評論
打印
LESSON 48 The speaking chip
第四十八課 會說話的木板
As I had gone to work one morning without my square, I took up a chip, and with a piece of charcoal wrote upon it a request that Mrs. Williams would send me that article. I called a chief, who was looking after a portion of the work, and said to him, "Friend, take this; go to our house and give it to Mrs. Williams."
我早上工作時忘記帶水準尺，我就撿起一塊木板，用碳在上面寫上了我的需求，以便Williams太太能把我要的東西送來，我就找了一位以跑腿送貨為工作的師傅，對他說，“朋友，麻煩把這個送到我家給威廉姆斯太太。”
He was a strange-looking man. He had been a great warrior; and, in one of the many battles he had fought, he had lost an eye. Giving me a look of wonder with the other, he said, "Take that! She will call me foolish, and scold me, if I carry chip to her."
這個師傅面相很怪，他曾是一名戰士，在他參加的眾多戰役中的一場奮戰中，失去了一只眼睛，他用另一只眼睛奇怪的看著我，說“帶上這個給她，她會說我神經病的，會責罵我的。”
"No," I replied, "she will not. Take it and go at once; I am in haste."
我回答道：“不會的，帶上它，立刻走，我很著急。”
Seeing that I was in earnest, he took it, and asked, "What must I say?"
看到我很真誠，他拿起了木板，問道，“我要說些什么呢？”
I replied, "You have nothing to say; the chip will say all I wish."
我回答道：“你什么都不用說，這個木塊會表達出我所有的需求。”
With a look of surprise and contempt, he held up the piece of wood, and said, "How can this speak? Has this a mouth?"
帶著吃驚和懷疑的表情，他舉起了那塊木板，說道“它怎么可能說話？它都沒有嘴巴。”
I desired him to take it instantly, and not spend so much time in talking about it. On reaching the house, he gave the chip to Mrs. Williams; who read it, threw it away, and went to the tool-chest. The chief wishing to see the result of this strange affair, followed her closely. On receiving the square from her, he said, "Stay, daughter; how do you know that this is what Mr. Williams wants?"
我希望他立刻帶走它，不想花費太多的時間來討論這些，一到我家，他就把木板給了我太太，她讀過之后，把木板扔到一邊，直奔工具箱，這個師傅很想弄明白這件奇怪的事情，就緊跟著她。從她手里拿到水準尺就問“等下，女士，你怎么知道這就是威廉姆斯先生想要的東西？”
"Why," she replied, "did you not bring me a chip just now?"
為什么，她回答道， “你不是帶給我一塊木板嗎？”
"Yes," said the astonished warrior; "but I did not hear it say anything."
是呀，這個戰士驚訝的回答，但是我沒有聽到它說什么呀。
"If you did not, I did," was the reply, "for it made known to me what he wanted; and all you have to do is to return with it as quickly as possible."
你沒聽到，我聽到了，女士回答道，它讓我知道我的先生需要什么，你所要做的就是盡快把它帶給我先生。
Upon this, the chief rushed out of the house; and catching up the piece of wood, he ran through the settlement with the chip in one band and the square in the other. Holding them up as high as his arms could reach, he shouted as he went, "See the wisdom of these English people; they can make chips talk!"
聽到這個師傅就沖出了房間，抓起那塊木板，一手拿著木板一手拿著水準尺，把它們舉到手臂能伸到的最高位置，邊走邊喊著，“看看這些英國人的聰明智慧吧，他們能讓木板說話。”
On giving me the square, he wished to know how it was possible thus to talk with persons at a distance. I explained the matter to him as well as I could; but it was so great a mystery, that he actually tied a string to the chip, hung it round his neck, and wore it for some time!
給我水準尺的時候，他希望知道遠距離和人交流是怎么實現的，我盡我所能的向他解釋了事情的原委，這事兒太神奇了，以至于他在那塊木板上打了一個結，把它掛在了脖子上，并掛了很長一段時間。
During several following days, we often saw him surrounded by a crowd, who listened with the greatest interest while he told them the wonders which the chip had performed.
接下來的幾天里，我們經常看到他身邊圍了一群人，興致勃勃地在聽著他講木板的神奇的故事。
QUESTIONS
問題
What was written on the chip? What did the chief say when it was given to him? What did he say when he got the square? What did he do with the chip?
木板上寫了什么？當把木板給他時，師傅說了什么？當拿到水準尺時他又說了什么？他用木板做了什么？
