评论
打印
Twice during the next two weeks I was caught in severe snowstorms; in both cases in late afternoon when dusk was falling. The first time, fortunately, I had with me an experienced senior inspector who showed me how to get up a hill in deep snow. He skillfully drove th van to an acute angle to the pavement and used the curb for the rear wheels to push against. This sent the van several feet up the hill before it started to slide back to the curb at a higher point than our starting point. We gradually went up the hill — even if rather hard.
在接下来的两个星期里，我两次遇上大风雪。两次都是发生在傍晚暮色降临的时候。第一次我幸好和一位经验丰富的资深巡视员在一起，他教我怎样在深深的积雪里开车上坡。他熟练地将车开到与人行道形成一个小于90度的夹角，再让车的后轮抵着人行道的路缘向上开。这样车就能上前几英尺，再滑回到比刚才略高一点的路缘上。渐渐地我们上了坡——虽然相当费劲。
The second time I was caught in a snowstorm. I found myself stuck in a valley from which all roads led steeply, and I finished up with the van at an angle on the wrong side of the road. Waiting for a large delivery van to slide by me so that I could try my "curb pushing" method of hill climbing, I heard a faint tapping on the closed sliding window on the opposite side of the van — the normal serving side. I looked across from the driver' seat, but could see no one. The nearby street lamp shed little light on the scene through the white screen of falling snow.
第二次遇上大风雪时，我发现自己陷在了一个低凹的谷地，所有的路都是陡直地向上延伸。最后我只得把车成一定角度地停在本不该停的马路另一边。我正等着一辆大型送货车开过去，好试试我那“抵着路缘开”的上坡方法，忽然听到有人在冰淇淋车的另一边轻轻地敲那扇关着的拉窗——那是平日做生意的窗口。我从司机座望过去，却谁也看不见。雪花飘飘，一片白茫茫，近旁的街灯只透出些微的光亮。
The tapping came again, louder and more insistent. I went across and opened the window. A voice said firmly: "Four six-penny ices, please." I stared in amazement. A queue extended backwards across the road, its tail lost to view in the driving snow. My customers, adults as well as children, had seen me from their houses and had come out, still in sweaters andslippers, with no extra protection against the snow.
敲窗的声音又传来了，这次更响也更坚决。我走过去，把窗拉开。传来一个果断的声音： “买4份6便士的冰淇淋。”我惊奇地一看。一条队伍一直向后排过马路，纷飞的大雪中看不到队尾。顾客中有成人也有孩子，他们在屋子里看到了我，没加一件衣物遮挡风雪，穿着毛衣、拖鞋就出来了。
That afternoon I did more trade stuck there in the snow than when I stopped at the proper stopping places and chimed my arrival.
那天下午我困在大雪里，却比平日停在该停的地点吆喝叫卖做的生意还要多。
My tutor, the previous driver, had declared several times that those who really like ice-cream would go to considerable trouble to obtain it. How right he was!
我的指导，就是原来的那位司机，好几次说过，真正爱吃冰淇淋的人会想方设法来买冰淇淋。他说得太对了。
