3 Perdita潘迪塔-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《101条花斑狗The Hundred and One Dalmatians》

3 Perdita 'And now,'said the Splendid Vet to the Dearlys,'you must get a foster mother' He explained that though Missis would do her best to feed fifteen puppies,doing so would make her terribly thin and tired.And the strong puppies would get more milk than the weak ones.The puppy Mr Dearly had brought to life was very small and would need special care. The largest pup of all had a black patch all over its ear and one side of its face.This is a bad fault in a Dalmatian-which should be born pure white,as Mr Dearly had told Cruella de Vil.Some people would have drowned this patched pup,because it would never be valuable.But the Dearlys felt particularly fond of it because it had started life with a bit of bad luck.(And they liked being able to recognize it.Until the spots started to come through,some weeks later,the big puppy with the patch and the small,delicate puppy were the only ones who could be told apart from the others.) The Splendid Vet said the foster mother would have to be some poor dog who had lost her own puppies but still had milk to give.He ·038· 3 潘迪塔 “现在，”史普莱兽医对甜来夫妇说，“你们 ①foster mother养母 得找一个养母。” 他解释道，虽然密西斯会尽力养育十五条小 狗，但这样会使她消瘦并且疲惫不堪。那些强壮 的小狗吃的奶会多于体弱的小狗。甜来先生救活 的那条小狗非常小，需要特别照料。 ②patch /paet/n黑斑 最大的那条小狗有一块覆盖了一只耳朵和一 边脸的黑斑。这在达尔马提亚狗是一大缺陷，这 种狗出生时应该是纯白的，像甜来先生告诉克鲁 略·戴维尔的那样。有人就会把这种有斑点的小狗 淹死，因为它不再值钱了。但是甜来夫妇却特别 疼它，因为它一出世就有点不走运。（他们喜欢 能够认出它。这条最大的小狗和那条最娇小的小 ③delicate /deliknt/a.柔弱的； 狗，是再过几星期斑点出现之前唯一能够同其他 脆弱的 小狗相区分的小狗了。) 史普莱兽医说，养母必须是已失去自己的小 狗，但仍有奶可喂的一条可怜的狗。他认为自己 能找到这样的狗。但由于没有把握，所以甜来夫 ·039· The HundredandOne Dalmatians thought he could get such a dog.But as he wasn't sure,the Dearlys had better telephone all the Lost Dogs'Homes.And until the foster mother was found,they could help Missis by feeding the pups with a doll's feeding bottle or an old-fashioned fountain-pen filler Then the Splendid Vet went home for an hour's sleep before starting his day's work. Nanny Cook got breakfast and Nanny Butler took Pongo for a run. And Missis was persuaded to leave her family for a few minutes'walk. When she came back,Mrs Dearly had tidied the cupboard.Missis gave the second lot of pups a meal and then she and her family of fifteen had a glorious sleep.And Pongo,down in the kitchen,had a glorious sleep,too,knowing that all was well. As soon as the shops opened,Mrs Dearly went out and bought a doll's feeding bottle and a fountain-pen filler.And then Mr Dearly and the Nannies took turns at feeding puppies.Mrs Dearly fancied this job herself but was busy telephoning,trying to find a foster mother.The Nannies were too fat to be comfortable in the cupboard,so soon Mr Dearly got the feeding job all to himself and became very good at it and just a bit bossy.Of course he couldn't go to business,which was awkward as he had an important business deal on. Luckily there was a telephone in the Dearlys'bedroom and it had a long cord to it.So Mr Dearly was able to telephone while he was feeding the pups.There he was,in a dark cupboard with Missis,fifteen puppies,and the telephone.He nearly upset his important business deal by holding a pup to his ear and giving the telephone a drink of milk. No sooner had Mr Dearly put the telephone down than the Splendid Vet rang up to say he had not been able to find a foster mother.Neither had Mrs Dearly,anywhere in London.She now started to ring up Lost Dogs'Homes outside London.It was late afternoon before she heard of a ·040· 101条花斑句 妇最好打电话给所有的迷路狗收容所。在找到养 母之前，他们可以用娃娃的奶瓶或者老式自来水 笔的吸墨管喂小狗，以此帮助密西斯。 D old-fashioned fountain-pen 史普莱兽医随后就回家了，他要在开始白天 fler老式自来水笔的吸墨 管 的工作之前先睡上一小时。 南妮·库克去做早饭，南妮·巴特勒带着庞果出 去遛一会儿。他们也劝密西斯离开小狗，去散会儿 步。等她回来的时候，甜来夫人已经把碗柜收拾干 净。密西斯给第二批小狗喂了奶，而后她和她的十 ②tidy /'taId/.弄整洁，整 理，收拾 五条小狗美美地睡了一觉。庞果在下面厨房里也美 ③glorious/glbm3s/a.〔D语] 美地睡了一觉，因为他知道一切都很好。 令人愉快的，极好的 商店刚一开门，甜来夫人就去买了一个娃娃 奶瓶和自来水笔的吸墨管。于是甜来先生和两个 南妮轮流喂小狗。甜来夫人喜欢亲自做这项工作， 但是她忙于打电话，想找到一个养母。两个南妮 太胖了，待在碗柜里不舒服，所以甜来先生很快 就独自承担起全部喂奶工作，他干得挺出色，只 是有点儿霸道。他当然不能去上班了，因为他有 ④bossy/bDs/a.〔美俚]霸道 一件重要的事要做，这点很令人尴尬。 的，专横的 awkward3:kwad/a.(质 幸亏甜来夫妇的卧室里有一部电话，它的电 问，事情等棘手的：为难 线也很长。所以甜来先生能够在喂小狗时打电话。 的，麻烦的 他待在黑暗的碗柜里，和密西斯、十五条小狗以 ⑥cord/ko:d/n电话线 及电话在一起。他差点儿搅糟了这一件重要的工 作，因为他把一条小狗凑到耳朵边，却用牛奶去 喂话筒。 甜来先生刚放下电话，史普菜兽医就打来电 话说，他找不到一个养母。甜来夫人找遍了伦敦 全城也是一无所获。现在她开始打电话给伦敦以 ①ingp打电话 外的迷路狗收容所。快到傍晚时，她才听说离伦 敦三十来英里的地方，有一条狗有点奶可以喂。 ·041· The HundredandOne Dalmatians mother dog with some milk to give,nearly thirty miles from London. And this dog had only just been brought in and would have to be kept some days in case she was claimed. Mr Dearly put his head out of the cupboard.After being up all night and feeding pups all day he was beginning to feel pretty tired,but he was determined to go on helping Missis until the foster mother arrived. 'Why not go and see if you can borrow that dog?'he said.'Say we'll give it back if its owner turns up' So Mrs Dearly got the car from the old stable at the back of the house and drove off hopefully.But when she got to the Dogs'Home she found that the mother dog had already been claimed.She was glad for the dog's sake,but terribly disappointed.She thought of poor Missis getting exhausted by too many puppies,and of Mr Dearly,who might easily refuse to come out of the cupboard for a good night's sleep,and she began to think she never would find a foster mother. It was now almost dark,a gloomy,wet October evening.It had been raining all afternoon,but Mrs Dearly hadn't minded when she was feeling hopeful.Now,as she started back for London,the weather made her feel more and more depressed.And the rain got so heavy that the windscreen wiper could hardly keep pace with it. She was driving across a lonely stretch of common when she saw what looked like a bundle lying in the road ahead of her.She slowed down and as she drew closer she saw that it was not a bundle but a dog. Instantly,she thought it must have been run over.Dreading what she might find,she stopped the car and got out. At first she thought the dog was dead,but as she bent down it struggled to its feet showing no signs of injury.It was so plastered with mud that she could not see what kind of dog it was.What she could see, by the light from the car's headlights,was the poor creature's pitiful ·042· 101条花斑句 可是这条狗刚进收容所，必须留养几天，以防有 人会认领。 ①claim/klerm/v.认领 甜来先生把头伸到碗柜外。在熬了一个通宵， 整个白天又在忙于喂小狗之后，他开始感到累得 够呛了，但他下定决心要继续帮助密西斯，直到 养母来到家里。“你干吗不去看看能不能把那条 狗借来？”他说。你可以说，它的主人一露面，我 ②tump出现 们就还。” 于是甜来夫人把汽车从屋子后面的旧马厩里 ③stable/sterb/n马厩，马棚 开出，满怀着希望起程了。但她到达收容所的时 候，发现那条母狗已经被人认领走了。她替那条 狗高兴，又感到非常失望。她想到了可怜的密西 ④exhausted/hg'z:stda.筋 斯因为有太多小狗而变得精疲力竭，想到甜来先 疲力尽的 生很可能拒绝离开碗柜去好好地睡一夜，便觉得 她也许再也找不到一个养母了。 这是十月里一个阴暗潮湿的傍晚，此刻天色 ⑤gloomy /'glu:m/a阴郁的， 几乎全黑了。整个下午都在下雨，但是在甜来夫 忧闷的 人满怀希望的时候，她对这种天气并没在意。如 ⑥depressed/i'prest//a.抑郁 今当她开始返回伦敦时，阴雨天气却使她越来越 的，消沉的 ⑦windscreen wiper(汽车)挡 感到压抑。雨下得那么大，挡风玻璃上的刮水器 风玻璃上的刮水器 几乎跟不上趟了。 她正驾车驶过一片僻静的公地的时候，看到 前面路上倒着一个包裹般的东西。她减慢车速， 待车驶近时却发现，那不是包裹而是一条狗。她 ⑧dread/dred/.恐怕，害怕 立即想到它准是被汽车轧过了。她一面对可能发 现的结果感到害怕，一面停下车，走了出去。 起初，她以为这条狗死了，但当她弯下腰时， ⑨plastered/pla:stod/a.布得 满满的 它却挣扎着站起，没有一点受伤的迹象。它浑身 是泥，看不出是什么狗。她借着汽车前灯的灯光， 所能看到的是这个可怜的动物十分瘦弱。她温和 ·043· The HundredandOne Dalmatians thinness.She spoke to it gently.Its drooping tail gave a feeble flick, then drooped again. 'I can't leave it here,thought Mrs Dearly.'Even if it hasn't been run over,it must be near starvation.Oh,dear!'With seventeen dogs at home already she had no wish to take back a stray,but she knew she would never bring herself just to hand this poor thing in at a police station. She patted 5 it and tried to get it to follow her.It was willing to, but its legs were so wobbly that she picked it up and carried it.It felt like a sack of bones.And as she noticed this,she also noticed something else.Hurriedly,she laid the dog on the seat of the car,on a rug,and turned on the light.Then she saw that this was a mother dog and that in spite of its starving condition it still had some milk to give. She sprang into the car and drove as fast as she safely could.Quite soon she was in the London suburbs.She knew it would still take her some time to get home,because of the traffic,so she stopped at a little restaurant.Here the owner let her buy some milk and some cold meat and lent her his own dog's dishes.The starving dog ate and drank ravenously,then at once settled to sleep.The nice owner of the restaurant took back his dishes and wished Mrs Dearly luck as she drove away. She got home just as the Splendid Vet was arriving to see Missis and the puppies.He carried the stray dog in and down to the warm kitchen. After a careful examination he said he thought her thinness was due more to having had puppies than to long starvation and that,if she was fed well,the milk intended for her own puppies might continue.He guessed they had been taken away from her and she had got lost looking for them 'She ought to have a bath,said Nanny Cook,'or she'll give our ·044· 101条花斑句 ①droop /dru:p/v.(头、尾巴 地和它打招呼。它低垂的尾巴无力地动了一下， 等)低垂，下垂 ②feeble/"fibl/a无力的，虚 接着又垂了下去。 弱的 “我不能把它留在这里，”甜来夫人想，“即 使它没有被车轧过，也准是快饿死了。唉，真可 ③starvation/sta:'veifon/n.饥 饿：饿死 怜！”可是她家里已经有了十七条狗，她不想再把 ④stray/stre/n迷路者 一条迷路的狗带回去。但是她知道，她决不会让 自己只是把这个可怜的家伙交给警察局就算完事。 ⑤pat/paet/v.轻拍 她拍拍它，想让它跟着走。它想这样做，但 ⑥wobbly /wpbl/a.颜动的： 是它的腿却抖得那么厉害，于是她把它抱起来， 摇摆的 ⑦sack /saek/n(通常指亚麻 觉得抱的像是一堆骨头。她注意到了这一点，也 或大麻等制的)袋，包：麻袋 注意到了其他的事情。她匆匆将狗放在汽车座位 上的一条毯子上，开亮了灯。这时她看到这是一 条母狗，虽然在饥饿的情况上，仍有点奶可以喂 小狗。 她跳进汽车，在确保安全的情况下尽快地开 ⑧suburb'sAb3:b/n郊区 走了。她很快就到了伦敦郊区。她知道由于往来 车辆繁多，到家还得有一段时间，所以在一家小 饭店前停了车。在这里，店主卖给她一些牛奶和 ravenously /'raevanasli/ad 几片冷肉，还把自家的狗食盘借给她。饥饿的狗 贪食地，饿极了地 狼吞虎咽地吃喝起来，接着立刻就躺下来睡了。 好心的店主收回盘子，在甜来 夫人动身的时候祝她走运。 她回到家时，正遇上史普 莱兽医来看密西斯和那些小 狗。他抱着那只迷路的狗走下 暖和的厨房。经过细心检查， 他说，他认为她所以这样瘦， 更多的是因为有小狗的缘故， 而不是因为长期挨饿。要是好 好喂养她，她原来给自己小狗 ·045· The HundredandOne Dalmatians puppies fleas' The Splendid Vet said a bath was a good idea,so the dog was carried into a little room which had been fitted up as a laundry. Nanny Cook got on with the bath as fast as she could because she was afraid Mr Dearly might want to do the job himself.Mrs Dearly had gone upstairs to tell him what was happening. The stray seemed delighted with the warm water.She had just been covered with soap when Pongo came back from a walk with Nanny Butler and ran through the open door of the laundry. 'He won't hurt a lady,said the Splendid Vet. 'I should hope not,when she's going to help nurse his puppies,' said Nanny Cook. Pongo stood on his hind legs and kissed the wet dog on the nose, telling her how glad he was to see her and how grateful his wife would be.(But no human heard him.)The stray said:'Well,I'll do my best, but I can't promise anything.'(No human heard that,either.) Just then Mr Dearly came hurrying in,to see the new arrival. 'What kind of a dog is she?'he asked. At that moment,Nanny Cook began to rinse off the soapand everyone gave a gasp.This dog was a Dalmatian,too!But her spots, instead of being black,were brown-which in Dalmatians is called not 'brown'but‘liver6'. Eighteen Dalmatians under one roof,'said Mr Dearly,gloatingly 'Couldn't be better.'(But it could,as he was one day to learn.) Wet,the poor liver-spotted dog looked thinner than ever. 'We'll call her Perdita,'said Mrs Dearly,and explained to the Nannies that this was after a character in Shakespeare.She was lost. And the Latin word for lost is "perditus".'Then she patted Pongo,who was looking particularly intelligent,and said anyone would think he ·046· 101条花斑句 ①flea /flit/n.跳蚤 吃的奶可能还会有。他猜想是有人带走了她的小 狗，她在寻找它们时迷了路。 ②tp改装 “应该给她洗个澡，”南妮·库克说，“要不然 ③laundry:ndrv/n.洗衣房 她该把跳蚤带给我们的小狗了。” 史普莱兽医说，洗澡是个好主意，于是把狗 带到已改装成为洗衣房的一个小房间里。南妮· 库克尽快动手替她洗澡，唯恐甜来先生要亲自 干这个活。甜来夫人已上楼去告诉他发生的事 情了。 那条迷路狗似乎喜欢热水。她刚被浑身擦满 ④nurse/n3:s/照料，照顾 了肥皂，这时庞果和南妮·巴特勒散步回来，跑进 了洗衣房敞开着的门里。 “他不会伤害一位女士的。”史普莱兽医说。 “我希望他不会，何况她要帮助照料他的小狗 哩。”南妮·库克说。 庞果用后腿站立起来，吻吻那只湿狗的鼻子， 告诉她，他很高兴见到她，他的妻子也会非常感 激她。（但是人听不见他的话。）那条迷路狗说： ⑤rinse off冲洗干净 “好吧，我将尽力而为，可是我不能作任何保证。” (同样人也听不见。) 正在这时，甜来先生匆匆走来看望新来的客人。 ⑥liver /'Irva/a赤褐色的，肝 色的 “她是条什么样的狗？”他问道。 ⑦gloatingly/'glootil/ad心 这时南妮·库克开始用清水冲去肥皂沫一大 满意足地，沾沾自喜地 家都屏住了呼吸。这也是一条花斑狗！但她的斑 点不是黑的，却是褐色的，在花斑狗中，它不叫 “褐色”，而是叫作“肝色”。 “一家有十八条花斑狗，”甜来先生心满意足 地说，“好得不能再好了。” (但是有可能比这更 好，他总有一天会知道的。) ·047·