Text 1

Language notes

1. One cannot be too careful.

(越小心越好。)

Cannot...too means impossible for a certain state or action to be more than should be or to be beyond what is desirable.

2. It smells so of onions.

(到处都是洋葱味。)

Smell of means to have a smell like that of (something causing the smell).
e.g. The air smells of paint.

3. We cut for partners.

(我们抽牌分伙。)

Cut for means to choose from a pack of playing cards to see who shall be or have sth.
　

Text 2

Language notes

1."I say, sir," said the Major, " have you ever seen such clumsy carts"?

(“我说，先生，你有没有见过这么笨重的货车？”)

I say is an exclamation used to draw listener's attention.

2.A rough shake woke me.

(这时，有人使劲儿把我摇醒。)

Please note that in different collocations the word rough takes on different meanings, which may in turn require different ways of translating it into Chinese, e.g. rough hands (粗糙的双手), rough seas（风浪很大的海）, rough behavior（粗暴的行为）, a rough estimate of costs（大致估计了一下费用）, to have a rough time（吃了很多苦）, etc.

3.Hundreds of blows were aimed at him, hundreds of hands stretched out to catch him.

(许多拳头朝他打去，无数的手伸出去要捉住他。)

Note the parallels in the sentence and how it helps to give a vivid picture of Levison being chased by many.

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