清晨。我每天所坚持的。。。互勉

　　最近在读的一本小说是< At Home With The Templetons> 觉得不错。为了巩固，也为了能温故而知新。遂决定从头开始，一段一段的看，有新词记录下来，有觉得不错的表达也摘录下来。和大家分享咯。
　　我觉得吧，很多人面对大段大段的文字是很没毅力看得，我说得没错吧！ 所以，在这里，我dissect成一小段，一小段，方便大家阅读。
　　就好像800米的长跑，每以100米为目标的话，会变得很轻松哈~
　　加油啦，开跑！

　　From the moment Gracie Templeton knew she was going back to the Hall, she started to see him again.
　　 He walked past her in the Tube station. She saw him studying at a table in the local library,his head bowed, engrossed in a book.Every second customer in the restaurant where she worked part-time sounded like him. An actor on TV had his shy sjile. Everywhere she went , there was a man who reminded her of him , the same hetght , six foot three. The same dark curls. The easy , lanky walk, The same clothes-faded jeans , a dark reefer jacket. For eight years she'd been trying to put him out of her mind , to forget him , to rebuild her life. Now it was as if no time had passed at all.
　　
　　========================================
　　
　　1. Tube station = subway station= metro station 地铁站
　　
　　2. bow one's head = not looking straight forward , but in downward direction. 低头
　　
　　3. be engrossed in sth = be totally absorbed in= be carried away by. 全神贯注于
　　
　　4. lanky = over lean and tall 过分的瘦长
　　
　　5. reefer jacket = some kind of short and tight jacket. 短而紧身的外套
　　

　　As she watched the departure date grow closer, packed her suitcase, tidied her flat, she could think only of him. Three days before her flight, she gave in. Even as she typed his name into an Internet search engine, she knew it was a mistake, When his name appeared , she clicked on the link and began to read , then turned quickly away,shutting the laptop, breaking the connection. Quickly but not quickly enough. A line from the entry had leapt out at her :A promising career cut short --
　　================================
　　
　　1. pack one's suitcase 整理行李箱
　　
　　2. give in = succumb 屈服；投降
　　
　　3. shut the laptop 合拢电脑，注意，这里不是关掉电脑噢
　　
　　4. break the connection = It means to make the computer inaccessible to Internet. 切断连接，这里是指网络的连接。
　　
　　5. leap out at her = come into her eyes . 跳跃而出，进入她的眼帘。
　　
　　6. cut short = come to a halt abruptly 戛然而止，突然停止。

　　If she'd dared to read on , would she have seen her name there ? A promising career cut short by Gracie Templeton. The phrase haunted her throughout the twenty-two-hour flight. Until, there she was, stepping out into Melbourne airport for the first time in sixteen years.
　　
　　=============================
　　
　　1. haunt=linger on one's mind. 萦绕
　　

　　The man behind the car-hire desk was the perfect mixure of efficiency and good humour. "That's all great , Gracie Templeton aged twenty-seven of London, thank you ." He handed her English driver's licence back across the desk . " So , is this your first time here ? "
　　
　　===========================
　　
　　1. a perfect mixure of = a perfect combination of ...

　　Gracie hesitated , then shook her head . " I used to live here, with my family. For three years."
　　
　　" But you all left again ? Summer got too hot ? "
　　
　　" Something like that ," she said.
　　
　　Minutes later she was in the small hire car , breathing in the too-sweet air-freshener fumes, unfolding the map and plotting her route.It was unsettling to see the place names again. Turning up the radio loudly to drown out her thoughts, she focused her attention on the road ahead.
　　
　　====================================
　　
　　1. used to do something = do something in the past 过去曾经...
　　
　　2. breathe in = take in 吸入
　　
　　3. air freshener 空气清新剂
　　
　　4. unfold the map 打开地图
　　
　　5. unsettling = making someone upset 使...不安的
　　
　　6. drown out = overwhelm 淹没，盖过
　　

　　Just over an hour later, something about the landscape made her slow down. A sign came into view : Castlemaine 25 km. She wasn't far away now. She hadn't been sure she would find her way so easily. There were no longer any roadside signs pointing to the Hall, after all. But it felt so familiar. The broad paddocks, gentle tree-covered hills, the big sky, the space. So much light and space. She stopped briefly to double-check her map and the smell when she opened the car door almost overwhelmed her: warm soil , gum leaves , the scents of her childhood.
　　
　　============================
　　
　　1. landscape 景色
　　
　　2. road sign 路标
　　
　　3. paddock （小）牧场
　　
　　4. gentle hill 不险峻的山/ gentle slope
　　
　　5. scent : faint scent 清香 / scent of 发出...的气味；有...的迹象

　　Five kilometers later , she was at the turn-off. The huge gum tree at the junction of the highway and the dirt driveway had always been their landmark. She indicated left and drove slowly, jolting over potholes and loose stones. As she tried to negotiate her way around the worst of them , she was broken tree branches, crooked posts, gaps in the fencing . Her father would never have let the approach road look this uncared for, 'First impressions are everything , my darlings, ' she could almost hear him saying
　　
　　
　　===================================
　　
　　1. turn-off 叉路
　　2. at the junction of = at the intersection of 在交叉的地方
　　3. indicate left / right 打向左/右的指示灯
　　4. jolt over potholes and loose stones. jolt over 颠簸/potholes 洞 / loose stone 裸石
　　 5. crooked = bent 折弯的
　　6. approach road 进道

　　The closer she came, the more neglect she saw: uneven patches of grass where there had once been smooth green lawn, bare brown earth where she'd once picked flowers, rows of fruit trees now left to grow wild, their branches heavy with unpicked, rotting fruit. One final bend of the driveway and there it was in front of her. Templeton Hall.
　　=============================
　　
　　1. neglect 忽略/忽视
　　2. uneven 不均匀的 uneven surface 粗糙表面
　　3. unpicked 未采摘的
　　4. rotting 腐烂了的
　　5. bend = turn 转弯

　　She slowly brought the car to a halt, feeling as though her heart was trying to beat its way out of her chest. She'd expected the building to look smaller, but it seemed bigger. Two storeys high, large shuttered windows, an imposing front door reached by a flight of wide steps made from the same golden sandstone as the house itself. It needed painting , several roof tiles were broken and one of the window shutters was missing a slat, but it was still standing, almost glowing in the bright sunshine ,as beautiful as she remembered.
　　
　　====================================
　　
　　1. beat out of one's chest 跳出胸腔
　　2. two storeys high 两层楼高
　　3. shutter 百叶窗
　　4. imposing （相貌）堂堂的；令人印象深刻的；壮观的
　　5. a flight of stairs 一段楼梯
　　6. sandstone 砂岩
　　7. roof tile 屋瓦
　　8. slat 百叶窗的板条

　　As she walked towards it , the sound of the gravel crunching beneath her shoes mingled with unfamiliar bird calls from the trees all around, She automatically reached for her talisman, the antique silver whistle she always carried in her bag, holding it tight in her hand , He'd given it to her when she was just a child.Back then it had been a good luck charm. Now it was her only reminder of him.
　　
　　==========================
　　
　　1. gravel = crushed stone 碎石
　　2. mingle with=couple with= mix with 伴随 ...； 与....混合
　　3. birdcall 鸟鸣
　　4. talisman 护身符，法宝
　　5. antique 古董的，年代久远的
　　6. good luck charm 吉祥物，护身符
　　7. a reminder of sb,sth 对...的提醒

　　She climed the first step, the second ,the third ,wishing ,too late , that she hadn't offered to arrive early, hadn't volunteered to be the first to step back inside the Hall again. The front door opened before she had a chance to put the key in the lock.
　　
　　===============================
　　
　　1. climb the first step 爬了第一步
　　2. put the key in the lock 把钥匙插进锁里

　　楼主加油

　　@依各 2011-09-03　07:52:53
　　　　楼主加油
　　-----------------------------
　　
　　嘻嘻 fighting

　　It was the first Saturday of the month and Gracie's turn to be the head of the house, She put on the well-ironed long blue cotton dress she'd hung up in her wardrobe the previous evening, adjusted her petticoats, tied on her apron , brushed her unfortunatgely fly-away white-blonde hair until it was a little less fly-away, checked that her black patent-leather shoes were shining and her bonnet neatly fastened.
　　==========================
　　
　　1. put on =wear 穿上
　　2. well-ironed 熨得非常好的
　　3. petticoat 裙子
　　4. tie on apron 系上围裙
　　5. fly-away hair 飞扬的头发
　　6. patent-leather 漆皮的
　　7. bonnet 软帽

　　After a final look in the mirror, she went downstairs and opened up the dining room, the library and the morning room , She switched on all fifteen of the lamps , from the small table ones with the colored glass shades to the large standard models with the heavy brocade covers. Next, she polished the diningroom table. It was eight foot long and four foot wide and she could not quite reach the middle of it, but with the lamps turned low she hoped any dust wouldn't show.
　　=================
　　
　　1. glass shade 玻璃罩（灯）
　　2. brocade 锻锦/ 锦缎

　　She lit the incense in the small Chinese-themed room. She straightened the rugs in the entrance hall, tweaked the runner on the main staircase ( it always seemed to stick on the fifth stair and turned the bronze statuette of Athena on the side-table in the smoking room so it was correctly facing forward rather than staring at the wall, Her brother, Spencer , thought it was funny to move the statue around in unexpected ways and at unexpected times, One Saturday Gracie was about to open the heavy front door and welcome the first of the day's visitors to Templeton Hall when she noticed Sthena was standing on her head, balanced precariously against the wall, her bronze legs akimbo. Gracie only just had time to rescue her before the first visitor appeared.
　　=======================
　　
　　1. light the incense 点上香
　　2. straighten the rugs / straighten clothes 拉好衣服
　　3. tweak 扭/拧
　　4. staircase 楼梯
　　5. stand on one's head 倒立
　　6. precariously 不安全地；不牢靠地
　　7. bronze legs 晒黑的腿
　　8. akimbo 两手叉腰地；两手叉腰的

　　Returning to the morning room ,Gracie used a broomstick to gently nudge the portrait of her great-grandfather above the fireplace back into position ( it tended to tilt to the left ) and set a record of Beethoven's sonatas playing on the old gramophone in the corner.
　　========================
　　
　　1. broomstick 扫帚柄
　　2. tilt to the left 向左倾斜
　　3. nudge sth into position 推到指定位子
　　4. gramophone 留声机

　　That was her preparation almost done. Even though she'd checked the appointments book the night before, she checked it again, trying to memorise where each group was coming from. Her sisters, Charlotte and Audrey ,,always mocked her diligence.
　　 ' Who cares who they are or where they come from ?' Audrey would often say.' They're just tourists, Gracie. Here to pay our bills for us.'
　　 ' Not tourists, stickbeaks ,' Charlotte would correct her. 'People with more money than sense.'
　　===================================
　　
　　1. appointment book 预约薄
　　2. mock her diligence 嘲笑她的勤勉
　　

　　For years , Gracie had heard that saying as ' more money than cents,' which didn't make any sense to her at all. Not that she dared ask Charlotte for an explanation. She'd learnt from an early age that it was best not to question any of Charlotte's pronouncements. There was less chance of being a victim of her sharp tongue that way. Her ' legendary' sharp tongue, as Charlotte herself proudly referred to it.
　　
　　=========================
　　
　　1. pronouncement 声明；判决
　　2. a victim of her sharp tongue 说话刻薄的牺牲者 （呵呵 好形象）

　　Gracie loved both her sisters , but preferred them separately rather than together. Seventeen-year-old Charlotte was quick-tempered , but on her own she could also be surprisingly patient, And if sixteen-year-old Audrey wasnot busy gazing at herself in the mirror or complaining that she was not receiving enough attention from their parents, she could be quite kind to Gracie.
　　=======================
　　1. quick-tempered 急脾气，易怒的
　　

　　At least their father approved of his youngest daughter's passionate interest in the Hall. ' That is my girl,' Henry would say if he came across Gracie sitting on the staircase with the appointment book.' If only the others were as good as this whole malarkly as you.'
　　 'I am as good at this whole malarkey,' Charlotte said once, overhearing, 'Better,probably . I just can not be bothered. There is a difference.
　　=============================
　　1. come across. 偶遇，无意中发现，讲的清楚明白。
　　2. malarkey （说）大话；空话；胡说
　　3. overhear 无意中听到，偷听到

　　Gracie put the book back neatly where she'd found it. This morning was going to be busy, The first group was due in at ten, and three others before lunch, but as all the Templeton knew from experience, casual visitors could also arrive at the Hall any time. She caught sight of the family motto written in curling Gothic script around a framed portrait of her grandfather, Tobias Templeton. It was in Latin , but her father had translated it for her--loosely , he explained -- as ' Fail to prepare , prepare to fail.'
　　==========================
　　1. neatly 整洁的，熟练的，灵巧的
　　2. know from experience 根据经验
　　3. casual visitor 这里的casual取“临时”的意思
　　4. family motto 家训
　　5. script regular script 楷体
　　6. loosely 宽松地，放荡地，轻率地 。。。。 translate loosely
　　7. fail to prepare , prepare to fail.

　　Gracie would never admit it to her sisters , or to Spencer,but that motto was like a life message to her, She did her best with her schoolwork and her share of the housework and gardening, but she really tried to be prepared when it came to the dfamily business, SHe bit her lip as she stood in the hallwaym mentally checking her to-do list, Something was missing, She walked through the rooms again until it hit her. Flowers ! There were no flowers . And there had to be flowers.
　　==============================
　　1. admit sth to sb 向某人承认
　　2. hallway 走廊，门厅，玄关
　　3. walk through the rooms again until it hit her. 在房间在走一遍，直到想起

　　She ran up the two flights of stairs and this time opened Audrey's door without knocking.
　　 'Did you get the folowers ?'
　　'I'm asleep.'
　　'Audrey, did you ?'
　　'I'm sleeping-talking. Go away.'
　　Gracie's voice get louder. 'You promised you would get them We made a deal .I'd polish the silver if you got the flowers. You promised.'
　　 'I forgot.'Audrey's voice was muffled by the pillow.
　　'That's not fair!' Gracie was shouting now.
　　'Can you two shut up?' Charlotte's voice sounded clearly from her room across the hallways. 'I'm trying to get some sleep here.'
　　===================================
　　1. run up two flights of stairs 跑上两节楼梯 那么也有run down two flights of stairs
　　2. sleep talking 睡着觉说话，童鞋们是不是经常有此状况呢，嘿嘿
　　3. muffle : the voice is muffled by the pillow. / ear muffle 耳罩
　　

　　Gracie surprised them both, and herself, by giving a loud shriek that lasted nearly ten seconds. It hurt her throat but it worked. Before the last note finished sounding, both Audrey （in a sick nightdress) and Charlotte (in plaid pyjamas ) were standing in front of her. Their expressions were murderous, but they were at least paying her attention.
　　=========================================
　　1. a loud shriek 尖叫
　　2. plaid 格子图案的/格子图案
　　3. murderous 杀人的

　　'Bloody hell, Gracie. Shut up. You'll wake mum and dad and Hope,' Charlotte hissed.' You know the rules. No sleep-in on Saturdays, no picket money for any of us.' Gracie stood her groud .' Audrey was supposed to get the flowers and she didn't.' Charlotte rolled her eyes. 'So what ? Who cares ? If anyone asks, blame it on the maids.' 'we don't have maids.' 'People don't know that. Tell them we had a maid but she turned out to be light-fingered----' 'Flower-fingered,' Audrey interrupted.Charlotte laughed.'So we had to dismiss her. Hence, no maid and no flowers.'
　　===============================\
　　1.bloody hell 天哪
　　2. shut up 闭嘴
　　3. hiss 发出嘘声
　　4. stand one's ground 坚定她的立场
　　5. blame sth on sb 把..怪罪到某人
　　6. light-fingered 心灵手巧的；善于扒窃的=== 》 a light-fingered folk 三只手

　　Gracie wanted to cry. She hated it when her sisters ganged up on her like this. She also hated it when there were no flowers in the rooms. At any other time of the year, she would have gone out into the large gardens surrounding the house and picked what she needed. But there were no flowers at the moment, just lots of dry autumn leaves
　　==========================
　　1. gang up on 联合反对，联合对付

　　Gracie wanted to cry. She hated it when her sisters ganged up on her like this. She also hated it when there were no flowers in the rooms. At any other time of the year, she would have gone out into the large gardens surrounding the house and picked what she needed. But there were no flowers at the moment, just lots of dry autumn leaves.
　　=======================
　　1. gang up on 联合反对，联合对付

　　''Stop fretting so much, Gracie'' Adurey said,more kindly. ''It really doesn''t matter.''''It matters to me.''''It matters to me'' Charlotte and Audrey both mimicked her passionate tone, before laughing again. That did it. She stomped, as nosilily as she could, down the halllway.''Shut up, Gracie. You''ll make everyone,'' Audrey hissed again. '' Idon''t care. I hope I wake them all, Mum and Dand and Aunt Hope. Then I''ll be able to tell them about the flowers. About your broken promise.''
　　=====================
　　1. fret 焦急；焦躁 fret over 为...焦急
　　2. mimick 模仿
　　3. stomp 跺脚

　　'I'm going back to bed,' Charlotte said, turning away.
　　Gracie turned back towards her.' You can't. You're supposed to be dressed and ready by now too. I checked the roster. It's you and me on today. I am downstairs, you are upstairs.'
　　 'Check the roster again. It's you and Spencer on today, not me . I did a deal with him.'
　　=======================
　　1. roster 花名册，人员名单

　　Gracie felt a sudden rush of anger again,secretly enjoying the feeling. It gave her the courage to stand up to Charlotte and Audrey. She borrowed one of her Aunt Hope's phrases:' You two are absolutely and completely bloody incorrigible,' She headed downstaris, muttering to herself but loudly enough so they could hear her, borrowing another one of Hope's favourite sayings. ' If this was my house, I'd throw you all out.'
　　============================
　　1. a sudden rush of anger 一阵怒火
　　2. borrow one's phrase 借用某人的话
　　3. incorrigible 无可救药的；积习难返的；不可救药的人

　　突然也想和LZ一样，每天起来一段英文， 不过已经摒弃英文很久，有些单词早不会念了的。。。

　　崇拜LZ，一直早上都起不来的

　　袋鼠和青蛙去嫖鸡，袋鼠三下两下完事，只听隔壁的青蛙整夜一二三嘿！一二三嘿！袋鼠好羡慕，次日，袋鼠说：“哇！~~蛙兄，你好棒哦！。”青蛙说：“操，老子一夜都没跳上床！~~”
　　
　　
　　
　　
　　
　　

　　@lmj1019 2011-09-04　21:56:35
　　　　突然也想和LZ一样，每天起来一段英文， 不过已经摒弃英文很久，有些单词早不会念了的。。。
　　-----------------------------
　　嘻嘻 那就跟我的帖子 啥时候起来啥时候看 ^_^