男孩给老人带来了晚饭和啤酒。他俩一边吃饭，一边聊着棒球。没错，今天的阅读又是一轮长长的对话。
你准备好了吗？
2020年2月11日 星期二 正月十八
今日单词
league [lɪːg] n. 联盟
mistake [mɪˈsteɪk] n. 错误
manager ['mænɪdʒə(r)] n. 经理
roar [rɔː] v. 咆哮
roll [rəul] v. 卷起
urinate ['jʊrɪneɪt] v. 小便
01 迪马吉奥和迪克·西斯勒
"Your stew is excellent," the old man said.
"Tell me about the baseball," the boy asked him.
"In the American League it is the Yankees as I said," the old man said happily.
"They lost today." the boy told him.
"That means nothing. The great DiMaggio is himself again."
"They have other men on the team."
"Naturally. But he makes the difference. In the other league, between Brooklyn and Philadelphia I must take Brooklyn. But then I think of Dick Sisler and those great drives in the old park."
"There was nothing ever like them. He hits the longest ball I have ever seen."
"Do you remember when he used to come to the Terrace?I wanted to take him fishing but I was too timid to ask him. Then I asked you to ask him and you were too timid."
"I know. It was a great mistake. He might have gone with us. Then we would have that for all of our lives."
"I would like to take the great DiMaggio fishing," the old man said. "They say his father was a fisherman. Maybe he was as poor as we are and would understand."
"The great Sisler's father was never poor and he, the father, was playing in the Big Leagues when he was my age."
"When I was your age I was before the mast on a square rigged ship that ran to Africa and I have seen lions on the beaches in the evening."
"I know. You told me."
厘米译
“炖菜很不错嘛。”老人说。
“给我讲讲棒球吧。”男孩请求说。
“美国联赛中，正如我之前说过的，还是扬基队厉害。”老人高兴地说。
“他们今天输了。”男孩告诉老人。
“这没什么。了不起的迪马吉奥又找回状态了。”
“队里还有其他人。”
“这是自然，但有他在，就大不一样了。在另一个联赛中，布鲁克林队和费城队之间，我肯定选布鲁克林队。不过，我又想起了迪克·西斯勒和他在旧公园里打出的那些好球。”
“从来没有过那样的好球，在所有我看过的球中，数他打得最远。”
“你还记得他过去常来露台酒馆吗？我想带他去钓鱼，但我脸皮太薄，不好意思开口，我就让你去问，结果你也不敢。”
“我记得，真是太遗憾了，他说不定会愿意和我们一起去的，那我们就可以一辈子回味这件事了。”
“我真想带迪马吉奥去钓鱼，”老人说，“他们说他的父亲是个渔夫，或许他和我们一样穷，会理解的。”
“迪克·西斯勒的父亲可没穷过，他——我说的是父亲，像我这么大的时候，就在大联赛中打球了。”
“像你这么大的时候，我在一艘去往非洲的横帆船上当水手，我还在傍晚看到过沙滩上的狮子。”
“我知道，你告诉过我。”
02 最厉害的渔夫是你
"Should we talk about Africa or about baseball?"
"Baseball I think," the boy said. "Tell me about the great John J. McGraw." He said Jota for J.
"He used to come to the Terrace sometimes too in the older days. But he was rough and harsh-spoken and difficult when he was drinking. His mind was on horses as well as baseball. At least he carried lists of horses at all times in his pocket and frequently spoke the names of horses on the telephone."
"He was a great manager," the boy said. "My father thinks he was the greatest."
"Because he came here the most times," the old man said. "If Durocher had continued to come here each year your father would think him the greatest manager."
"Who is the greatest manager, really, Luque or Mike Gonzalez?"
"I think they are equal."
"And the best fisherman is you."
"No. I know others better."
"Que Va," the boy said. "There are many good fishermen and some great ones. But there is only you."
"Thank you. You make me happy. I hope no fish will come along so great that he will prove us wrong."
"There is no such fish if you are still strong as you say."
"I may not be as strong as I think," the old man said. "But I know many tricks and I have resolution."
"You ought to go to bed now so that you will be fresh in the morning. I will take the things back to the Terrace."
"Good night then. I will wake you in the morning."
"You're my alarm clock." the boy said.
"Age is my alarm clock," the old man said. "Why do old men wake so early? Is it to have one longer day?"
"I don't know," the boy said. "All I know is that young boys sleep late and hard."
"I can remember it," the old man said. "I'll waken you in time."
"I do not like for him to waken me. It is as though I were inferior."
"I know."
"Sleep well old man."
厘米译
“我们是聊非洲呢，还是聊棒球？”
“棒球吧，”男孩说，“给我讲讲了不起的约翰·J.麦格劳。”他把“J”念成了“霍塔”。
“以前，他有时也来露台酒馆。但是，他一喝酒，就变得粗野起来，说话蛮横，很难对付。除了棒球之外，他一心想着的是赛马，反正他口袋里总是装着赛马的名单，还经常在电话里提到那些赛马的名字。”
“他是个很好的经理，”男孩说，“我爸爸觉得他是最好的。”
“因为他来这儿的次数最多，”老人说，“要是杜罗彻每年继续来这儿的话，你爸爸就会觉得他是最好的经理了。”
“到底谁是最好的经理呢？鲁克还是麦克·冈萨雷斯？“
“我觉得他俩差不多。”
“最厉害的渔夫是你。”
“不，我知道更厉害的。”
“怎么可能，”男孩说，“是有很多好渔夫，有些还特别棒，但是，你是最好的。”
“谢谢，你说得我很高兴，希望别出现一条太大的鱼，把我们说的都推翻了。”
“不存在这样一条鱼，只要你还像你说的那样有力气。”
“也许我没有自己以为的那么有力气了，”老人说，“但是我有不少诀窍，还有决心。”
“你现在该上床睡觉了，这样早上才会有精神。我把东西拿回露台酒馆。”
“那就晚安了，早上我去叫醒你。”
“你就是我的闹钟。”男孩说。
“年纪是我的闹钟。”老人说，“为什么人老了就醒得这么早呢？为了让一天变得更长？”
“我不知道，”男孩说，“我只知道小男孩们都起得晚，还睡得沉。”
“我能记住，”老人说，“我会及时叫醒你的。”
“我不喜欢让船老大叫醒我，感觉就像我低人一等似的。”
“我知道。”
“好好睡吧，老头儿。”
单词精讲：inferior
I do not like for him to waken me. It is as though I were inferior.
inferior [ɪnˈfɪərɪə(r)]
A captain is inferior to a major.
上尉的级别低于少校。
在原文中，inferior用作形容词，意思是低等的，差的，常用来形容等级、社会地位、质量、重要性等方面。比如：
be socially inferior 社会地位低
inferior goods 次品、次货
此外，inferior也可以用作名词，指在某一方面低于他人的人，下级、下属。如：
We should not despise our intellectual inferiors.
我们不应轻视智力不如我们的人.
与之相对应，superior [suːˈpɪərɪə(r)] 表示优等的，也可以用作名词，表示上级、长官。
观察一下，inferior和superior有什么相同和不同呢？
相同点：结尾都是-ior。
后缀-ior是拉丁语中的比较级后缀，所以这两个词都有比较的意思在里面。
不同点：前半部分的 infer 和 super
在拉丁语中，infer表示在下的，super表示在上的，inferior和superior的核心意思就来自于这两个词。
（例句出自牛津高阶英汉双解词典）