1  O liver’s early life
1  奥利弗的童年

O liver Twist was born in a workhouse,and when he arrived in this hard world,it was very doubtful whether he would live beyond the first three minutes.He lay on a hard little bed and struggled to start breathing.
奥利弗·特威斯特出生在一家济贫院里,他来到这个艰难的人世的那一刻,是否能活过三分钟都是很难说的。他躺在一张小硬板床上,挣扎着开始呼吸。

解析:workhouse 救济院、旧式济贫院(英式英语);感化院、教养院(美式英语)
eg: The children were taken from the workhouse.
孩子们被带离了济贫院。

doubtful 可疑的;令人生疑的
动词原形是doubt 怀疑,拿不准
eg: I'm doubtful whether she is still alive.
我怀疑她是不是还活着。

O liver fought his first battle without much assistance from the two people present at his birth.One was an old woman,who was nearly always drunk, and the other was a busy local doctor,who was not paid enough to be very interested in O liver’s survival. After all,death was a common event in the workhouse,where only the poor and homeless lived.
他出生时在场的两个人没有给他什么帮助,这使得奥利弗要独自承当他的第一场战斗。其中一个是位老妇人,她几乎总是喝得醉醺醺的;另一个则是当地一位忙碌的医生,这位医生没有得到足够的报酬,所以对奥利弗能否活下来并不很在意。在济贫院这个只有穷人和无家可归的人待的地方,死亡毕竟是一件非常平常的事。

解析:battle 战斗、战争
eg: The battle is not always to the strong.
强者不一定常胜。

However,O liver managed to draw his first breath,and then announced his arrival to the rest of the workhouse by crying loudly.His mother raised her pale young face from the pillow and whispered, ‘Let me see the child, and die.’
不管怎样,奥利弗总算尽力吸进了第一口气,然后,他以响亮的哭声向济贫院里其他的人宣告自己的到来。他的母亲从枕头上抬起了年轻而苍白的脸,用微弱的声音说:“让我看一眼孩子,我就可以死了。”

解析:announce 宣布、通知,名词形式为announcement 公告、通告
eg: Doctor announced that the senator has brain cancer.
医生宣布这位议员患了脑癌。

The doctor turned away from the fire, where he had been warming his hands. ‘You must not talk about dying yet,’he said to her kindly.He gave her the child to hold.Lovingly,she kissed the baby on its forehead with her cold white lips,then stared wildly around the room,fell back-and died. ‘Poor dear!’said the nurse,hurriedly putting a green glass bottle back in the pocket of her long skirt.
正在火炉上烤手取暖的医生转过身来,好心地对她说:“别说什么死不死的了。”他把孩子递过去让她抱在怀里。她用冰冷而毫无血色的嘴唇怜爱地在孩子的额头上亲了一下,然后急切地在屋里四处环顾一圈,便向后倒去,咽了气。“可怜的东西!”老看护说着,急忙将一个绿色的小玻璃瓶揣回长裙子的兜里。

The doctor began to put on his coat. ‘The baby is weak and will probably have difficulties,’ he said. ‘If so, give it a little milk to keep it quiet.’Then he looked at the dead woman.  ‘The mother was a good-looking girl.Where did she come from?’
这时医生开始穿外衣。“这孩子太弱,恐怕会有麻烦,”他说,“如果真是这样,给他喂点牛奶,好让他别哭。”然后,他又转过脸看了一眼死去的女人,说:“这母亲长得还挺漂亮。她是从哪儿来的?”