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Twice during the next two weeks I was caught in severe snowstorms; in both cases in late afternoon when dusk was falling. The first time, fortunately, I had with me an experienced senior inspector who showed me how to get up a hill in deep snow. He skillfully drove th van to an acute angle to the pavement and used the curb for the rear wheels to push against. This sent the van several feet up the hill before it started to slide back to the curb at a higher point than our starting point. We gradually went up the hill — even if rather hard.
在接下來的兩個星期里，我兩次遇上大風雪。兩次都是發(fā)生在傍晚暮色降臨的時候。第一次我幸好和一位經(jīng)驗豐富的資深巡視員在一起，他教我怎樣在深深的積雪里開車上坡。他熟練地將車開到與人行道形成一個小于90度的夾角，再讓車的后輪抵著人行道的路緣向上開。這樣車就能上前幾英尺，再滑回到比剛才略高一點的路緣上。漸漸地我們上了坡——雖然相當費勁。
The second time I was caught in a snowstorm. I found myself stuck in a valley from which all roads led steeply, and I finished up with the van at an angle on the wrong side of the road. Waiting for a large delivery van to slide by me so that I could try my "curb pushing" method of hill climbing, I heard a faint tapping on the closed sliding window on the opposite side of the van — the normal serving side. I looked across from the driver' seat, but could see no one. The nearby street lamp shed little light on the scene through the white screen of falling snow.
第二次遇上大風雪時，我發(fā)現(xiàn)自己陷在了一個低凹的谷地，所有的路都是陡直地向上延伸。最后我只得把車成一定角度地停在本不該停的馬路另一邊。我正等著一輛大型送貨車開過去，好試試我那“抵著路緣開”的上坡方法，忽然聽到有人在冰淇淋車的另一邊輕輕地敲那扇關(guān)著的拉窗——那是平日做生意的窗口。我從司機座望過去，卻誰也看不見。雪花飄飄，一片白茫茫，近旁的街燈只透出些微的光亮。
The tapping came again, louder and more insistent. I went across and opened the window. A voice said firmly: "Four six-penny ices, please." I stared in amazement. A queue extended backwards across the road, its tail lost to view in the driving snow. My customers, adults as well as children, had seen me from their houses and had come out, still in sweaters andslippers, with no extra protection against the snow.
敲窗的聲音又傳來了，這次更響也更堅決。我走過去，把窗拉開。傳來一個果斷的聲音： “買4份6便士的冰淇淋。”我驚奇地一看。一條隊伍一直向后排過馬路，紛飛的大雪中看不到隊尾。顧客中有成人也有孩子，他們在屋子里看到了我，沒加一件衣物遮擋風雪，穿著毛衣、拖鞋就出來了。
That afternoon I did more trade stuck there in the snow than when I stopped at the proper stopping places and chimed my arrival.
那天下午我困在大雪里，卻比平日停在該停的地點吆喝叫賣做的生意還要多。
My tutor, the previous driver, had declared several times that those who really like ice-cream would go to considerable trouble to obtain it. How right he was!
我的指導(dǎo)，就是原來的那位司機，好幾次說過，真正愛吃冰淇淋的人會想方設(shè)法來買冰淇淋。他說得太對了。
