譯文取自Jeanne Kelly和Nathan K. Mao的譯本
1. 在中國熱得更比常年利害欠拾，事后大家都說是兵戈之象汤纸，因?yàn)檫@就是民國二十六年(一九三七年)衩茸。
In China the heat was even more oppressive than usual. Later everyone agreed the unusual heat was a portent of troops and arms, for it was thetwenty-sixth year of the Republic (1937).
Sherry的筆記：
之前只知道oppressive是壓迫的意思，這里形容天氣取的是：If the weather or heat is
oppressive, it is too hot and there is no wind （天氣）悶熱的贮泞，令人窒息的含義楞慈。
例句：We were unable to sleep because of the oppressive heat.天氣悶熱得令人窒息，我們難以入睡啃擦。
Portent：A portent is something that indicates what is likely to happen in
the future囊蓝，后面通常接of
2. 早晨八點(diǎn)多鐘，沖洗過的三等艙甲板濕意未干令蛉，但已坐滿了人聚霜，法國人狡恬、德國流亡出來的猶太人、印度人蝎宇、安南人弟劲，不用說還有中國人。
Some time after eight in the morning, the third-class deck, stilldamp from swabbing, was already filled with passengers standing and sittingabout -French, Jewish refugees from Germany, the Indians, the Vietnamese, and needlessto say, the Chinese.
Sherry的筆記：
Swab：to wash a surface, especially the open flat areas of a ship, with
a wet cloth or mop （用濕布或拖把）清洗姥芥，擦洗（尤指船上的地板）
Sit about/around：(often disapproving) to spend time doing nothing very useful兔乞；to
spend time sitting down and doing very little 閑坐，無所事事
例句：We sat around most of the evening, waiting for Jake and drinking
beer.我們閑坐了大半個(gè)晚上凉唐，喝著啤酒等杰克庸追。
3. 海風(fēng)里早含著燥熱，胖人身體給炎風(fēng)吹干了熊榛，上一層汗結(jié)的鹽霜锚国，仿佛剛在巴勒斯坦的死海里洗過澡腕巡。
The ocean breeze carried with it an arid heat; the scorching windblew dry the bodies of fat people and covered them with a frosty layer of saltcongealed with sweat, as though fresh from a bath in the Dead Sea inPalestine.?
Sherry的筆記：
Scorching：very hot 灼熱的（地）玄坦；極熱的（地）
?a scorching summer day炎熱的夏日
?It was scorching hot inside the greenhouse.溫室里熱得出奇。
Congeal：to change from a liquid or soft state to a thick or solid state （液體或軟質(zhì)物）變稠绘沉，凝固煎楣，凝結(jié)
?The blood had congealed in thick black clots.血液凝成了厚厚的黑血塊。
這句話翻得太有畫面感了……
Fresh from：剛從…來的;剛經(jīng)歷過…的If you are fresh froma particular place or experience, you have just come from that place or youhave just had that experience.
I returned to the office, fresh from Heathrow...
我剛從希思羅機(jī)場回到辦公室车伞。
4. 畢竟是清晨择懂，人的興致還沒給太陽曬萎，烘懶另玖，說話做事都很起勁困曙。
Still, it was early morning, and people’s high spirits
had not yet withered or turned limp under the glare of the sun. They talked and bustled about with great zest.
Sherry的筆記：
“興致”用的是high spirits：If someone is in high spirits, they are extremely happy and
enjoying themselves 興高采烈
?They’d
had a couple of drinks and were in high spirits.他們喝了幾杯酒之后開始興奮起來。
Wither一般用來形容植物的枯萎谦去、凋謝慷丽。這里是依照原文的比喻用法。
Limp的常見用法是to walk slowly and with difficulty because
of having an injured or painful leg or foot 瘸著腳走鳄哭，跛行
原文的意思是指興致還沒減弱要糊，limp還有一個(gè)含義：If you describe something as limp, youmean that it is soft or weak when it should be firm or strong
Bustle：to do things in a hurried and busy way 匆忙做，忙碌
?Thora
bustled about the flat, getting everything ready.托拉在公寓里忙著把所有東西都準(zhǔn)備好妆丘。
Zest：enthusiasm, eagerness, energy and interest 狂熱锄俄；熱情；興致
?It’s
wonderful to see the children’s zest for life.很高興看到孩子們對生活充滿熱情勺拣。
5. 法國人的思想是有名的清楚奶赠，他的文章也明白干凈，但是他的做事药有，無不混亂毅戈、骯臟、喧嘩，但看這船上的亂糟糟竹祷。
The French are famous for the clarity of their thought and thelucidness of their prose, yet in whatever they do, they never fail to bringchaos, filth, and hubbub, as witness the mess on board the ship.
Sherry的筆記：
Lucid：clearly expressed and easy to understand or (of a person) thinking
or speaking clearly 清晰的谈跛，明了的；（人）頭腦清醒的塑陵，說話清楚的
?She
gave a clear and lucid account of her plans for the company’s future.她清楚明了地講述了自己對公司未來的規(guī)劃感憾。
Lucid的同義詞很多：clear, comprehensible, explicit,intelligible, transparent
Never fail to do用得絕了，用never強(qiáng)調(diào)法國人的一貫作風(fēng)令花。Fail to
do：to not do what is expected, needed, or wanted
Hubbub: a loud
noise, especially caused by a lot of people all talking at the same time （很多人同時(shí)說話時(shí)產(chǎn)生的）喧嚷阻桅，喧鬧
?I
could hardly hear myself speak above all the hubbub in the theatre bar.在劇院酒吧這種喧嚷的環(huán)境里，我?guī)缀趼牪灰娮约旱穆曇簟?/p>
最后是witness的用法：witness something (also ..., as witnessed by something) used tointroduce an example that proves something you have just mentioned
