《艾伦图灵传》第1章11:圣诞童话剧

 The Christmas pantomime was the high spot of the year, although Alan himself later recalled of Christmas 'that as a small child I was quite unable to predict when it would fall, I didn't even realise that it came at regular intervals¹.' Back at dreary² Baston Lodge³, his head was buried in maps. He asked for an atlas⁴ as a birthday present and pored over it by the hour. He also liked recipes and formulae, and wrote down the ingredients for a dock-leaf concoction⁵ for the cure of nettle-stings. The only books he had were little nature-study notebooks, supplemented by his mother reading The Pilgrim's Progress aloud. Once she cheated by leaving out a long theological dissertation⁶, but that made him very cross. 'You spoil the whole thing, ' he shouted, and ran up to his bedroom. Perhaps he was responding to the uncompromising note of Bunyan's plain-speaking Englishman. But once the rules were agreed then they must be followed to the bitter end, without bending or cheating. His Nanny found the same when playing with him.

圣诞童话剧是一年的高潮，但艾伦却不怎么感兴趣。艾伦后来回忆说，小时候我觉得这剧总是没完没了，我不知道它是周期性上演的。后来，他们回到沉闷的巴斯顿住宅，艾伦喜欢上了研究地图。他过生日时，要了一个地图作礼物，并且马上钻研了一遍。他还喜欢药方，把治疗荨麻疹的酸模合剂的成分抄下来。他有一本书，是一小本自然科学笔记，这是他母亲读的《天路历程》的补充资料。有一次，艾赛儿在给他讲书时，偷懒跳过了一篇很长的理论论文，这令艾伦生气地喊叫「你全给搞糟了！」然后跑回了卧室。不管是谁，一旦答应了艾伦的要求，就必须坚持到底，不能变卦也不能骗他。幼儿园的南尼，也发现了这一点，在跟艾伦玩的时候：

The thing that stands out most in my mind was his integrity and his intelligence for a child so young as he then was, also you couldn't camouflage⁷ anything from him. I remember one day Alan and I playing together. I played so that he should win, but he spotted⁸ it. There was commotion⁹ for a few minutes. …

我现在印象最深的就是，他那么小的时候，就表现出一种正直和智慧，你不能跟他耍任何虚伪的东西。我记得有一次跟艾伦一起玩，我故意让他赢，但他马上就指出来，并且吵闹了好长时间……

In February 1919, Mr Turing returned after three years' separation. It was not easy for him to re-establish his authority with Alan, who had a good line in answering back. He told Alan once to untwist his boot-tongues. 'They should be flat as a pancake, ' he said. 'Pancakes are generally rolled up, ' piped back Alan. If Alan had an opinion, he said that he knew, or that he always knew; he always knew that the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden was not an apple but a plum. In the summer, Mr Turing took them for a holiday at Ullapool, in the far north-west of Scotland, this time a distinctly posh holiday, complete with gillie. While Mr Turing and John lured¹⁰ the trout¹¹, and Mrs Turing sketched¹² the loch, Alan gambolled¹³ in the heather. He had the bright idea of gathering¹⁴ the wild bees' honey for their picnic tea. As the bees buzzed past, he observed their flight-paths and by plotting the intersection¹⁵ point located the nest. The Turings were vividly¹⁶ impressed by this direction-finding, more than by the murky¹⁷ honey he retrieved¹⁸.

1919年2月，在三年的分离之后，朱利叶斯.图灵先生回来了。然而，现在再想在艾伦面前重建威信，可不是那么容易的，艾伦已经可以轻松地顶嘴了。有一回，朱利叶斯叫他把鞋舌整理好，说鞋舌应该像烙饼一样平。艾伦立即反驳说，烙饼明明是卷的。艾伦如果有什么想法，他会习惯说「我知道」或者是「我早就知道」，比如说，他早就知道伊甸园的禁果不是苹果，而是李子。夏天时，图灵先生带他们到阿勒浦度假。阿勒浦在苏格兰遥远的西北地区。因为有钓鱼教练，所以这次豪华的假期令他们觉得非常愉快。朱利叶斯和约翰在钓鳟鱼，图灵夫人在画海湾的素描，而艾伦则在石楠花丛中自己玩耍。他想了一个收集蜂蜜的好主意，准备在野餐时泡茶。当蜜蜂嗡嗡飞过时，他就在观察它们的飞行路线，并用标出交会点，确定蜂巢的方位。那点脏乎乎的蜂蜜不算什么，但他的这种聪明，给朱利叶斯留下了深刻的印象。

But that December his parents steamed away and Alan was left again with the Wards¹⁹, while John returned to Hazelhurst. Their father was transferred at last to the metropolis²⁰ of Madras to serve in the Revenue Department, but Alan stagnated²¹ in the deathly ennui²² of St Leonards-on-Sea, concocting²³ recipes. His development was so held back that he had not even learnt how to do long division by the time of his mothers return in 1921, when he was nearly nine.

这一年的11月，艾伦的父母又走了，他又被留在沃德家，而约翰则回到了海兹赫斯特。图灵先生被调到马德拉斯的一个大城市，做财政工作，艾伦在圣伦纳兹的海边，每天配配无聊的食谱。1921年，当他的母亲再回来时，他已经快要九岁了，但还没有学会比较长的除法。

His mother perceived him as changed from 'extremely vivacious²⁴ – even mercurial²⁵ – making friends with everyone' to being 'unsociable and dreamy'. There was a wistful, withdrawn²⁶ expression in photographs of his ten-year-old face. She took him away from St Leonards and, after a summer holiday in Brittany, somewhat spoilt by the constant counting of francs, she taught him herself in London, where he alarmed her by looking for iron filings in the gutter²⁷ with a magnet. Mr Turing, who in May 1921 had again been promoted to be Secretary to the Madras Government Development Department, responsible for agriculture and commerce throughout the Presidency²⁸, returned once more in December and they all went to St Moritz, where Alan learnt to ski.

他母亲发现，这时的艾伦发生了，从极度活泼，变得不爱交际了。在照片中，他那十岁的小脸庞，甚至还透着强烈的抑郁和孤僻。于是，她带着艾伦离开了圣伦纳兹，在法国西北部的布列塔尼度过暑假之后，他们来到了伦敦，她在那里自己教艾伦。在伦敦，艾伦总是喜欢拿一块磁铁，在下水道里找铁屑玩，这让艾赛尔很操心。1921年5月，朱利叶斯.图灵被提拔为马德拉斯政府发展部副部长，负责农业和商业。12月，他回到英国，全家一起去圣摩瑞兹过冬，艾伦在这里学会了滑雪。

Miss Taylor, the headmistress of St Michael's, had said that Alan 'had genius', but this diagnosis²⁹ was not allowed to modify the programme. In the new year of 1922, Alan was launched on the next stage of the process and was sent off to Hazelhurst like his brother.

然后，艾伦该去上学了，可是圣迈克尔学校却不要他。女校长泰勒说，艾伦确实挺有天分，但是学校也有学校的制度。这事儿一直拖到1922年新年，艾伦的人生终于走进了新阶段，他跟哥哥一样，来到海兹赫斯特。

1 intervals   

n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息

参考例句：

• The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴，有阵雨。
• Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。

2 dreary   

adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的

参考例句：

• They live such dreary lives.他们的生活如此乏味。
• She was tired of hearing the same dreary tale of drunkenness and violence.她听够了那些关于酗酒和暴力的乏味故事。

3 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

4 atlas   

n.地图册，图表集

参考例句：

• He reached down the atlas from the top shelf.他从书架顶层取下地图集。
• The atlas contains forty maps,including three of Great Britain.这本地图集有40幅地图，其中包括3幅英国地图。

5 concoction   

n.调配(物)；谎言

参考例句：

• She enjoyed the concoction of foreign dishes.她喜欢调制外国菜。
• His story was a sheer concoction.他的故事实在是一纯属捏造之事。

6 dissertation   

n.（博士学位）论文，学术演讲，专题论文

参考例句：

• He is currently writing a dissertation on the Somali civil war.他目前正在写一篇关于索马里内战的论文。
• He was involved in writing his doctoral dissertation.他在聚精会神地写他的博士论文。

7 camouflage   

n./v.掩饰，伪装

参考例句：

• The white fur of the polar bear is a natural camouflage.北极熊身上的白色的浓密软毛是一种天然的伪装。
• The animal's markings provide effective camouflage.这种动物身上的斑纹是很有效的伪装。

8 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

9 commotion   

n.骚动，动乱

参考例句：

• They made a commotion by yelling at each other in the theatre.他们在剧院里相互争吵，引起了一阵骚乱。
• Suddenly the whole street was in commotion.突然间，整条街道变得一片混乱。

10 lured   

吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The child was lured into a car but managed to escape. 那小孩被诱骗上了车，但又设法逃掉了。
• Lured by the lust of gold,the pioneers pushed onward. 开拓者在黄金的诱惑下，继续奋力向前。

11 trout   

n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属)

参考例句：

• Thousands of young salmon and trout have been killed by the pollution.成千上万的鲑鱼和鳟鱼的鱼苗因污染而死亡。
• We hooked a trout and had it for breakfast.我们钓了一条鳟鱼，早饭时吃了。

12 sketched   

v.草拟（sketch的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The historical article sketched the major events of the decade. 这篇有关历史的文章概述了这十年中的重大事件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He sketched the situation in a few vivid words. 他用几句生动的语言简述了局势。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 gambolled   

v.蹦跳，跳跃，嬉戏( gambol的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

14 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

15 intersection   

n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集

参考例句：

• There is a stop sign at an intersection.在交叉路口处有停车标志。
• Bridges are used to avoid the intersection of a railway and a highway.桥用来避免铁路和公路直接交叉。

16 vividly   

adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地

参考例句：

• The speaker pictured the suffering of the poor vividly.演讲者很生动地描述了穷人的生活。
• The characters in the book are vividly presented.这本书里的人物写得栩栩如生。

17 murky   

adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗

参考例句：

• She threw it into the river's murky depths.她把它扔进了混浊的河水深处。
• She had a decidedly murky past.她的历史背景令人捉摸不透。

18 retrieved   

v.取回( retrieve的过去式和过去分词 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息）

参考例句：

• Yesterday I retrieved the bag I left in the train. 昨天我取回了遗留在火车上的包。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He reached over and retrieved his jacket from the back seat. 他伸手从后座上取回了自己的夹克。 来自辞典例句

19 wards   

区( ward的名词复数 )； 病房； 受监护的未成年者； 被人照顾或控制的状态

参考例句：

• This hospital has 20 medical [surgical] wards. 这所医院有 20 个内科[外科]病房。
• It was a big constituency divided into three wards. 这是一个大选区，下设三个分区。

20 metropolis   

n.首府；大城市

参考例句：

• Shanghai is a metropolis in China.上海是中国的大都市。
• He was dazzled by the gaiety and splendour of the metropolis.大都市的花花世界使他感到眼花缭乱。

21 stagnated   

v.停滞，不流动，不发展( stagnate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The balloting had stagnated, he couldn't win. 投票工作陷于停顿，他不能得胜。 来自辞典例句
• His mind has stagnated since his retirement. 他退休后头脑迟钝了。 来自辞典例句

22 ennui   

n.怠倦，无聊

参考例句：

• Since losing his job,he has often experienced a profound sense of ennui.他自从失业以来，常觉百无聊赖。
• Took up a hobby to relieve the ennui of retirement.养成一种嗜好以消除退休后的无聊。

23 concocting   

v.将（尤指通常不相配合的）成分混合成某物( concoct的现在分词 )；调制；编造；捏造

参考例句：

• I judged that he was concocting a particularly knotty editorial. 我估计他是在拼凑一篇特别伤脑筋的社论。 来自辞典例句
• 'And you,' returned Sydney, busy concocting the punch, 'are such a sensitive and poetical spirit.' “可你呢，”西德尼一边忙着调五味酒，一边回答，“你却是这样一个敏感而有诗意的精灵。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

24 vivacious   

adj.活泼的，快活的

参考例句：

• She is an artless,vivacious girl.她是一个天真活泼的女孩。
• The picture has a vivacious artistic conception.这幅画气韵生动。

25 mercurial   

adj.善变的，活泼的

参考例句：

• He was of a mercurial temperament and therefore unpredictable.他是个反复无常的人，因此对他的行为无法预言。
• Our desires and aversions are mercurial rulers.我们的欲望与嫌恶是变化无常的统治者。

26 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

27 gutter   

n.沟，街沟，水槽，檐槽，贫民窟

参考例句：

• There's a cigarette packet thrown into the gutter.阴沟里有个香烟盒。
• He picked her out of the gutter and made her a great lady.他使她脱离贫苦生活，并成为贵妇。

28 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

29 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。