雙語小說連載:《董貝父子》第12章 Part 17
'How are you?' he would say to Paul, fifty times a day. 'Quite well, Sir, thank you,' Paul would answer. 'Shake hands,' would be Toots's next advance.
Which Paul, of course, would immediately do. Mr Toots generally said again, after a long interval of staring and hard breathing, 'How are you?' To which Paul again replied, 'Quite well, Sir, thank you.'
保羅自然立刻那麼做了。圖茨先生在長久的注視與喘氣之後，一般又會再問道，“您好嗎？”保羅又會再次回答，“很好，先生，謝謝您！”One evening Mr Toots was sitting at his desk, oppressed by correspondence, when a great purpose seemed to flash upon him. He laid down his pen, and went off to seek Paul, whom he found at last, after a long search, looking through the window of his little bedroom.
有一天晚上，圖茨先生正坐在他的書桌前面，被書信弄得很累，這時他似乎突然想到一個很大的主意。他放下筆，跑出去尋找保羅。他通過保羅小臥室中的窗子，經過長久的探察之後，終於把他找到了。
'I say!' cried Toots, speaking the moment he entered the room, lest he should forget it; 'what do you think about?'
“聽我說！”圖茨一走進房間就立刻大聲說道，唯恐他會把話忘掉；“您在想什麼？”'Oh! I think about a great many things,' replied Paul.
“哦！我在想好多好多事情，”保羅回答道。'Do you, though?' said Toots, appearing to consider that fact in itself surprising. 'If you had to die,' said Paul, looking up into his face - Mr Toots started, and seemed much disturbed.
“真的嗎？”圖茨說道，好像他認爲這個事實本身就是令人驚奇似的。 “如果您必須死去的話，——”保羅仰起頭來注視着他的臉，說道。 圖茨先生吃了一驚，似乎十分不安。'Don't you think you would rather die on a moonlight night, when the sky was quite clear, and the wind blowing, as it did last night?'
“——那麼您是不是認爲最好是在一個有月光籠罩着的夜間死去，而當時天空又十分清澈，風像昨天那樣吹着？”Mr Toots said, looking doubtfully at Paul, and shaking his head, that he didn't know about that.
圖茨先生滿臉疑雲地看着保羅，搖搖頭說，他不知道這一點。'Not blowing, at least,' said Paul, 'but sounding in the air like the sea sounds in the shells. It was a beautiful night. When I had listened to the water for a long time, I got up and looked out. There was a boat over there, in the full light of the moon; a boat with a sail.'
“或者不是吹着，”保羅說道，“而是在空中響着，就像海水在貝殼中響着一樣。那是個美麗的夜。我聽海水聽了很久，就起牀向外眺望。在明亮的月光下面，海上有一隻小船；一條掛帆的小船。”The child looked at him so steadfastly, and spoke so earnestly, that Mr Toots, feeling himself called upon to say something about this boat, said, 'Smugglers.' But with an impartial remembrance of there being two sides to every question, he added, 'or Preventive.'
孩子看着他的時候是那麼聚精會神，說話的時候是那麼認真懇切，因此圖茨覺得自己務必說點有關這隻小船的話纔好，於是就說，“這是走私船。”但他毫無偏見地想到任何問題都有兩個方面，就又補充說道，“或者是緝私船。”'A boat with a sail,' repeated Paul, 'in the full light of the moon. The sail like an arm, all silver. It went away into the distance, and what do you think it seemed to do as it moved with the waves?'
“一條掛帆的小船，”保羅重複說道，“在明亮的月光下面。那張帆像只胳膊，全是銀色的。它駛向遠方；當它乘着海浪前進的時候，您想它似乎是要做什麼呢？”'Pitch,' said Mr Toots.
“俯衝然後仰浮，”圖茨先生說道。'It seemed to beckon,' said the child, 'to beckon me to come! - There she is! There she is!'
“它似乎在招呼，”孩子說道，“在招呼我到它那裏去！——她在那裏！她在那裏！”Toots was almost beside himself with dismay at this sudden exclamation, after what had gone before, and cried 'Who?'
圖茨先生在先前發生的事情之後，聽到這突如其來的高喊聲，驚愕得不知所以，就喊道：“誰？”註釋: advance n. 發展；前進；增長；預付款
vt. 提出；預付；使……前進；將……提前
vi. 前進；進展；上漲
adj. 預先的；先行的
[ 過去式advanced 過去分詞advanced 現在分詞advancing ]
詞組：
in advance adv. 預先，提前
in advance of 超過；在…前面
advance in 進步；改進
with the advance of 隨着…的增加；隨着(時間)的推移
an advance 預付款
on the advance (物價)在上漲
advance payment 預付款
advance notice 預先通知
advance with the times 與時俱進；與時代發展同步伐
advance booking 預訂（機票等）
payment in advance 預付貨款
make advances 接近；預付；取得進步
well in advance 大大提前
advance warning 事前警告（警報）
advance development 先期發展；超前掘進
cash advance 預付現金
advance towards 朝…前進
spark advance 點火提前；火花提早
advance guard 軍隊前衛，先頭部隊；先鋒派
advance with times 與時俱進
例句：
(1) Yes. Did you call in advance?
可以，你事先打過電話了嗎？
(2) Sort through some things in advance.
事先準備好要整理的東西。
(3) Sort through some things in advance.
提前就整理好一些東西。
(4) We have received your advance sample.
我們收到了你們的先發樣品。
(5) Can I sign up for this course in advance?
我能事先申請上這一課程嗎？
(6) The problem is to identify them in advance.
可要提前鑑別出他們卻並非易事。
(7) But why had it not been deleted in advance?
但是，爲什麼不事先被刪除？
(8) And it's bound to advance in the coming season.
隨着旺季的到來行情必須看漲。
dismay n. 沮喪，灰心；驚慌
vt. 使沮喪；使驚慌
詞組：
(1) Jack shakes his head in dismay.
傑克沮喪地搖搖頭。
(2) To my dismay, he made the same mistakes.
使我驚訝的是，他又犯了同樣的錯誤。
(3) In face of you, I was really in blank dismay.
面對着你，我真的很無可奈何，真的很傷心。
(4) Much to my dismay, he made the same mistakes.
使我很驚訝的是，他又犯了同樣的錯誤。
(5) She never faces a difficult task with dismay.
面對困難的任務她從不氣餒。
(6) I cannot think of such a battle without dismay.
我每一想到這種戰爭的情形就心驚肉跳。
(7) To his dismay, James saw a tear steal down her cheek.
令詹姆士驚愕的是，他看到一顆淚珠從她“面頰”上悄悄滾落。
(8) Still I turn around and hurt you and cause you dismay.
直到我轉身傷害你，真的讓你失望了。
