【寫在前面】
這是一個(gè)真實(shí)的故事仿滔，主人公James是一名癮君子嘉裤，靠著街頭賣唱為生廊驼。有一天据过，一只橘黃色的公貓透過公寓的窗戶偷偷溜進(jìn)了James家惋砂。似乎從第一眼開始就情投意合，James把他留了下來绳锅，耐心地照顧他西饵，從他身上懂得了什么是責(zé)任，獲取了愛人的力量鳞芙，最終戒掉了毒癮眷柔。
此段經(jīng)歷寫成的書The Street Cat Named Bob從此成了暢銷書，James也不再為生計(jì)而煩惱原朝，生活逐漸回到正軌驯嘱。
接下來的這篇標(biāo)題為"Bob was My Best Friend, My Soul Mate"的外刊選自The Big Issue，聆聽James Bowen講述與Bob相遇喳坠、相知及相離的過程鞠评。
【外刊精讀】
A little less than a month ago, on June 15, I said my final good bye to Bob. He'd been at my side for 13 years, since I found him injured in the hallway of my building in Tottenham, north London, one evening in March 2007. He passed away at the age of 14 or so. I never knew his exact age; it never seemed particularly important. What really mattered was that Bob became much more than a cat or mere companion to me. He was my best friend, my soul mate. My brother, almost. Two slightly broken souls, we transformed each other's lives.
hallway n.【正門入口處的】 前廳，走廊
soul mate 靈魂伴侶壕鹉，知己
slightly ad. 略微剃幌，稍微
He was someone I already knew slightly. 他這個(gè)人我略有所知。
broken a. 絕望的晾浴，毫無希望的
So it has been very hard to accept that he will no longer be around. I still can't quite believe he won't be a daily presence in my life, purring away at my side always. But as the realization that life will now go on without him slowly sinks in, so too does something more positive.
presence n. 存在
in the presence of sb. 表示當(dāng)著某人的面
I asked you not to smoke in my presence
purr v. 【貓愉快時(shí)】發(fā)出嗚嗚聲
All of us suffer loss at some point. It's inevitable. Death is a part of life. But as we grieve we also start to see that in losing our loved-ones we can gain huge consolations. During these past few heartbreaking weeks, I have come to see that Bob left behind many of them.
grieve v. 【尤指因所愛之人去世而】感到悲痛
He died, and every day since then I grieved for him.
consolation n. 安慰负乡；起安慰作用的人/物
If it's any consolation, things do get easier as the child gets older.
leave behind 留下，遺留
He drove off, leaving behind him a trail of blue smoke.
For instance, loss can throw a spotlight on the sometimes unexpected depth of love people felt towards the one who has left us. That's certainly been the case with Bob. To say he was loved is a gigantic understatement. The outpouring of emotion that followed the news of his death was immense. I received tens of thousands of messages online, so many that it will take me months to read them all. The offices of Hodder & Stoughton, the London publishers that published A Street Cat Named Bob, the first book about Bob and me, back in 2012, were inundated with cards, flowers and gifts in Bob's memory.
spotlight n. 聚光燈（throw a spotlight 指的是把聚光燈投到...身上脊凰，即把關(guān)注點(diǎn)集中到...上）
gigantic? a. 巨大的
A gigantic task awaits us.
understatement n. 不充分的陳述
To say the movie was bad is an understatement. 說這部電影不好還算是客氣話了敬鬓。
outpouring n.【強(qiáng)烈情感的】流露
The news of his death produced an instant outpouring of grief.
in one'e memory 為紀(jì)念已故的某人
She set up a charitable fund in her father's memory. 她設(shè)立一項(xiàng)慈善基金以紀(jì)念她的父親。
Almost all of the messages talked of how deeply Bob had touched their lives, how much joy he had brought them. How he had inspired them. Some left me shaking my head in wonder. As reported over the page, one lady wrote about the impact Bob made at a prison in the USA. Reading about his and my redemption had helped inmates to rehabilitate themselves, in many cases by finding work with animal charities or rescue centres. I hadn't truly appreciated how much of a pawprint he had left on the world.
wonder n. 驚訝笙各，驚嘆
The sight of the Taj Mahal filled us with wonder.
rehabilitate v. 幫助【重病患者】康復(fù)
appreciate v. 明白钉答，理解
We appreicate that caring for children is an important job.
It also takes a loss sometimes to make us really appreciate what we had. Again, that's so true in Bob's case. He was, as the founder of The Big Issue Lord Bird tweeted, “a cat like no other". What a life he led as our book became an international bestseller then a movie. What things he saw, what places he visited. Foreign book signings, starring as himself in two films (a sequel to A Street Cat Named Bob, A Gift from Bob is released later this year), a royal film premiere, he experienced them all. Someone reminded me a week or two ago of an old saying: rather than crying that someone's life is over, we should smile at the fact that it ever happened. They were quite right, of course. It won't come immediately, but one day I will be able to think back on what happened to me and Bob and smile the broadest, most brilliant, smile. It was a miracle really.
starv. 這里是動(dòng)詞，指的是【在電影中】擔(dān)任主角
sequel n.【書杈抢、電影等】續(xù)集
'Star Wars' and its sequels 《星球大戰(zhàn)》及其續(xù)集
premiere n.【電影】首映
a movie premiere
Another thing I've seen this past month is how moments of sadness and personal grief have the capacity to bring out the best in people. Everyone who has suffered a loss knows this. There's always someone who steps up to the mark, who emerges as a surprising source of strength. In this case I've been blown away - not just by the personal support I've had from friends and fans all over the world - but by the way in which Bob's memory is already inspiring people to do good.
blow away 使...感到震撼数尿；使...感到興奮（很常見的短語！）
I was blown away by how good that movie was!
For instance, I was touched beyond words to learn that, in the wake of Bob's passing, a Japanese activist and cat lover, Tsuyoshi Inaba, who is a co-chair of the board of The Big Issue Foundation in Japan, has announced his intention to create Bob House, a homeless shelter where people and their pet can stay together. I can't think of a better way to honour his memory. Bob saved my life, it's a solace to know that he may save many others.
beyond words 言語無法表達(dá)惶楼，說不出話來
After our parents offered to help us buy our first home, we were appreciative beyond words.
在父母自愿幫我們買房后右蹦，我們感激得說不出話來。
in the wake of something 緊跟在...之后發(fā)生（很常見）
We had no place to live in the wake of the fire.
be a solace to somebody 是某人的慰藉/安慰
My daughter was a great solace to me after Arther died.
亞瑟死后歼捐，女兒是我最大的安慰何陆。
I, too, am in the early stages of working on a fitting tribute to Bob and hope to team up with an established charity to make it happen in the months ahead. But I can already see that his legacy will live on via projects like Bob House.
fitting a. 合適的，恰當(dāng)?shù)?/p>
It is only fitting that Simon should propose the first toast tonight.
tribute n.【表示感激的】禮物
legacy n. 遺產(chǎn)
She received a small legacy from her aunt.
In the meantime however, he has another, more pressing, task to fulfil. Big Issue vendors in the UK recently ventured back on to the streets after more than 100 days of lockdown. This week they will go to work with Bob at their side once more, staring out - for the 11th time - from the cover of the magazine he helped me sell all those years ago outside Angel Tube station.
fulfil? v. 做【所需做的事】
A good police officer is not fulfilling his role if he neglects this vital aspect.
一名好警察若是忽略了這一重要方面豹储，就是沒有盡到自己的本分贷盲。
venture on 冒險(xiǎn)做【有風(fēng)險(xiǎn)或危險(xiǎn)的事】
I thought I might venture on a new recipe.
我想我也許可以嘗試一種新的做法。
It is so fitting that it should be hitting the streets at this particular time. As the editor Paul McNamee wrote so eloquently a couple of weeks ago, Bob had become a symbol. “He represented a second chance and hope and never giving up on somebody, things that are hardwired into The Big Issue DNA." That indomitable, irrepressible spirit has never been so badly needed. And I know that he will provide each and every vendor with a piece of it. He never failed me. I know he won't let them down either."
hit the shops/ streets 【產(chǎn)品】上架，上市
I managed to get a copy of the book before it hit the shops. 那本書上市前我設(shè)法弄到了一本
eloquently ad. 有說服力的巩剖；表達(dá)生動(dòng)的
hardwired a.【態(tài)度铝穷、行為方式等】固有的，天生的
The desire to communicate seems to be hardwired into our brains. 我們的大腦似乎生來就有與人溝通的欲望
indomitable a. 不屈不撓的/勇敢的
Alice was a woman of indomitable spirit. 愛麗絲是一個(gè)不屈不撓的人佳魔。
irrepressible a. 精力充沛的/開朗樂觀的
The little boy is just so irrepressible. 這個(gè)小男孩總是很開朗陽光曙聂。
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