評論
打印
David Wilson was looking at some papers．'Now，Mr Dun-can，'he said，'I see that you are a very good biologist．You worked at a university…and then for two very famous com-panies．But…you stopped working as a biologist nine years ago．Why was that？'
大衛·威爾遜正在看一些文件。“我說，鄧肯先生，我知道你是一個非常出色的生物學家。”他說道，“你曾在大學工作過，然后又在兩家著名的公司干過。但是你作為一個生物學家9年前停止了工作，這是為什么？ ”
'I've always had two interests in my life，'John said，'biol-ogy and boats．My wife was a famous sailor…Rachel Hors-ley…Perhaps you remember her．She sailed around the world alone in a small boat．'
“在我一生中我永遠有兩種興趣，”約翰答道，“生物學和劃船。我太太是一位有名的水手……雷切爾·霍斯利……也許你記得她。她獨自乘小船環繞世界。”
'Yes，'said David Wilson，'I remember her．'
“是的，我記得她，”大衛·威爾遜說道。
'So we started a business，'said John．'We made small boats together，and sold them．'
“所以我們開始做生意，”約翰說。“我們共同制造小船，并且出售。”
'And did the business go well？'asked Wilson．
“生意進展得好嗎？”威爾遜問道。
'Very well at first．Then we wanted to build bigger，better boats．We borrowed too much money．And then my wife…'John stopped speaking．
“一開始很好，然后我們就想造更大更好的船。我們借了太多錢。其后我的太太……”約翰停住了講話。
'Yes，the Sevens Race．I remember now，'said David Wil-son．
“是的，賽文斯比賽，我現在想起來了，”大衛·威爾遜說道。
Both men were silent for a moment．Wilson remembered the newspaper reports of the storm and the lives lost at sea．He looked at the man who sat sadly in front of him．
倆人都陷入片刻沉默。威爾遜記起報紙上報道的那場風暴和海上死亡事件。他望著憂傷地坐在他面前的這個人。
'So，after my wife died，'continued John，' I closed the business．That was five years ago．'
“所以，我太太去世后，”約翰繼續說，“我停止了生意，那是5年前的事了。”
'I see，'said David Wilson．'It's a hard world，the world of business．'He looked at John's old grey suit．'So now you want a job as a biologist．Well，this is a chemical company，Mr Duncan．We make paint．But we need a biologist to make sure that everything in this factory is safe．We want someone to tell the government that it's safe to work here，and that it's safe to have a paint factory near the town．That's impor-tant to us．'
“我明白了，”大衛·威爾遜說，“生意界是很艱難的。”他望著約翰那灰色的舊西服。“這么說你想得到一份生物學家的工作。這是一家化學公司，鄧肯先生。我們制造油漆。我們需要一名生物學家以保證工廠的一切都安全。我們需要有人告訴政府在這里工作是安全的，并且告訴他們城市附近有油漆廠也是安全的。這對我們很重要。”
