• 熟词生义 •
1. [ gone ]
gone在文中是作形容词，表示“离去的”，不要理解成be gone被动语态。
原句：He had breakfast and was gone before I rose in the morning.
2. [ delicacy ]
在文中意思是“审慎”，常见意思是“美味佳肴”。
原句：My delicacy prevented me from forcing another man to confide in me.
谨慎如我，是不会强迫别人向我吐露他的秘密的。
• 今日讲义 •
We met next day as he had arranged, and inspected the rooms of No. 221B, Baker Street. We were both satisfied with the rooms, and agreed to take them there and then. We gradually began to settle down and get used to our new surroundings.
「settle down」就是指搬到一个地方，安定下来生活。按照福尔摩斯的安排，两人第二天看好房子后，当场成交，立刻租了下来（there and then 是当场、立即的意思)。Adele那首经典的Someone like you一开头便是I heard that you’re settled down, that you found a girl and you’re married now.一听就是个伤心的故事。
No.221B, Baker Street: 大名鼎鼎的贝克街221B号，先上图片：
目前在这个地址是The Sherlock Holmes Museum，有机会去伦敦的同学一定要去感受下。还有朋友细心为Sherlock家画出了户型图：
2. His appearance was such as to strike the attention of anyone who saw him. In height he was rather over six feet, and so excessively thin that he seemed to be considerably taller. His eyes were sharp and intense, and his thin nose gave his whole expression an air of alertness and decision.
他的长相，乍见之下就足以引人注目（strike the attention 吸引注意力/让人印象深刻）。他身高差不多超过了六英尺，同时还很瘦削，这使他看起来更高了。他的眼神锐利明亮，瘦挺的鼻子让他看上去多了一分果断而警觉的神态。
「such...as to...」这个搭配是如此,以致于的意思,相当于such...that...,其中such修饰名词哦。第一句话换个说法就是He has such an appearance that strike the attention of anyone who saw him.
an air of alertness and decision(一种果断而警觉的神态)。 这句话给很多同学造成了困扰。首先，air有“神态”的意义（也可以表达成“气场”），《傲慢与偏见》里形容宾利的姐妹们时,就用到了air一词：His sisters were fine women, with an air of decided fashion.他的姐妹们都是些优美的女性, 落落大方。
这里第一次详细描写到了Sherlock的外貌，大家心里面的Sherlock是什么样子的呢？电视剧里面呢，就是这样的
3. but now and again a reaction would take him, and for days on end he would lie upon the sofa in the sitting-room.
本句可以理解为“有些时候，一些想法占据了福尔摩斯的脑海，他整天整天地躺着起居室的沙发上。"now and again"是“时不时，偶尔”。for days on end是“接连数日”的意思。
有同学不理解这里reaction的意思，可以解释为反应，带入文中理解很奇怪，这里的reaction和上文中福尔摩斯旺盛的工作精力形成鲜明的对比，时不时会上来一股相反的劲头。若用英文释义就会帮助理解：an idea evoked by some experience。
4. His ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge. He appeared to know next to nothing of contemporary literature, philosophy and politics. Upon my quoting Thomas Carlyle, he asked the simplest questions such as who he might be and what he had done. And my surprise reached a peak when I found that he was unaware of the Copernican Theory and of the composition of the Solar System.
这两段讲到Sherlock知识面的问题：His ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge(他的无知和博学同样令人印象深刻。）福尔摩斯对医学，化学知识了解深入。但对于当代文学、哲学和政治几乎一无所知，他甚至不知道哥白尼理论和太阳系。
（Sherlock认为天文学知识不重要，因此毫不关心，对此BBC改编的《神探夏洛克》第一季第三集里特意安排了一个案子，需要Sherlock用天文学知识在一幅画里找线索，也算是一种恶搞吧~）
5. There was one little pale rat-faced, dark eyed fellow who was introduced to me as Mr. Lestrade, and who came three or four times in a single week.
这个被引介给我的小个子男人叫雷斯垂德，他脸色苍白，獐头鼠目，有双黑色的眼睛。一周来三四次。rat-faced很生动，“脸像老鼠一样”可译为“獐头鼠脑的”。可见不同的语言中，修辞时而有异曲同工之妙。
此处Mr. Lestrade第一次出场，这位伦敦警察局的一位警官，也是常年被Sherlock嘲笑的对象之一。
6. It was rare for him to be up after ten at night, and he had breakfast and was gone before I rose in the morning.
有同学不理解这个up在文中的意思，问是起床了的意思吗？其实在这里 be up可以理解成熬夜、还没睡，相当于stay up。结合上下文来理解，福尔摩斯生活很规律，所以很少在十点以后还不睡觉。
7. He was not studying medicine, nor did he appear to have followed any course of reading which might fit him for a degree in science.
他没有学医，但他好像也没有特地去上任何可能适合他的学科。引出后文福尔摩斯在某些领域的杰出（remarkable），知识渊博。感觉福尔摩斯自学能力超强~
nor did 倒装句。nor 也不，表否定。对应肯定句中的是so。
举例：He likes singing. So do I. / He does not like singing. Nor do I.
•今日短语•
there and then当场，立即
for days on end连续、一连几天
be reluctant to do不愿意做
know next to nothing of sth. 对....一无所知
confide in sb.向...吐露心思
a point-blank question直截了当的问题
take in吸收，领会
have no difference to sb./sth. 对...来说没有影响
now and again时不时，偶尔
come across 偶遇；无意中发现的