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The Kite Runner 追风筝的人(133)
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  • TWENTY 第二十章

    Farid had warned me. He had. But, as it turned out, he had wasted his breath.We were driving down the cratered1 road that winds from Jalalabad to Kabul. The last time I’d traveled that road was in a tarpaulin-covered truck going the other way. Baba had nearly gotten himself shot by a singing, stoned Roussi officer--Baba had made me so mad that night, so scared, and, ultimately, so proud. The trek2 between Kabul and Jalalabad, a bone-jarring ride down a teetering pass snaking through the rocks, had become a relic3 now, a relic of two wars. Twenty years earlier, I had seen some of the first war with my own eyes. Grim reminders4 of it were strewn along the road: burned carcasses of old Soviet5 tanks, overturned military trucks gone to rust6, a crushed Russian jeep that had plunged7 over the mountainside. The second war, I had watched on my TV screen. And now I was seeing it through Farid’s eyes.Swerving8 effortlessly around potholes9 in the middle of the broken road, Farid was a man in his element. He had become much chattier since our overnight stay at Wahid’s house. He had me sit in the passenger seat and looked at me when he spoke10. He even smiled once or twice. Maneuvering11 the steering12 wheel with his mangled13 hand, he pointed14 to mud-hut villages along the way where he’d known people years before. Most of those people, he said, were either dead or in refugee camps in Pakistan. “And sometimes the dead are luckier,” he said.

    法里德警告过我。他警告过,可是,到头来,他不过是白费唇舌。我们沿着弹坑密布的道路,从贾拉拉巴特,一路蜿蜒驶向喀布尔。我上一次踏上这条征途,是在盖着帆布的卡车中,往相反的方向而去。爸爸差点被那个嗑了毒品的、唱着歌曲的俄国兵射杀——那晚爸爸真让我抓狂,我吓坏了,而最终为他感到骄傲。喀布尔到贾拉拉巴特的车程非常崎岖,道路在山岩之间逶迤颠簸,足以震得人们的骨头咔咔响。如今沿途景象荒凉,正是两次战争遗下的残迹。二十年前,我目睹了第一场战争的一部分。路边散落的东西无情地提醒着它的存在:焚毁的旧俄军坦克残骸、锈蚀的倾覆的军车,还有一辆陷在山脚被撞得粉碎的俄军吉普。至于第二次战争,我曾在电视上见过,现在正透过法里德的眼睛审视着它。法里德驾轻就熟地避开那条破路上的坑洞。他显然是个性情中人。自从我们在瓦希德家借宿之后,他的话多起来了。他让我坐在副驾驶的位置,说话的时候看着我。他甚至还微笑了一两次。他用那只残废的手熟练地把着方向盘,指着路边座座泥屋组成的村落,说多年以前,他就认得那里的村民,他们中多数不是死了,就是聚集在巴基斯坦的难民营。“而有时候死掉的那些更幸运一些。”他说。

    He pointed to the crumbled15, charred16 remains17 of a tiny village. It was just a tuft of blackened, roofless walls now. I saw a dog sleeping along one of the walls. “I had a friend there once,” Farid said. “He was a very good bicycle repairman. He played the tabla well too. The Taliban killed him and his family and burned the village.”We drove past the burned village, and the dog didn’t move.IN THE OLD DAYS, the drive from Jalalabad to Kabul took two hours, maybe a little more. It took Farid and me over four hours to reach Kabul. And when we did... Farid warned me just after we passed the Mahipar dam.

    他指着一座遭受祝融之灾的小村落,现在它只是一些黑色的墙壁,没有屋顶。我看见有条狗睡在那些墙壁之下。“我在这里有过一个朋友,”法里德说,“他修理自行车的手艺很棒,手鼓也弹得不错。塔利班杀了他全家,放火烧掉这座村子。”我们驶过焚毁的村子,那条狗一动不动。曾几何时,贾拉拉巴特到喀布尔只要两个小时的车程,也许多一些。法里德和我开了四个小时才抵达喀布尔。而当我们到达……我们刚驶过玛希帕水库的时候,法里德便警告我。

    “Kabul is not the way you remember it,” he said.

    “喀布尔不是你记忆中那样了。”他说。

    “So I hear.” “我听说过。”

    Farid gave me a look that said hearing is not the same as seeing. And he was right. Because when Kabul finally did unroll before us, I was certain, absolutely certain, that he had taken a wrong turn somewhere. Farid must have seen my stupefied expression; shuttling people back and forth18 to Kabul, he would have become familiar with that expression on the faces of those who hadn’t seen Kabul for a long time.He patted me on the shoulder. “Welcome back,” he said morosely19.RUBBLE20 AND BEGGARS. Everywhere I looked, that was what I saw. I remembered beggars in the old days too--Baba always carried an extra handful of Afghani bills in his pocket just for them; I’d never seen him deny a peddler. Now, though, they squatted21 at every street corner, dressed in shredded22 burlap rags, mud-caked hands held out for a coin. And the beggars were mostly children now, thin and grim-faced, some no older than five or six. They sat in the laps of their burqa-clad mothers alongside gutters23 at busy street corners and chanted “Bakhshesh, bakhshesh!” And something else, something I hadn’t noticed right away: Hardly any of them sat with an adult male--the wars had made fathers a rare commodity in Afghanistan. 法里德看了我一眼,仿佛在说听见和看到不是一回事。他是对的。因为当我们最终驶进喀布尔,我敢肯定,绝对肯定,他一定开错路了。法里德肯定见到我目瞪口呆的表情,也许在累次载人进出喀布尔之后,他对这种久违了喀布尔的人脸上出现的神情早巳习以为常。他拍拍我的肩头,“欢迎你回来。”他忧郁地说。废墟和乞丐,触目皆是这种景象。我记得从前也有乞丐——爸爸身上总是额外带着一把阿富汗尼硬币,分发给他们;我从不曾见过他拒绝乞讨的人。可是如今,街头巷尾都能见到他们,身披破麻布,伸出脏兮兮的手,乞讨一个铜板。而如今乞食的多数是儿童,瘦小,脸色冷漠,有些不超过五六岁。妇女裹着长袍,坐在繁忙街道的水沟边,膝盖上是她们的儿子,一遍遍念着:“行行好,行行好!”还有别的,某种我一开始没有注意到的事情:几乎见不到有任何成年男子在他们身边——战争把父亲变成阿富汗的稀缺物品。

    We were driving westbound toward the Karteh-Seh district on what I remembered as a major thoroughfare in the seventies:

    我们开在一条朝西通往卡德察区的街道上,我记得在1970年代,这可是主要的商业街:

     12级    英语小说 


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    1 cratered [k'reɪtərd] f3774327dd107353b75750c68f1e81c7   第8级
    adj.有坑洞的,多坑的v.火山口( crater的过去分词 );弹坑等
    参考例句:
    • The surface cratered with the constant dropping of water. 表面因经常滴水而成坑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
    • Artillery cratered the roads. 炮击后大路布满了弹坑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
    2 trek [trek] 9m8wi   第8级
    vi.作长途艰辛的旅行;n.长途艰苦的旅行
    参考例句:
    • We often go pony-trek in the summer. 夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
    • It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain. 我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。
    3 relic [ˈrelɪk] 4V2xd   第8级
    n.神圣的遗物,遗迹,纪念物
    参考例句:
    • This stone axe is a relic of ancient times. 这石斧是古代的遗物。
    • He found himself thinking of the man as a relic from the past. 他把这个男人看成是过去时代的人物。
    4 reminders [rɪ'maɪndəz] aaaf99d0fb822f809193c02b8cf69fba   第9级
    n.令人回忆起…的东西( reminder的名词复数 );提醒…的东西;(告知该做某事的)通知单;提示信
    参考例句:
    • The film evokes chilling reminders of the war. 这部电影使人们回忆起战争的可怕场景。
    • The strike has delayed the mailing of tax reminders. 罢工耽搁了催税单的投寄。
    5 Soviet [ˈsəʊviət] Sw9wR   第8级
    adj.苏联的,苏维埃的;n.苏维埃
    参考例句:
    • Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union. 朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
    • Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941. 德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。
    6 rust [rʌst] XYIxu   第7级
    n.锈;vi.生锈;(脑子)衰退;vt.使生锈;腐蚀
    参考例句:
    • She scraped the rust off the kitchen knife. 她擦掉了菜刀上的锈。
    • The rain will rust the iron roof. 雨水会使铁皮屋顶生锈。
    7 plunged [plʌndʒd] 06a599a54b33c9d941718dccc7739582   第7级
    v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 );暴跌;骤降;突降
    参考例句:
    • The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
    • She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳,从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。
    8 swerving ['swɜ:vɪŋ] 2985a28465f4fed001065d9efe723271   第8级
    v.(使)改变方向,改变目的( swerve的现在分词 )
    参考例句:
    • It may stand as an example of the fitful swerving of his passion. 这是一个例子,说明他的情绪往往变化不定,忽冷忽热。 来自辞典例句
    • Mrs Merkel would be foolish to placate her base by swerving right. 默克尔夫人如果为了安抚她的根基所在而转到右翼就太愚蠢了。 来自互联网
    9 potholes ['pɒthəʊlz] 67c9534ffabec240ee544b59b257feed   第11级
    n.壶穴( pothole的名词复数 )
    参考例句:
    • Potholes are also home to tiny desert animals. 洞穴也是弱小动物的家。 来自互联网
    • If you're going to enjoy the good times, you've certainly got to deal with some potholes. 如果要享受甜美的胜利果实,当然要应付这些战绩不佳的指责压力。 来自互联网
    10 spoke [spəʊk] XryyC   第11级
    n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
    参考例句:
    • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company. 他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
    • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre. 辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
    11 maneuvering [mə'nu:vərɪŋ] maneuvering   第9级
    v.移动,用策略( maneuver的现在分词 );操纵
    参考例句:
    • This Manstein did, with some brilliant maneuvering under the worse winter conditions. 曼施坦因在最恶劣的严冬条件下,出色地施展了灵活机动的战术,终于完成了任务。 来自辞典例句
    • In short, large goals required farsighted policies, not tactical maneuvering. 一句话,大的目标需要有高瞻远瞩的政策,玩弄策略是不行的。 来自辞典例句
    12 steering ['stiəriŋ] 3hRzbi   第7级
    n.操舵装置
    参考例句:
    • He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
    • Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵,口吻也马上变得温和了。
    13 mangled [] c6ddad2d2b989a3ee0c19033d9ef021b   第11级
    vt.乱砍(mangle的过去式与过去分词形式)
    参考例句:
    • His hand was mangled in the machine. 他的手卷到机器里轧烂了。
    • He was off work because he'd mangled his hand in a machine. 他没上班,因为他的手给机器严重压伤了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    14 pointed [ˈpɔɪntɪd] Il8zB4   第7级
    adj.尖的,直截了当的
    参考例句:
    • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil. 他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
    • A safety pin has a metal covering over the pointed end. 安全别针在尖端有一个金属套。
    15 crumbled [ˈkrʌmbld] 32aad1ed72782925f55b2641d6bf1516   第8级
    (把…)弄碎, (使)碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 衰落; 坍塌; 损坏
    参考例句:
    • He crumbled the bread in his fingers. 他用手指把面包捻碎。
    • Our hopes crumbled when the business went bankrupt. 商行破产了,我们的希望也破灭了。
    16 charred [tʃɑ:d] 2d03ad55412d225c25ff6ea41516c90b   第10级
    v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式);烧焦
    参考例句:
    • the charred remains of a burnt-out car 被烧焦的轿车残骸
    • The intensity of the explosion is recorded on the charred tree trunks. 那些烧焦的树干表明爆炸的强烈。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    17 remains [rɪˈmeɪnz] 1kMzTy   第7级
    n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
    参考例句:
    • He ate the remains of food hungrily. 他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
    • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog. 残羹剩饭喂狗了。
    18 forth [fɔ:θ] Hzdz2   第7级
    adv.向前;向外,往外
    参考例句:
    • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth. 风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
    • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession. 他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
    19 morosely [mə'rəʊslɪ] faead8f1a0f6eff59213b7edce56a3dc   第11级
    adv.愁眉苦脸地,忧郁地
    参考例句:
    • Everybody, thought Scarlett, morosely, except me. 思嘉郁郁不乐地想。除了我,人人都去了。 来自飘(部分)
    • He stared at her morosely. 他愁容满面地看着她。 来自辞典例句
    20 rubble [ˈrʌbl] 8XjxP   第9级
    n.(一堆)碎石,瓦砾
    参考例句:
    • After the earthquake, it took months to clean up the rubble. 地震后,花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
    • After the war many cities were full of rubble. 战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。
    21 squatted [skwɔtid] 45deb990f8c5186c854d710c535327b0   第8级
    v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 );非法擅自占用(土地或房屋);为获得其所有权;而占用某片公共用地。
    参考例句:
    • He squatted down beside the footprints and examined them closely. 他蹲在脚印旁仔细地观察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • He squatted in the grass discussing with someone. 他蹲在草地上与一个人谈话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    22 shredded [ʃredid] d51bccc81979c227d80aa796078813ac   第9级
    shred的过去式和过去分词
    参考例句:
    • Serve the fish on a bed of shredded lettuce. 先铺一层碎生菜叶,再把鱼放上,就可以上桌了。
    • I think Mapo beancurd and shredded meat in chilli sauce are quite special. 我觉得麻婆豆腐和鱼香肉丝味道不错。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    23 gutters ['gʌtərs] 498deb49a59c1db2896b69c1523f128c   第8级
    (路边)排水沟( gutter的名词复数 ); 阴沟; (屋顶的)天沟; 贫贱的境地
    参考例句:
    • Gutters lead the water into the ditch. 排水沟把水排到这条水沟里。
    • They were born, they grew up in the gutters. 他们生了下来,以后就在街头长大。

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