1.        So, too, do the voices of those who believed him stupid, incapable ofliving independently.
1) Translatethe sentence into Chinese.
[=（在他内心深处）也一直回响着那些说他蠢，说他不能独立生活的人的声音。]
2) What kind ofrhetorical device is used here?
(=The rhetorical device used here is called inversion or hyperbaton (倒装). The normal order of the sentence is like this: The voices of those whobelieved him stupid, incapable of living independently also echo in his soul.)

2.        His mother explained how the delivery had been difficult, how the doctorhad used an instrument that crushed a section of his brain and caused cerebralpalsy, a disorder of the nervous system that affects his speech, hands andwalk.
1) What is the grammatical function of the last part of the sentence, from “adisorder …” to the end?
[=It functions as an appositive (同位语).]
2) Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(=他妈妈解释说生他时难产，医生使用了某种器械，损坏了他大脑的一部分，导致了大脑性麻痹，一种影响他说话，手部活动以及行走的神经系统的紊乱。)

3.        It took Porter four false starts before he found the courage to ring thefirst doorbell.
What isimplied here?
(=Porter had a very hard beginning.)

4.        Headaches are constant visitors. His right arm is nearly useless. Hecan’t fully control the limb. His body tilts at the waist; he seems to beheading into a strong, steady wind that keeps him off balance.
1) Translatethe sentences into Chinese.
(=头疼也是习以为常的事。他的右臂几乎没用。他不能完全控制这只手臂。他的身体从腰部开始前倾，看上去就像是顶着一股强劲的吹个不停的风迈步向前，风似乎要把他刮倒。)
2) What kind of rhetorical device is used in the first sentence?
(=The rhetorical device used in the first sentence is personification, a figureof speech in which a thing, quality or idea is represented as a person. It canmake the sentence more vivid.)

5.        He puts on his glasses, removes his brochures and begins his sales talk,showing the woman pictures and describing each product.
What can be inferred from this description?
(=Bill Porter is a very proficient retail salesman. Despite his deformity (残疾), he did all these very fluently, which showed his eagerness to sell theproducts to the customer.)

 

6.        Spices?
“No.”
Jams?
“No. Maybe nothing today, Bill.”
Is there anything special with the sentences here?
(=Yes. They are elliptical sentences. Ellipsis involves leaving out words whichare obvious from the context. Since it is a real dialogue between Bill Porterand his customer, to use elliptical sentences seems very natural.)

7.        Porter’s hearing is the one perfect thing his body does.   Except when he gets a live one. Then theword “no” does not register.
1) Paraphrase the second sentence.
(=Except when he catches someone who looks as if he may be persuaded to buy.)
2) Translate the sentences into Chinese.
(=波特的听觉是他身上唯一没有一点毛病的功能。只有当他察觉对方有可能买他东西的时候才会发生例外。这个时候，他是听不见“不”的。)

8.        He smells blood. He quickly remembers her last order.
1. What impression can you get from this sentence?
(=He is a very skillful salesman, sensitive to potential customer’s needs.)
2. What kind of rhetorical device is used here?
[=The rhetorical device used here is called metaphor. He is just like an animalhunting its prey (猎物).]

9.        The new owners, familiar with his situation, froze his rent and agreed tolet him live there until he dies.
What does“froze his rent” mean?
(=It means that the new owner agreed not to increase his rent.)

10.    From his easy chair he hears the wind lash his house and the rain poundthe street outside his home.
1. What does“pound” mean here?
(=It means “to beat or hit repeatedly and heavily”.)
2. Translate this sentence into Chinese.
(=他坐在安乐椅上，只听得呼啸的大风猛烈地冲击着他的房子，大雨击打着屋外的街面。)

系鞋带                               tie one’s shoes

想做某事                           feel like doing sth.

一群                                    a pack of

冲破身体的极限             rise above one’s limitations

招聘广告                           help wanted ads

家用物品                           household products

零售推销员                      a retail salesman

不平衡                               off balance

擦鞋摊                               a shoeshine stand

让某人下车                      drop sb. off

在打电话                           on the phone

用完肥皂                          beout of soap

躺着（或坐着）             offone’s feet

过着离群索居的生活   lead a solitary life

靠佣金赚钱                      work on commission

带薪假期                         paidholidays

减轻疼痛                           relieve pain

因…而卧床休养              be laid up with

自悲自怜                           feel sorry for oneself

潦草的签名                      scrawled signature

安乐椅                               an easy chair

熄灭                                    go off

1. Making a living as a door-to-doorsalesman demands a thick skin, both to protect against the weather and againstconstantly having the door shut in your face.

(=干挨家挨户上门推销这一营生得脸皮厚，这是因为干这一行不仅要经受风吹日晒，还要承受一次又一次的闭门羹。)

2. And his enemies — a crippled body thatbetrays him and a changing world that no longer needs him — are gaining on him.

(=他的敌人——辜负他的残疾的身体和一个不再需要他的变化着的世界——正一步一步把他逼向绝境。)

3. Once the walls are up, a place takes ona different feel for him, as if he’s not welcome anymore.

(=一旦高墙耸起，这建筑给他的感受就变了，他好像不再受到欢迎。)

4. 要是顾客回绝波特，拒绝倾听他的介绍，他就一再上门。就这样他将产品卖了出去。

(=If a customer turned him down, Porterkept coming back until they heard him. And he sold.)

5. 他由于身体不能正常运行而使脑子无法充分发挥其功能。

(=His mind was trapped in a body thatdidn’t work.)

6. 波特一开始四次都没敢敲门，第五次才鼓起勇气按了第一户人家的门铃。

(=It took Porter four false starts beforehe found the courage to ring the first doorbell.)

7. 仅在一代人的时间里，从旧的意大利生活方式一跃而成为美国的雅皮士不是件容易事。

(=It’s not so smooth jumping from Italianold-world style to U.S. yuppie in a single generation.)