胡敏读故事记托福词汇085：别问为什么 Don’t Ask Why
“This is a test of endurance,” the announcer said. He prepared his starting gun and looked at the clock.
“这是一次耐力测验，”发令员说。他准备好发令枪，然后盯着表。
“I can’t wait to start the race,” James said. James was an engaging person with an energetic personality. Four years ago, he enlisted in the armed forces. Today was his last official in the military and that fact energized him even more. What better way to celebrate the occasion than to win a trophy engraved with his name? But to tell you the truth, it wasn’t the engraving that interested him. It was the gorgeous girl at the finish line. Bessie was the kind of girl that could enhance your performance as easily as she could enervate it. I recall an incident enmity between them made James as weak as a wet noodle. It could have been a hoax, but he sure didn’t act like the enduring bachelor I thought he as. Since then, Bessie has engrossed James to the point where he can think of nobody else. He once told me, “I’ve been engulfed by her charm.”
“快开始比赛吧，我都等不急。”詹姆斯说。他是个迷人的小伙子，具有充满活力的个性。詹姆斯四年前入伍，今天是他在军队服役的最后一天，这使他浑身有使不完的劲儿。有什么比获得刻有自己名字的奖杯能更好的庆祝这个时刻呢?但说老实话，吸引他的并不是那奖杯上精致的雕刻，而是终点处美丽的姑娘贝西。贝西能轻而易举地提高你的比赛成绩，同样也能轻而易举地使你无力回天。我记得有一次，詹姆斯送给他前女友一个生日贺卡，这下激怒了贝西。之后，他们之间出现短暂的隔阂，搞的詹姆斯身心交瘁。这可能是个骗局，但他的确不是我想象中有耐力的单身汉。从那以后，贝西完全倾心于詹姆斯，其程度之深使詹姆斯也无从想念别人了。詹姆斯曾经告诉我他已被贝西的魅力吞没了。
“What’s the rush?” I asked. I really wasn’t ready to endure the twenty-seven mile race. The thought of running further than I drive in a week engendered feelings of anxiety and doubt. I was having an engrossed moment of regret when James broke the silence.
“为什么这么着急?”我问。说真的，我还没有准备好忍受这27英里的赛程。一想到要跑的路比我一周开车走过的路还长，就引起了我的焦虑不安，我全神贯注地思考着，为自己的参赛而后悔。这时詹姆斯打破了沉默。
“You’re an enigma,” James said. “I know you hate running long distances. Why would you want to run twenty-seven miles? You’re the most enigmatic person I know.”
“你真是个谜，”詹姆斯说，“我知道你讨厌长跑，可为什么还要准备跑27英里呢?你是我认识的人中最高深莫测的人。”
“Frankly, I can’t figure out why anyone would want to do it,” I replied. “Perhaps we’re all seeking enlightenment.”
“坦率地说，我搞不懂为什么谁都想参加，”我回答，“也许我们都在寻找启迪吧。”
Words:
endurance n. 忍耐(力)，持久(力)
endure vt. 承受，忍受
enduring adj. 持久的，不朽的
energetic adj. 精力充沛的，积极的
energize v. 供给力量，富于活力，激励
enervate vt. 使虚弱，使无力
engaging adj. 动人的，迷人的
engender v. 产生，引起
engrave vt. 雕上，刻上
engraving n. 雕刻，雕版
engross v. 全神贯注于
engrossed adj. 全神贯注的
engulf v. 吞食，吞没，淹没
enhance vt. 提高，增加
enigma n. 迷，不可思议的东西
enigmatic adj. 谜一般的，高深莫测的
enlightenment n. 启迪，教化
enlist v. 入伍，征募;得到(支持、帮助等)
enmity n. 敌意，仇恨，不和
enrage vt. 激怒
