学习英语名著系列
after twenty years
by O·Henry
After twenty years（一）
The policeman on the beat moved up the avenue impressively.
on the beat在巡逻
impressively原义“给人深刻印象的”，此处引申为“威风凛凛地”
The impressiveness was habitual and not for show,for spectators were few.
根据上文“impressively”的含义，impressiveness应指“威风”
habitual意为“习以为常的”
spectator意为“观众，旁观者”，理解为“行人”就好了
为什么行人少呢？下文开始解释了。【北京新航道】
The time was barely 10 o'clock at night,but chilly gusts of wind with a taste of rain in them had well nigh depeopled the streets.
barely意为“将近”
chilly gusts（狂风）of wind with a taste of rain in them
带着雨意的阵阵寒风
这个描写很生动有没有！
nigh是古英语中的一个单词，在这里意同“almost”
depeople=dispeople，减少人口
简单理解一下，就是说寒风把行人们都赶走了。
Trying doors as he went,twirling his club with many intricate and artful movements,turning now and then to cast his watchful eye down the pacific thoroughfare,the officer,with his stalwart form and slight swagger,made a fine picture of a guardian of the peace.
本句略长，不着急，慢慢来【北京新航道】
Try doors这个表达很有意思，意思是“挨家挨户地察看”
比如推或拉一下门窗，看看有没有锁好（以前的警察好细心啊）
twirl意为“使快速旋转”，club是熟词生义，意为“棍棒”
intricate意为“错综复杂的”，artful意为“有技巧的”
简单一点翻译，就是“舞棍”
请把这个表达记在小本本上吧twirl sth with many intricate and artful movements
now and then没什么好说的，“时不时地”
接下来有一个我很喜欢的表达：cast one’s watchful eye down the pacific thoroughfare.
直译是“将警觉的目光投向平静的大道”，也可以译为“警觉地瞧着平静的大道”，更符合中文的用语习惯。
pacific常见的意思是“太平洋”，这里是“平静的，温和的”
thoroughfare意为“大道，通路”
stalwart作形容词，指“强壮的，雄健的”
swagger意指“大摇大摆”【北京新航道】
我们又可以学到一个表达了with one’s stalwart form and slight swagger形容人“人高马大，气度非凡”
接下来还有两个表达，
make a fine picture of活脱脱是一个……的形象
A guardian of the peace和平的保护神
The vicinity was one that kept early hours.Now and then you might see the lights of a cigar store or of an all-night lunch counter；but the majority of the doors belonged to business places that had long since been closed.
vicinity意指“邻近，附近”【北京新航道】
造个句子，I live in the vicinity of my best friend.我住得离好的朋友很近。
keep early hours，我们可以大概理解一下，就是店铺早早关门，没什么夜市。
a cigar store烟铺
an all-night lunch counter通宵食品店
business places是指“商业场所”
此处可以大概理解为“这些商铺是归商号管辖的”
since=ago，had long ago been closed门早就被关得严严的了
When about midway of a certain block,the policeman suddenly slowed his walk.In the doorway of a darkened hardware store a man leaned,with an unlighted cigar in his mouth.
midway意指“中段”【北京新航道】
a certain block意指“某个街区”
slow one’s walk意指“放慢某人的脚步”
doorway意指“门口”
darken意指“使变黑”，darkened即“黑黢黢的”
a hardware store意指“五金店”（今天学了三种店）
lean意指“斜靠”
夜里，一个警察在街上巡逻，他为什么突然放慢脚步呢？这个斜靠在五金店门口的男人又是做什么的呢
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