A Tale of Two Cities—The road to Paris（1775）

背景介绍

《双城记》是英国作家查尔斯·狄更斯所著的一部以法国大革命为背景所写成的长篇历史小说，首次出版于1859年。故事将巴黎、伦敦两个大城市连结起来，围绕着曼马内特医生一家和以德发日夫妇为首的圣安东尼区展开故事。小说描写了贵族如何败坏、如何残害百姓，人民心中积压着对贵族的刻骨仇恨，导致了不可避免的法国大革命。书名中的“双城”指的是巴黎与伦敦。

狄更斯于1812年2月7日生于朴次茅斯市郊的波特西地区，出生于海军小职员家庭，少年时因家庭生活窘迫，只能断断续续入校求学。后被迫到工场做童工。15岁以后，当过律师事务所学徒、录事和法庭记录员。20岁开始当报馆采访员，报道下议院。1837年他完成了第一部长篇小说《匹克威克外传》，是第一部现实主义小说创作，后来创作日渐成熟，先后出版了《雾都孤儿》（1838）、《老古玩店》（1841）、《董贝父子》（1848）、《大卫·科波菲尔》（1850）、《艰难时世》（1854）、《双城记》（1859）、《远大前程》（1861）等。 1870 年6月9日卒于罗切斯特附近的盖茨山庄。

狄更斯特别注意描写生活在英国社会底层的“小人物”的生活遭遇，深刻地反映了当时英国复杂的社会现实，为英国批判现实主义文学的开拓和发展做出了卓越的贡献。他的作品对英国文学发展起到了深远的影响。

It was the best of times,it was the worst of times.It was the season of light,it was the season of darkness.It was the spring of hope,it was the winter of sadness.It was the year one thousand seven hundred and seventyfive.

那是最好的年代，也是最糟的年代。那是光明的时节，也是黑暗的时节。那是希望的春季，也是悲伤的冬日。那是公元1775年。

In France there was a King and a Queen,and in England there was a King and a Queen.They believed that nothing would ever change.But in France things were bad,and getting worse.The people were poor,hungry and unhappy.The King made paper money and spent it,and the people had nothing to eat.Behind closed doors in the homes of the people,voices spoke in whispers against the King and his noblemen；they were only whispers,but they were the angry whispers of desperate people.

那时的法国有国王和王后，英国也有国王和王后，他们相信什么事情都不会改变。但是法国的境况很糟糕，而且是每况愈下。人民在贫穷、饥饿和不幸中生活。国王发行纸币进行挥霍，而百姓却要忍饥挨饿。在门户紧闭的家中，人们悄声地谈论着反对国王和他的贵族们的话题；他们只是低声地密谈，但却是绝望中的人们愤怒的声音。

Late one November night,in that same year 1775,a coach going from London to Dover,stopped at the top of a long hill.The horses were tired,but as they rested,the driver heard another horse coming fast up the hill behind them.The rider stopped his horse beside the coach and shouted：

“I want a passenger,Mr Jarvis Lorry,from Tellson's Bank in London.”

“I am Mr Jarvis Lorry,” said one of the passengers,putting his head out of the window.“What do you want?”

“It's me！Jerry,Jerry Cruncher,from Tellson's Bank,Sir,”cried the man on the horse.

“Wha's the matter,Jerry?” called Mr Lorry.

“A message for you,Mr Lorry.You've got to wait at Dover for a young lady.”

“Very well,Jerry,” said Mr Lorry. “Tell them my answer is CAME BACK TO LIFE.”

It was a strange message,and a stranger answer.No one in the coach understood what they meant.

The next day Mr Lorry was sitting in his hotel in Dover when a young lady arrived.She was pretty,with golden hair and blue eyes,and Mr Lorry remembered a small child,almost a baby.He had carried her in his arms when he came from Calais to Dover,from France to England,many years ago.Mr Lorry asked the young lady to sit down.

就在那1775年11月的一个深夜，一辆从伦敦赶往多佛的马车停在了一条绵延的山丘的顶部。马匹都已经很累了，但在它们休息时，赶车人听到后面有另一匹马正急速地朝他们赶来。骑马人把马停在马车的旁边并喊道：

“我要找一位乘客，伦敦台尔森银行的贾维斯·劳里先生。”

“我就是贾维斯·劳里先生，”车内的一位乘客从车窗探出头来说道。“有什么事吗?”

“是我！杰里，杰里·克拉彻，从台尔森银行来的，先生，”骑马的人喊道。

“什么事，杰里？”劳里先生问道。

“捎个信儿给您，劳里先生，您得在多佛等候一位年轻女士。”

“好吧，杰里，”劳里先生说，“告诉他们，就说我的答复是活过来。”

口信儿是奇特的，而答复就更奇特了。马车上的人都不明白他们在说什么。

第二天，劳里先生在多佛的旅馆里坐着时，来了一位年轻的女士。她很美，有一头金黄的头发和蓝色的眼睛，这让劳里先生想起了一个小孩儿，几乎是个婴儿。那是在很多年前，在从法国加来去英国多佛的路上，他曾把她抱在怀里。劳里先生让这位年轻女士坐下来。

“马内特小姐，”他说道。“我有个离奇的故事要告诉你，是关于台尔森银行的一位顾客的。台尔森银行是我工作的地方。”

“好吧，但是我不太明白，劳里先生，”年轻的女士说,“我从台尔森银行接到口信，要我到这儿来见您。我知道一些有关我可怜的父亲的钱的事。他很早就已死了——还在我出生之前。您要告诉我的是什么故事呢?”

“大约20年前，马内特小姐，有位法国医生娶了一位英国女士。他们有了一个女儿，但是在他们的女儿出生之前，这位父亲却失踪了。没有人知道他出了什么事。不久，他那位伤心的妻子也死了，他们的女儿被带回了英国。”

“但这像是我父亲的故事呀，劳里先生。况且不正是您把我带回英国的吗?”

“是的，是这样的，马内特小姐。很多年前我把你从法国带到了英国，并且自那以后台尔森银行就开始照料你。别人告诉你说你的父亲已经死了。但是设想一下，马内特小姐，或许你的父亲那时并没有死，或许他在监狱里呢。那并不是因为他犯了什么罪！而只是因为他有一个强大的敌人——这个敌人拥有权势将他投进监狱，而且让他在那里与世隔绝、被人遗忘地关了18年！”

“这是真的吗?我父亲可能还活着吗?”路茜·马内特紧盯着劳里先生。她的脸色苍白，双手颤抖着。“那会是他的灵魂，而不是他本人！”

“不，马内特小姐，”劳里先生温和地说。“他还活着，只是有了很大的变化，就连他自己的名字也不记得了！我们绝对不可以问起从前的事，一点都不能问。那样的话就太危险了。他已经被带到巴黎的一个老仆人的家里，我们就是要去那里让他回到日常生活中来。”

（未完待续）

“Miss Manette, ” he said.“I have a strange story to tell you,about one of the customers of Tellson's Bank.That's where I work.”

“Yes,but I don't quite understand,Mr Lorry,”said the young lady.“I received a message from Tellson's Bank,asking me to come here to meet you.I understood there was some news about my poor father's money.He died so long ago—before I was born.What is this story you want to tell me?”

“About twenty years ago,Miss Manette,a French doctor married an English lady.They had a daughter,but just before she was born,her father disappeared.Nobody knew what had happened to him.Not long afterwards his unhappy wife died,and their daughter was brought back to England.”

“But this is like my father's story,Mr Lorry.And wasn't it you who brought me back to England?”

“Yes,that's true,Miss Manette.Many years ago I brought you from France to England,and Tellson's Bank has taken care of you since then.You were told that your father had died.But think,Miss Manette.Perhaps your father wasn't dead.Perhaps he was in prison.Not because he had done something wrong！ But just because he had a powerful enemy—an enemy with the power to send him to prison and to keep him there,hidden and forgotten,for eighteen years！”

“Can it be true?Is it possible that my father is still alive?”Lucie Manette stared at Mr Lorry.Her face was white and her hands trembled.“It will be his ghost （鬼）—not him！”

“No,Miss Manette,”said Mr Lorry gently.“He is alive,but he has changed very much.Even his name had been forgotten！And we must ask no questions about the past,no questions at all.It would be too dangerous.He has been taken to the house of an old servant in Paris,and we are going there to bring him back to life."

（To be continued）

阅读扫障

Ⅰ.热词积累

1.desperate adj.绝望的；孤注一掷的

2.come back to life 苏醒；复活

3.take care of照顾

4.in prison坐牢

5.stare at盯着；瞪着

6.bring...back to life使……复活

Ⅱ.难句分析

1.The next day Mr Lorry was sitting in his hotel in Dover when a young lady arrived.第二天，劳里先生在多佛的旅馆里坐着时，来了一位年轻的女士。

本句用的是 “过去进行时 +when+一般过去时”句型，该句型表示一个延续性的动作正在进行时，另外一个短暂性的动作出其不意地发生，前者用过去进行时，后者用一般过去时。

句式仿写

我正在吃晚餐时，儿子突然哭了起来。

2.And wasn't it you who brought me back to England?不正是您把我带回英国的吗?

本句是一个使用了反问句式的强调句，旨在加强句子的语气，陈述句式为It was you who brought me back to England。强调句的陈述句式为 “It is/was+被强调部分 +that/who...”，当被强调的部分为人时，强调句的引导词可用that/who，其他情况一律用that；其特殊疑问句式为 “特殊疑问词 +is/was it that...”。

句式仿写

正是我的教练帮我克服了恐惧。

3.Is it possible that my father is still alive?

我父亲可能还活着吗?

本句的句型为“It be+adj.+that...”，句中的 it为形式主语，实际主语为that引导的主语从句。当句中的形容词为 necessary，natural，important， 以 及vital等表示 “欲望”的形容词时，主语从句要用“（should）+动词原形”形式的虚拟语气。

句式仿写

我们在两点之前完成这项工作是很重要的。