<The Little Prince> Chapter

【原文】

I did not answer. At that instant I was saying to myself: &#;If this bolt still won&#;t turn, I am going to knock it out with the hammer.&#; Again the little prince disturbed my thoughts.

&#;And you actually believe that the flowers—&#;

&#;No, no! I don&#;t believe anything. I answered you with the first thing that came into my head. I am very busy with matters of consequence!&#;

He stared at me, thunderstruck.

&#;Matters of consequence!&#;

He looked at me there, with my hammer in my hand, my fingers black with engine-grease, bending down over an object which seemed to him extremely ugly...&#;

&#;You talk just like the grown-ups!&#;

That made me a little ashamed. But he went on, relentlessly:

&#;You mix everything up together... You confuse everything...&#;

He was really very angry. He tossed his golden curls in the breeze.

&#;I know a planet where there is a certain red-faced gentleman. He has never smelled a flower. He has never looked at a star. He has never loved anyone. He has never done anything in his life but add up figures. And all day he says over and over, just like you: &#;I am busy with matters of consequence!&#; And that makes him swell up with pride. But he is not a man-he is a mushroom!&#;

&#;A what?&#;

&#;A mushroom!&#;

【核心单词】

1. instant /'nstnt/

两种词性：

形容词

(adj.) happening immediately 立即的、立刻的（用于名词前）

- 同义词： immediate

- E.g., The show was an instant success. 演出一炮打响（立刻成功）。

(adj.) instant food that can be made quickly 速食的、即食的

- E.g., instant coffee 速溶咖啡； instant noodle 方便面

- “预制菜”是pre-made food, 提前准备的，不能用instant. 提前准备的，不一定准备的速度快，instant强调的是准备食物的速度快。

名词

(n.) a very short period of time 瞬间、片刻

- 同义词：moment

- E.g., just for an instant…就在那一瞬间

(n.) a particular point in time 某一刻

- E.g., Come here this instant! 马上过来！instant = immediately

- E.g., I recognised her the instant that I saw her. 我一看见她就认出了她。the instant that = as soon as

2. disturb /d'stb/

(v.) to interrupt someone 打扰、妨碍

- 酒店房间常挂的牌子“Do not disturb请勿打扰”

- 打断一下别人，除了excuse me, 还可以说 I’m sorry to disturb you, but can I…不好意思打扰你一下，但这个用法比excuse me更正式一些。

(v.) to move something or change its order or position 弄乱、搞乱

- E.g., Do not disturb the papers on my desk. 别把我书桌上的文件弄乱。

(v.) make someone worry 使焦虑、不安

- E.g., The letter shocked and disturbed me. 这封信使我感到震惊与不安。

3. thunderstruck /'θndstrk/

(adj.) shocked 大吃一惊

- 尽管这是一个形容词，但不常用于名词前

- thunder + struck组成，thunder 雷电，struck是strike的过去式和过去分词形式，也用于被动语态，合成词的意思是“被雷电击中”，所以就是非常震惊的意思。

4. grease /ɡris/

两种词性：

名词（不可数）

(n.) thick oil that is used to make the machine run 油渍、油垢

- E.g., Grease marks can be removed with liquid detergent. 用去污剂可以除去油渍。

(n.) cooked or heated the animal fat 动物油脂

- E.g., the plates covered with grease 油腻腻的盘子

动词

(v.) rub grease on something 给…抹油

- to grease a pan, 外国人煎肉时，先在平底锅上涂一层黄油，就是用grease这个词

- grease somebody’s palm = bribery

- grease the wheel 使事情顺利进行 in a bad sense

5. ugly /'ɡli/

(adj.) very unpleasant to look at 难看的、丑

- 同义词：unattractive /n'traektv/

- E.g., ugly duckling丑小鸭

(adj.) dangerous situation 令人不快的、危险的

- E.g., an ugly incident 危险事件

6. ashamed /'emd/

(adj.) feeling shame about something you have done 惭愧、羞愧

- not used before noun 不用于名词前

- ashamed of
something/somebody/oneself 为某事/某人/自己感到羞愧

- ashamed to do something 因惭愧而不情愿做某事

- E.g., I am ashamed to say that…我真不好意思说…

- not ashamed 不以为耻

7. relentlessly /r'lentlsli/

(adv.) in a relentless manner 坚韧地、不停地

- E.g., She always questioned me relentlessly. 她总是无休止地问我。

8. curl /kl/

两种词性

动词

(v.) to make something into a curl 卷、卷曲

- E.g., His hair curls naturally. 他的头发是自来卷。

(v.) to form something into a curved shape 使蜷缩

- 后接副词或介词

- curl into 蜷缩成

- E.g., She curled her legs up under her. 她盘腿坐。

(v.) move while forming into a curved shape 螺旋状移动，旋绕

- E.g., The smoke curled steadily upwards. 烟袅袅上升。

名词

(n.) a small bunch of curved hair 卷发

- E.g., Her hair was a mass of curls. 她满头卷发。

(n.) a curved or round shape卷状物、螺旋状物

- a curl of smoke 一缕青烟

- a curl of the lip 撇嘴

9. matters of consequence

- 直译是“有结果的事情”，衍生为重要的事情

- 相反的：matters of little consequence 琐碎之事，不重要的事情

. mix up

- confuse things or people 混淆， 原文中也是这个意思。

- E.g., Depressed people may mix up their words. 沮丧的人可能会语无论次。

- put different things together so that they are not in order 弄乱

- E.g., mix the cards up 洗牌

. swell up

- swell, inflate 肿胀、充气、膨胀

- be filled with emotion, become excited 情绪激动，原文中是这个意思

- E.g., His chest swelled up with joy when he saw his family waiting for him at the airport. 当他在机场看到亲人时，他满心欢喜。

【长句分析】

原文：

He looked at me there, with my hammer in my hand, my fingers black with engine-grease, bending down over an object which seemed to him extremely ugly...&#;

这是一个带着一长串伴随状语的“简单句”。

- 核心句： He looked at me there， “他在那里看着我”。

- 三个并列的复合结构：

(1) with my hammer in my hand手里拿着锤子 with + 名词 + 介词短语

(2) my fingers black with engine-grease手指被机油染黑， with + 名词 +形容词

(3) bending down over an object正弯腰对着一个东西, 现在分词短语 + 介词 + 名词

都作为伴随状语，说明主语me当时的状态。

- which seemed to him extremely ugly... 定语从句修饰 an object

- seemed to him 对他来说

- extremely ugly 奇丑无比

整句意思：他（小王子）在那里看着我，而我手里拿着锤子，手指上沾着黑黑的油污，正在弯腰（修理）一个在他看来奇丑无比的东西。

【试译】

我没有回答。就在那一刻，我对自己说：“如果这个螺栓拧不下来，我就用锤子把它敲下来。” 小王子再一次打断了我的思绪。

“你真的相信那些花…”

“不，不！我不相信任何事。我回答你的只是随口一说。我正忙着解决重要的事情。”

他惊讶地盯着我。

“重要的事情！”

他就在那里看着我，而我手里拿着锤子，手指上沾着黑黑的油污，正在弯腰（修理）一个在他看来奇丑无比的东西。

“你说话好像成年人一样！”

这让我有一丝羞愧。但是他继续说：

“你把每件事都混在一起了，你弄错了所有事…”

他十分生气。在微风中他甩着他金色的卷发。

“我知道有一个星球上有一个红脸绅士。他从来没有闻过花，从来不看星星，也从来没爱过任何人。除了加数字，他一生从没做过任何事。他每天一遍遍地念叨，就像你一样：‘我正忙着重要事！’这让他因骄傲膨胀。他不是一个人—他是一个蘑菇！”

“一个什么？”

“一个蘑菇！”

References:

New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press,

《刘毅语法宝典》，外语教学与研究出版社，年4月