新概念英語第三冊
Lesson 37 The Westhaven Express
1 . It went direct from my local station and the journey lasted mere hour and seventeen minutes.這是趟直達車，旅途總共才需1小時17分鐘。
2 . It suddenly dawned on me that this express was not roaring down the line at ninety miles an hour, but barely chugging along at thirty.我突然感到這趟快車並沒以時速90英里的速度呼嘯前進，而是噗哧噗哧地向前爬行，時速僅30英里。
3 . After years of conditioning, most of us have developed an unshakable faith in railway timetables.經過多年的適應，大多數人對火車時刻表產生了一種不可動搖的信念。
4 . When I boarded the train, I could not help noticing that a great many local people got on as well.上車後，我不禁注意到許多當地人也上了車。
5 . I borrowed his copy of the timetable.於是我借他本人的列車時刻表，
6 . But when the train dawdled at station after station, I began to wonder,但是，當火車一站接著一站往前蠕動時，我便產生了懷疑。
7 . At the time, this did not strike me as odd.一開始，我並不感到奇怪，
8 . I asked a passenger if this was the Westhaven Express, but he had not even heard of it.我問一位乘客，這是不是開往威斯特海溫的那趟快車，他說從未聽說過有這麼一趟快車。
9 . The truth is that when mistakes occur, they are more likely to be ours than theirs.事實上，差錯很可能是我們自己，而不是鐵路當局的。
10 . Two hours later, I was talking angrily to the station master at Westhaven.兩小時後，我氣呼呼地同威斯特海溫站站長說起此事。
11 . One hour and seventeen minutes passed and we had not even covered half the distance.1小時17分過去了，走了還不到一半路程。
12 . I determined to lodge a complaint as soon as we arrived.我決定到目的地就給鐵路部門提意見。
13 . Only an exceptionally heavy snowfall might temporarily dislocate railway services.只有非同尋常的大雪才可能暫時打亂鐵路運行。
14 . After consulting my railway timetable, I noted with satisfaction that there was an express train to Westhaven.我查看了列車時刻表，滿意地瞭解到有一趟去威斯特海溫的快車。
15 . There was a note of triumph in my voice when I told him that it was there in black and white.我帶著一種勝利者的調子告訴他那趟車白紙黑字。明明白白印在時刻表上。
16 . When he denied the train's existence,他說根本沒有這趟車。
17 . Ships may be delayed by storms; flights may be cancelled because of bad weather, but trains must be on time.輪船船期可能因風暴而推延，飛機航班可能因惡劣天氣而取消，唯有火車必然是准點的。
18 . A tiny asterisk conducted me to a footnote at the bottom of the page.一個小小的星形符號把我的目光引到了那頁底部一個說明上。
19 . We have learnt to expect that trains will be punctual.我們已經習慣於相信火車總是准點的。
20 . It is all too easy to blame the railway authorities when something does go wrong.因此，一旦鐵路上真出了問題，人們便不加思索地責備鐵路當局。
21 . 'This service has been suspended.'「此趟列車暫停運行。」
22 . I reflected that there must be a great many local people besides myself who wished to take advantage of this excellent service.我想除我之外，想利用快車之便的也一定大有人在。
23 . Glancing at it briefly, he told me to look again.他迅速地掃視了一眼，讓我再看一遍。
24 . Neither was I surprise when the train stopped at Widley, a tiny station a few miles along the line.Even a mighty express train can be held up by signals.火車開出幾英里即在一個小站威德裡停了下來。對此，我不覺得奇怪，因為即便是特別快車也可能被信號攔住。