MWRP讀物推介|哥譚鎮的智者及其他故事Wise Men of Gotham and Other Stories

《哥譚鎮的智者及其他故事》（Wise Men of Gotham and Other Stories）是「百萬英語閱讀計劃」MWRP叢書——英漢對照中級英語系列讀物第ＩＩ輯之14，適合已掌握1500基本英語辭彙量（相當於初中畢業）的英語學習者閱讀。

百萬英語閱讀計劃是為專門為中國學生設計的英語閱讀提高計劃，讀者對象為已具有初中英語水平的讀者，通過２年、每天約15分鐘的閱讀能達到中級英語水平，掌握3000多單詞和大量的短語，熟練掌握英語的各種句子結構，並能閱讀一般英語原著。詳見：《百萬英語閱讀計劃讀者手冊》。

內容簡介

在各個國家都流傳著關於愚人的故事，比如中國的刻舟求劍、長竿入城等，同樣，在西方國家也流傳著許多愚人的故事，而且其中有些故事同中國流傳的都有相似之處。本書收集了50多則西方歷史上流傳的關於愚人的故事，其中包括英國流傳的哥譚鎮智者、德國希爾達的智者、波蘭華沙以南的猶太人小村海爾姆人及愛爾蘭高樂得爵士的故事，另外還有幾則老學究的故事。歷史上，這些故事曾給人們艱難枯燥的生活增添一點樂趣。今天重讀這些故事，仍會讓人忍俊不禁，不由發出感嘆：沒有最蠢，只有更蠢。

但是，笑過之後，我們要反思：我們這些「聰明人」自己，是不是有時候也跟故事中的人物一樣愚蠢，甚至有過之而無不及，卻跟故事中的主人公一樣，自認為有智慧呢？

文本信息

本書文本統計信息詳見下表，供選擇時參考：

說明:

1. 關於可讀性：這是根據美國Rudolf Flesch博士的統計方法計算出的Flesch Reading Ease（弗萊士易讀度），計算根據是句子的字數和100個字內音節個數等，數值在0和100之間，數目越大，文章越容易讀。

2. 1500基本辭彙外的單詞不包括由這些詞構成的合成詞 （如：schoolboy<=school +boy）和派生詞 （如：proudly <= proud + ly）。

3. 專有名詞（人名地名）或由專有名詞派生的辭彙以及感嘆詞不計入生詞。

4. 1500詞外詞數（生詞數）包含重複詞數。比如一個單詞以不同形式出現3次，則按3次統計。

5. 在1500詞外詞條數中，重複的單詞或者一個單詞的不同形式統計為1次。

6. 正文每一千字處都有字數標誌，便於讀者掌握閱讀進度。

7. 1500基本辭彙外的詞在原文部分用粗體顯示，譯文部分用深色粗體，由於翻譯的緣故，兩部分的詞性和意義並不完全對應，僅供參考。

8. 本系列讀物的前三本生詞全部標註，以後只標註兩次，出現兩次以後生詞就不再標註。

第一章試讀

Wise Men of Gotham

哥譚鎮的智者

1. Wise Men of Gotham

哥譚鎮的智者

There is a town in England called Gotham, and many merry stories are told of the queer people who used to live there.

在英格蘭，有一個名叫哥譚的鎮，在那兒過去曾經居住過古怪的人們，關於他們流傳著許多輕鬆愉快的故事。

One day, news was brought to Gotham that the king was coming that way, and that he would pass through the town. This did not please the men of Gotham at all. They hated the king, for they knew that he was a cruel, bad man. If he came to their town, they would have to find food and lodging for him and his men; and if he saw anything that pleased him, he would be sure to take it for his own. What should they do?

一天，哥譚鎮傳來消息說國王正往這個方向來，並且將要穿過這個鎮。哥譚鎮的人們並未以此為榮。他們憎恨國王，因為他們知道國王是一個殘忍的惡人。如果他來到他們的鎮上，他們就不得不給他和他的隨從找吃的和住處；並且如果他看到有自己喜歡的東西，肯定會佔為己有。他們該怎麼辦呢？

They met together to talk the matter over.

於是他們聚集起來談論這件事。

「Let us chop down the big trees in the woods, so that they will block up all the roads that lead into the town,」 said one of the wise men.

「我們把樹林里的大樹都伐倒，這樣就擋住了通往鎮上的所有道路，」其中一位智者說。

「Good!」 said all the rest.

「好！」其他人都說。

So they went out with their axes, and soon all the roads and paths to the town were filled with logs and branches. The king』s horsemen would have a hard time getting into Gotham. They would either have to make a new road, or give up the plan altogether, and go on to some other place.

於是他們帶著斧子出去了，不久大道小路全是原木和樹枝。國王的騎士到哥譚鎮要費好大的勁，他們要麼開闢一條新路，要麼就完全放棄計劃，而到別的地方去。

When the king came, and saw that the road had been blocked up, he was very angry.

國王到來時，看到道路被堵住了，於是非常生氣。

「Who chopped those trees down in my way?」 he asked of two country lads that were passing by.

「誰伐倒的樹擋住了我的路？」他問正在路過的兩個鄉村少年。

「The men of Gotham,」 said the lads.

「哥譚鎮的人們，」少年回答道。

「Well,」 said the king, 「go and tell the men of Gotham that I shall send my sheriff into their town, and have all their noses cut off.」

「好吧，」國王說，「你們去告訴哥譚鎮的人們，說我要派郡長到他們的鎮上，把他們的鼻子都割掉。」

The two lads ran to the town as fast as they could, and told people what the king had said.

這兩個少年飛快地跑到了鎮上，把國王的話講給鎮上的人聽。

Everybody was frightened. The men ran from house to house, carrying the news, and asking one another what they should do.

大家都很害怕。人們挨家挨戶跑，傳達這個消息，並且互相詢問該怎麼辦。

「Our wits have kept the king out of the town,」 said one; 「and so now our wits must save our noses.」

「我們用智慧把國王擋在了鎮外，」一個人說；「現在我們的智慧肯定也能救得了我們的鼻子。」

「True, true!」 said the others. 「But what shall we do?」

「真的，是真的！」別的人說。「但是我們該怎麼辦呢？」

Then one, whose name was Dobbin, and who was thought to be the wisest of them all, said, 「Let me tell you something. Many a man has been punished because he was wise, but I have never heard of any one being harmed because he was a fool. So, when the king』s sheriff comes, let us all act like fools.」

其中一個人名叫杜賓，被認為是他們中間最聰明的，他說：「我跟你們講：許多人都是因為聰明而受到懲罰，但是我從沒聽說有人因為是傻子而受到傷害的。所以，當國王的郡長到來時，我們大家都去裝瘋賣傻。」

「Good, good!」 cried the others. 「We will all act like fools.」

「好，好！」眾人喊道。「我們都裝瘋賣傻。」

It was no easy thing for the king』s men to open the roads; and while they were doing it, the king grew tired of waiting, and went back to London. But very early one morning, the sheriff with a party of angry soldiers rode through the woods, and between the fields, toward Gotham. Just before they reached the town, they saw a queer sight. The old men were rolling big stones up the hill, and all the young men were looking on, and shouting very loudly.

國王的手下開路並非易事；他們在開路的時候，國王等得厭倦了，於是回到了倫敦。但是一天一大早，郡長就帶著一群氣憤的士兵騎馬穿過田地間的樹林，向哥譚鎮進發。就在他們到達鎮上之前，看到了一幕奇怪的景象。老人們在往山上滾一些大石頭，而年輕人卻在旁觀，並且大聲喊叫著。

The sheriff stopped his horses, and asked what they were doing.

郡長把馬停下，問他們是在幹什麼。

「We are rolling stones uphill to make the sun rise,」 said one of the old men.

「我們往山上滾石頭好讓太陽出來，」一個老人說。

「You foolish fellow!」 said the sheriff. 「Don』t you know that the sun will rise without any help?」

「你這個傻傢伙！」郡長說。「你難道不知道太陽不用人幫忙就能出來嗎？」

「Ah! Will it?」 said the old man. 「Well, I never thought of that. How wise you are!」

「啊！會嗎？」老人說。「哎，我從來沒有想到這一點。你真聰明呀！」

「And what are you doing?」 said the sheriff to the young men.

「你們在幹什麼？」郡長對青年人說。

「Oh, we do the shouting while our fathers do the working,」 they answered.

「哦，我們的父輩們幹活兒的時候我們加油助威呀，」他們回答道。

「I see,」 said the sheriff. 「Well, that is the way the world goes everywhere.」 And he rode on toward the town.

「我明白了，」郡長說。「哎，全世界都是這個樣子。」於是他騎馬繼續往鎮上趕去。

He soon came to a field where a number of men were building a stone wall.

不久他來到一塊田地，那裡有幾個人在建一堵石頭牆。

「What are you doing?」 he asked.

「你們在幹什麼？」他問道。

「Why, master,」 they answered, 「there is a cuckoo in this field, and we are building a wall around it so as to keep the bird from flying away.」

「哎呀，長官，」他們回答說，「這塊田裡有一隻布谷鳥，我們在圍著它建一堵牆，好不讓鳥兒飛走了。」

「You foolish fellows!」 said the sheriff. 「Don』t you know that the bird will fly over the top of your wall, no matter how high you build it?」

「你們這些傻傢伙！」郡長說。「你們無論把牆建得多麼高，鳥兒都會飛過去，難道你們不知道嗎？」

「Why, no,」 they said. 「We never thought of that. How very wise you are!」

「哎，不知道，」他們說。「我們從來沒想到這一點啊。你真聰明啊！」

The sheriff next met a man who was carrying a door on his back.

郡長後來又遇到一個背上背著一扇門的人。

「What are you doing?」 he asked.

「你在幹什麼？」他問道。

「I have just started on a long journey,」 said the man.

「我剛開始出遠門，」這個人說。

「But why do you carry that door?」 asked the sheriff.

「那你背著那扇門幹什麼？」郡長問。

「I left my money at home.」

「我把錢放在家裡了。」

「Then why didn』t you leave the door at home too?」

「那你為什麼不把門也留在家裡呢？」

「I was afraid of thieves; and you see, if I have the door with me, they can』t break it open and get in.」

「我怕有小偷；你看，如果我背著門，他們就不會把門撬開進去了。」

「You foolish fellow!」 said the sheriff. 「It would be safer to leave the door at home, and carry the money with you.」

「你這個傻傢伙！」郡長說。「把門留在家裡，把錢帶在身上會更安全。」

「Ah, would it?」 said the man. 「Now, I never thought of that. You are the wisest man that I ever saw.」

「啊，是嗎？」這個人說。「哎呀，我從來沒想到呀。你是我見到的最聰明的人。」

Then the sheriff rode on with his men; but everyone that they met was doing some silly thing.

於是郡長和手下又繼續趕路了，但是他遇到的人都在做某種啥事兒。

「Truly I believe that the people of Gotham are all fools,」 said one of the horsemen.

「我現在真的相信哥譚鎮的人全是傻瓜了，」一個騎士講。

「That is true,」 said another. 「It would be a shame to harm such simple people.」

「確實是，」另一個說。「傷害頭腦這麼簡單的人很可恥。」

「Let us ride back to London, and tell the king all about them,」 said the sheriff.

「我們騎馬回倫敦，向國王稟報他們的情況吧，」郡長說。

「Yes, let us do so,」 said the horsemen.

「對，就這麼辦，」騎士說。

So they went back, and told the king that Gotham was a town of fools; and the king laughed, and said that if that was the case, he would not harm them, but would let them keep their noses.

於是他們回去了，並且告訴國王說哥譚鎮是一個傻瓜鎮。國王大笑，說，如果是那種情況，他就不去傷害他們了，他要讓他們留著鼻子。

2. Don』t Talk

別說話

Four brave men from Gotham decided to sit silently and stare at a lit candle without speaking for a week or so. For a whole day, none of them speak a word. But by nightfall on the first day, there was a strong wind and the candle went out.

哥譚鎮的四名勇敢的人決定默默地坐在，盯著一支點燃的蠟燭不說話，這樣堅持一周左右。他們一整天都沒有人說話，但是第一天黃昏的時候，颳起一陣大風，把蠟燭吹滅了。

The first man said, 「Oh, no! The candle is out.」

第一個人說：「哎呀，不好了！蠟燭滅了。」

The second man said, 「Aren』t we supposed not to talk?」

第二個人說：「我們不是不能說話嗎？」

The third man said, 「Why must you two break the silence?」

第三個人說：「你們兩個人為什麼要打破沉默呢？」

The fourth man laughed and said, 「Ha! I』m the only one who didn』t speak.」

第四個人大笑著說：「哈！只有我沒有說話呀。」

3. The Cheese

乳酪

One day, a man of Gotham was riding to market. As he was riding along the highway, he saw a fine cheese on the ground. It looked nice, so he decided to pick it up. He took out his sword and tried to pick it up with it. He tried several times but failed, because his sword was too short.

一天，哥譚鎮有一個人正騎馬去市場。他沿著大路前行的時候，看到地上有一塊很好的乳酪。乳酪看起來不錯，於是他決定將它撿起來。他拔出劍，試圖用它把乳酪挑起來。他嘗試了幾次，但是失敗了，因為他的劍太短了。

At last he gave up. He rode back home to fetch a longer one to pick up the cheese.

最後，他放棄了。他騎馬回家去取一支長一些的劍來挑起乳酪。

When he returned, he found the cheese had gone.

回來的時候，他發現乳酪不見了。

「The cheese is dirty. It carries diseases,」 he said to himself. 「If I had had this sword, I would have this cheese myself, and now another has got it!」

「這個乳酪很臟，帶著病，」他自語道。「如果當時我有這支劍的話，我自己就拿到乳酪了。現在別人拿去了！」

掃描下面二維碼試讀更多，帶字數標誌，生詞突出顯示

http://yuedu.baidu.com/ebook/ff5ce74faeaad1f347933f35 (二維碼自動識別)