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The Diary of a Nobody
作者：乔治·格罗史密斯 威登·格罗史密斯 中文翻译及注释：chinaoften
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奥风英语工作室推出《小人物日记》全书听读MP3录音下载
INTRODUCTION BY MR. POOTER普特尔先生的序言
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Why should I not publish my diary? I have often seen reminiscences of people I have never even heard of, and I fail to see--because I do not happen to be a 'Somebody'--why my diary should not be interesting. My only regret is that I did not commence it when I was a youth.
Charles Pooter The Laurels, Brickfield Terrace Holloway.
我为什么不能出版自己的日记呢？我经常看到我从没听说过的人写的回忆录，而且我也看不出--因为我没有碰巧成为大人物--我的日记就会无趣。唯一的遗憾就是我没有从年轻时开始记。
查尔斯·普特尔
贝克菲尔德特勒斯，霍洛威
月桂府
[本段要点]
1. reminiscence [U] 回忆；怀旧 [pl] 经验谈；回忆录
2. fail to do sth. 做某事没有成功；未能做某事
He never fails to write to his mother every week. 他每周都给母亲写信。
3. happen to do/be 碰巧做某事/成为
You want to learn English? Well, I happen to be a teacher of English.
你想要学习英语？我碰巧是英语老师。
4. somebody 除了我们所熟悉的“某个人”的意思外，还可表示“an important person"，即“重要人物”，是nobody（小人物）的反义词。
5. My only regret is that....我唯一的遗憾是......
My only regret is that I didn't come across this book earlier. 我唯一的遗憾就是没有早点看到这本书。
6. commence [vt. vi.] 开始
Shall we commence (the ceremony)? 我们可以开始（典礼）了吗？
常用搭配：
commmence with sth. 以某事开始
commence doing开始做某事
CHAPTER I
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We settle down in our new home, and I resolve to keep a diary. Tradesmen trouble us a bit, so does the scraper. The Curate calls and pays me a great compliment.
我们在新家安顿下来后，我决心写日记。推销商有些烦人，刮泥板也是。不过牧师的来访让我甚感荣幸。
[本段要点]
1. curate 副牧师；助理牧师
2. settle down 定居；平静下来
3. resolve to do sth.决心做某事
4. keep a diary 记日记
注意这是一个习语，中间用不定冠词。
5. pay sb. a great compliment 对某人是一种极大的恭维
My dear wife Carrie and I have just been a week in our new house, "The Laurels," Brickfield Terrace, Holloway--a nice six-roomed residence, not counting basement, with a front breakfast-parlour. We have a little front garden; and there is a flight of ten steps up to the front door, which, by-the-by, we keep locked with the chain up. Cummings, Gowing, and our other intimate friends always come to the little side entrance, which saves the servant the trouble of going up to the front door, thereby taking her from her work. We have a nice little back garden which runs down to the railway. We were rather afraid of the noise of the trains at first, but the landlord said we should not notice them after a bit, and took 2 pounds off the rent. He was certainly right; and beyond the cracking of the garden wall at the bottom, we have suffered no inconvenience.
我亲爱的妻子卡丽和我搬进新居--月桂府--一个星期了。它位于霍洛威的贝克菲尔德特勒斯，不算地下室有六个房间，前面有一个早餐室。房子的前面有个小花园，有一段十级的台阶通往前门，顺便提一下，我们一直用链子锁着前门。卡明斯、高英和其他好友总是走边上的小门，这样就不用麻烦佣人放下手中的工作去开前门了。房子还有一个小后花园，一直延伸到铁路边上。我们开始时很怕火车的噪音，不过房东说过一阵就感觉不到了，并且从房租中减去了两英磅。他说的的确不错，除了花园墙底部的裂缝外，我们再也没什么不方便的了。
[本段要点]
1. residence [C U ] 居住；住处；居住的地方
2. breakfast-parlour 早餐室
3. a flight of ten steps up to the front door 一段通往前门的十级台阶
4. by-the-by（e）顺便说到；附带提及。相当于by the way。
5. intimate friends 密友
6. side entrance 边门
7. save somebody the trouble/bother (of doing something) 省去了某人做某事的麻烦
I'll get a taxi from the station to save you the trouble of coming to collect me.
我将从车站打的，以省去你接我的麻烦。
8. thereby adv.因此；从而
9. take sb. from sb.'s work. 使某人不能工作
10. take 2 pounds off the rent 从租金中减去两镑
11. cracking 破裂；裂口
12. at the bottom 在底部
13. suffer no inconvenience 没有什么不便
After my work in the City, I like to be at home. What's the good of a home, if you are never in it? "Home, Sweet Home," that's my motto. I am always in of an evening. Our old friend Gowing may drop in without ceremony; so may Cummings, who lives opposite. My dear wife Caroline and I are pleased to see them, if they like to drop in on us. But Carrie and I can manage to pass our evenings together without friends. There is always something to be done: a tin-tack here, a Venetian blind to put straight, a fan to nail up, or part of a carpet to nail down--all of which I can do with my pipe in my mouth; while Carrie is not above putting a button on a shirt, mending a pillow-case, or practising the "Sylvia Gavotte" on our new cottage piano (on the three years' system), manufactured by W. Bilkson (in small letters), from Collard and Collard (in very large letters). It is also a great comfort to us to know that our boy Willie is getting on so well in the Bank at Oldham. We should like to see more of him. Now for my diary:
从市里下班后我喜欢呆在家里。如果你从不呆在家里，那家还有什么意义呢？“家，甜美的家”，是我的座右铭。我晚上总是呆在家里。我们的老朋友高英有时会不拘礼节的随意来访，卡明斯也是，他就住在对面。如果他们愿意来，我和我亲爱的妻子总是很乐意见到他们。不过如果没有朋友我们也能打发掉晚上的时光。总是有一些事情可做：钉个钉儿，拉直百叶窗，在墙上钉把扇子或是钉牢地毯的某个地方，所有这些我抽着烟就轻松地做了。卡丽却只能给衬衣钉个纽扣，缝补一下枕套或是在我们新买的竖式小钢琴（三年贷款付清的）上练练《西尔维亚加伏特舞曲》。钢琴是科拉特兄弟公司（用很大的字母表示）的W·比尔科逊（用小字母表示）制作的。知道我们的儿子威利在奥德姆的银行干得很好，我们甚感欣慰。我们希望能多见见他。现在就来看看我的日记吧：
[本段要点]
1. What's the good of a home, if you are never in it? 如果你从不呆在家里，那要家有什么用呢？
2. drop in (on somebody) 顺路拜访某人：不作预先通知的访问
Why don't you drop in for a drink one evening?为什么有时间为何不来喝杯茶呢？
3. withouth ceremony 不拘礼节；随便地
4. manage to do设法做到某事
5. tin-tack 镀锡铁钉
tin锡；tack 大头钉
6. blind 窗帘；百叶窗
blind最常用的意思是“瞎的；看不见的”，而窗帘、百叶窗就可以遮挡人们的视线，使人看不见，所以这个词又用来表示窗帘；百叶窗等遮蔽物。
7. nail up 将某物用钉子钉牢使之悬挂于墙、柱等上
8. nail down 将（地毯、盖子等）用钉子钉牢
April 3.--Tradesmen called for custom, and I promised Farmerson, the ironmonger, to give him a turn if I wanted any nails or tools. By-the-by, that reminds me there is no key to our bedroom door, and the bells must be seen to. The parlour bell is broken, and the front door rings up in the servant's bedroom, which is ridiculous. Dear friend Gowing dropped in, but wouldn't stay, saying there was an infernal smell of paint.
4月3日 推销商打电话上门来做生意，我答应五金商法默森，如果我需要钉子或其他工具的话，我会去找他。顺便提一下，这让我想起我们卧室的门没有钥匙，门铃也该修了。小客厅的门铃坏了，拉一下前门的铃，佣人的卧室到响起来，真是荒唐。亲爱的朋友高英顺路来访，但是没有停留，他说油漆味太难闻了。
[本段要点]
1. ironmonger 铁器商, 五金商
2. key to 某房间的钥匙；某问题的答案
注意其与介词to搭配。
3. see to 负责；处理某事；照料某人
Go on, you go out. I'll see to the washing up. 去吧，你尽管出去好了。我来负责洗涮（餐具）。
4. ridiculous 好笑的；荒谬的
5. infernal 可恶的；讨厌的；阴间的；恶魔的
April 4. Tradesmen still calling; Carrie being out, I arranged to deal with Horwin, who seemed a civil butcher with a nice clean shop. Ordered a shoulder of mutton for to-morrow, to give him a trial. Carrie arranged with Borset, the butterman, and ordered a pound of fresh butter, and a pound and a half of salt ditto for kitchen, and a shilling's worth of eggs. In the evening, Cummings unexpectedly dropped in to show me a meerschaum pipe he had won in a raffle in the City, and told me to handle it carefully, as it would spoil the colouring if the hand was moist. He said he wouldn't stay, as he didn't care much for the smell of the paint, and fell over the scraper as he went out. Must get the scraper removed, or else I shall get into a SCRAPE. I don't often make jokes.
4月4日 又有推销商来了；卡丽出去了，我准备与霍文打回交道，他看起来像是一个有礼貌的屠夫，有一个很不错的干净小店。要了一块羊肩肉，明天吃吃看怎么样。卡丽从黄油商博塞特那儿定购了一磅新鲜的黄油、一磅半食盐和一先令的鸡蛋。晚上卡明斯意外来访，并拿给我看他在市里抽彩中的一个海泡石烟斗，并且告诉我要小心点拿，因为如果手湿的话会影响色泽。他说他不停了，因为他不喜欢油漆味。在他出去时被刮泥板绊倒了。一定要把刮泥板拿掉，否则就会给我刮出麻烦。我不太经常说俏皮话的。
[本段要点]
1. deal with处理；应付
2. give sb. a trial 让某人试试看看
3. ditto adv.同样地
---I hated school. 我讨厌学校。
----Ditto. 我也讨厌。
Where should we go? Mississippi? Too hot. Ditto Alabama.我们去哪儿呢？密西西比？太热。阿拉巴马也是。
4. raffle 抽彩
5. meerschaum [矿]海泡石, 海泡石的烟斗
6. moist 潮湿的
April 5.--Two shoulders of mutton arrived, Carrie having arranged with another butcher without consulting me. Gowing called, and fell over scraper coming in. MUST get that scraper removed.
4月5日 卡丽没有和我商量就从另外一个屠户那里又定购了一块羊肩肉，所以今天我们收到了两块。高英来串门时，被刮泥板绊倒了。一定要把那块刮泥板拆了。
[本段要点]
1. consult [vt. vi.] 请教；参考；商量
常用搭配：consult sb./sth. (about sth.) (就某事）请教某人/查阅某资料
consult with sb. 与某人商量
I consulted a doctor about my pains. 我就我的疼痛请教了医生。
She said she had to consult with her partners. 她说她要和她的合伙人商量一下。
April 6.--Eggs for breakfast simply shocking; sent them back to Borset with my compliments, and he needn't call any more for orders. Couldn't find umbrella, and though it was pouring with rain, had to go without it. Sarah said Mr. Gowing must have took it by mistake last night, as there was a stick in the hall that didn't belong to nobody. In the evening, hearing someone talking in a loud voice to the servant in the downstairs hall, I went out to see who it was, and was surprised to find it was Borset, the butterman, who was both drunk and offensive. Borset, on seeing me, said he would be hanged if he would ever serve City clerks any more--the game wasn't worth the candle. I restrained my feelings, and quietly remarked that I thought it was POSSIBLE for a city clerk to be a GENTLEMAN. He replied he was very glad to hear it, and wanted to know whether I had ever come across one, for HE hadn't. He left the house, slamming the door after him, which nearly broke the fanlight; and I heard him fall over the scraper, which made me feel glad I hadn't removed it. When he had gone, I thought of a splendid answer I ought to have given him. However, I will keep it for another occasion.
4月6日 早餐吃的鸡蛋糟透了。把余下的鸡蛋都退给了他，并说了几句“奉承”的话，要他以后不要再上门订货了。找不到伞，尽管下着瓢泼大雨也得去。莎拉说一定是高英先生昨晚不经意拿错了，因为门厅里有一支手杖，不知是谁的。晚上听到有人在楼下门厅里与佣人大声谈话，我出去看了一下，很惊奇地发现是黄油商博塞特，他喝醉了，举止非常无礼。博塞特一看到我，就说他如果他再去伺候市里的职员-干那种得不偿失的活儿-他就宁愿吊死。我抑制住自己的感情，平和地说我认为市里的职员也有可能是绅士。他回复说他很高兴听我这么说，而且想知道我是否曾遇到过这样的人，他是没有见过。他离开我们家时，将门在身后重重地摔了一下，几乎将扇形窗震碎。我听到他被刮泥板绊倒，这使我为没有拆掉刮泥板而感到开心。当他离开后，我想出了一个绝妙的回答。不过，我会留着下次用的。
[本段要点]
1. shocking 极坏的；非常令人讨厌的；极糟的
此外，shocking还可表示“令人震惊的”。
2. by mistake 错误的（因粗心等所致）；无意地
3. belong to 属于
4. offensive 讨厌的；无礼的；令人恼怒的；攻击性的
5. the game is not worth the candle不值得做；得不偿失
在100多年前的北美，人们通常用蜡烛来驱逐黑暗。父亲在摇曳的烛光下为孩子们读故事，家人们在烛光下玩游戏。蜡烛被视为很有价值的东西。所以人们根据事情的重要性来决定是否点燃蜡烛，因为蜡烛只能燃烧一定的时间。如果说一件事不值为它点蜡烛，说明这件事不重要，不值得做，做了反而会得不偿失。
6. restrain vt. 抑制；管制；约束
常用搭配：restrain sb./sth. from sth./doing sth. 阻止某人做某事；抑制住（愤怒、笑声等）
I had to restrain her from running out into the street.我不得不阻止她跑到大街上。
Price rises should restrain consumer spending.价格增长应当能抑制消费。
7. remark vt. vi. 说；评论
"This house must be very old," he remarked. “这座房子一定很老了”，他（评论）说。
常用搭配：remark on/upon sb. /sth. 评论某人/某事
He remarked on the difference in security measures at the two airports.
他论述了两个机场安保措施上的差异。
8. slam the door 砰的摔门；猛力关门
9. fanlight 扇形窗
10. occassion [C] 时机；场合；机会
I'm saving this bottle of champagne for a special occasion. 我保留这瓶香槟以供特殊场合印用。
If ever the occasion arises when I want advice, you're the first person I'll come to.
如果万一我需要建议，你将是我第一个要找的人。
April 7.--Being Saturday, I looked forward to being home early, and putting a few things straight; but two of our principals at the office were absent through illness, and I did not get home till seven. Found Borset waiting. He had been three times during the day to apologise for his conduct last night. He said he was unable to take his Bank Holiday last Monday, and took it last night instead. He begged me to accept his apology, and a pound of fresh butter. He seems, after all, a decent sort of fellow; so I gave him an order for some fresh eggs, with a request that on this occasion they SHOULD be fresh. I am afraid we shall have to get some new stair-carpets after all; our old ones are not quite wide enough to meet the paint on either side. Carrie suggests that we might ourselves broaden the paint. I will see if we can match the colour (dark chocolate) on Monday.
4月7日 今天是星期六，我原本希望能早点回家做点事情，但是办公室的两个头都因病没来，结果我直到七点才回到家。发现博塞特正等着我。他是来为昨天晚上的行为道歉的，今天已来了三次。他说他上周一没能休银行假日，就在昨天晚上休了。他请我接受他的道歉和一磅鲜黄油。他毕竟看起来是一个体面的家伙，所以我又从他那儿订购了一些鲜鸡蛋，并且要求他这次要送新鲜的。恐怕这次我们又得弄些新的楼梯地毯了，那些旧的不够宽，与两边的漆过的地方接不起来。卡丽建议我们可自己将漆弄宽。我星期一看看能不能搞到颜色相配的深巧克力色漆。
[本段要点]
1. look forward to sth./doing sth. 期待；期盼（做）某事
注意to为介词，其后接动词时需用动词的ing形式。
2. Bank Holiday 银行休假日
周六、周日以外的银行假日，通常为公众假日，如复活节后的星期一、圣诞节等。
3. accept one's apology接受某人的道歉
4. after all毕竟；终究
Prisoners should be treated with respect - they are human beings after all.
犯人应当受到尊重--毕竟他们也是人。
I don't know why you're so concerned - it isn't your problem after all.
我不知道你为何如此关心--这毕竟不是你的问题。
April 8, Sunday.--After Church, the Curate came back with us. I sent Carrie in to open front door, which we do not use except on special occasions. She could not get it open, and after all my display, I had to take the Curate (whose name, by-the-by, I did not catch,) round the side entrance. He caught his foot in the scraper, and tore the bottom of his trousers. Most annoying, as Carrie could not well offer to repair them on a Sunday. After dinner, went to sleep. Took a walk round the garden, and discovered a beautiful spot for sowing mustard-and-cress and radishes. Went to Church again in the evening: walked back with the Curate. Carrie noticed he had got on the same pair of trousers, only repaired. He wants me to take round the plate, which I think a great compliment.
4月8日 星期天 做完礼拜后，牧师与我们一起回来。我让卡丽去开前门，除了特殊的场合我们一般不用前门。她怎么也打不开，在我也使尽了浑身解数后，我不得不带着牧师（顺便提一下，他的名字我没有记住）绕小门进入。他的脚在刮泥板上绊了一下，裤角被扯破了。最令人恼火的是，卡丽不应在礼拜日提出给他补裤角。晚饭后就去睡觉了。在花园里散步时，发现了一块美丽的地方，可以用来种芥菜苗和萝卜。晚上又去做礼拜，与牧师一起走回来。卡丽注意到牧师穿的是同一条裤子，只是补过了。牧师让我拿着募捐盘，这让我倍感荣幸。
[本段要点]
1. send sb. to do sth.派某人做某事
The U.S. offered to send ships to help in the rescue operation. 美国主动提出派遣船只支援营救行动。
2. on special occasions在特殊场合下；在特殊情况下
3. display [C] 展示；陈列
after all my display 字面意思为“在我展示了所有能展示的之后”，这里表示“使出浑身解数之后”。
4. mustard-and-cress 芥菜苗
6. radish 萝卜
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