胡敏讀故事記托福詞匯085：別問(wèn)為什么 Don’t Ask Why
“This is a test of endurance,” the announcer said. He prepared his starting gun and looked at the clock.
“這是一次耐力測(cè)驗(yàn)，”發(fā)令員說(shuō)。他準(zhǔn)備好發(fā)令槍，然后盯著表。
“I can’t wait to start the race,” James said. James was an engaging person with an energetic personality. Four years ago, he enlisted in the armed forces. Today was his last official in the military and that fact energized him even more. What better way to celebrate the occasion than to win a trophy engraved with his name? But to tell you the truth, it wasn’t the engraving that interested him. It was the gorgeous girl at the finish line. Bessie was the kind of girl that could enhance your performance as easily as she could enervate it. I recall an incident enmity between them made James as weak as a wet noodle. It could have been a hoax, but he sure didn’t act like the enduring bachelor I thought he as. Since then, Bessie has engrossed James to the point where he can think of nobody else. He once told me, “I’ve been engulfed by her charm.”
“快開始比賽吧，我都等不急。”詹姆斯說(shuō)。他是個(gè)迷人的小伙子，具有充滿活力的個(gè)性。詹姆斯四年前入伍，今天是他在軍隊(duì)服役的最后一天，這使他渾身有使不完的勁兒。有什么比獲得刻有自己名字的獎(jiǎng)杯能更好的慶祝這個(gè)時(shí)刻呢?但說(shuō)老實(shí)話，吸引他的并不是那獎(jiǎng)杯上精致的雕刻，而是終點(diǎn)處美麗的姑娘貝西。貝西能輕而易舉地提高你的比賽成績(jī)，同樣也能輕而易舉地使你無(wú)力回天。我記得有一次，詹姆斯送給他前女友一個(gè)生日賀卡，這下激怒了貝西。之后，他們之間出現(xiàn)短暫的隔閡，搞的詹姆斯身心交瘁。這可能是個(gè)騙局，但他的確不是我想象中有耐力的單身漢。從那以后，貝西完全傾心于詹姆斯，其程度之深使詹姆斯也無(wú)從想念別人了。詹姆斯曾經(jīng)告訴我他已被貝西的魅力吞沒(méi)了。
“What’s the rush?” I asked. I really wasn’t ready to endure the twenty-seven mile race. The thought of running further than I drive in a week engendered feelings of anxiety and doubt. I was having an engrossed moment of regret when James broke the silence.
“為什么這么著急?”我問(wèn)。說(shuō)真的，我還沒(méi)有準(zhǔn)備好忍受這27英里的賽程。一想到要跑的路比我一周開車走過(guò)的路還長(zhǎng)，就引起了我的焦慮不安，我全神貫注地思考著，為自己的參賽而后悔。這時(shí)詹姆斯打破了沉默。
“You’re an enigma,” James said. “I know you hate running long distances. Why would you want to run twenty-seven miles? You’re the most enigmatic person I know.”
“你真是個(gè)謎，”詹姆斯說(shuō)，“我知道你討厭長(zhǎng)跑，可為什么還要準(zhǔn)備跑27英里呢?你是我認(rèn)識(shí)的人中最高深莫測(cè)的人。”
“Frankly, I can’t figure out why anyone would want to do it,” I replied. “Perhaps we’re all seeking enlightenment.”
“坦率地說(shuō)，我搞不懂為什么誰(shuí)都想?yún)⒓樱?rdquo;我回答，“也許我們都在尋找啟迪吧。”
Words:
endurance n. 忍耐(力)，持久(力)
endure vt. 承受，忍受
enduring adj. 持久的，不朽的
energetic adj. 精力充沛的，積極的
energize v. 供給力量，富于活力，激勵(lì)
enervate vt. 使虛弱，使無(wú)力
engaging adj. 動(dòng)人的，迷人的
engender v. 產(chǎn)生，引起
engrave vt. 雕上，刻上
engraving n. 雕刻，雕版
engross v. 全神貫注于
engrossed adj. 全神貫注的
engulf v. 吞食，吞沒(méi)，淹沒(méi)
enhance vt. 提高，增加
enigma n. 迷，不可思議的東西
enigmatic adj. 謎一般的，高深莫測(cè)的
enlightenment n. 啟迪，教化
enlist v. 入伍，征募;得到(支持、幫助等)
enmity n. 敵意，仇恨，不和
enrage vt. 激怒
