Bleak House 荒凉山庄

 

课文朗读

 

课文讲解

 

繁體中文譯本

 

A horse-drawn carriage races down a rain-soaked road to the Chancery courts in London. As soon as it arrives, a young woman steps out of the vehicle into grim surroundings. Her name is Esther Summerson, a shy woman with a sad past. She has been appointed as a companion to two young wards at the heart of the Jarndyce court case, one of the largest in London’s history.

一辆马车疾驶在被雨水淋湿的路上，朝伦敦的大法官法庭前进。抵达法庭时，一名年轻女子步下马车，进入阴冷的环境中；她名叫艾丝特．桑玛森，一位有着悲惨过去的羞怯女子。她被指派为「强戴斯」案件中两名年轻受监护人的同伴。此案为伦敦史上最大案件之一。

 

Esther soon meets the other members of Bleak House, owned by the kind gentleman John Jarndyce. They have all been taken in by John as his wards. He too has a stake in the Jarndyce case, but has no real interest in it. Esther settles into her new life with her new friends. She struggles to forget the cruel aunt, who raised her and told her she was a disgrace to her mother.

艾丝特很快便与「荒凉山庄」的其他成员相会。「荒凉山庄」的主人是仁慈的绅士约翰．强戴斯，他收容他们成为他的被监护人。此案件虽亦攸关约翰的利益，但他对此并无兴趣。艾丝特与新朋友们适应着新生活。她努力地想忘记抚养她长大的残酷阿姨；她阿姨曾告诉艾丝特：她令她母亲蒙羞。

 

Not far away, events are happening which will shake Esther to the core. Sir Leceister and Lady Dedlock’s lawyer pay them a visit. Lady Dedlock also has a claim in the Jarndyce case, but is uninterested as she knows how slow the wheels of justice move.

不远处即将发生一些令艾丝特震惊不已的事。莱斯特男爵和和戴德洛克夫人的律师来访。戴德洛克夫人在「强戴斯」案件中亦有利益纠葛，但她并不关心，因为她清楚司法审判一向进行缓慢。

 

Vocabulary

单词发音

 

bleak [blik] adj. 荒凉的；凄凉的

grim [grɪm] adj. 阴森的，令人生畏的

have a stake in 在…有利害关系 to have a financial or other interest in something; to have something at risk in something

stake [stek] n. 利害关系; 赌金，赌注

disgrace [dɪsˋgres] n. 丢脸，耻辱

to the core 彻底  completely or totally

 

 

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单词发音

 

carriage [ˋkærɪdʒ] n. 四轮马车

chancery [ˋtʃænsərɪ] n. 大法官法庭

companion [kəmˋpænjən] n. 同伴；朋友

ward [wɔrd] n.【律】受监护的未成年人

settle into （使）适应〔新的家﹑工作﹑环境等〕to become comfortable in a new place or situation

pay someone or something a visit 访问 to visit someone or something

claim [klem] n.（对某事物的）权利

wheels of justice 司法部门 In contemporary usage, more often “wheels of justice” than “mills of justice”, with both “turn slowly” and “grind slowly” being common. It is often stated in abbreviated form as “the wheels of justice turn slowly”.

wheels [hwilz] n-plural (组织或系统的)运作方式

 

 

 

课文朗读

 

课文讲解

 

At Bleak House, Esther’s friends are finding love, and so is she. A young doctor named Woodcourt impresses her with his charity and compassion for people. They began to court each other, but it ends abruptly, Dr. Woodcourt is broke as a result of his charity, and accepts a job as a physician aboard a navy ship. Esther sadly accepts his decision, but keeps hope alive in her heart.

在「荒凉山庄」里，艾丝特的朋友们找到了真爱，艾丝特亦然。一位名叫伍德考特的年轻医生以待人慈善和怜悯打动了她；他们开始相恋，但却突然打住。伍德考特医生因乐善好施而破产，于是接受了在海军军舰上担任医生的工作。艾丝特伤心地接受他的决定，但心中仍怀抱希望。

 

Meanwhile, Lady Dedlock’s lawyer, the cunning Tulkinghorn, uses his influence and power to bully her. He unravels the mystery of her past. It seems that Lady Dedlock had a baby girl out of wedlock. Knowledge of this birth would bring shame on her husband Sir Leceister.

同时，戴德洛克夫人狡诈的律师塔金霍恩，以其影响力和权力来威吓她。她揭开她过去的秘密－戴德洛克夫人似乎有个私生女。此事一曝光，将使她丈夫莱斯特男爵的颜面尽失。

 

Esther has other problems to worry about. A small sick boy is brought to Bleak House, where she cares for him. As a result, she contracts smallpox from him and nearly dies. Esther manages to pull through, but is scarred. During her recovery, Lady Dedlock reveals to Esther that she is her mother!

艾丝特还有其他问题得担心。她照料一名被送至「荒凉山庄」的生病男童，结果染上了天花，差点丧命。艾丝特捱了过来，却留下疤痕。复原期间，戴德洛克夫人向她透露自己就是她的母亲！

 

Esther is confused and tells John the secret. Worried that she has no one to take care of her, John proposes to her. Esther accepts, but both decide to keep it a secret until the time is right.

困惑的艾丝特将此秘密告诉了约翰。约翰担心无人照顾她，便向她求婚。艾丝特接受了，但两人决定在时机成熟前暂时保密。

 

Vocabulary

单词发音

 

charity [ˋtʃærətɪ] n. 慈悲；慈善

compassion [kəmˋpæʃən] n. 怜悯；同情

abruptly [əˋbrʌptlɪ] adv. 突然地；意外地

cunning [ˋkʌnɪŋ] adj. 狡猾的，奸诈的

bully [ˋbʊlɪ] v. 威吓，胁迫；欺侮

pull through (使)康复健康; (使)度过危机(或难关等) to survive something

 

 

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单词发音

 

court [kort] v. 恋爱

unravel [ʌnˋræv!] v. 揭开；揭示

out of wedlock 私生的; 在婚姻之外 of biological parents not married to each other

wedlock [ˋwɛd͵lɑk] n. 婚姻；婚姻生活

knowledge [ˋnɑlɪdʒ] n. 知道，了解

contract [kənˋtrækt] v. 得（病）；沾染（习惯）

smallpox [ˋsmɔl͵pɑks] n. 天花

propose [prəˋpoz] v. 求婚[（+to）]

 

 

 

课文朗读

 

课文讲解

 

Lady Dedlock’s lawyer Tulkinghorn continues to torment her with his knowledge of her scandalous situation. He threatens to tell Sir Leceister everything. She is desperate about her situation. However, somebody else has also been troubled by Tulkinghorn. Later on, the evil lawyer is murdered in his own office.

戴德洛克夫人的律师塔金霍恩继续以她的丑事折磨她。他威胁要向莱斯特爵士吐露一切；戴德洛克夫人对自己的处境感到绝望。然而，还有其他人也遭到塔金霍恩的骚扰；后来，这名邪恶律师就在自己的办公室里被谋杀了。

 

It looks like the secret of Lady Dedlock’s past is now safe. Nonetheless, there is one piece of evidence she didn’t know about. A set of love letters between her and her secret lover is revealed to Sir Leceister. Tragically, Lady Dedlock flees her shame and dies.

戴德洛克夫人的过往秘密现在看来似乎守住了；然而，还有一项证据她不知情。她与秘密情人的情书被揭发给男爵知道了。戴德洛克夫人悲惨地羞愧而死。

 

Esther mourns the mother she hardly knew. Her grief is short-lived, though. Dr. Woodcourt has returned from sea. He finally has the money to propose to her. To his disappointment, Esther tells him of her previous engagement with John.

艾丝特哀悼她所知有限的母亲。但她的悲伤并未继续很久；伍德考特医生自海上返回，终于有钱向艾丝特求婚。令他失望的是，艾丝特告诉他，她先前已和约翰有了婚约。

 

Meanwhile, the Jarndyce case comes to a close and it seems that no one will get anything. Years of legal fees have consumed the estate! Esther’s friend Richard despairs and dies after pinning all his hopes on the case. Saddened, Esther and John decide to take a trip to cheer themselves up. John knows it is Dr. Woodcourt that Esther really loves, so he release her from their engagement. After all the hardships Esther has faced, she finally has a chance for happiness.

在此同时，「强戴斯」已经结束，每个人都毫无所获。几年来的诉讼费用已将遗产耗尽！艾丝特的朋友理察将所有希望都寄托在这桩案件上，因此绝望而死。伤心的艾丝特和约翰决定去旅行来提振自己的心情。约翰知道艾丝特真正爱的是伍德考特医生，因此和她解决了婚约。在面对种种艰难困苦后，艾丝特终于有机会得到幸福。

 

−by Ryan Campbell

 

Vocabulary

单词发音

 

desperate [ˋdɛspərɪt] adj. 绝望的

flee [fli] v. 逃离；逃避

mourn [morn] v. 哀痛，哀悼

consume [kənˋsjum] v. 耗尽

hardship [ˋhɑrdʃɪp] n. 艰难，困苦

 

 

More Information

单词发音

 

torment [tɔrˋmɛnt] v. 使痛苦，折磨[（+with）]

scandalous [ˋskænd!əs] adj. 可耻的，丢脸的

nonetheless [͵nʌnðəˋlɛs] adv. 【正式】然而﹐但是; 尽管如此﹐虽然如此

short-lived [ˋʃɔrtˋlaɪvd] adj. 短暂的

engagement [ɪnˋgedʒmənt] n. 订婚；婚约

estate [ɪsˋtet] n. 财产，资产；遗产

despair [dɪˋspɛr] v. 绝望

pin one's hopes on 寄希望于…to depend on someone or something for a successful result

cheer someone up (使某人)更高兴或更快活, 高兴起来  to make a sad person happy

 

 

Reading Questions

 

1. Which probably is NOT a reason why Esther had a tough life?

A. She was abandoned by her mother.

B. She was raised by a mean aunt.

C. She was told that she embarrassed her mother.

D. She didn’t have any money and lived alone.

 

2. Which of the following is a secret from Lady Dedlock’s past?

A. She fixed all her hopes on the court case.

B. She was raised in a very strange way.

C. She had a baby with someone other than her husband.

D. She stole money from a lawyer who was working for her.

 

3. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. John Jarndyce has no interest in the court case.

B. Dr. Woodcourt joins the Navy and goes away.

C. Esther Summerson wants to marry her friend Richard.

D. Lady Dedlock is involved in the Jarndyce case.

 

4. Which adjective best describes this story?

A. Bittersweet.

B. Tasteful.

C. Humorous.

D. Merciful.

 

BleakHouse [ Trailer ]

 

Answer

1. ( D )

2. ( C )

3. ( C )

4. ( A )