🔊 The mountains he had ever known were the three volcanoes, which came up to his knees. And he used the extinct volcano as a footstool. "From a mountain as high as this," he said to himself, "I shall be able to see the whole planet at one glance, and all the people ..."

他曾经见过的山,只有那三座火山,它们的高度只到他的膝盖。而他常把那座死火山当作脚凳。"从这样高的山上,"他自言自语道,"我就能一眼望见整个星球,还有所有的人……"

🔊

volcanoes /vɒlˈkeɪnəʊz/

n. 火山

🔊

extinct /ɪkˈstɪŋkt/

adj. 灭绝的；熄灭的；不再活跃的

🔊

footstool /ˈfʊtstuːl/

n. 脚凳

🔊

glance /ɡlɑːns/

n. 一瞥,扫视

🔊 But he saw nothing, save peaks of rock that were sharpened like needles. "Good morning," he said courteously.

但他什么也没看到,除了那些像针一样尖锐的岩石山峰。"早上好,"他礼貌地说道。

🔊

peaks /piːks/

n. 山峰；顶峰

🔊

sharpened /ˈʃɑːpənd/

adj. 变尖的；锋利的

🔊

courteously /ˈkɜːtiəsli/

adv. 有礼貌地；谦恭地

🔊 "Good morning—Good morning—Good morning," answered the echo.

"早上好——早上好——早上好,"回声回答道。

🔊

echo /ˈekəʊ/

n. 回声；回响

🔊 "Who are you—Who are you—Who are you?" answered the echo.

"你是谁——你是谁——你是谁？"回声回答道。

🔊 "Be my friends. I am all alone," he said.

"做我的朋友吧。我很孤独,"他说。

🔊 "I am all alone—all alone—all alone," answered the echo.

"我很孤独——很孤独——很孤独,"回声回答道。

🔊 "What a queer planet!" he thought. "It is altogether dry, and altogether pointed, and altogether harsh and forbidding. And the people have no imagination. They repeat whatever one says to them..."

"多么奇怪的星球！"他想,"它完全干燥,完全尖利,完全严酷而令人生畏。而且这里的人没有想象力。他们只会重复别人对他们说的话……"

🔊

queer /kwɪə(r)/

adj. 奇怪的；古怪的

🔊

altogether /ˌɔːltəˈɡeðə(r)/

adv. 完全地；总共

🔊

harsh /hɑːʃ/

adj. 严酷的；刺耳的；粗糙的

🔊

forbidding /fəˈbɪdɪŋ/

adj. 令人生畏的；险恶的

🔊

imagination /ɪˌmædʒɪˈneɪʃn/

n. 想象力；想象

Chapter XIX (第十九章)