CHAPTER ONE
第一章
Once when I was six years old I saw a beautiful picture in a book about the primeval (原始的）forest called True Stories. It showed a boa （蟒蛇）constrictor（大蟒蛇） swallowing an animal.
有一次，我六岁的时候，在一本关于原始森林的书中看到了一张美丽的图画，叫做《真实故事》。它显示了一条大蟒蛇吞咽了一只动物。
The book stated: ‘Boa constrictors swallow their prey （猎物）whole without chewing it whereupon（接着,随之） they can no longer move and sleep for six months digesting it.’ I then reflected （思考）deeply upon the adventures in the jungle and in turn succeeded in making my first drawing with a colour pencil.
这本书中写道:“这些蟒蛇把它们的猎物不加咀嚼地囫囵吞下，尔后就再也不能动弹，要在六个月的睡眠中消化它们。随后，我对丛林中的历险进行了深入的思考，并成功地用彩色铅笔画出了我的第一幅画。
I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups and asked them if my drawing frightened them. They answered: ‘Why should anyone be frightened by a hat?’ My drawing did not represent a hat. It was supposed to be a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. So I made another drawing of the inside of the boa constrictor to enable the grown-ups to understand. They always need explanations.
我把我的杰作拿给大人们看，问他们我的画是不是吓着他们了。他们回答说:“为什么人会被一顶帽子吓倒呢?”我画的不是帽子。它应该是一条正在消化大象的蟒蛇。于是我又画了一幅巨蟒肚子的画，让大人们看得懂。他们总是需要解释。
The grown ups then advised me to give up my drawings of boa constrictors, whether from the inside or the outside, and to devote myself instead to geography, history, arithmetic and grammar. Thus it was that I gave up a magnificent career as a painter at the age of six. I had been disappointed by the lack of success of my drawing No. I and my drawing No. 2. Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves and it is rather tedious（无聊的） for children to have to explain things to them time and again.
大人们劝我不要再画这些开着肚皮或开着肚皮的大蟒蛇了，让我去学地理、历史、算术和语法吧。就这样，我在六岁时放弃了辉煌的画家生涯。我的第一号作品没有成功，这使我很失望。我和我的画2号。成年人靠他们自己什么都不懂，而孩子们要一遍又一遍地向他们解释是相当乏味的。
Thus I lived alone, with no one I could really talk to, until I had an accident in the Sahara Desert six years ago. Something broke down in my engine. And since there was neither a mechanic （机械师）nor a passenger with me, I prepared myself for a difficult but what I hoped would be a successful repair. It was a matter of life or death for me. I had scarcely enough drinking water for a week.
就这样，我一个人住着，没有一个可以真正交谈的人，直到六年前我在撒哈拉沙漠发生了意外。我的引擎坏了。由于我身边既没有机械师，也没有乘客，所以我做好了准备，进行一次困难但我希望能成功的修理。对我来说，这是生死攸关的事。我几乎喝不了一个星期的水。
On the first night, I fell asleep on the sand, a thousand miles from any human habitation. I was far more isolated than a shipwrecked （沉船的）sailor on a raft in the middle of the ocean. So you can imagine my surprise at sunrise when an odd little voice woke me up.
第一天晚上，我在远离人烟千里之外的沙滩上睡着了。我比大海中一只木筏上一个遇难的水手要孤立得多。所以你可以想象我日出时的惊讶，一个奇怪的声音把我吵醒了。
It said: ‘Please…draw me a sheep.’
它说：“请……给我画一只羊。”
‘What?’
‘什么？’
‘Draw me a sheep.’
“给我画一只羊。”
I jumped up, completely thunderstruck（惊呆了）. I rubbed my eyes, blinked hard and looked carefully around me. And I discovered an extraordinary little boy watching me gravely（严肃的）. I drew a portrait of him. But of course, my drawing is not half as charming as its model. It is not my fault. I had been discouraged by grown-ups in my career as a painter when I was six years old, and I hadn’t learned to draw anything with the exception of boas from the outside and boas from the inside.
我跳了起来，完全惊呆了。我揉了揉眼睛，使劲眨了眨，仔细打量着四周。我发现一个特别的小男孩严肃地看着我。我为他画了一幅肖像。当然，我的画没有模特的一半迷人。这不是我的错。当我六岁的时候，我的画家生涯就被大人们搞得灰心丧气，除了从外面画蟒蛇，从里面画蟒蛇外，我什么也没学过。
I therefore stared in total astonishment at this sudden apparition（鬼怪,离奇的东西）. So I had to choose another job and I learnt to pilot aeroplanes. I flew more or less all over the world. And indeed geography has been extremely useful to me. I am able to distinguish between China and Arizona at a glance. It is extremely helpful if one gets lost in the night.
因此，我完全惊奇地看着这个突然出现的东西。所以我不得不选择另一份工作，我学会了驾驶飞机。我差不多飞遍了全世界。地理确实对我非常有用。我一眼就能分辨出中国和亚利桑那州。如果一个人在晚上迷路了，这是非常有用的。
As a result of which I have been in touch, through-out my life, with all kinds of serious people. I have spent a lot of time with grown-ups. I have seen them at very close quarters （地区）which I’m afraid has not greatly enhanced my opinion of them.
因此，我一生都与各种严肃的人保持着联系。我花了很多时间和大人在一起。我曾近距离地见过他们，我担心这并没有使我对他们的看法有很大的改观。
Whenever I met one who seemed reasonably clear-sighted to me, I showed them my drawing No 2, which I had kept, as an experiment. I wanted to find out whether he or she was truly understanding. But the answer was always: ‘It is a hat.’ So I gave up mentioning boa constrictors or primeval forests or stars. I would bring myself down to his or her level and talk about bridge, golf, politics and neckties. And the grown-up would be very pleased to have met such a sensible person.
每当我遇到一个在我看来头脑相当清楚的人，我就给他们看我的第二号作品，那是我保存下来作为实验的。我想知道他或她是否真正理解我。但答案总是:“这是一顶帽子。”所以我就不再提蟒蛇、原始森林或星星了。我会把自己降低到他或她的水平，谈论桥牌、高尔夫、政治和领带。大人会很高兴遇到这样一个通情达理的人。
Do not forget that I was a thousand miles away from any inhabited region. But my little chap（小家伙） did not seem to be either lost or dead tired or dying of hunger, thirst or fear. He did not look like a child lost in the middle of the desert, a thousand miles from any inhabited region.
别忘了，我离任何有人居住的地方都有一千英里远。但我的小家伙似乎既没有迷路，也没有累得要死，也没有死于饥饿、口渴或恐惧。他不像一个迷失在沙漠中的孩子，远离人烟千里之外。
那我们接下来, 将找出这篇文章有趣又有用的短语和句子！
Analysis – Page 1
1. Primeval forest = 原始森林
例句(illustrative sentences):
a) I went in to explore the primeval forest.
我去探索原始森林。
b) The railway cuts through the primeval forest.
铁路穿过原始森林
2. Boa constrictor = 蟒蛇
例句(illustrative sentences):
a) He’s as friendly as a boa constrictor.
他和蟒蛇一样友好。
b) A boa constrictor squeezes its victims.
蟒蛇挤压受害者。
3. Whereupon = 于是
例句(illustrative sentences):
a) He saw me coming, whereupon he offered me his seat.
他看到我来了，并让我坐在他的椅子上。
b) She laughed at him, whereupon he walked out.
她嘲笑了他，于是他走了出去。
4. Digesting = 消化
例句(illustrative sentences):
a) I had a hard time digesting dinner.
我很难消化晚餐。
b) We chew food to help us digest it.
我们咀嚼食物以帮助消化。
5. Masterpiece = 杰作
例句(illustrative sentences):
a) The book is a masterpiece.
这本书是杰作。
b) She has painted many masterpieces.
她画了许多杰作。
6. Devote = 致力 / 承诺
例句(illustrative sentences):
a) He decided to devote his life to science.
他决定一生致力于科学。
b) When you marry, you promise to devote your life to one another.
结婚时，你承诺彼此一生。
7. Arithmetic = 算术
例句(illustrative sentences):
a) I’ve never been very good at arithmetic.
我从不擅长算术。
b) They tried to teach their child mental arithmetic.
他们试图教孩子心理算术.
8. Tedious = 乏味
例句(illustrative sentences):
a) His jokes were getting quite tedious.
他的笑话变得很乏味。
b) All jobs are tedious.
所有工作都非常的乏味。
9. Mechanic = 修理工
例句(illustrative sentences):
a) The mechanic fixed my car.
修理工修理了我的汽车。
b) I’ll call a mechanic to pick up the car.
我会叫技工来接车。
10. A matter of Life and Death = 关于生与死的问题
例句(illustrative sentences):
a) This is a matter of life and death for me.
这对我来说是生死相关的问题。
b) Don’t bother me unless it’s a matter of life and death.
除非这是关于生与死的问题，否则请不要打扰我。
11. Scarcely enough = 几乎没有足够
例句(illustrative sentences):
a) There is scarcely enough food.
几乎没有足够的食物。
b) I earn scarcely enough money to get the bus home.
我挣的钱几乎不足以让我用公共汽车回家。
12. Human habitation = 人类居住
例句(illustrative sentences):
a) The house was unfit for human habitation.
房子不适合人类居住。
b) There is not a single human habitation in this area.
该地区没有人类居住。
13. Shipwrecked = 岛上遇难
例句(illustrative sentences):
a) Try and imagine being shipwrecked on an island!
试想一下在一个岛上遇难！
b) The sailors were shipwrecked on the beach.
水手们在海滩上遇难。
14. Thunderstruck = 震惊
例句(illustrative sentences):
a) I was thunderstruck when he gave me a present.
当他给我礼物时，我很震惊。
b) She was thunderstruck to hear the news.
她听到这消息感到很震惊。
15. Portrait = 肖像
例句(illustrative sentences):
a) She painted a portrait of her family.
她画了家人的画像。
b) They had many portraits on their wall.
他们的墙上有很多肖像。
16. Astonishment = 惊讶
例句(illustrative sentences):
a) He looked at her in astonishment.
他惊讶地看着她。
b) To my astonishment, she quit her job.
令我惊讶的是，她辞掉了工作。
17. As a result of which = 因此
例句(illustrative sentences):
a) I was angry at her, as a result of which, I stopped talking to her.
我生她的气，因此，我不再和她说话。
b) His work was all wrong, as a result of which, I also copied it down wrong.
他的工作全错了，因此，我也把它抄写错了。
18. Very close quarters = 住得很近
例句(illustrative sentences):
a) The group had to sleep in very close quarters.
小组必须在非常近的地方睡觉。
b) I’m tired of living in very close quarters with them.
我已经厌倦了与他们住得很近。
19. I’m afraid = 我很伤心地说
例句(illustrative sentences):
a) It’s snowing outside, I’m afraid I’ll be late for work.
这里外面下雪了，我很伤心地认为，我会上班迟到。
b) If you cancel now, I’m afraid you lose your money.
如果你现在取消，我会很伤心地说你会失去你的钱。
20. Inhabited = 住
例句(illustrative sentences):
a) The house was also inhabited by her grandparents.
她的祖父母也住过这所房子。
b) People have inhabited this area for thousands of years.
人们已经在该地区居住了数千年。