72天，《傲慢與偏見》賓利的姐妹為什么打理住在莊園？

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文/liangchaoxford 廣東涼茶煲牛津

一

昨日流量收入0.80元。

這是第72天閱讀英文版《傲慢與偏見》。

上回講到賓利先生繼承了十萬英鎊的財產，是個有錢人，性格溫和，那么他的姐妹是什么樣呢？
His sisters were very anxious for his having an estate of his own; but though he was now established only as a tenant, Miss Bingley was by no means unwilling to preside at his table, nor was Mrs. Hurst, who had married a man of more fashion than fortune, less disposed to consider his house as her home when it suited her. Mr. Bingley had not been of age two years, when he was tempted by an accidental recommendation to look at Netherfield House. He did look at it and into it for half an hour, was pleased with the situation and the principal rooms, satisfied with what the owner said in its praise, and took it immediately.

這段文字是什么意思呢？我瀏覽一遍看不明白，借助工具理解了中文意思，意思對但用詞不精準，這段文字里的人物賓利小姐是妹妹，豪斯特太太是姐姐，姐姐出嫁了，妹妹待字閨中：

他的姐妹很急迫地希望他有自己的莊園，盡管他現在僅僅是一個租客，賓利小姐不介意給他擦桌子掃地，赫斯特太太也是這樣，她的丈夫有身份但經濟條件拮據，因此合她心意就把這里當家。

賓利成年不到兩年，一個偶然的機會他看到了內瑟菲爾德莊園，他進到里面看了看轉了半小時，對位置和主要房間都滿意，認為房東對房子的夸贊是真實的，立刻就拿下來了。

二

我對陌生詞匯簡潔注釋，適度補充例句：

1. estate

詞性：名詞

含義：莊園；地產

用法：“自有莊園”。

2. established

詞性：形容詞

含義：定居的；安置的

用法：“established only as a tenant”，“僅作為租戶定居”。

我補充幾個權威例句，體會“established”的用法：

For good value, look at the best apartment in the nicest buildings in well-established locations.
要想物有所值，可以看看那些位置成熟的優質建筑里的最好公寓。

The government has also established a special 24-hour court to attend to femicide cases.
政府還設立了一個專門的24小時法庭來處理殺害女性的案件。

Quarantined populations have been established but efforts to find a cure have been depressingly fruitless.
隔離人群已經確定，但尋找治療方法的努力卻令人沮喪地毫無結果。

Established in 1987, the Singapore metro runs trains on four lines servicing 131 stations.
新加坡地鐵始建于1987年，有四條線路運行列車，服務131個車站。

Funding would come from a charitable trust he has established and from fees paid by guests.
資金將來自他設立的慈善信托基金和客人支付的費用。

3. tenant

詞性：名詞

含義：租戶；房客

用法：身份屬性。

我補充幾個權威例句，體會“tenant”的用法：

There have been commercial hurdles: Gale has so far nailed not a single blue-chip tenant.

存在商業障礙：蓋爾到目前為止還沒有敲定任何一家藍籌租戶。

The tenant was accounting firm Arthur Andersen, which disintegrated before it could move in.

租戶是會計師事務所阿瑟·安達信，該事務所還沒搬進去就解體了。

Agents' fees are lucrative and usually paid by the tenant rather than the landlord.

中介費用很可觀，通常由租戶而非房東支付。

Meantime, the Sprint Center plays host to concerts and college basketball tournaments, with no anchor tenant.

與此同時，斯普林特中心舉辦音樂會和大學籃球錦標賽，沒有主力租戶。

Colin relocated the tenant farmer and his sheep to another part of the estate.

科林把佃農和他的羊搬到了莊園的另一部分。

4. unwilling

詞性：形容詞

含義：不愿意的；不情愿的

用法：“by no means unwilling”，“絕不介意”

5. fortune

詞性：名詞

含義：財富；財產

用法：“more fashion than fortune”，“有身份但沒錢”

6. disposed

詞性：形容詞

含義：愿意的；傾向于

用法：“less disposed to”

我補充幾個權威例句，體會“disposed”用法：

And while some of it is re-used or re-injected, a significant amount must still be disposed.

雖然其中一些被重復利用或重新注入，但仍有大量必須被處理。

Many backers of the Marine Corps on Capitol Hill seem favorably disposed to the idea.

國會山的許多海軍陸戰隊支持者似乎對這個想法持贊同態度。

Mr Emmett told the court that Gough had insisted he had disposed of the dog humanely.

埃米特先生告訴法庭，高夫堅稱他已人道地處理了那只狗。

But, strangely, fewer Greeks seem disposed to thank Mr Simitis's government for its efforts.

但奇怪的是，似乎沒那么多希臘人愿意感謝西米蒂斯政府所做的努力。

At that point, FINRA is not typically disposed to approve the sale of the member firm.

在那種情況下，美國金融業監管局通常不愿意批準該會員公司的出售。

7. suited

詞性：動詞（過去分詞）

含義：適合；方便

用法：“when it suited her”，“當適合她時”。

8. tempted

詞性：動詞（過去分詞）

含義：吸引；誘惑

用法：“was tempted by”，“被……吸引”

9. accidental

詞性：形容詞

含義：偶然的；意外的

用法：“accidental recommendation”，“偶然的推薦”

10. recommendation

詞性：名詞

含義：推薦；介紹

用法：同上

我補充幾個權威例句，體會“recommendations”的用法：

This will take two months, after which the commission will make its recommendation to the president.

這將需要兩個月時間，之后該委員會將向總統提出建議。

The UK National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC) supports the call for a revision of the Recommendation.

英國聯合國教科文組織全國委員會（UKNC）支持修訂該建議書的呼吁。

In November 2014, the UKNC shared with UNESCO its preliminary ideas for a revision to the Recommendation.

2014年11月，英國聯合國教科文組織全國委員會向聯合國教科文組織分享了其對該建議書修訂的初步想法。

It plans to share the first report on its consultation on the Recommendation with Member States in 2016.

它計劃在2016年與成員國分享其關于該建議書咨詢的第一份報告。

11. situation

詞性：名詞

含義：位置；環境

用法：“地理位置”

12. principal

詞性：形容詞

含義：主要的；重要的

用法：“principal rooms”，“主要房間”。

13. satisfied

詞性：形容詞

含義：滿意的；滿足的

用法：“satisfied with”，“對……滿意”

14. praise

詞性：名詞

含義：贊揚；稱贊

用法：“in its praise”，“對它的夸贊”

15. immediately

詞性：副詞

含義：立刻；馬上

用法：“took it immediately”，“立刻租下”。

三

我對這段文字逐句拆解閱讀，以求理解的準確一些，文字整體的看覺得字數怪多，實際上拆解為句子，沒幾句，這段文字有5個句子。
1. “His sisters were very anxious for his having an estate of his own;”

anxious for：“渴望；急切希望”

estate，是“莊園、地產”

estate of his own：“屬于自己的莊園”

2. “but though he was now established only as a tenant, Miss Bingley was by no means unwilling to preside at his table,”
established，安置，定居

tenant，租戶

established only as a tenant：“僅作為租戶定居”

by no means unwilling：“絕不介意”，沒有不情愿

preside at his table：“主持他的餐桌（宴會）”。

前面忽略了“preside”這個詞，我補充幾個權威例句，體會“preside”的用法：

Mrs Hood will preside over the week-long gathering of ministers on the Mound in Edinburgh.
胡德夫人將主持在愛丁堡莫恩德舉行的為期一周的部長會議。

Collins is the one who has to preside over the daily misadventures of the present.
柯林斯是那個必須主持當下日常意外狀況的人。

Is this any way to preside over one of the most important sectors of the economy?
以這種方式來主管經濟中最重要的部門之一，合適嗎？

Now high-school coaches in football hotbeds earn boatloads of money and preside over pristine facilities.
如今，在橄欖球熱門地區的高中教練賺得盆滿缽滿，還掌管著一流的設施。

Moore explains there are only a handful of jurists who preside over complex medical malpractice cases.
摩爾解釋說，只有少數法學家主持復雜的醫療事故案件。

3. “nor was Mrs. Hurst, who had married a man of more fashion than fortune, less disposed to consider his house as her home when it suited her.”
more fashion than fortune：“有身份但沒錢”

fashion，時尚

“more fashion than fortune” 是一個很有畫面感的表達，“更注重時尚/體面，而非財富”。

用來形容有人或家庭：
外表光鮮亮麗、講究排場，實際上并不富裕，甚至可能有些捉襟見肘

less disposed to：“不太愿意”

disposed

adj. 有……傾向的；打算做……的

我補充幾個例句，體會“less disposed to”的用法：

The past year has been a rough one. People are less disposed to make costly gestures towards environmental protection in a slump.
過去的一年是艱難的一年，由于經濟衰退，人們越來越不愿為了環保而花大價錢。
If we find it does them good, makes them honest and less disposed to cheat Indians, we will then consider again what you have said.
如果我們發現這對他們不錯，讓他們更誠實，不欺騙印第安人，那么我們會再想想你說的話。

Still, though Germany is not turning its back on the past, it is less disposed to be constrained by it.
不過，盡管德國沒有背棄過去，但它不太愿意被過去束縛。

4. “Mr. Bingley had not been of age two years, when he was tempted by an accidental recommendation to look at Netherfield House.”

had not been of age two years：“成年還不到兩年”。

accidental recommendation：“偶然的推薦”。

5. “He did look at it and into it for half an hour, was pleased with the situation and the principal rooms, satisfied with what the owner said in its praise, and took it immediately.”

look at it and into it：“看了（外觀）也看了（內部）”

pleased with... satisfied with：“對……滿意”

took it immediately：“立刻租下”
這段文字描述了賓利姐妹“功利、虛榮”，賓利“溫和、隨性、易滿足”，交代賓利租下內瑟菲爾德莊園的緣由。

這段文字本身沒啥難度，多看幾遍生詞就可以，我補充的例句有點難度，看點就是，不用一次就看完。