中国石油职称英语考试通用教材电子版（2007年）四十一

41. How I Lost Four Ounces in Three Weeks（我怎样在三周里减了四盎司体重）
　　1. "I'm not fat," I told my neighbor, "but I would like to lose a little—about ten pounds."
　　1、我对邻居说：“我不算胖，但是我想减点体重—大约10磅左右吧。”
　　2. "Ten pounds?" he said. "That's easy. I lost 20 pounds just by running every day."
　　2、他回答说：“减10磅?那不费事。我只是每天跑步，就掉了20磅了。”
　　3. That's when I made up my mind. I would run, too. I'd run on Willow¹ Road, which goes by the end of our block. And I'd outfit² myself in a pair of white shorts, sneakers and a sweat shirt. I'd have the right clothes, so I wouldn't look silly.
　　3、我就是从那时起下定决心的。我也要跑步，我可以在柳条街上跑步。那条街是我们街尽头处的横街，我得买一条白短裤，一双运动鞋和一件圆领长袖运动衫打扮一下，我穿上合适的服装，就不会显得傻气了。
　　4. To begin with, I decided³ to run up Willow Road as far as the Emersons' house. That was about a mile.
　　4、我决定开始时跑到柳条街上埃默生家的房子那儿。大约有一英里远。
　　5. By the time I got to the end of our block, my legs had turned to stone. And I felt as if somebody had lit a campfire in my chest! I limped on for another hundred yards. The thing to do, I decided, was to stop as soon as I came to a good place for a rest. At once I said to myself, "This looks like a good place !" And I fell, panting, to the earth.
　　5、我跑到我们这条街尽头的时候，腿像石头一样又硬又重。我觉得好像有人在我的胸膛里点了一堆篝火!我又跛着向前跑了100码。我想，这时该做的事是一旦找到一个适于休息的地方就停下来休息。我马上对自己说：“这儿看上去是个好地方!”就气喘吁吁地瘫倒在地上。
　　6. After some time, I sat up. "You're out of shape," I told myself. "You've got to work up to things bit by bit. Give yourself time!"
　　6、过了—一会，我坐了起来。我告诫自己，“你久不锻炼，竞技状态不佳，得慢慢加码才行。给自己一点时间吧!”
　　7. I stood up and walked home.
　　7、我站起身，走着回家了。
　　8. Every morning for three weeks, Mondays through Fridays, I burst from my house and ran toward the Emerson place. I went a bit further every time. Weekends I rested up. Finally, I decided that I was ready to run the whole mile. Of course, I'd stop a few times along the route to rest.
　　8、在三周的时间里，从周一到周五的每天早晨我都从家门冲出，向埃默生家方向跑去，每天将距离拉长一点。周末我就休息。我终于决定可以跑完这一英里的里程了，当然，中途我得停下来休息几次。
　　9. I made the big push on Saturday. That was a mistake. I had forgotten that the neighborhood children would not be in school that day.
　　9、星期六我发起了猛攻。那是一个错误的决定。我忘记了街坊的孩子们那天不上学。
　　10. I was no more than halfway⁴ up the block when I sensed that I had an audience. There were all the children, standing⁵ on their front lawns staring at me. I waved. Most likely, they were admiring my brisk pace. Then I learned the awful truth. As I turned onto Willow Road, a half-dozen eight-year-olds ran out and settled into a steady trot⁶ beside me.
　　10、我还没跑完我们街道的一半，就感觉到我吸引了一批观众。所有的孩子们都站在家门前的草坪上注视着我。我向他们挥手致意。我想他们很可能是在羡慕我轻快的步伐。后来我才了解到糟糕的事实。我向柳条街拐去的时候，跑出来六个八岁的孩子，他们在我身边稳步小跑起来。
　　11. "Hey, mister," said one, "my little brother can run faster than this, and he's only six."
　　11、一个小孩子对我说：“嗨，先生，我小弟弟跑得比这还快，他只有六岁。”
　　12. "Oh, yeah!" I barked. "When he's as old as .. "But there my air ran out. I stopped talking in order to save my breath.
　　12、我大声说：“呵，是吗?等他长到像我一样年纪……”可是这时我喘不过气了。为了省口气，我只好不说了。
　　13. We paced onward⁷. Up ahead, I could see a shady maple⁸ tree, and ideal rest stop. Sweat dripped into my eyes as I pushed toward the tree. Then, just as the shade was within reach, a small voice said, "Hey, mister, we'll race you!"
　　13、我们向前跑去。我能看到前方有一棵树影浓密的枫树，那儿是一个理想的休息地点。我向那棵树推进，汗水流进了我的眼睛，这时，就在我要到达那棵树底下的时候，一个孩子小声说：“嗨，先生，我们跟您比谁跑得快!”
　　14. The eight-year-olds tore out in front of me and were soon out of sight. My spirit was broken. I staggered off the road into a clump⁹ of underbrush and dropped like a sack of bricks.
　　14、那几个八岁的孩子在我面前飞奔起来，很快就跑得无影无踪了。我的斗志全丧失了，我蹒跚着从街道上走下来，进到一丛树林中，像一袋子砖头似的瘫在地上。
　　15. I was still resting there ten minutes later when I heard children's voices.
　　15、10分钟过去了，我还坐在那儿休息，这时我听到孩子们的声音，
　　16. "They must have caught him," one voice said.
　　16、一个孩子说：“他们一定超过他了。”
　　17. "Yes," another replied. "He did all right for an old man, though. He must have run the whole two miles from the mental hospital."
　　17、一个孩子答道：“一定，但是对于一个老年人来说，他跑得不算慢。他一定是从精神病院那儿一直跑过来的，已经跑了整整两英里了。”
　　18. Still I wouldn't give up. The best way to mn without an audience, I decided, was to run after dark.
　　18、尽管如此，我还是不肯放弃跑步，我断定要想不吸引观众，最好是在天黑以后跑。
　　19. "Well, enjoy yourself," my wife said. "I've got to drive Andy to his trumpet¹⁰ lesson."
　　19、妻子对我说：“你玩你的吧，我得开车送安迪去学吹小号了。”
　　20. I set out into the dark, sure that I would finally reach the Emersons'. I had just turned the corner when something the size of a watermelon shot out at me. It began barking and wouldn't stop. It was the Barts' bulldog. I shouted and sent him back to the Barts' front lawn, but I could feel a rising fear. After all, there were lots of dogs in our neighborhood.
　　20、我跑进夜色之中，我坚信这一次我终于能跑到埃默生家那儿了。我刚刚拐过弯去，就有一个像西瓜那么大的东西向我冲来。它开始狂吠，不肯停下，它是巴特家的斗牛狗。我叫喊着把它赶回巴特家门前的草坪上，但是我感到内心里有一种不断增长的恐惧。我们街区里毕竟是有许多狗。
　　21. My hunch¹¹ was right. Two minutes later I set off the Abels' boxer¹². He circled around me, barking, and refused to leave. Next it was the O'Briens poodle and then a strange sheep dog.
　　21、我的预感没有错，两分钟以后，我引来了艾贝尔斯家的拳师狗，它围着我绕来绕去，狂吠着，不肯离去。接着奥布赖恩家的狮子狗来了，后来又来了一只陌生的牧羊狗。
　　22. I was nervous, but I led the parade onward. Once in a while I'd say, "Nice fella!" to nobody in particular. Then a huge collie came bounding out of a driveway. ! had heard once that collies love children. I pointed¹³ to my shorts and trotted¹⁴ on.
　　22、我精神紧张，但是仍率领着这支队伍前进。我偶尔并不特别冲着谁地说一声：“好狗!”这时一头巨大的柯利牧羊犬从车道上跳着跑了过来。我曾听说过那头大柯利牧羊犬喜欢孩子。于是我指了指我的短裤，继续向前跑去。
　　23. What did it, finally, was the Emersons' Great Dane. That dog is the size of a pony¹⁵ and has jaws¹⁶ like an alligator¹⁷. They call him Cuddles!
　　23、最后，直正吓坏了我的是埃默生家的丹麦大狗，那条狗像一头小矮马一样大，而且它的嘴长得像短吻鳄的一样，埃默生家的人管这条狗叫宝贝儿!
　　24. Well, I made it to the Emersons' driveway. I jogged in glory across the lawn. I even had my foot on the porch step when Cuddles burst from his doghouse like a fire engine answering an alarm. The next instant, the whole parade was tearing back down Willow Road. And I was bringing up the rear.
　　24、我总算跑到埃默生家的车道了。我得意洋洋地缓步跑过草坪。宝贝儿像救火车听到了警报似的从它的狗窝里冲出来时，我甚至已经踏到埃默生家前门廊的台阶上了。说时迟，那时快，整个队伍折了回来，沿着柳条街跑回去，而我却为这支队伍殿后。
　　25. Halfway home, I remembered that Cuddles was usually chained to his doghouse, so I slowed down. However, I was exhausted¹⁸ when I reached home, and I flung myself down on the front steps to recover.
　　25、往回跑了一半以后，我才想起来宝贝儿通常是被用铁链拴在狗窝上的，所以我放慢了脚步，然而我跑到家的时候，还是筋疲力尽了。我一下子坐到前台阶上，想恢复一下。
　　26. Andy was standing by the garage with his trumpet. He and his mother had just got back from his lesson.
　　26、安迪正拿着小号站在车库旁边。他和他母亲刚从他上课的地方回来。
　　27. "Gee¹⁹, Dad," he said excitedly, "did we see the craziest thing on the way home! Some old man in a white bathing suit was chasing a pack of dogs down Willow .. "Then his eyes fell on my clothes. A puzzled look mixed with fear came over his face. "I guess I'd better go practice my trumpet, huh, Dad!" He did not stay for an answer.
　　27、他兴奋地对我说：“哎呀，爸爸，我们在回家的路上可看到了一件极其古怪的事儿!一个穿着白色游泳衣的老头子沿着柳条街追赶一群狗……”然后他的目光落到了我的衣服上，他的脸上显出一种掺杂着恐惧的困惑表情。“我想我最好去练吹号了，对不对，爸爸?”他不等我回答，就离开了。
　　28. In spite of it all, I might have kept on running, but that evening I climbed onto the scales. I wanted to see how much lighter²⁰ I was after three weeks' work. I had lost four ounces. I could have lost more than that by letting Cuddles chew on me for a few seconds!
　　28、尽管发生了这一切，我本还可以继续跑步的。但是，那天晚上我站到了磅秤上，想知道经过三周的跑步锻炼，我的体重减轻了多少，我减轻了四盎司。如果让宝贝儿把我咬上几秒钟的话，我都能减掉比这多一些的体重!