The Link
美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习
Charlotte wasn’t sure how long she had been in the room.
夏洛特不知道她在房间里待了多久。
It had no windows and only two doors.
它没有窗户 只有两扇门
She found that she could get out of bed and walk around when Artie wasn’t there.
Artie不在时,
She couldn’t open the door that led outside, though.
她无法打开门,
The other door led to a small bathroom with a shower.
另一扇门导致一个有淋浴的小浴室.
She slept often, and when she woke, food would be waiting on a small shelf in the corner.
她经常入睡,醒来后,食物会在角落的小架上等.
Sometimes she woke to find herself unable to move, which meant Artie was there for one of their chats.
有时她醒来时发现自己无法移动,这意味着Artie在那里与他们聊天.
I remember everything now, Charlotte thought, focusing on Artie.
我现在什么都记得了 夏洛特想着 专注于Artie
It was the first time she had tried to talk using the Collective Link.
这是她第一次尝试使用"集体链接"说话.
Her head still hurt, but the pain had gone down enough to think more clearly over the last few.
她的头仍然痛,但痛苦已经减少,足以更清楚地思考过去几起事件。
days?
几天吗?
Do you now?
你现在知道了吗?
Artie’s voice appeared in her mind.
Artie的声音出现在她心中。
Where are you?
你们在哪?
Charlotte asked, walking around her room.
夏洛特问,走在她的房间。
Not far.
不远.
Would you like to come out of your room and chat?
你想走出房间聊天吗?
Charlotte felt excited at the thought of getting out of the room.
夏洛特对走出房间的想法感到兴奋.
Maybe she could find a way to escape.
也许她能想办法逃跑
Something that sounded like a chuckle echoed in her mind.
听起来像一个笑柄 在她脑中呼应。
When you leave your room, Artie said, head down the hallway to your right.
当你离开你的房间, Artie说, 向下走廊到你的右边。
You’ll find me in the observation room at the end.
你会在观察室找到我。
The door slid open as she drew near.
门在她走近的时候就开了
She squinted in the bright sunlight from the wall of windows on the other side.
她从另一边窗户的墙上 在阳光下闪烁
Outside, she saw green hills dotted with trees and a small city rising up in the distance.
在外边,她看到绿地被树木和一座小城市点起,在远处上升.
She realized that she must be in the tower that the Resistance had attacked.
她意识到她一定在反抗军袭击的塔上.
If she could get out, she could make her way back to the compound in less than a day.
如果她能出去,她可以在不到一天的时间里回到大院。
In the empty hallway, she turned to her left and moved quickly toward the doorway at the end.
在空荡荡的走廊上,她向左转去,最后迅速向门道走去.
As she came close, the large door slid open.
当她靠近时,大门会开着
A flash of blue light covered the opening.
蓝光闪烁遮住开口.
It tingled when she pressed her hand against it and was as solid as steel.
当她用手压住它时,它就响起,就像钢铁一样坚固.
She wouldn’t be getting out that way.
她不会离开那条路。
She turned around and made her way past her room again and down the hallway.
她转过身来 穿过她的房间 穿过走廊
As she walked, she passed a few other small doors that didn’t open.
在她走走的时候,她通过了其他几个没有打开的小门。
She wondered if the aliens were doing tests on other prisoners as well.
她想知道这些外国人是否也在对其他囚犯进行测试。
At the end of the hall, she came to another large door that opened.
在会堂的尽头,她来到了另一个打开的大门.
She reached out with her hand to feel for a shield, but it passed through easily.
她伸出手来感受一副盾牌,但很容易通过.
The windows continued inside the room.
窗户继续放入房间。
To her left, she could still see the hills and grass.
在她左边,她仍然可以看到山地和草地.
Artie was standing with his back to her, still wearing the same red robes.
Artie背着她站着,仍然穿着同一件红袍.
The alien didn’t move when she entered.
外国人进入时没有动静。
He was staring at the bright white room beyond the windows.
他盯着窗外的明亮白色房间看
As Charlotte drew closer, she saw rows and rows of small black pots filled with dark, rich soil.
随着夏洛特拉近了,她看到一行一行的黑色小锅被黑而丰富的土壤所填满.
Those at the bottom had tiny green shoots sticking up, and the plants grew larger in each higher row.
底部有细小的绿色镜头, 植物在每高一行都变得更大。
What do you think of our little nursery?
你怎么看我们的幼稚园?
Artie asked.
阿蒂问.
Charlotte didn’t respond.
夏洛特没有回应。
This area used to be covered with trees like these.
这一地区曾经被这样的树木所覆盖.
They are native to this part of the country, but we made a few changes.
他们来自这个国家,但我们做了一些改变。
The trees now grow faster, live longer, and remove more pollution from the air.
树木现在生长得更快,活得更长,并清除了更多的空气污染.
Artie smiled proudly at Charlotte.
Artie为夏洛特感到骄傲
“I’m sure the next Arbor Day celebration will be a real blast, thanks to you,” she said.
「我相信下一次Arbor日的庆祝活动将会是一场真正的盛会,
For some reason, speaking out loud seemed like a form of protest.
出于某种原因,大声说话似乎是一种抗议形式。
With a grunt, Artie turned and walked to the right side of the room.
带着一阵叫声,Artie转身走到房间右侧.
The rolling hills stretched into the distance, but the grass ended at a line of burnt trees.
滚滚的山丘伸入了距离,但草地以一行被烧毁的树木而结束.
The ground beyond the trees was scorched, and large craters dotted the hillside.
树木外的地被烧焦了,大陨坑将山坡点出.
The destruction ended abruptly in front of the building, where the blue shield must have stood.
破坏在大楼前突然结束,蓝色的盾牌一定就在那里。
Nearly fifty humans died in the Resistance attack on this tower, Artie said sadly.
Artie说,在抵抗组织对这座塔的攻击中,有将近50人丧生。
Many others died or were injured in other places around the world.
其他许多人在世界其他地方死亡或受伤。
“How many were Resistance?”
“抵抗运动有多少人? “
Charlotte asked.
夏洛特问.
What difference does it make?
这有什么区别?
You’re all humans, all members of the same species.
你们都是人类,
“The people working with you are traitors.
“与你们合作的人是叛徒。
While it’s sad that they died, it was necessary for the cause of freedom.”
虽然他们不幸地死去, “
You repeat your father’s words well, Charlotte, but I wonder if you truly believe them.
夏洛特,你好好地重复你父亲的话,但我想知道你是否真的相信他们。
“Of course I do,” she said.
她说,“我当然知道。”
“Remember, I’ve seen what you’ve done.
“记住,我见过你的所作所为。
Thousands upon thousands of worlds destroyed in so many ways.
成千上万的世界以如此多的方式被摧毁。
It’s terrible, and you’re not going to do that to Earth.”
这太可怕了,你不能这样对待地球。 “
Artie flashed his awkward smile.
Artie闪出尴尬的微笑
I think you need to search those experiences again to see what really happened.
我认为你需要再次探索这些经历,看看到底发生了什么。
Charlotte again saw images of destroyed civilizations in her mind.
夏洛特再次在她心目中看到了被毁灭的文明的影像.
The number of them made it difficult to focus.
数量之多使其难以集中.
She tried again and again, but she couldn’t find what she was looking for.
她一再尝试,
Nothing showed that the Collective had actually caused any of the destruction she was seeing.
没有任何迹象表明,合作社确实造成了她所看到的破坏。
That didn’t prove anything, however.
但是这并没有证明任何事情。
Planets with life are rare, but the universe is so big that it has vast numbers of them.
有生命的行星是稀有的,但宇宙如此之大,拥有大量生命.
This galaxy alone has more than one hundred billion planets similar to your own.
光是这个星系 就有一千多亿个类似你的行星
It’s only now, however, that your species is making contact with beings from another world.
然而,直到现在,你的物种才与来自另一个世界的生物接触。
Artie’s voice echoed in her brain.
Artie的声音在她脑中呼应。
Why do you think that is?
你觉得为什么?
Charlotte found it a little hard to speak with so much destruction running through her mind again.
夏洛特觉得很难用 如此多的破坏来说话 她的头脑再次。
At last she said, “Too far.”
最后她说:“太远了。 “
That’s a good starting point.
这是个好起点。
Getting to space requires a certain level of technology, and traveling between stars is even more difficult.
进入太空需要一定的技术水平,星际间的出行更加困难.
Still, with so many worlds out there, why didn’t some of them contact Earth before the Collective?
然而,在如此众多的世界中,为什么有些人在集体会议之前没有与地球联系?
Charlotte shook her head and wiped tears from her cheeks.
夏洛特摇起头来擦去脸颊上的眼泪.
She was still upset from what she had just seen and felt.
她仍然对刚刚看到和感受到的事情感到不快.
Artie gave her a disappointed look, as if he had expected more from her.
Artie给了她一个失望的外表,好像他对她寄予了更多的希望.
It’s really very simple: they destroy themselves.
这非常简单:它们会毁灭自己。
Coming up with new technologies isn’t that hard.
提出新技术并不难。
Learning to use them safely and responsibly is the real challenge.
学会安全和负责任地使用这些工具是真正的挑战。
Breakthroughs in science are extremely dangerous.
科学的突破是极其危险的.
You’ve seen many examples of what can go wrong.
你已看到许多可能出错的例子。
Charlotte let go of the experiences, feeling the terrible destruction fade to the back of her mind.
夏洛特放下了这些经历,感觉可怕的破坏逐渐淡出她的脑后.
“You’re saying we should all just hug Earth and each other?”
" 你是说我们都应该拥抱地球和彼此? “
Artie let out a low growl that she realized was a laugh.
Artie放出一个低调的咆哮 她意识到这是一个笑。
That does sound rather sappy, doesn’t it?
这听起来相当令人愉快,
Really, though, your species just needs to stop being so selfish.
真的,虽然,你的物种 只是需要停止如此自私。
“I’ve been kidnapped by alien tree huggers,” Charlotte groaned.
夏洛特叹息说:
We’re trying to help your species as it transitions into an advanced intergalactic civilization.
我们试图帮助你的物种向先进的星系间文明过渡。
“You didn’t really ask if we wanted to transition.”
“你并没有问我们是否想要过渡。 “
It was unavoidable.
这是不可避免的。
As you know, we’ve seen this happen many times.
正如你们所知,我们已经见过很多次了。
It always ends the same way.
它总是以同样的方式结束。
With your power sources, uncontrolled consumption, overpopulation, and complete disregard for the environment, you would have destroyed yourselves.
用你的电源,不受控制地消耗,人口过多, 以及完全无视环境, 你会毁掉自己。
We couldn’t allow that.
我们不允许这样。
“How do you know?”
“你怎么知道的? “
Charlotte snapped.
夏洛特崩溃了。
“Maybe we could have transitioned on our own.
“也许我们可以自己过渡。
Besides, who gave you the right to decide?
再说了,谁给了你决定权?
We’re free to destroy ourselves if we want.”
如果我们愿意, “
There’s always a chance of natural transition, yes, but help from the Collective greatly increases the chance of success.
但来自集体的帮助大大增加了成功的机会。
You are free to destroy yourselves, except you’ d take everything else with you.
你们可以自行毁灭自己,但你们可以把一切带走。
The loss of any habitable planet is a tragedy.
失去任何适合居住的地球都是悲剧。
“So the answer is to surrender, let you take over, and give up our freedom?
“所以,答案是投降,让你接管,放弃我们的自由?
Just accept that we are your slaves because otherwise there was an off chance we might have blown ourselves up?
接受我们是你的奴隶吧 否则我们很可能炸了自己?
I’m not sure that’s a fair trade.”
我不确定这是公平交易。 “
As they watched, human workers left the tower and began to fan out into the field.
当他们看着时,人类工人离开塔后开始向外扇入地.
Some carried bags of seeds that they scattered in front of them.
一些携带了被放入前方的种子袋.
Others had shovels and saplings ready to be planted.
其他人有铲子和树苗,准备种植。
It’s a matter of perspective, Artie said.
Artie说,
“You won’t win.”
“你不会赢的。 “
It’s not about winning; it’s about survival.
与胜利无关,
You may come to see that soon, however.
不过,你可能很快就会看到这一点。
As much as I have enjoyed our talk, you need to return to your room to rest.
虽然我很享受我们的谈话 但你们得回房间休息
Tomorrow we’ll do the second procedure.
明天我们将做第二个程序。
Pain.
痛处.
Darkness.
阴暗.
A planet dying.
一个死亡的星球
Explosions.
爆炸声
Where?
在哪里？
People yelling.
众人大叫.
The Collective landing in ships.
集体登陆舰.
Something roaring.
有东西在咆哮
Another planet ending.
又一个星球结束。
Charlotte felt herself being lifted off the bed and carried.
夏洛特觉得自己被从床上抬起并被抬走.
She tried to fight, but every movement sent waves of pain through her body.
她试图战斗,但每个动作都通过她的身体来传递出一波痛苦.
There was a burning smell.
有一股燃烧的气味。
She tried to open her eyes, but everything was moving and painful, so she closed them again.
她试图睁开眼睛,但一切动人而痛苦,于是再次闭上了眼睛.
The Collective was there— all of them.
集体也在场,他们全都在场。
A moment later, darkness took her.
一会儿,黑暗把她带走了。
Charlotte woke to her dad’s face looking down on her.
夏洛特醒来时,
“Morning, sunshine,” he said, breaking into a broad smile.
他说,“早上好,阳光灿烂地微笑起来。
Charlotte immediately hugged him.
夏洛特立即拥抱他.
“How long have I been gone?”
“我离开多久了? “
she asked as she looked around.
她一看就问
She was in one of the rooms at the clinic in the compound.
她当时在院内诊所的一个房间。
The room had light green walls—strangely similar to her room in the Streed.
房间有浅绿色的墙壁,与她在斯德里德的房间非常相像。
The only real difference was the window along one wall.
唯一真正的区别是一面墙上的窗户。
“ About ten days,” he said.
“...... 他说,“大约十天。”
“We brought you here three days ago, but you’ve been out cold the whole time.”
“我们三天前把你带到这里, “
Charlotte’s head hurt, but not nearly as bad as it had when she woke up in the alien Streed.
夏洛特的头部受了伤,但比起在外星"史崔德"中被唤醒时还差.
She couldn’t remember much of what happened after her talk with Artie in the observation room.
在观察室与Artie交谈后,
She had returned to her bed and fallen asleep.
她回到了床上并睡着了。
Had they finished the procedure?
他们做完手术了吗?
The last time, it felt like an avalanche of information, but now she felt almost completely normal.
最后一次,感觉像一个雪崩的信息, 但现在她觉得几乎完全正常。
“ Are you feeling okay?”
“...... 没事吧? “
her dad asked.
她爸爸问。
Charlotte nodded.
夏洛特点头。
“Just a bit of a headache, but I’m fine.
“只是有点头痛,
Hungry.”
饥. “
Her dad laughed.
她父亲笑了
“Of course you are.
“你当然是。
I’ll see if I can get you some food.
我看看能不能给你点吃的。
I’ll let the doctors know you’re awake,” he said and left the room.
我会让医生知道你醒了,
Charlotte lay back down and rubbed her temples.
夏洛特躺回地上并擦去她的神庙.
Her mind felt clear, as though nothing had ever happened.
她的头脑很清晰,好像什么都没发生过
She examined her thoughts and her memories.
她检查了她的思想和记忆.
Nothing felt jumbled, out of place, or twisted, but would she really know if it were?
没有感觉出错或扭曲 但是她真的知道吗?
Cautiously, she thought about one of the civilizations that had been destroyed: the planet with the violet-tinged ocean.
温柔地,她想到了被摧毁的文明之一:有紫罗兰定海的星球.
Suddenly the entire Collective’s experience rushed into her mind as if she had opened a computer file.
突然间,整个集体的经验冲入她的脑海,仿佛她打开了一个电脑档案。
The images and information were crisp, clear, and self-contained.
这些图像和信息是清晰、清晰和自成一体的。
She tried another planet, with the same result, then another.
她尝试了另一个星球,结果相同,然后是另一个.
Soon, she was scrolling through them faster than she could have imagined.
很快,她就比想象的要快
This time, though, emotions were also there: pain, fear, anger, and terrible sadness.
但这次,情感也存在:痛苦、恐惧、愤怒和可怕的悲伤。
The amount of information being dumped into her brain made her a bit woozy, so she stopped.
大量的信息被丢进她的大脑 让她有点晕眩,所以她停止了。
Her mind was back to normal again.
她的头脑又恢复正常了
She was still thinking about what she had seen when her father returned with something to eat.
她还在想她父亲回来吃东西时看到什么。
She quickly forgot about anything else.
她很快忘记了其他事情
“You must be starving,” her dad said as she tore into the sandwich and soup.
她的爸爸说:“你一定饿了,” 当她把三明治和汤撕了。
Charlotte just grunted and took another bite.
夏洛特又咬了一口
When she finished, she handed her empty plate and bowl to her dad, suddenly sleepy.
吃完后,她把空盘和碗交给了父亲,突然陷入了困窘.
Just then, the door opened and a doctor came in, looking at a chart.
刚刚,门打开,一个医生进来,看着一张图表.
“How are you feeling today, Charlotte?”
“你今天感觉如何,夏洛特? “
she asked with a fake smile.
她用假笑来问
“Better,” Charlotte replied.
“更好,”夏洛特回答。
“Happy to be home.”
“回家很高兴。 “
The doctor nodded and began her examination, shining lights in Charlotte’s eyes and listening to her chest.
医生点头开始检查,夏洛特的眼睛闪出光来并听她的胸部.
She poked and prodded without saying a word.
她一言不发地扑倒了
When she finished, the doctor said, “I know you’re tired, Charlotte.
医生说:“我知道你累了,
Before you go back to sleep, though, I need you to tell me what happened in the Streed.
在你回去睡觉之前 我要你告诉我史崔德的事
Did they do anything to you?”
他们对你做了什么吗? “
Charlotte looked at her dad and opened her mouth to reply, but stopped.
夏洛特看着她的父亲,张开口回应,但停了下来.
What would they do if she told them the truth?
如果她告诉他们真相 他们会怎么做?
She was now linked to the entire Collective.
她现在和整个集体有联系
That could mean they had access to her as well.
这可能意味着他们也能够接近她。
Would they think she had been brainwashed or turned into a spy for the aliens?
他们会认为她被洗脑 还是变成了外星人的间谍?
“I don’t remember,” she lied.
她撒谎,
“I’m sorry, but I’m really tired.
“对不起,
Maybe something will come back to me later.”
也许以后会有什么事情发生 “
The doctor was about to speak when her dad said, “Okay, get some sleep.
她父亲说:“好吧,睡一会。
We’ll talk later.”
我们稍后再谈。 “
The doctor flashed her dad a look, but they both left.
医生闪过她爸爸一眼,但他们都走了。
Then she heard the door being locked from the outside.
然后她听到门被锁在外面
Though she was tired and her head hurt, Charlotte stayed awake.
虽然她累了,头也受伤了,但夏洛特仍然保持清醒.
The locked door meant they didn’t trust her, but could she blame them?
门锁着意味着他们不信任她,
Would she have trusted someone who spent an entire week in an alien Streed?
她会信任一个 在外星史崔德待了整整一周的人吗?
Probably not.
也许不是。
She checked the windows, but they were sealed shut.
她检查了窗户,但都被封了
Could she break the glass without them noticing?
她能打破玻璃 没有他们注意?
Why was she thinking of escaping?
为什么她想逃跑?
She was safe in the compound, but this room felt more like a prison.
她在院子里很安全 但这个房间感觉更像是监狱
Maybe it was just some animal instinct to flee when trapped.
也许只是一些动物的本能 当被困。
She wasn’t going anywhere, so she decided to try and sleep.
所以她决定试着睡觉。
As she lay in bed, her mind wandered.
当她躺在床上时 她的心在徘徊
She found herself thinking about the information she had picked up from the link.
她发现自己在想她从链接中得到的信息。
She knew that the Collective had not been involved in the destruction of any of the civilizations.
她知道合作社没有参与破坏任何文明。
Time after time, they had watched what was happening from a distance without stepping in.
一次又一次地,他们从远处观看着正在发生的事情,却没有介入。
She didn’t know whether that was worse.
她不知道这是否更糟。
The Collective had felt incredibly sad, helpless, and frustrated watching those events unfold.
集体组织对这些事件的展开感到极其悲伤、无助和沮丧。
Locked in her room in the Resistance compound, it was a feeling she understood all too well.
被锁在她的房间 在抵抗组织大院, 这是一种感觉 她完全理解。