Black Beauty 阅读笔记（3）

1.dog-cart

    「dog-cart」也可写成「dogcart」，特指由一匹马拉的容两个人背靠背坐的轻便马车，也可指小狗拉的车。

2.coupe、cabriolet

    「coupe」双座四轮轿式马车

    「cabriolet」指单马双轮轻便马车；篷式马车

3.However, as the master spent a long time on his business, we did not start for home till rather late in the afternoon.

    「start for」出发离开(某地)去(某地)    

    - 然而，由于主人处理事务花费了很长时间，我们直到下午晚些时候才出发回家。

4.As we went along the edge of a wood, the great branches were moving from side to side and the rushing sound was terrible.

    「from side to side」在这里指(树枝)左右摇摆晃动

    「shake one's head from side to side」摇了摇头

    -我们走到森林边上时，粗大的树枝被风吹得左右摇晃，湍急的水流声也很吓人。

5."I wish we were well out of this wood", said my master. 

    「be well out of sth」幸而摆脱某事，不受某事牵连

    「I wish we were」虚拟语气，表示主语所希望的事情与现在的事情相反(因为“我们”现在并没有走出森林)

6.The words were hardly out of his mouth when there was suddenly a groan, and a crack, and a splitting sound. An oak, torn up by the roots, fell down across the road just before us.

    「hardly...when...」刚一…就…

    「groan」这里指“树木等发出嘎吱声”

    「torn up by the roots」=「uproot」=「root up/out」连根拔起

    - John刚刚才说希望不要掉树枝下来砸到我们，结果他话音未落，就听到一声沉闷的“嘎吱”声和树木折断的声音，林子里的一棵橡树被连根拔起，正好倒在我们前进的路上。

5.Of course, I did not turn round or run away. I was not brought up to that. John jumped out and was in a moment at my head.

    「be brought up to sth」从小被教育(要)

6."That was a very narrow escape," said my master.

    「narrow escape」死里逃生，「narrow」在这里表示一种程度：刚好的，险些的

7.I dare not go forward, and I made a dead stop.

    「dare not」不敢，「dare」在这里作情态动词

    「a dead stop」完全停止

8."There's something wrong, sir." said John, and he sprang out of the dog-cart and came to my head and looked all round.

    「sprang」为「spring」的过去式

    「spring out of」= 「jump out of」从…跳下

9.It grew darker and darker, and the wind died down.

    「die down」减弱；逐渐平息

10.If I had gone on as the master wanted me, most likely the bridge would have given way under us.

    「give way」在这里指“坍塌；垮掉”

    - 如果我按照主人说的那样去做，我们还没过完，这条桥就塌了。

11.As the current was flowing very strongly, and there was no light and on help, it was more than likely we should all have died in the water.

    「current」作名词，表现各种“流”，这里表示“水流”

    「more than likely」=「almost certain」非常有可能；几乎肯定