大学英语精读第三版（第三册）学习笔记（原文及全文翻译）——7B - The Big Chance（良机）
Unit 7B - The Big Chance
The Big Chance
He wasn't the kind to pick a secretary by the color of her hair. Not Bill Hargrave. Both Paula and Nancy had been smart enough to know that. And for some time everyone in the office had known that one of them, Paula or Nancy, was going to get the job. In fact, the decision would probably be made this afternoon. Hargrave was leaving town and wanted to settle the matter before he left.
The two girls could see him from their desks outside his office. Maybe it was only some correspondence that he was looking at with cool, keen eyes. But for a moment his finger seemed to pause above those two efficient little pushbuttons. If he pressed the left one, it would be Paula's pulse which would begin to beat faster.
Paula couldn't keep her eyes off that light on her desk. She kept making mistakes in her typing and nervously taking the sheets of paper out in order to start all over again.
She leaned across her typewriter and said to Nancy, “The boss is all dressed up today. He must be going on a special trip.”
She was just talking to relieve her nervousness. Nancy took her time about answering. She wasn't used to having Paula talk to her in such an intimate tone. Not since they'd learned a month ago that they were both in line for a promotion, for the important job as Bill Hargrave's secretary.
“He does look nice.”
The two girls saw him get up from his desk and walk to the doorway of his office. He stood there with the keen, unrevealing smile on his face.
“Did you send for the tickets?” he asked Nancy.
“I got the tickets all right, “she answered, “but ...” she tried to smile in the same hard way the boss did. “But there just aren't any staterooms to be had,” she told him. “Not for love or money.”
The boss was certainly disappointed. Anybody could see that.
“Suppose I try it?” Paula suggested quickly.
And for the next ten minutes, half the office employees could hear Paula telling the ticket agent exactly what she thought of him.
“Listen,” she said, “I don't care whose reservations you have to cancel...”
Well, the job was worth going after. There was the salary, for one thing. And there was the prestige. The boss' secretary knew a great deal about the business. And there were the interesting people she got to talk to. The important people. And the boxes of perfume, flowers, and candy they often left on her desk. And there was Bill Hargrave for a boss. Young and clever and attractive. That was a factor, too.
Paula didn't need any lessons when it came to office politics. She was the one who was always busy when someone of little importance in the office wanted his material typed. “Sorry, but it's impossible. Jack. Why not ask Nancy?”
And they did ask Nancy. It left Paula free to do Bill Hargrave's work in a hurry. She was never too busy for Bill's work.
When Hargrave finally pressed one of those buttons it was at Paula's desk that the light went on. She started to make a grab for her notebook, but she quickly took out her mirror first. Then she grabbed up her notebook and an envelope that was on the desk.
As for Nancy, what else could she do but sit there with her pretty blonde head bent over her typewriter? Nancy was a natural blonde, and that seemed the best way to describe her. She just didn't seem to know any tricks such as Paula did for making herself more popular with the boss.
The moment Paula got inside Hargrave's office he asked about that stateroom.
“Any luck, Paula?”
She handed him the envelope. It contained the two tickets. “That's your stateroom number on the outside,” she said in a businesslike way.
She had on a blue flannel suit, something like Bill's, and it was clear he thought she looked pretty smart in it.
“Don't forget the time,” she added, “eight-fifteen.”
Hargrave smiled. “So there were no staterooms for love or money, eh?”
He looked again at the number of his stateroom and he put the envelope carefully in his inside pocket.
Then he told her she was going to have a new job. He mentioned the salary, too. He didn't neglect to mention the salary.
She took it just right — in a very businesslike manner. Just enough of gratitude. And then, the old sportsmanship how sorry she felt about Nancy. She didn't look sorry.
And neither did Bill. He told her it was okay, that she shouldn't worry about Nancy, that Nancy wasn't made for the job anyway, and that besides, he and Nancy were leaving on their honeymoon tonight. Tonight at eight-fifteen.
参考译文——良机
良机
他不是那种根据头发的颜色来挑选秘书的人。比尔·哈格雷夫不是那种人。波拉和南希都很聪明，明白这点。一段时间以来，办公室里人人都知道，她俩中的一个，不是波拉就是南希，将要得到这个职务。事实上，决定可能就在今天下午作出。哈格雷夫就要外出，要在动身前安排好这事。
两个姑娘可以从他办公室外面各自的办公桌那儿看到他。他那沉着、热切的目光正在注视着的可能只不过是则信函而已。可是有那么一会儿，他的手指似乎在那两个颇有效率的小按钮上踌躇着。要是他按左边那个，就会使波拉的脉搏加快跳动。
波拉的目光一直盯着桌上的那个小灯。她打字时老是出错，老是情绪紧张地把纸拉出来，以便重新开始。
她靠在打字机上对南希说：“头儿今天穿得上下笔挺。他准是要作一次不同寻常的旅行。”
她说话不过是为了消除紧张情绪。南希没有马上回答。她不习惯波拉用如此亲昵的口吻和她说话。一个月前，她们就得知她俩之中将有人获得提升，担任比尔·哈格雷夫的秘书这一重要职务。从那时起，南希就对波拉用如此亲昵的口吻和她说话觉得别扭。
“他看上去是挺精神的。”
两个姑娘看着他从办公桌旁站起身，走到办公室门口。他站在那儿，脸上带着热切而又不露声色的微笑。
“你票子去订了没有？”他问南希。
“票我是拿到了，”她回答说，“可是……，”她试图笑得像头儿那样洒脱。“可高级客舱就是订不到，”她告诉他。“怎么也订不到。”
头儿显然很失望。谁都看得出来。
“我来试试怎么样？”波拉赶紧提议说。
在接下来的十分钟内，办公室里一半的人都能听到波拉对那个票务员坦言自己对他的看法。
“听着，”她说，“我可不在乎你得取消谁的预订……”
嗨，这工作还是值得去努力的。一方面是薪水的问题。另外还有地位的问题。头儿的秘书了解很多业务情况。还有那些她将能与之交谈的有趣的人。那些重要人物。还有他们常留在她桌上的一包包香水、鲜花和糖果。当然还有比尔·哈格雷夫这个头儿。年轻聪明又有魅力。那也是一个因素。
说到办公室里明争暗斗那一套，波拉可算是无师自通。办公室里无关紧要的人要想把什么材料打出来时，她总是不巧正忙着。“对不起，杰克，可没有办法。为什么不让南希打呢？”
于是他们果然就让南希打。这样波拉就有时间把比尔·哈格雷夫的东西赶紧打出来。给比尔打东西她从不嫌忙。
等到哈格雷夫终于按了那两个按钮中的一个时，亮起来的是波拉桌上的灯。她起身去抓笔记本，可很快先掏出了镜子。随后她一把抓起笔记本，还有桌上的一个信封。
至于南希，她除了低垂着她那满头漂亮金发的脑袋坐在那儿打字以外，还能干别的什么呢？ 南希是个不会做作的金发碧眼女郎，这样描绘她似乎是最恰当不过了。波拉为取悦头儿耍的种种花招，她却好像一窍不通。
波拉一进办公室，哈格雷夫就问高级客舱的事。
“还走运吗，波拉？”
她把那个信封递给他。里面有两张票。“信封上是高级客舱的编号，”她用事务式的口气说。
她身穿一套法兰绒蓝套装，跟比尔穿的有点相仿，他显然觉得她穿这套衣服很漂亮。
“不要忘了时间，”她补充说。“8点15分。”
哈格雷夫笑了。“不是说怎么也订不到高级客舱吗，呃？”
他又看了看高级客舱的编号，把信封小心翼翼地装进里面的口袋。
接着他就跟她说了。她将有个新工作。他也提到了薪水。他没有忽略薪水的事。
她很得体地接受了这个决定—完全公事公办的态度。恰到好处的感谢。随后展示了她那久已具有的运动家风度。她说为南希感到非常遗憾。她并没有流露出多少遗憾的神情。
比尔也没有显出遗憾的样子。他对她说，这没什么，她用不着为南希担心，反正南希生来就不适合干这种工作，再说，他和南希今晚就要去共度蜜月了。今晚8点15分。
Key Words:
intimate ['intimeit,'intimit]
adj. 亲密的，私人的，秘密的
n. 密友
typewriter ['taip.raitə]
n. 打字机，打字员
smart [smɑ:t]
adj. 聪明的，时髦的，漂亮的，敏捷的，轻快的，整洁的
decision [di'siʒən]
n. 决定，决策
settle ['setl]
v. 安顿，解决，定居
n. 有背的长凳
keen [ki:n]
adj. 锋利的，敏锐的，强烈的，精明的，热衷的 <
beat [bi:t]
v. 打败，战胜，打，敲打，跳动
n. 敲打，
efficient [i'fiʃənt]
adj. 效率高的，胜任的
nervousness
n. 神经过敏；神经质；紧张不安
promotion [prə'məuʃən]
n. 晋升，促进，提升
perfume ['pə:fju:m,pə'fju:m]
n. 香水，香气
vt. 使香气弥漫
doorway ['dɔ:wei]
n. 门口
prestige [pres'ti:ʒ]
n. 威望，声望
keen [ki:n]
adj. 锋利的，敏锐的，强烈的，精明的，热衷的 <
attractive [ə'træktiv]
adj. 有吸引力的，引起注意的
factor ['fæktə]
n. 因素，因子
vt. 把 ... 因素包括
disappointed [.disə'pɔintid]
adj. 失望的
candy ['kændi]
n. 糖果
vt. 用糖煮，使结晶为砂糖
minutes ['minits]
n. 会议记录，(复数)分钟
typewriter ['taip.raitə]
n. 打字机，打字员
impossible [im'pɔsəbl]
adj. 不可能的，做不到的
adj.
envelope ['enviləup]
n. 信封，封皮，壳层
bent [bent]
bend的过去式和过去分词 adj. 下定决心的，弯曲的
smart [smɑ:t]
adj. 聪明的，时髦的，漂亮的，敏捷的，轻快的，整洁的
contained [kən'teind]
adj. 泰然自若的，从容的；被控制的 v. 包含；遏制
popular ['pɔpjulə]
adj. 流行的，大众的，通俗的，受欢迎的
describe [dis'kraib]
vt. 描述，画(尤指几何图形)，说成
sportsmanship ['spɔ:tsmənʃip]
n. 体育精神，运动员精神
envelope ['enviləup]
n. 信封，封皮，壳层
neglect [ni'glekt]
vt. 忽视，疏忽，忽略
n. 疏忽，忽视
gratitude ['grætitju:d]
n. 感恩之心
参考资料：