🔊 It took me a long time to learn where he came from. The little prince, who asked me so many questions, never seemed to hear the ones I asked him. It was from words dropped by chance that, little by little, everything was revealed to me.

我花了很长时间才弄清楚他从哪里来。小王子,那个问了我无数问题的人,却似乎从不理会我问他什么。正是从那些偶然间掉落的话语里,一点一滴地,一切都向我展现开来。

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revealed /rɪˈviːld/

v. 揭示,透露

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dropped by chance /drɒpt baɪ tʃɑːns/

phrase. 偶然说出,无意中透露

🔊 The first time he saw my airplane, for instance (I shall not draw my airplane; that would be much too complicated for me), he asked me: "What is that object?" "That is not an object. It flies. It is an airplane. It is my airplane." And I was proud to have him learn that I could fly. He cried out, then: "What! You dropped down from the sky?" "Yes," I answered, modestly. "Oh! That is funny!" And the little prince broke into a lovely peal of laughter, which irritated me very much. I like my misfortunes to be taken seriously.

比如,他第一次看见我的飞机时（我不打算画我的飞机；那对我太复杂了）,他问我:"那是什么东西？""那不是个东西。它会飞。它是一架飞机。是我的飞机。"我为他能得知我会飞而自豪。他随即大叫:"什么！你是从天上掉下来的？""是的,"我谦虚地回答。"哦！那可真有趣！"然后小王子爆发出了一阵悦耳的笑声,这让我非常恼火。我喜欢我的不幸被认真对待。

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complicated /ˈkɒmplɪkeɪtɪd/

adj. 复杂的,难懂的

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peal /piːl/

n. 响亮持久的声音（尤指钟声或笑声）

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irritated /ˈɪrɪteɪtɪd/

adj. 恼火的,被激怒的

🔊 Then he added: "So you, too, come from the sky! Which is your planet?" At that moment I caught a gleam of light in the impenetrable mystery of his presence; and I demanded, abruptly: "Do you come from another planet?" But he did not reply. He tossed his head gently, without taking his eyes from my plane: "It is true that on that you can't have come from very far away ..." And he sank into a reverie, which lasted a long time. Then, taking my sheep out of his pocket, he buried himself in the contemplation of his treasure.

然后他又说:"那么,你也是从天上来的！哪个星球是你的？"那一刻,在他那深不可测的存在之谜中,我捕捉到了一丝光亮；我突兀地问道:"你是从另一个星球来的吗？"但他没有回答。他轻轻摇头,眼睛仍盯着我的飞机:"确实,在那上面你不可能来自太远的地方……"接着,他陷入沉思,持续了很长时间。然后,他从口袋里掏出我的绵羊,沉浸在对他的宝物的沉思中。

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gleam /ɡliːm/

n. 微光,闪光；一丝,一线（希望等）

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impenetrable /ɪmˈpenɪtrəbl/

adj. 不能穿过的,无法穿透的；难以理解的

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reverie /ˈrevəri/

n. 幻想,白日梦

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contemplation /ˌkɒntəmˈpleɪʃn/

n. 沉思,注视,凝视

🔊 You can imagine how my curiosity was aroused by this half-confidence about the "other planets." I made a great effort, therefore, to find out more on this subject. "My little man, where do you come from? What is this 'where I live,' of which you speak? Where do you want to take your sheep?" After a reflective silence he answered: "The thing that is so good about the box you have given me is that at night he can use it as his house." "That is so. And if you are good I will give you a string, too, so that you can tie him during the day, and a post to tie him to." But the little prince seemed shocked by this offer: "Tie him! What a queer idea!" "But if you don't tie him," I said, "he will wander off somewhere, and get lost." My friend broke into another peal of laughter: "But where do you think he would go?" "Anywhere. Straight ahead of him." Then the little prince said, earnestly: "That doesn't matter. Where I live, everything is so small!" And, with perhaps a hint of sadness, he added: "Straight ahead of him, nobody can go very far . . ."

你可以想象,这番关于"其他星球"的半信半疑是如何激起我的好奇心的。因此,我费了很大劲想在这个话题上了解更多。"我的小人儿,你从哪儿来？你说的'我住的地方'是什么意思？你想把你的绵羊带到哪儿去？"经过一段沉思的沉默,他回答:"你给我的盒子好就好在,晚上他可以用它当房子。""是的。而且如果你表现好,我还会给你一根绳子,这样白天你可以把他拴住,再给个桩子把他拴在上面。"但小王子似乎对这个提议感到震惊:"拴住他！多么古怪的想法！""但如果你不拴住他,"我说,"他会四处游荡,然后迷路的。"我的朋友又爆发出一阵笑声:"那你认为他会去哪儿呢？""任何地方。径直向前。"然后小王子认真地说:"那没关系。在我住的地方,一切都那么小！"或许带着一丝忧伤,他补充道:"径直向前,没人能走得太远……"

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aroused /əˈraʊzd/

v. 激起,引起（感情、兴趣）

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reflective /rɪˈflektɪv/

adj. 反射的；沉思的,反省的

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queer /kwɪə(r)/

adj. 奇怪的,古怪的

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earnestly /ˈɜːnɪstli/

adv. 认真地,诚挚地

Chapter three (第三章)