美國語文第六冊 第199期:乘坐掃雪機(1)
你乘過掃雪機嗎?
Not the pet and pony of a thing that is attached to the front of an engine, sometimes, like a pilot;
我說的不是前面安個很小的發(fā)動機，有時像降落傘的那種東西。
but a great two-storied monster of strong timbers, that runs upon wheels of its own,
而是有兩層樓高的由堅硬的木材做成的龐然大怪物，底下安有輪子驅動，
and that boys run after and stare at as they would after and at an elephant.
男孩子們追著它跑，不錯眼珠地盯著它看，就像看一頭大象似的。
You are snow-bound at Buffalo.
你在布法羅為雪所阻，
The Lake Shore Line is piled with drifts like a surf.
湖濱道上堆積物如山。在大雪皚皚的肖陶擴湖，
Two passenger trains have been half-buried for twelve hours somewhere in snowy Chautauqua.
兩列客車一半被埋在雪地里已經十二個小時了。
The storm howls like a congregation of Arctic bears.
暴風雪的狂吼聲就像北極熊聚在一起發(fā)出的聲音。
But the superintendent at Buffalo is determined to release his castaways, and clear the road to Erie.
但是，布法羅的監(jiān)管人員決定讓那些遭難的人離開這里，于是開始清理通往伊利湖的道路。
He permits you to be a passenger on the great snowplow; and there it is, all ready to drive.
他允許你作為一名旅客乘坐大掃雪機;一旦準備就緒，就開始出發(fā)。
Harnessed behind it, is a tandem team of three engines.
掃雪機后面配上馬具，成了一架由三個發(fā)動機組成的串聯(lián)式雙輪馬車。
It does not occur to you that you are going to ride on a steam drill, and so you get aboard.
不是說你馬上就能騎在一輛蒸汽鉆頭上，如果那樣的話你就登上飛機了。
It is a spacious and timbered room, with one large bull's eye window,—an overgrown lens.
這是一個寬敞、用木材搭建的房間，有一個大牛眼似的窗子——就像長得過快的眼睛中的水晶體。
The thing is a sort of Cyclops. There are ropes, and chains, and a windlass.
這個東西有點類似希臘神話中的獨眼巨人，有繩子，鎖鏈和絞盤。
There is a bell by which the engineer of the first engine can signal the plowman, and a cord whereby the plowman can talk back.
上面還安有一個鈴，系第一臺發(fā)動機的機械師向駕駛人員發(fā)信號用的，而那根細繩是駕駛人員回答用的。
