they both together had the Great Idea:Nanny Cook would train to be a real cook and Nanny Butler would train to be a real butler. They would start the very next day and be fully trained by the wedding. But you'll have to be a parlour maid,really,'said Nanny Cook. ·006· 101条花斑句 something to do with与， 魔术师并非一回事，不过有时相当近似。在这个 有关 ②get rid of摆脱 故事开始时，他由于一种颇不寻常的原因，变得 颇不寻常的富有。他帮了政府一个大忙（是和消 除国债有关的某种事情)，政府就此免去他终生的 所得税作为奖赏。政府还送给他摄政公园外环形 道上的一所小型住宅—就是适合一个人带着妻 bachelor /baetfala/n.单身 子和狗居住的那种房子。 汉 结婚以前，甜来先生和庞果住着一套单身汉 ④Budler/bAtla/n.男管家，此 处为姓氏 套房，在那里照料他们的是甜来先生的老奶妈南 ⑤spinster /'spinsta/h.(尤指 妮·巴特勒。甜来夫人和密西斯住的也是单身汉套 中年的未婚女人 6 Cook /kuk/n.厨师，此处为 房（这里可没有什么未婚女子套房之类的东西）， 姓氏 由甜来夫人的老奶妈南妮·库克照料她们。这两条 狗和他们的宠儿是同时相遇的，并且双双订下了 幸福美妙的婚约，但他们对如何安排南妮·库克和 南妮·巴特勒却都有些发愁。如果甜来夫妇有了子 ⑦ryre/a.盘子 女，尤其是假如生下孪生子的话，那就万事大吉 capable /'kerpabl/a.可胜任 的 了，两个南妮各管一个，可是在此之前，这两个 南妮将干些什么呢？尽管她们能烧早饭，用盘子 端来饭菜（饭菜被叫作“炉边的美味鸡蛋”），她 们之中谁也管理不了摄政公园里漂亮的小房子， 可甜来夫妇还希望在家里宴请朋友呢。 接着发生了件事。南妮·库克和南妮·巴特勒见 了面，在深深猜疑了几分钟以后，都对对方产生了 极大的好感。她们都为自已的姓氏大笑起来。 “真可惜，我们不是真正的厨师和管家。”南 妮·库克说。 9 parlour'palb/.客厅 0maid/med/n佣人 “是阿，现在就需要这样的人。”南妮·巴特勒 说。 ·007· The HundredandOne Dalmatians 'Certainly not,'said Nanny Butler.'I haven't the figure for it.I shall be a real butler-and I shall valet Mr Dearly,which will need no training as I've done it since the day he was born.' And so when the Dearlys and the Pongos got back from their joint honeymoon,there were Nanny Cook and Nanny Butler,fully trained, ready to welcome them into the little house facing Regent's Park. It came as something of a shock that Nanny Butler was wearing trousers. 'Wouldn't a black dress,with a nice,frilly apron be better?' suggested Mrs Dearly-rather nervously,because Nanny Butler had never been her Nanny. 'You can't be a butler without trousers,said Nanny Butler,firmly. "But I'll get a frilly apron tomorrow.It will add a note of originality . It did. ·008· 101条花斑狗 随后，她们一起想出了一个绝妙的主意：南 妮·库克将练习做一个真正的厨师，南妮·巴特勒 将练习做一个真正的管家。她们将从第二天开始 练，到婚礼时就全都练出来了。 “可是你必须当客厅女仆了，真的。”南妮·库 克说。 ①Regent'sPark英国摄政公 “当然不是，”南妮·巴特勒说，“我的体形不 园 适合干那个。我将成为一个真正的管家一我还 将侍候甜来先生，这不需要训练，因为我从他出 2 rilly /fr/a.镶裙边的 生之日起就干这个。” 3 apron /'eipran/u.围裙 因此，当甜来夫妇和庞果夫妇共度蜜月归来 的时候，训练有素的南妮·库克和南妮·巴特勒已 经做好了准备，欢迎他们住进面向摄政公园的这 幢小房子。 南妮·巴特勒穿的是长裤，这有点令人震惊。 “穿黑色长裙，围上带褶边的漂亮围裙，不是 更好吗？”甜来夫人建议道，她相当紧张不安，因 为南妮·巴特勒从来就不是她的那个南妮。 “不穿长裤就不能算是管家，”南妮·巴特勒坚 决地说，“但是明天我去弄一条带褶边的围裙。 这样会添上一点创意。”果真如此。 两个南妮说，她们不再希望别人叫她们南妮， 现在准备让别人按正确的方式用姓氏称呼他们。但 是你虽然能把一个厨子叫作“库克”，可问题是你不 能把一位管家叫作“巴特勒”，于是到最后，就只好 像以往那样，把两个南妮都叫作“南妮，亲爱的”。 originality /orid3I'naeliti/n. 两条狗和甜来夫妇一起去度蜜月，愉快地度 独创性 1“厨子”英文为cook,音译为“库克”：“管家"英文为“butler”,音 译为“巴特勒”。 ·009· The HundredandOne Dalmatians The Nannies said they no longer expected to be called Nanny,and were now prepared to be called by their surnames,in the correct way. But though you can call a cook 'Cook',the one thing you cannot call a butler is 'Butler',so in the end both Nannies were just called 'Nanny, darling',as they always had been. After the dogs and the Dearlys had been back from their honeymoons for several happy weeks,something even happier happened.Mrs Dearly took Pongo and Missis across the park to St John's Wood,where they called on their good friend,the Splendid Veterinary 5 Surgeon.She came back with the wonderful news that the Pongos were shortly to become parents.Puppies were due in a month. The Nannies give Missis a big lunch to keep her strength up,and Pongo a big lunch in case he should feel neglected(as the fathers of expected puppies sometimes do),and then both dogs had a long afternoon nap on the best sofa.By the time Mr Dearly came home from business they were wide awake and asking for a walk. 'Let us all go for a walk,to celebrate,'said Mr Dearly,after hearing the good news.Nanny Cook said the dinner was well ahead,and Nanny Butler said she could do with a bit of exercise,so off they all set along the Outer Circle. The Dearlys led the way,Mrs Dearly very pretty in the green going- away suit from her trousseau and Mr Dearly in his old tweed jacket which was known as his dog-walker.(Mr Dearly wasn't exactly handsome but he had the kind of face you don't get tired of.)Then came the Pongos,looking noble;they could both have become Champions if Mr Dearly had not felt that dog-shows would bore them-and him.They had splendid heads,fine shoulders,strong legs,and straight tails.The spots on their bodies were jet-black and mostly the size of a two-shilling ·010·