As soon as Charlie had his dark glasses on, he was able to look around him in comfort. He saw a long narrow room. The room was painted white all over. Even the floor was white, and there wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere. From the ceiling, huge lamps hung down and bathed the room in a brilliant blue-white light. The room was completely bare except at the far ends. At one of these ends there was an enormous camera on wheels, and a whole army of Oompa-Loompas was clustering around it, oiling its joints and adjusting its knobs and polishing its great glass lens. The Oompa-Loompas were all dressed in the most extraordinary way. They were wearing bright-red space suits, complete with helmets and goggles — at least they looked like space suits — and they were working in complete silence. Watching them, Charlie experienced a queer sense of danger. There was something dangerous about this whole business, and the Oompa-Loompas knew it. There was no chattering or singing among them here, and they moved about over the huge black camera slowly and carefully in their scarlet space suits.

查理一戴上墨镜,就能舒舒服服地向四面看了。他看到这是一个窄长的房间。房间全部漆成白色,连地板也是白的,到处没有半点灰尘。从天花板上吊下来一些大灯,使整个房间沐浴在明亮的蓝白光中。房间里完全空荡荡的,除了远处的尽头。尽头处有一部带轮子的巨型摄影机,一大群奥帕—伦帕人正围着它给机件接合处加油,调整它的旋钮,擦它那些巨大的玻璃镜片。所有的奥帕—伦帕人都穿着非常特殊的衣服。他们穿着全套鲜红的太空服(至少看来是太空服),包括头盔和护目镜,正在沉默地工作着。看着他们,查理觉得有一种奇怪的危险感觉。这些奥帕—伦帕人都很清楚,整个工作中一定有某种危险性,因此他们在这里不唧唧喳喳地说话,也不唱歌。只见他们穿着鲜红的太空服,在黑色的大摄影机上小心地工作着。

The Teavee family, together with Charlie and Grandpa Joe, stepped out of the lift into a room so dazzlingly bright and dazzlingly white that they screwed up their eyes in pain and stopped walking. Mr Wonka handed each of them a pair of dark glasses and said, “Put these on quick! And don’t take them off in here whatever you do! This light could blind you!”

蒂维一家人,还有查理和约瑟夫爷爷,从电梯里出来,走进一个房间。房间亮得刺眼,白得刺眼,他们的眼睛痛得眯起来,因此停下不动。旺卡先生给每人一副墨镜,说:“马上戴上!在这里不管做什么事都不能把它摘下来!这些光会弄瞎你们的眼睛的!”

At the other end of the room, about fifty paces away from the camera, a single Oompa-Loompa (also wearing a space suit) was sitting at a black table gazing at the screen of a very large television set.

在房间的另一头,离摄影机约五十步远,一个奥帕—伦帕人(也穿着太空服)正坐在一张黑色的桌子旁,注视着一个极大的电视机荧光屏。

“Here we go!” cried Mr Wonka, hopping up and down with excitement. “This is the Testing Room for my very latest and greatest invention — Television Chocolate!”

“我们来看看吧!”旺卡先生叫着,兴奋得蹦蹦跳跳,“这是一个实验室,正在试验我最新最伟大的发明——电视巧克力糖!”

“Thank you,” said Mr Wonka. “I shall now tell you how this amazing television set of mine works. But first of all, do you know how ordinary television works? It is very simple. At one end, where the picture is being taken, you have a large ciné camera and you start photographing something. The photographs are then split up into millions of tiny little pieces which are so small that you can’t see them, and these little pieces are shot out into the sky by electricity. In the sky, they go whizzing around all over the place until suddenly they hit the antenna on the roof of somebody’s house. They then go flashing down the wire that leads right into the back of the television set, and in there they get jiggled and joggled around until at last every single one of those millions of tiny pieces is fitted back into its right place (just like a jigsaw puzzle), and presto! — the photograph appears on the screen…”

“谢谢你。”旺卡先生说,“我现在来告诉你们,我这台惊人的电视机是怎样工作的。但首先,你们知道普通的电视机是怎样工作的吗?非常简单。在拍图像的一边,有一部很大的摄影机,是用来进行拍摄工作的。它随后把拍摄出来的图像分解为几百万个微粒,小得肉眼都看不见,这些微粒由电力射上天空。在天上,它们嗖嗖地转,直到忽然碰了某些人家屋顶上的天线,它们便顺着电线飞快地下来,直通到电视机的后面。然后,在电视机里轻轻移动,直到那几百万个微粒走到正确的位置,重新组成图像(就像拼图游戏),于是一下子,图像在荧光屏上出现了…”

“But what is Television Chocolate?” asked Mike Teavee.

“什么是电视巧克力糖啊?”迈克·蒂维问道。

“Good heavens, child, stop interrupting me!” said Mr Wonka. “It works by television. I don’t like television myself. I suppose it’s all right in small doses, but children never seem to be able to take it in small doses. They want to sit there all day long staring and staring at the screen…”

“我的天,小朋友,你别打断我的话!”旺卡先生说,“这种糖由电视机操纵。我本人不喜欢看电视。我认为稍微看看没有问题,但小朋友似乎从来不肯稍微看看,他们要整天坐在电视机前,眼睛死死盯住荧光屏…”

“That’s me!” said Mike Teavee.

“我就是这样!”迈克·蒂维说。

“Shut up!” said Mr Teavee.

“住口!”蒂维先生说。

Immediately, six Oompa-Loompas marched forward carrying on their shoulders the most enormous bar of chocolate Charlie had ever seen. It was about the size of the mattress he slept on at home.

六名奥帕—伦帕人立刻迈步上前,肩上扛着一块查理有生以来第一次看到的最大的巧克力糖。它和家里睡觉用的床垫一样大。

“I am a little deaf in my left ear,” Mr Wonka said. “You must forgive me if I don’t hear everything you say.”

“我的左耳朵有点聋,”旺卡先生说,“倘若我不能完全听到你的话,那便务请原谅。”

“That isn’t exactly how it works,” Mike Teavee said.

“不完全是这样。”迈克·蒂维说。

“I said, that isn’t exactly how it works!” shouted Mike Teavee.

“我说不完全是这样。”迈克·蒂维叫道。

“You’re a nice boy,” Mr Wonka said, “but you talk too much. Now then! The very first time I saw ordinary television working, I was struck by a tremendous idea. ‘Look here!’ I shouted. ‘If these people can break up a photograph into millions of pieces and send the pieces whizzing through the air and then put them together again at the other end, why can’t I do the same thing with a bar of chocolate? Why can’t I send a real bar of chocolate whizzing through the air in tiny pieces and then put the pieces together at the other end, all ready to be eaten?'”

“你是个好孩子,”旺卡先生说,“就是话太多。好!我第一次看普通的电视机时,忽然闪出一个惊人的念头。‘瞧!’我叫道,‘如果能够把一个图像分解成几百万个微粒,然后把这些微粒呼呼地通过空气送出去,又能使它们在另一头重新组合起来,那么,我为什么不能用同样的方法处理我的巧克力糖呢?我为什么不能把一块真正的巧克力糖用微粒通过空气传送,使它们在另一头重新组合起来呢?’”

“Impossible!” said Mike Teavee.

“不可能。”迈克·蒂维说。

“You think so?” cried Mr Wonka. “Well, watch this! I shall now send a bar of my very best chocolate from one end of this room to the other by television! Get ready, there! Bring in the chocolate!”

“你认为不可能吗?”旺卡先生叫道,“好,你看这个!现在我通过电视,把一块最好的巧克力糖从这房间的一头送到另一头!喂,准备好!把巧克力糖拿来!”

One of the Oompa-Loompas caught hold of a large switch and pulled it down.

一个奥帕—伦帕人抓住一个大把手,把它向下一拉。

There was a blinding flash.

一道使人目眩的光发射出来。

He was quite right! The whole enormous bar of chocolate had disappeared completely into thin air!

他说得一点儿不错!一大块巧克力糖消失在空气中了!

“It’s on its way!” cried Mr Wonka. “It is now rushing through the air above our heads in a million tiny pieces. Quick! Come over here!” He dashed over to the other end of the room where the large television set was standing, and the others followed him. “Watch the screen!” he cried. “Here it comes! Look!”

“它在运行!”旺卡先生叫道,“它已经变成一百万个微粒,现在正冲过我们头顶上的空气。快,到这边来!”他冲到房间的另一头,那里放着一台大型电视机。其他人紧紧跟着他。“看着荧光屏!”他叫道,“它来了!瞧!”

“The chocolate’s gone!” shouted Grandpa Joe, waving his arms.

“巧克力糖不见了!”约瑟夫爷爷挥着双臂大叫。

“It has to be big,” Mr Wonka explained, “because whenever you send something by television, it always comes out much smaller than it was when it went in. Even with ordinary television, when you photograph a big man, he never comes out on your screen any taller than a pencil, does he? Here we go, then! Get ready! No, no! Stop! Hold everything! You there! Mike Teavee! Stand back! You’re too close to the camera! There are dangerous rays coming out of that thing! They could break you up into a million tiny pieces in one second! That’s why the Oompa-Loompas are wearing space suits! The suits protect them! All right! That’s better! Now, then! Switch on!”

“它一定要大,”旺卡先生解释说,“因为任何时候,东西通过电视传送,出来时总比进去时小得多。就说普通的电视吧,你拍摄一个很大的人,他在荧光屏上出现时,从不会比一支铅笔高,对吗?好,我们来拍摄吧!准备!不,不,停!别动!我说你!迈克·蒂维,往后退!你太接近摄影机了!那东西放出危险的射线!它们一下子就能把你分解为千百万个微粒!因此奥帕—伦帕人要穿上太空服!太空服能保护他们!好!现在好一点儿了!那么准备,开始!”

“Charlie Bucket!” cried Mr Wonka. “You take it! Reach out and grab it!”

“查理·巴克特,”旺卡先生叫道,“你去把它拿下来!伸出手去抓住它!”

“How can you take it?” asked Mike Teavee, laughing. “It’s just a picture on a television screen!”

“怎么能拿下来呢?”迈克·蒂维哈哈笑着问,“它只是电视荧光屏上的一个图像罢了。”

The screen flickered and lit up. Then suddenly, a small bar of chocolate appeared in the middle of the screen.

荧光屏闪烁不定,亮了起来。忽然,一小块巧克力糖出现在荧光屏当中。

“It’s absolutely fantastic!” gasped Grandpa Joe. “It’s… it’s… it’s a miracle!”

“完全不可思议!”约瑟夫爷爷喘着气说,“这是…这是…这是一个奇迹!”

Charlie put out his hand and touched the screen, and suddenly, miraculously, the bar of chocolate came away in his fingers. He was so surprised he nearly dropped it.

查理伸出手去摸荧光屏,忽然,真是一个奇迹,那块巧克力糖落到了他的手指之间。他惊奇得几乎把它掉在地上了。

“Just imagine,” cried Mr Wonka, “when I start using this across the country… you’ll be sitting at home watching television and suddenly a commercial will flash on to the screen and a voice will say, “EAT WONKA’S CHOCOLATES! THEY’RE THE BEST IN THE WORLD! IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE US, TRY ONE FOR YOURSELF — NOW!” And you simply reach out and take one! How about that, eh?”

“只要想象一下,”旺卡先生叫道,“等到我开始在全国推出它时…你会坐在家里看电视,荧光屏上忽然闪出一个广告,一个声音说:‘请吃旺卡的巧克力糖!天下第一!如果不信,请亲口尝一尝——来了!’你只要伸出手去拿一块就成了!怎么样,嗯?”

“Take it!” shouted Mr Wonka, growing more and more excited.

“把它拿下来吧!”旺卡先生喊道。他愈来愈兴奋。

“Eat it!” shouted Mr Wonka. “Go on and eat it! It’ll be delicious! It’s the same bar! It’s got smaller on the journey, that’s all!”

“吃吧!”旺卡先生叫道,“把它吃下去!味道好极了!是你们刚才看到的那块大巧克力糖!只不过一路上变小了!”

“Terrific!” cried Grandpa Joe. “It will change the world!”

“了不起!”约瑟夫爷爷叫道,“它将使世界大变样!”


yewandou

一个人要有坚强的毅力,否则他将一事无成

0 条评论

发表回复

您的邮箱地址不会被公开。 必填项已用 * 标注

蜀ICP备2025134762号 | 川公网安备51011202001092号 | 网站地图