了不起盖茨比【汤姆大发议论】

  “You make me feel uncivilized, Daisy,” I confessed on my second glass of corky but rather impressive claret. “Can’t you talk about crops or something?”【 corky：软木塞气味。claret：红葡萄酒】

     I meant nothing in particular by this remark, but it was taken up in an unexpected way.

  “Civilization’s going to pieces,” broke out Tom violently. “I’ve gotten to be a terrible pessimist about things. Have you read ‘The Rise of the Colored Empires’ by this man Goddard?”[戈达德《有色帝国的兴起》]

　“Why, no,” I answered, rather surprised by his tone.

    “Well, it’s a fine book, and everybody ought to read it. The idea is if we don’t look out the white race will be—will be utterly submerged. It’s all scientific stuff; it’s been proved.”【 如果我们不当心，白色人种就会……就会完全被淹没了。讲的全是科学道理，已经证明了的。】

   “Tom’s getting very profound,” said Daisy, with an expression of unthoughtful sadness. “He reads deep books with long words in them. What was that word we——”【他看一些深奥的书，书里有许多深奥的字眼】

    “Well, these books are all scientific,” insisted Tom, glancing at her impatiently. “This fellow has worked out the whole thing. It’s up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things.”[保持警惕]

    “We’ve got to beat them down,” whispered Daisy, winking ferociously toward the fervent sun.【wink：眨眼。ferociously ：拼命地。fervent：炽热的。】

　“You ought to live in California—” began Miss Baker, but Tom interrupted her by shifting heavily in his chair.

    “This idea is that we’re Nordics. I am, and you are, and you are, and——” After an infinitesimal hesitation he included Daisy with a slight nod, and she winked at me again. “—And we’ve produced all the things that go to make civilization—oh, science and art, and all that. Do you see?”【 infinitesimal：极小量】

      There was something pathetic in his concentration, as if his complacency, more acute than of old, was not enough to him any more. 【他那副专心致志的劲头看上去有点可怜，似乎他那种自负的态度，虽然比往日还突出，但对他来说已经很不够了。】When, almost immediately, the telephone rang inside and the butler left the porch Daisy seized upon the momentary interruption and leaned toward me.【butler：男管家】

    “I’ll tell you a family secret,” she whispered enthusiastically. “It’s about the butler’s nose. Do you want to hear about the butler’s nose?”

    “That’s why I came over to-night.”

    “Well, he wasn’t always a butler; he used to be the silver polisher for some people in New York that had a silver service for two hundred people. He had to polish it from morning till night, until finally it began to affect his nose——”

   “Things went from bad to worse,” suggested Miss Baker.

    “Yes. Things went from bad to worse, until finally he had to give up his position.”

       For a moment the last sunshine fell with romantic affection upon her glowing face; her voice compelled me forward breathlessly as I listened—then the glow faded, each light deserting her with lingering regret, like children leaving a pleasant street at dusk.【每一道光都依依不舍地离开了她，就像孩子们在黄昏时刻离开一条令人愉快的街道那样。】

       The butler came back and murmured something close to Tom’s ear, whereupon Tom frowned, pushed back his chair, and without a word went inside. As if his absence quickened something within her, Daisy leaned forward again, her voice glowing and singing.【quicken：活跃。】

    “I love to see you at my table, Nick. You remind me of a—of a rose, an absolute rose. Doesn’t he?” She turned to Miss Baker for confirmation: “An absolute rose?”

      This was untrue. I am not even faintly like a rose. She was only extemporizing, but a stirring warmth flowed from her, as if her heart was trying to come out to you concealed in one of those breathless, thrilling words. 【extemporize:即兴发言】 【她不过是随嘴乱说一气，但是却洋溢着一种动人的激情，仿佛她的心就藏在那些气喘吁吁的、激动人心的话语里，想向你倾诉一番。】Then suddenly she threw her napkin on the table and excused herself and went into the house.