晨读夜诵．英语经典短篇小说大全集(英汉对照)(欧·亨利、马克·吐温等作家经典短篇小说)(txt+pdf+epub+mobi电子书下载)

作者：黄俊燕

出版社：华东理工大学出版社

格式: AZW3, DOCX, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, TXT

晨读夜诵．英语经典短篇小说大全集(英汉对照)(欧·亨利、马克·吐温等作家经典短篇小说)试读：

培根曾说“读书足以怡情，足以博彩，足以长才。”这位英国的大思想家将“怡情”放在第一位，不能不说是有深意的。若是抹去了读书的愉悦，“博彩”和“长才”也就仿佛失去了厚实的根基，徒留浮华的表面。读英语也是如此，若是抛弃了阅读的趣味，各类考试、考级也最终会成为空中楼阁，经不起现实生活的考验。

其实英语阅读带给我们的又岂止是知识或才能？它展现给我们的是一个更为广阔的世界。

在阅读中，我们感受独特的风情。这里有Robinson Crusoe (《鲁滨逊漂流记》)中坚定无畏的冒险与开拓，有Pilgrim's Progress (《天路历程》)中闪耀着宗教神圣之光的虔诚与信念，有A Midsummer Night's Dream（《仲夏夜之梦》）般喧闹的幻想与狂欢，也有Sherlock Holmes（《福尔摩斯探案集》）中熠熠生辉的科学与理性。

在阅读中，我们体验语言的魅力。当我们读到《老人与海》那句 “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.（一个人可以被毁灭，但不能被打败。）”时，我们忍不住惊讶，震撼的思想竟可以用如此简单的文字凝结。当我们读到《西风颂》中的“If winter comes, can spring be far behind?（如果冬天来了，春天还会远吗？）”时，我们又忍不住赞叹，悠远的哲思竟可以与抑扬的韵律如此巧妙地融合。然而，也许我们自己都不会意识到，在阅读过程中，这些英语文字已然悄无声息地潜入我们的内心，缓缓沉淀，直至融入我们自己的语言。

在阅读中，我们感悟生命的成长。英文经典，披沙沥金，闪耀着人类共同的智慧之光。 无论是狄更斯的Great Expectation（《远大前程》），还是海伦·凯勒的Three Days to See （《假如给我三天光明》），这些曾经激扬着西方一代人的篇章，同样会激励着这个时代的我们。将自身成长中的迷茫与痛苦、激情与喜悦，置于人类更广阔的精神世界，我们便会发现，我们的心灵得到抚慰，视野得以拓展，生命获得意义……

最后用林语堂先生的一句话作结：“没有阅读习惯的人，往往被禁锢于眼前的世界……但当他拿起一本书时，他会立刻进入一个不同的世界。”这也正是我们编写本系列丛书的目的所在，希望这套“英语阅读”丛书带你“悦读”这个别样的世界。上海外国语大学教授　冯庆华命 运 之 手

She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long.

她简短地做了个祈祷，希望生命能够长久。而就在昨天，她一想到漫长的人生就不寒而栗。——凯特·肖邦　《一小时的故事》The Story of An Hour一小时的故事凯特·肖邦(Kate Chopin)

凯特·肖邦(1851—1904),美国小说家，曾被誉为“美国女权主义文学创作的先驱之一”。她早年丧夫，人到中年后创作了大量女性主题的文学作品，因大胆探讨女性意识的崛起而引起美国文坛的震动，其作品因提出过于前卫而露骨的女性诉求，甚至遭到排斥。《觉醒》(Awakening)是其最出名的长篇小说。《一小时的故事》讲述了一位女性在得知丈夫死讯之后的意外经历。马拉德在铁路灾难中死去，马拉德夫人因为心脏有疾病，亲友们将消息十分婉转地告诉了她。她在短暂的伤心之后，意识到丈夫去世之后她将得到身体与心灵的解放。她十分欢喜，正准备迎接新的生活，却看到了丈夫推门而入——原来他根本没有在事故现场。惊吓过度的马拉德夫人因心脏病突发而死去。注

⑴Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death.

It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences; veiled hints that revealed in half concealing. Her husband's friend Richards was there, too, near her. It was he who had been in the newspaper office when intelligence of the railroad disaster was received, with Brently Mallard's name leading the list of “killed.” He had only taken the time to assure himself of its truth by a second telegram, 注and had hastened to forestall any less careful, less tender friend in bearing the sad message.

⑵She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance. She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister's arms. When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone. She would have no one follow her.

There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair. Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul.

She could see in the open square before her house the tops of 注trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious 注breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which some one was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves.

⑶There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window.

She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, 注quite motionless, except when a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams.注

She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength. But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on one of those patches of blue sky. It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought.

⑷There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it？ She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air.注

Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously. She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will — as powerless as her two white slender hands would have been. When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under the breath: “free, free, free!” The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body.

She did not stop to ask if it were or were not a monstrous joy that 注held her. A clear and exalted perception enabled her to dismiss the 注suggestion as trivial. She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death; the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed and gray and dead. But she saw 注beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome.

⑸There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they 注have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she 注looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination.

And yet she had loved him — sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter! What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in 注the face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!

“Free! Body and soul free!” she kept whispering.

⑹Josephine was kneeling before the closed door with her lips to 注the keyhold, imploring for admission. “Louise, open the door! I beg; open the door — you will make yourself ill. What are you doing, Louise？ For heaven's sake open the door.”

“Go away. I am not making myself ill.” No; she was drinking in a 注very elixir of life through that open window.

Her fancy was running riot along those days ahead of her. Spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long.

⑺She arose at length and opened the door to her sister's 注importunities. There was a feverish triumph in her eyes, and she 注carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory. She clasped her sister's waist, and together they descended the stairs. Richards stood waiting for them at the bottom.

Someone was opening the front door with a latchkey. It was Brently Mallard who entered, a little travel-stained, composedly carrying his grip-sack and umbrella. He had been far from the scene of the accident, and did not even know there had been one. He stood amazed at Josephine's piercing cry; at Richards' quick motion to screen him from the view of his wife.

When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease — of the joy that kills.

⑴由于马拉德夫人有心脏病，大家都小心翼翼地用尽量温和的语气告诉她马拉德先生去世的消息。

她的姐姐约瑟芬支支吾吾、半遮半掩地向她透露了这件事。她丈夫的朋友理查德也在她身旁。当铁路发生事故的消息传到邮局时，理查德正好在那里。死亡名单上第一个就是布伦特利·马拉德的名字。理查德等到了第二封电报，证实了消息属实，就赶忙回来，免得一些不够谨慎体贴的人将消息告诉马拉德夫人。

⑵许多女人在听到丈夫去世的噩耗后，都无法接受这一残酷的事实，而马拉德夫人并不是这样。她当时一瞬间就倒在自己姐姐怀中放声大哭，在那一刻猛烈地释放出来。当狂风般的伤痛逐渐过去后，她独自走回了房间，不让一个人跟着她。

房中立着一把宽大而舒适的扶手椅，正对着敞开的窗户。身体的疲惫使马拉德夫人软弱无力，失魂落魄。她一下子坐到了椅子上。

她可以看见屋前院子里的树梢，它们摆动着，充满了春天的生机。空气中还有一丝雨后的芬芳气息。街道上有个小贩在大声叫卖，远处隐约传来一阵歌声，屋檐下数不清的麻雀在叽叽喳喳地唱着。

⑶层层叠叠的云朵出现在窗外西边的天空中，中间透出一片片蓝天。

她坐在那里，头枕在靠垫上一动也不动，直到一阵抽泣涌上喉头，让她全身颤抖，正如一个在哭声中入睡的孩子在梦中仍在哭泣一样。

她还年轻，有着一张美丽而娴静的面孔。脸上的线条显得压抑，又包含着一种力量。而她现在双眼无神，愣愣地盯着远处的蓝天。那眼神中并无丝毫的沉思，而是思维的暂时停顿。

⑷有一种东西正在向她靠近。 她等待着它的到来, 但又充满了恐惧。到底是什么东西？她并不清楚，它太微妙，太难以名状。但她毕竟感受到了——它从天空里爬出来，穿过空气中的声音、气味和色彩向她走来。

她的胸脯开始剧烈地起伏。她逐渐明白了这个前来占有她的东西究竟是什么。她努力用自己的意志将这个东西抵挡回去——可她的意志就像她两只纤白的手一样软弱无力。就在她放弃抵抗时，微微张开的双唇之间轻轻地蹦出了这样的话，她一遍又一遍地低声重复：“自由，自由，自由！”空洞的眼神和随之而来的恐惧神情从她眼中消失了，取而代之的是热切的目光。她的脉搏剧烈地跳动着，流动的血液温暖、松弛了她每一寸肌肤。

她并没有冷静下来，思考自己是不是被猛兽般的喜悦附了身。有一种清晰的、兴奋的感觉告诉她，是与否都已经无足轻重了。她知道，当自己看到丈夫交叉在冰冷胸前的温柔体贴的双手时，看到一张灰暗僵死的曾充满对妻子爱恋的面孔时，还是会流泪。但她还看到，这痛苦的一刻过去后，她将迎来很长一段完全属于自己的岁月，她向它们展开双臂迎接。

⑸接下来的日子，她不需要为任何人而活，除了她自己。曾经有盲目顽固的信念造就的强大意志让她屈从——世间的男女都相信自己有将个人意志强加于人的权利，而这种意志今后也不会存在了。当她心念一闪的瞬间，她觉得无论是出于善意还是恶意，这种强加意志的做法都无异于犯罪。

但她毕竟爱过自己的丈夫——她有时爱他，但更多的时候并没有。那又怎么样呢！她突然感受到自己生命中最强烈的冲动来自于自我的意识，在这种意识面前，爱情这个不解之谜又算什么。“自由！身体和灵魂的自由！”她喃喃地说个不停。

⑹约瑟芬跪在紧闭的房门外，双唇贴着钥匙孔，乞求马拉德夫人让她进去。“露易丝，开开门！求求你，开门吧——你这样会生病的。露易丝，你在做什么呢？看在老天的分上快开门吧。”“走开。我不会把自己弄病的。”她不会，她正透过敞开的窗户，吮吸生命的甘露。

她的遐想超越了她的身体，在未来的岁月中疾驰。春日，夏日，所有的日子都将属于她自己。她简短地做了个祈祷，希望生命能够长久。而就在昨天，她一想到漫长的人生就不寒而栗。

⑺她最终站起身，给心急火燎的姐姐开了门。她的眼中闪烁着炽热的凯旋，难掩自己胜利女神般的姿态。她搂住了姐姐的腰，两人一同走下了楼梯。理查德在楼梯口等着她们。

有人用钥匙打开了前门——是布伦特利·马拉德先生。他风尘仆仆，却仍从容地拎着旅行包和伞走了进来。事故发生的时候他并不在场，甚至根本都不知道发生了什么。他一进门就呆住了——约瑟芬发出了尖叫，理查德慌忙跑去，想要将他挡在露易丝的视线之外。

医生说马拉德夫人因发心脏病而死——欢愉夺走了她的性命。

小说《一小时的故事》以刻画女性的内心世界为主，以细腻隽永的语言、自然转换的视角和出人意料的结局，塑造了一个站在道德与自由边缘的新女性形象。

作者本人是女性，描写的又是女性敏感多变的心理，所以遣词造句尤其注重细节。在讲述马拉德夫人从哀伤到喜悦的心情变化时，作者并没有直接进行人物心理描述，而是首先带入了窗外清新怡人的自然景色——充满春天气息的树梢、蓝蓝的天空和洁白的云朵，通过充满活力的大自然，用象征的手法反映了主人公此时对美好未来的渴望。小说还运用了多视角转换的表现手法，使故事读起来一波三折，令人回味。开篇用第三人称限知视角，客观地描述了人物与事件，并且巧妙地通过亲友对马拉德夫人情绪的保护展示了社会的道德标准——一个女人在丧夫之时的表现应该是十分痛苦的。而这时作者又转入了全知视角，描述马拉德夫人看到的东西，窥探到她不因丧夫而悲伤、反而期盼自由的隐秘的内心活动，让读者惊叹于主人公真实想法与社会道德的背离。小说结尾又回到限知视角，客观地描述了主人公的丈夫回到家中，马拉德夫人惊吓而死的场景，制造了强烈的戏剧冲突。作者在全知视角中充满了对主人公同情和理解，而在限知视角中又表现了对主人公命运的讽刺，通过文字的冲突展现了现实世界中女性在婚姻与自由之间的彷徨与无奈。⑴编者注：本书中，该序号用于分别标记英文和中文段落，以方便读者对应查找注：afflict vt. 使痛苦注：forstall vt. 抢在……前行动注：aquiver adj. 颤抖的注：peddler n. 小贩注：sob n. 啜泣注：bespeak vt. 表示注：tumultuously adv. 喧闹地注：exalted adj. 兴奋的注：trivial adj. 不重要的注：procession n. 一排注：impose vt. 强加注：illumination n. 照明注：self-assertion n. 自信注：implore vt. 恳求或乞求注：elixir n. 长生不老药注：importunity n. 强求注：unwittingly adv. 不知不觉地The Lady or the Tiger美女还是老虎弗兰克·斯托克顿(Frank R. Stockton)

弗兰克·斯托克顿(1834—1902),美国小说家、幽默作家，以其19世纪末期备受欢迎的童话故事而著名，他摒弃了传统童话的道德说教模式，用就事论事的态度和幽默的语言调侃了人性中的暴力和贪婪。《美女还是老虎》(The Lady or the Tiger)是他最著名的寓言小说。《美女还是老虎》是弗兰克·斯托克顿最著名的文学作品，也是众多文学选集争相收录的小说。故事发生在一个想象中半开化的国度：一个年轻俊美的平民爱上了国王的女儿，于是国王一怒之下下令在竞技场审判他。那里有两扇门，他将打开任意一扇。如果里面是饥肠辘辘的老虎，他将被吃掉，如果里面是一位绝色美女，他将立刻迎娶她。公主费尽心机知道了门背后的秘密，并且得知门后的美女是自己的情敌。在审判的当天，公主暗示自己的爱人选择右边的门。到底公主指向的是老虎，还是美女呢？作者没有给出故事的结局，而是让读者自己猜测答案。故事发表于1882年，引起了大量读者对故事结局的猜测和疑问。“美女还是老虎？”在英语中已经成为“不可解问题”的代名词。

This semi-barbaric king had a daughter as blooming as his most 注注florid fancies, and with a soul as fervent and imperious as his own. As is usual in such cases, she was the apple of his eye, and was loved by him above all humanity. Among his courtiers was a young man of 注that fineness of blood and lowness of station common to the conventional heroes of romance who love royal maidens. This royal maiden was well satisfied with her lover, for he was handsome and brave to a degree unsurpassed in all this kingdom, and she loved him 注with an ardor that had enough of barbarism in it to make it exceedingly warm and strong. This love affair moved on happily for many months, until one day the king happened to discover its 注existence. He did not hesitate or waver in regard to his duty in the 注premises. The youth was immediately cast into prison, and a day was appointed for his trial in the king's arena. This, of course, was an especially important occasion, and his majesty, as well as all the people, was greatly interested in the workings and development of this trial. Never before had such a case occurred; never before had a subject dared to love the daughter of the king. In after years such things became commonplace enough, but then they were in no slight degree novel and startling.

⑴The tiger-cages of the kingdom were searched for the most savage and relentless beasts, from which the fiercest monster might be selected for the arena; and the ranks of maiden youth and beauty throughout the land were carefully surveyed by competent judges in order that the young man might have a fitting bride in case fate did not determine for him a different destiny. Of course, everybody knew that the deed with which the accused was charged had been done. He had loved the princess, and neither he, she, nor anyone else, thought of denying the fact; but the king would not think of allowing any fact of 注this kind to interfere with the workings of the tribunal, in which he took such great delight and satisfaction. No matter how the affair turned out, the youth would be disposed of, and the king would take an aesthetic pleasure in watching the course of events, which would determine whether or not the young man had done wrong in allowing himself to love the princess.

The appointed day arrived. From far and near the people 注gathered, and thronged the great galleries of the arena, and crowds, unable to gain admittance, massed themselves against its outside walls. The king and his court were in their places, opposite the twin doors, those fateful portals, so terrible in their similarity.

All was ready. The signal was given. A door beneath the royal party opened, and the lover of the princess walked into the arena. Tall, 注beautiful, fair, his appearance was greeted with a low hum of admiration and anxiety. Half the audience had not known so grand a youth had lived among them. No wonder the princess loved him! What a terrible thing for him to be there!

⑵As the youth advanced into the arena he turned, as the custom was, to bow to the king, but he did not think at all of that royal 注personage. His eyes were fixed upon the princess, who sat to the 注right of her father. Had it not been for the moiety of barbarism in her nature it is probable that lady would not have been there, but her 注intense and fervid soul would not allow her to be absent on an occasion in which she was so terribly interested. From the moment 注that the decree had gone forth that her lover should decide his fate in the king's arena, she had thought of nothing, night or day, but this great event and the various subjects connected with it. Possessed of more power, influence, and force of character than any one who had ever before been interested in such a case, she had done what no other person had done — she had possessed herself of the secret of the doors. She knew in which of the two rooms, that lay behind those doors, stood the cage of the tiger, with its open front, and in which waited the lady. Through these thick doors, heavily curtained with skins on the inside, it was impossible that any noise or suggestion should come from within to the person who should approach to raise the latch of one of them. But gold, and the power of a woman's will, had brought the secret to the princess.

And not only did she know in which room stood the lady ready to emerge, all blushing and radiant, should her door be opened, but she knew who the lady was. It was one of the fairest and loveliest of the 注damsels of the court who had been selected as the reward of the 注accused youth, should he be proved innocent of the crime of aspiring to one so far above him; and the princess hated her. Often had she seen, or imagined that she had seen, this fair creature throwing glances of admiration upon the person of her lover, and sometimes she thought these glances were perceived, and even returned. Now and then she had seen them talking together; it was but for a moment or two, but much can be said in a brief space; it may have been on most unimportant topics, but how could she know that？ The girl was lovely, but she had dared to raise her eyes to the loved one of the princess; and, with all the intensity of the savage blood transmitted to her through long lines of wholly barbaric ancestors, she hated the woman who blushed and trembled behind that silent door.

⑶When her lover turned and looked at her, and his eye met hers as she sat there, paler and whiter than anyone in the vast ocean of anxious faces about her, he saw, by that power of quick perception which is given to those whose souls are one, that she knew behind which door crouched the tiger, and behind which stood the lady. He had expected her to know it. He understood her nature, and his soul was assured that she would never rest until she had made plain to herself this thing, hidden to all other lookers-on, even to the king. The only hope for the youth in which there was any element of certainty was based upon the success of the princess in discovering this mystery; and the moment he looked upon her, he saw she had succeeded, as in his soul he knew she would succeed.

Then it was that his quick and anxious glance asked the question: “Which？” It was as plain to her as if he shouted it from where he stood. There was not an instant to be lost. The question was asked in a flash; it must be answered in another.

Her right arm lay on the cushioned parapet before her. She raised her hand, and made a slight, quick movement toward the right. No one but her lover saw her. Every eye but his was fixed on the man in the arena.

⑷He turned, and with a firm and rapid step he walked across the empty space. Every heart stopped beating, every breath was held, every eye was fixed immovably upon that man. Without the slightest hesitation, he went to the door on the right, and opened it.

Now, the point of the story is this: Did the tiger come out of that door, or did the lady？

这位半文明、半野蛮的国王有一个女儿，她有着父亲所期许的最华美的风貌，并且如他一般热忱与骄横。理所当然，她是国王的掌上明珠，得到了他超乎寻常的宠爱。在他的臣民中，有一位年轻人血统卑贱、地位低下，正如大家常见到的那些倾心于贵族小姐的风流英雄一般。这位皇室少女对自己的恋人十分满意，因为他的英俊和勇敢在整个国家都无人能敌。她对他充满野性的激情使两人的爱炽热而强烈。这段情事愉快地持续了数月，直到被国王偶然察觉。国王在履行对自己领土的职责这件事上没有丝毫的迟疑和动摇，于是年轻人立刻被关入了监狱，并确定了他在国王竞技场被执行审判的时间。不消说，这是十分重大的事件，国王和所有的民众都对这次审判的进展抱着极大的兴趣。之前从来没有发生过这样的事，也从来没有什么人敢对国王的女儿表达爱。虽然这样的事情在之后的年代变得很寻常，但在当时却异常新鲜而耸人听闻。

⑴为了给虎笼挑选出最凶猛的野兽，全国上下都在搜寻那些最野蛮和残忍的老虎；同时，经验老到的选官们也在全国精挑细选那些年轻又美貌的女子，以备那个年轻人在被命运垂青后能拥有一个和他相配的新娘。不消说，所有人都知道这个被告者是因为何事站上审判台的。他深爱着公主，他们俩，包括其他所有人也从没有想过要否认这个事实。但是国王决不会允许自己如此满意和欣赏的审判机制在任何情形下受到阻碍。无论两人的爱情发展得如何，那个年轻人始终要被处置，国王始终会带着审美的愉悦观看这场裁决，年轻人对公主的爱是否有罪，将在这里得到判定。

约定的日子到了，人们从四面八方赶来，将竞技场挤得水泄不通，那些没有办法进入的人群则聚集在墙外。国王和法官们都已就位，对面就是那两扇相似得可怕的命运之门。

一切都已就绪。在指示下，位于皇家成员们座位下方的一扇门被开启，公主的爱人从这里进入了竞技场。他高大俊美的形象引来了一阵夹杂着赞美和叹息的低沉议论声。一半的观众都不曾知道他们周围竟还有这样一位器宇轩昂的青年，也难怪公主会爱上他！他来到这个地方真是太不幸了！

⑵当这位青年步入竞技场时他转过身来，按照礼节向国王敬礼，但他丝毫没有去关注这位皇室要员，而是注视着坐在国王右边的公主。若不是她血液中野蛮的成分作祟，这位小姐可能不会来到这里，可她那激烈和炽热的灵魂迫使她不能缺席这场牵动她心弦的仪式。从旨意刚刚颁布、要将她的爱人送入国王竞技场进行命运裁决的那一刻起，她就对这件大事和相关的问题夜以继日地思考着，脑子里再也容不下别的东西。她比任何一个关注这件事的人拥有更多的权力、影响力和魅力，所以她做出了其他人未曾做过的事情——她得知了门背后的秘密。她知道了两扇门后面，哪一个房间放着敞开的虎笼，哪一个有年轻女子在里面等待。这两扇厚实的门背后有许多兽皮做的帘子遮蔽着，前来打开门闩的人不可能听到里面的任何声响。但是金钱、权力和女人的决心，为公主换来了这个秘密。

她知道的还不仅仅是哪个房间里站着那位娇羞而艳丽、一旦门打开就准备亮相的女子，她还知道这位女子是谁。她是入选的众多大臣的女儿中最漂亮可爱的那个，一旦年轻人不顾身份追求皇女的行为被判无罪，她就将成为他的奖品；而公主恨她。她经常看到，或者在想象中看到这个美丽的尤物向她的爱人抛去欣赏的目光，她有时还觉得这些目光得到了接纳，甚至回应。她不时见到两人在一起交谈，虽然时间很短，但也能说不少话。可能只是讲些无关紧要的话，但是她又怎么知道呢？那个女孩很可爱，可她竟敢向公主的爱人暗送秋波。一代又一代野蛮的祖先们传承给了她异常残暴的血性，使她对这个在安静的大门背后脸红心跳的女人产生了憎恨。

⑶她的爱人转过头看着她，她坐在那里，比周围众多焦虑的面孔还显得苍白无力。就在四目相对时，他通过那种灵魂合一的爱人们特有的瞬间感应，看出她已经知道了哪扇门藏着老虎，哪扇藏着美女。他也预料到她会知道。他了解她的天性，她会瞒着所有旁观者、瞒着国王，在弄清楚这件事之前是不会罢休的——这让他稍有宽慰。公主是否成功地解开了这个谜团，是年轻人唯一依赖的希望，而当他抬头看她的一瞬间，便知道她已经成功了，就像他在心里确信她会成功一样。

接着便是他那飞快而焦虑、带着疑问的一瞥：“哪一个？”对她来说，这句话如同他站在那儿大喊出来一般清晰。时间一刻都容不得浪费，那个问题瞬间被问了出来，也必须在一瞬间得到回答。

她的右臂搭在身前裹了垫子的栏杆上。她抬起了手，轻微而快速地朝右动了一下。除了她的爱人，再没有别的人看到。因为除了他，所有人的眼睛都聚焦在竞技场里的那个人身上。

⑷他转过身去，迈着坚定和快速的步伐穿过了空地。每一颗心脏都停止了跳动，每一个人都屏住了呼吸，每一只眼睛都死死地盯住那个人。他没有丝毫犹豫，径直走向了右边的门，打开了它。

现在，故事的重点来了：从门里出来的究竟是老虎呢，还是美女呢？《美女还是老虎》的魅力是独特的，在文学史上的地位也是特殊的，除开它本身丰富的想象力、引人入胜的叙事手法，它的开放式、互动式结局也为读者带来了无尽的思考空间，让故事的结局变成了想象的开始。

究竟是美女还是老虎？从故事发表后读者们对结局的疯狂追问就可以看出，故事本身并没有为解答这个问题提供偏向任何一方的逻辑导向。作者巧妙地将两个权重相当的秤砣放在了天平两端让公主做出选择：一个是看着自己的爱人被老虎吃掉，一个是让自己的爱人与情敌结合。无论公主做何选择，结局都是失去自己心爱的人。按照社会道德的标准，公主应该成全情敌，留自己的爱人一条生路。但是作者又聪明地将故事设定在了一个半开化的国度，将公主塑造成了一位无畏而具有野性的非传统女性，连审判的方式也是闻所未闻、荒诞不已，这样就避开了道德的约束，让读者在没有任何环境制约的情况下质问自己内心的想法。相信大多数的读者都不能马上给出答案，而是不断地在成全敌人和保全自己这两者之间摇摆不定。在长时间的权衡与思考之下，在这个过程中，我们不仅能了解自己的判断倾向，也会增加对于自己、对于世界的认识。所以，读者并没有必要执着于作者的想法，而应该尽可能地给出自己的解答，并且追溯判断的源头。读者们应该体会到，答案的缺失反而使这篇文学作品的意义达到了圆满。注：florid adj. 绚丽的注：imperious adj. 专横的注：station n. 地位注：ardor n. 狂热注：waver vi. 踌躇注：premises n. 场地注：tribunal n. 法庭注：throng vi. 蜂拥而至注：hum n. 连续低沉的声音注：personage n. 要人，名人注：moiety n. 一部分注：fervid adj. 热心的注：decree n. 法令注：damsel n. 闺女，少女注：aspire vi. 追求Necklace项　链居伊·德·莫泊桑(Guy de Maupassant)

居伊·德·莫泊桑(1850-1893)，法国优秀的自然主义作家，与契诃夫和欧·亨利并称为“世界三大短篇小说家”，对后世产生极大影响,被誉为“短篇小说之王”。莫泊桑出身于法国诺曼底的一个没落贵族家庭，在普法战争爆发后应征入伍。两年的兵营生活使他认识到了战争的残酷，祖国的危难启发了他的爱国思想。战争结束后，他开始了文学创作。其中许多作品流传甚广，著名长篇有《一生》《漂亮朋友》等；中短篇有《羊脂球》《项链》《我的叔叔于勒》《一个女雇工的故事》《瞎子》《真实的故事》《小狗皮埃罗》等。

小说以“项链”作为线索贯穿全文。主人公玛蒂尔德为了参加一个舞会，向朋友借了一条钻石项链。舞会上，她大出风头，却乐极生悲，无意中丢掉了项链。为了赔偿，她整整十年拼命劳作，省吃俭用，不顾一切地还债。当债务终于还清，她却得知这条项链原来是假的。十九世纪八十年代的法国，政府贪污风行，唯利是图的道德观念影响到整个社会，很多人贪慕上流社会的生活。小说通过这样一个巧妙设置的故事，尖锐讽刺了那种虚荣心和追求享乐的思想，同时，对受尽生活愚弄的主人公又寄寓了深切的同情。

Next day she went to see her friend and told her her trouble.

⑴Madame Forestier went to her dressing-table, took up a large box, brought it to Madame Loisel, opened it, and said: “Choose, my dear.”

First she saw some bracelets, then a pearl necklace, then a Venetian cross in gold and gems, of exquisite workmanship. She tried the effect of the jewels before the mirror, hesitating, unable to make up her mind to leave them, to give them up. She kept on asking: “Haven't you anything else?”

“Yes. Look for yourself. I don't know what you would like best.”

⑵Suddenly she discovered, in a black satin case, a superb

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