第三级-《爱丽丝镜中世界奇遇记》-第12课

前情提要 

特威丹和特威帝兄弟带着爱丽丝看到了打呼噜的红方国王，兄弟俩告诉爱丽丝，他们是红方国王梦中的事物，爱丽丝不相信。这时，暴风雨好像要来了……

故事原文

Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There 12

爱丽丝镜中世界奇遇记 12

5 The White Queen

5 白方王后

She caught the shawl as she spoke, and looked around for the owner. A moment later the White Queen came running wildly(1) through the wood. Alice went to meet her with the shawl.

讲话的当儿，她抓住了披肩，四处张望，寻找主人。片刻之后，白方王后穿过树林，飞奔而来。爱丽丝手拿披肩迎上前去。

'I'm pleased I was able to catch it for you,' Alice said, as she helped the Queen to put on her shawl again. 'Am I speaking to the White Queen?' she added politely.

爱丽丝说：“我很高兴能把围巾抓住。”同时，她给王后重新披上披肩。她又很有礼貌地补充了一句，“我现在是跟白方王后讲话吗？”

'Yes,' said the Queen, as she pulled helplessly(2) at her shawl. 'Oh dear! I don't know what's the matter with my shawl today. I think it's angry with me. I've pinned it here, and I've pinned it there, but it's just not happy.'

王后答道：“是的。”同时徒然地拉了拉披肩，“天哪！我不明白今天我的披肩是怎么回事。我想它在生我的气。我把它别在这儿，又别到那儿，但它就是不满意。”

'But it can't go straight, you know, if you pin it all on one side,' Alice said, as she gently put it right(3) for her. 'And I'm afraid your hair is terribly untidy.'

“你如果把披肩别在一边，它就不可能挺直，这你也清楚。”爱丽丝说着，轻轻地把披肩给她披好。“恐怕你头发也太乱了。”

'The hairbrush is lost in it somewhere,' the Queen said unhappily.

王后不高兴地说：“发刷不知丢在头发里的什么地方了。”

Alice carefully took out the brush and pinned up the Queen's hair more tidily. 'There, you look better now,' she said. 'But really you should have a lady's maid.'

爱丽丝小心地拿出了发刷，把王后的头发整齐地别起来。“这样看起来就好多了。说真的，你应该有一个侍女。”她说。

'I'd be happy to take you,' the Queen said. 'Twopence a week, and jam every other day(4).'

王后说：“纳你做侍女，我会很高兴。一周两便士，再加上隔天吃果酱。”

'I don't want you to employ me,' Alice said, laughing. 'And I don't like jam.'

“我不要你来雇我。再说我也不喜欢吃果酱。”爱丽丝说完，笑了起来。

'It's very good jam,' said the Queen.

王后说：“那是很好的果酱。”

'Well, I don't want any today, thank you.'

“我今天一点也不想要，谢谢了。”

'But you can't have jam today,' the Queen said. 'It's jam tomorrow and jam yesterday ― but never jam today.'

王后又说：“但你不可能今天有果酱。只是明天或昨天有果酱——今天决没有果酱。”

'It must be "jam today" sometimes,' Alice argued.

爱丽丝争辩说：“有时肯定会‘今天有果酱’的。”

'No, it isn't,' said the Queen. 'It's jam every other day. Today isn't any other day, you know.'

“不会有的。隔天才有果酱。今天不是隔天中的任何一天。”王后说。

'I don't understand that,' said Alice, very puzzled.

爱丽丝摸不着头脑，说：“我真不明白那一套。”

'That's because we live backwards here,' explained the Queen kindly. 'It's always a little difficult at first.'

“那是因为在这儿我们往后过日子。要理解这一点起初总是困难的。”王后很友善地解释道。

'Live backwards!' Alice repeated, in great surprise. 'I never heard of anybody doing that.'

“往后过日子！”爱丽丝重复了一遍，大吃一惊。“我还从没有听说过有人这样过日子。”

'But there's one very useful thing about it,' the Queen went on, 'you can remember things both ways.'

王后又说：“但这样有一点很有用处，你就可以用两种方法记事情了。”

'I only remember things one way,' Alice said. 'I can't remember things before they happen.'

“我只能用一种方法记住事情。我不会记住那些还没有发生过的事情。”爱丽丝说。

'That's not very useful,' said the Queen. 'I can remember things that happened the week after next. For example, the King's Messenger is in prison now, but he hasn't done anything wrong yet. His crime will come much later.'

王后说：“那可没有好处。我可以记住两周后发生的事情。譬如说，国王的信使现在坐牢了，但他至今还没有做错什么事。他犯罪的时间要晚得多。”

'But what happens if there is no crime,' asked Alice, 'and he doesn't do anything wrong at all? That seems a strange way of ―'

爱丽丝问：“如果他根本没犯罪，没做错事，那又能有什么后果呢？这似乎是用离奇的方式来——”

At that moment the Queen began to scream very loudly, and to shake her hand around in the air. 'Oh, oh!' she shouted. 'My finger's bleeding(5)! Oh, oh, oh!'

王后突然大声尖叫起来，并在空中挥舞着手，叫喊着：“哎呀，哎呀！我的手指在流血！哎呀，哎呀，哎呀！”

Alice put her hands over her ears. 'What is the matter?' she said, in between the Queen's screams. 'Have you cut your finger?'

爱丽丝用双手捂住了耳朵，在王后尖叫的间隙，问：“怎么回事？你割破了手指头？”

（原文中出现高光标示内容请见核心语言点）

核心语言点

1. wildly 激动地， 疯狂地

例句：

The audience cheered wildly.

观众们疯狂地欢呼。

2. helplessly 无助地

help 帮助

-less 否定词缀

helpless 无助的

care 在意， 小心

careless 不在意的， 粗心的

carelessly 粗心地， 草率地

例句：

I looked at my friend helplessly.

我无助地看着我的朋友。

3. put sth. right 把……摆好/摆整齐

例句：

We should put the books right.

我们应该将书摆放整齐。

4. every other day 每隔一天

例句：

I go to the gym every other day.

我每隔一天去一次健身房。

5. bleed 出血，流血

例句：

Your nose is bleeding.

你的鼻子正在流血。