名著精讀《飄》第一章 第22節

Abel was a shrewd, grave giant, illiterate, kind of heart, older than the other boys and with as good or better manners in the presence of ladies. There was little snobbery in the Troop. Too many of their fathers and grandfathers had come up to wealth from the small farmer class for that. Moreover, Abel was the best shot in the Troop, a real sharpshooter who could pick out the eye of a squirrel at seventy-five yards, and, too, he knew all about living outdoors, building fires in the rain, tracking animals and finding water. The Troop bowed to real worth and moreover, because they liked him, they made him an officer. He bore the honor gravely and with no untoward conceit, as though it were only his due. But the planters' ladies and the planters’ slaves could not overlook the fact that he was not born a gentleman, even if their men folks could.

艾布爾是個精明沉着的大個兒，不識字，心地和善，比別的小夥子年齡大些，在婦女面前也表現得較有禮貌。"營"裏很少有驕下媚上的現象。他們的父親和祖父大多是以小農致富的，不會有那種勢利眼。而且艾布爾是"營"裏最好的射擊手，一杆真正的"神槍"，他能夠在７５碼外瞄準一隻松鼠的眼睛，也熟悉野外生活，會在雨地裏生火，會捕捉野獸，會尋找水源。"營"裏很尊重有本事的人，而且由於大夥喜歡他，所以讓他當了軍官。他嚴肅對待這種榮譽，不驕傲自大，好像這不過是他的本份。可是那些農場主太太們和他們的農奴們卻不能寬恕他並非生來就是上等人這一事實，儘管她們都做到了。
　
In the beginning, the Troop had been recruited exclusively from the sons of planters, a gentleman’s outfit, each man supplying his own horse, arms, equipment, uniform and body servant. But rich planters were few in the young county of Clayton, and, in order to muster a full-strength troop, it had been necessary to raise more recruits among the sons of small farmers, hunters in the backwoods, swamp trappers, Crackers and, in a very few cases, even poor whites, if they were above the average of their e latter young men were as anxious to fight the Yankees, should war come, as were their richer neighbors; but the delicate question of money arose.

開始，這個"營"只從農場主的子弟中招募營丁，因而可以說是個上層的組織；他們每人自備馬匹、武器、裝備、制服和隨身僕人。但是有錢的農場主在克萊頓這個新闢的縣畢竟很少，同時爲了建立一支充實的武裝力量，便必須從小農戶和森林地帶的獵戶、沼澤地捕獸者、山地居民，有時甚至窮白人（只要他們在本階級的一般水平之上）的子弟中招募更多的新兵。後一部分青年人也和他們的富裕鄰居一樣，渴望着戰爭一爆發便去找北方佬，但金錢這個微妙的問題卻隨之產生了。

wd adj. 精明的

His skill in negotiating earned him a reputation as a shrewd tactician.
他的談判技巧使他贏得了精明戰略家的名聲。

bery n. 充紳士氣派, 俗不可耐的性格

Her novel is a satire on social snobbery.
她的小說是描寫勢利小人的諷刺作品.

rrel n. 松鼠, 松鼠皮毛 vt. 儲存

A squirrel hoards nuts for the winter.
松鼠爲過冬貯藏堅果。

eit n. 自負, 自大，個人觀點，幻想，巧妙的構思

This young man is full of conceit.
這個年輕人非常自負。

usively [iks'klu:sivli] adv. 排他地(獨佔地,專門地,僅僅,只)

This room is exclusively for women.
這個房間是供婦女專用的。

cate ['delikit] n. 精美的東西 adj. 精美的,微妙的,美味的,纖細的,脆弱的,敏銳的

The international situation is very delicate at present.
目前的國際形勢極其微妙。