英语选修八小课文及翻译第四单元

Unit4 Act Two, Scene 1 MAKING THE BET 第二幕第一场打赌

It is 11am in Henry Higgins' house the next day. Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering are sitting deep in conversation.

第二天上午11点，在亨利·希金斯家。亨利同皮克林上校正坐着深切地交谈。

H: Do you want to hear any more sounds? 希：你还想不想听听更多的发音呢？

CP: No, thank you. I rather fancied myself because I can pronounce twenty-four distinct vowel sounds; but your one hundred and thirty beat me. I can't distinguish most of them.

皮：不听了，谢谢。我本来还很自负的，因为我能清晰地发出24个元音来。而你发出了130个元音，其中多数我都分辨不清。你赢我了。

H: (laughing) Well, that comes with practice. 希：（笑起来）这都是练习的结果。

There is a knock and Mrs Pearce (MP), the housekeeper, comes in with cookies, a teapot, some cream and two cups.

敲门声起，皮尔斯夫人（管）带着甜点、茶壶、奶酒和两个杯子进来。

MP: (hesitating) A young girl is asking to see you.

管：（犹豫地）一个年轻姑娘求见你。

H: A young girl! What does she want? 希：年轻姑娘！她想要什么？

MP: Well, she's quite a common kind of girl with dirty nails.I thought perhaps you wanted her to talk into your machines.

管：哦，很普通的一个年轻姑娘，手指甲脏兮兮的。我本来还以为你是要她来对着机器讲话的呢。

H: Why? Has she got an interesting accent? We'll see.Show her in, Mrs Pearce.

希：怎么啦？她的口音很有趣吗？咱们来看看吧。皮尔斯夫人，带她进来。

MP: (only half resigned to it) Very well, sir. (goes downstairs)

管：（半听不听地）好吧，先生。（随即向楼下走去）

H: This is a bit of luck. I'll show you how I make records on wax disks ...

希：还真是运气，我让你看看我是怎样在唱片上录音的。

MP: (returning) This is the young girl, sir. (Eliza comes into the room shyly following Mrs. Pearce.

She is dirty and wearing a shabby dress. She curtsies to the two men.)

管：（返回来）先生，这就是那个年轻姑娘。（伊莱扎跟在皮尔斯夫人后边羞怯地走进房来。

她穿着破旧的衣服，还脏兮兮的。进来就朝两位先生行屈膝礼。

H: (disappointed) Why! I've got this girl in my records. She's the one we saw the other day. She's no use at all. Take her away.

希：（失望地）好啦，我已经给这个年轻姑娘做过记录了。她就是那天我们见到过的那个，现在根本没有用了，带她走吧！

CP: (gently to Eliza) What do you-want, young lady? 皮：（温和地）年轻姑娘，你想要干什么？E: (upset) I wanna be a lady in a flower shop 'stead o' selling flowers in the street. But they won't take me 'less I speak better. So here I am, ready to pay him. I'm not asking for any favours - and he treats me like dirt.

伊：（不安地）我想在花店里当卖花姑娘，不想到街上去卖花了。但是他们不会要我，除非我讲话讲得好些，所以我来了，准备付给他钱。我并不是求他帮忙——可他把我当下贱人看待。

H: How much? 希：你给多少钱？

E: (happier) Now yer talking. A lady friend of mine gets French lessons for two shillings an hour

from a real Frenchman. You wouldn't have the face to ask me for the same for teaching me as yer would for French. So Iwon't give yer more than a shilling.

伊：（比较高兴地）啊，你发话了。我的一位女朋友跟一个真正的法国人学法文，每小时两先令。你总不会好意思要我付跟法语同样多的钱吧。所以我最多给你一个先令。

H: (ignoring Eliza and speaking to Pickering) If you think of how much money this girl has - why, it's the best offer I've had! (to Eliza) But if I teach you, I'll be worse than a father.

希：（不理睬伊莱扎，而跟皮克林说）要是你想到这个年轻姑娘身上能有多少钱，那么，这就是我能得到的最高薪俸了！（对伊莱扎说）不过，要是我来教你，我会比当爸爸的还要严格。

CP: I say, Higgins. Do you remember what you said last night? I'll say you're the greatest teacher alive if you can pass her off as a lady. I'll be the referee for this little bet and pay for the lessons too ...

皮：喂，希金斯。你还记得昨天晚上你说过的话吗？如果你能使她冒充一位贵夫人，那么我说你就是一位最了不起的教师了。我会为这个小赌当裁判，而且课时费由我来付。E: (gratefully) Oh, yer real good, yer are. Thank you, Colonel.

伊：（感激地）啊！你真好，真好。谢谢你，上校。

H: Oh, she is so deliciously low. (compromises) OK, I'll teach you. (to Mrs Pearce) But she'll need to be cleaned first. Take her away, Mrs Pearce. Wash her and burn her horrible clothes. We'll buy her new ones. What's your name, girl?

希：哦，她真是粗俗得可爱！（提出折衷办法）好吧，我教你。（对皮尔斯夫人说）不过，她得先把自己洗干净了。把她带下去，皮尔斯夫人。给她洗一洗，把那身可怕的脏衣服全部烧掉。我们给她买新的。姑娘，你叫什么名字？

E: I'm Eliza Doolittle and I'm clean. My clothes went to the laundry when I washed last week. 伊：我叫伊莱扎·杜立特尔。我是干净的，上个礼拜才洗过澡。

MP: Well, Mr Higgins has a bathtub of his own and he has a bath every morning. If these two gentlemen teach you, you'll have to do the same. They won't like the smell of you otherwise. 管：希金斯先生有自己的浴缸。他每天早晨都要洗澡。如果你要这两位先生教你，你就得照着办另外，他们不想闻到你身上的那股气味。

E: (sobbing) I can't. I dursn't. It ain't natural and it'd kill me. I've never had a bath in my life; not over my whole body, neither below my waist nor taking my vest off. I'd never have come if I'd known about this disgusting thing you want me to do ...

伊：（哭泣）我不能，我不敢。这太别扭了，会要我的命的。我这一生从来没有在浴缸里洗澡过，特别是全身浸泡，冲洗腰部以下或者把我的背心拿走我也算是不会洗的。要是我知道你要我做这样的丑事，我是绝不会来的。

H: Once more, take her away, Mrs Pearce, immediately. (Outside Eliza is still weeping with Mrs Pearce) You see the problem, Pickering. It'll be how to teach her grammar, not just pronunciation. She's in need of both.

希：我再说一遍，把她带走，皮尔斯夫人，立刻带走。（伊莱扎跟皮尔斯夫人出去了，还在哭泣）皮克林，你看到麻烦了吧。不仅仅是语音问题，还得教语法呢。这两个方面她都需要。

CP: And there's another problem, Higgins. What are we going to do once the experiment is over? 皮：希金斯，还有一个问题。一旦试验完成了，我们准备做什么呢？

H: (heartily) Throw her back. 希：（兴奋地）把她扔回去。

CP: But you cannot overlook that! She'll be changed and she has feelings too. We must be