Lesson 95 A fantasy

'And where were you at the time?'

“那你當(dāng)時(shí)在什么地方？”

Lesson 95 A fantasy

'I was in my office as usual,' answered the Ambassador.

“我和往常一樣，在辦公室里，”大使回答說。

Lesson 95 A fantasy

'The fire broke out in the basement.I went down immediately,of course,

“地下室突然著火，我當(dāng)然馬上下去了。

Lesson 95 A fantasy

and that fool, Horst, aimed a fire extinguisher at me.

但那個(gè)傻瓜霍斯特把滅火器對準(zhǔn)了我。

Lesson 95 A fantasy

He thought I was on fire.

他認(rèn)為是我著火了。

Lesson 95 A fantasy

I must definitely get that fellow posted. '

我一定要把那個(gè)家伙打發(fā)走。”

Lesson 95 A fantasy

The Ambassador's wife went on asking questions, when she suddenly noticed a big hole in her husband's hat.

大使夫人繼續(xù)提出問題，她突然又發(fā)現(xiàn)丈夫的帽子上有個(gè)洞。

Lesson 95 A fantasy

'And how can you explain that?' she asked.

“那么你對那又作何解釋呢？”她問。

Lesson 95 A fantasy

'Oh, that,' said the Ambassador.

“那個(gè)嘛，”大使說，

Lesson 95 A fantasy

'Someone fired a shot through my office window.

“有人向我辦公室窗戶開了一槍。

Lesson 95 A fantasy

Accurate, don't you think? Fortunately, I wasn't wearing it at the time.

真夠準(zhǔn)的，是不是？幸虧我當(dāng)時(shí)沒戴帽子。

Lesson 95 A fantasy

If I had been, I would not have been able to get home for lunch. '

如果真戴著它，我現(xiàn)在就不能回家來吃午飯了。”

Lesson 96 The dead return

A Festival for the Dead is held once a year in Japan.

日本每年過一次“亡靈節(jié)”。

Lesson 96 The dead return

This festival is a cheerful occasion, for on this day, the dead are said to return to their homes and they are welcomed by the living.

這個(gè)節(jié)日是個(gè)歡樂的日子，因?yàn)樵谶@一天，據(jù)說死去的人要回到他們的家里來，活著的人則對他們表示歡迎。

Lesson 96 The dead return

As they are expected to be hungry after their long journey, food is laid out for them.

因?yàn)轭A(yù)料到他們在經(jīng)過長途旅行之后會(huì)感到饑餓，所以為他們擺放好了食品。

Lesson 96 The dead return

Specially-made lanterns are hung outside each house to help the dead to find their way.

特制的燈籠掛在各家的門外，為的是幫助亡靈看清道路。

Lesson 96 The dead return

All night long, people dance and sing.

整個(gè)夜晚人們載歌載舞。

Lesson 96 The dead return

In the early morning, the food that had been laid out for the dead is thrown into a river or into the sea as it is considered unlucky for anyone living to eat it.

一大早，人們便把為死者擺放的食品扔進(jìn)河中或海里，因?yàn)槿藗冋J(rèn)為活著的人吃了這些東西是不吉利的。

Lesson 96 The dead return

In towns that are near the sea, the tiny lanterns which had been hung in the streets the night before, are placed into the water when the festival is over.

在靠海的城鎮(zhèn)中，頭天夜里掛在大街小巷的小燈籠在節(jié)后就放在了水里。

Lesson 96 The dead return

Thousands of lanterns slowly drift out to sea guiding the dead on their return journey to the other world.

成千上萬只燈籠慢慢漂向大海，指引著亡靈返回另一個(gè)世界。

Lesson 96 The dead return

This is a moving spectacle, for crowds of people stand on the shore watching the lanterns drifting away until they can be seen no more.

這是一個(gè)感人的場面，人們成群地佇立在海岸上，注視著燈籠遠(yuǎn)去，直到再也看不見為止。