It was a clear and sunny morning on June 27th, with the fresh warmth of a mid-summer day, when the people of the village began to congregate in the square for the lottery. The children assembled first. Boys and girls selected stones, stuffing their pockets with the smoothest and roundest ones. Before long, there was a great pile of stones occupying one corner of the square, and the very small children rolled in the dust or clung to the hands of their older brothers or sisters.
6 月 27 日是一個晴朗而陽光明媚的早晨，洋溢著仲夏的清新暖意，此時村裡的人們開始聚集在廣場上參加摸彩。孩子們先集合。男孩和女孩挑選石頭，把口袋塞滿最光滑和最圓的石頭。不久，廣場的一角堆了一大堆石頭，而年紀相當幼小的孩子要不就在在沙土裡打滾，要不就是緊握著哥哥或姊姊的手。
Soon the men began to gather, away from the pile of stones in the corner. Their jokes were discreet and they smiled rather than laughed. Wearing faded house dresses and sweaters, the women showed up shortly after their menfolk. They greeted one another and exchanged bits of gossip as they went to join their husbands. Soon the women, standing by their husbands, began to beckon their children, and the children came reluctantly, having to be called four or five times.
很快地，男人們開始聚集，遠離角落的石頭堆。他們的笑話很節制，而且僅止於微笑，而不是大笑。婦女則穿著褪色的家居服和毛衣，在她們的男人之後隨後跟著出現。她們在和丈夫會合時互相打招呼並交換一點八卦。不久，站在丈夫旁的婦女開始呼喚孩子，孩子們要被叫四五次才不情願地過來。
The lottery was about to begin, presided over by Mr. Summers. He was a round-faced, amiable man and he ran the coal business. People felt sorry for him because he had no children and his wife nagged him ceaselessly. When he arrived in the square, bearing the black wooden box, there was a murmur of conversation among the villagers, and he waved and called, "Little late today, folks." The postmaster, Mr. Graves, tagged along behind him, carrying a three-legged stool. The stool was positioned in the center of the square and Mr. Summers set the black box down on it. The villagers kept their distance while Mr. Summers stirred up the papers inside it.
摸彩準備開始了，由 Summers 先生主持。他是一個圓臉、隨和的人，他經營著煤炭生意。人們為他感到難過，因為他沒有孩子，而他的妻子常常不斷地嘮叨著他。當他帶著黑色木箱來到廣場時，村民們之間交頭接耳，他揮手說：「今天有點晚，鄉親們。」郵政局長 Graves 先生在他身後跟著他，扛著一個三腳凳。凳子放在廣場中央，Summers 先生把黑箱子放在凳子上。當 Summers 先生攪動裡面的紙片時，村民們保持距離。
There was a story that the present box had been put together from some pieces of the box that had preceded it, the one that had been constructed when the first people settled down to make a village here. Every year, after the lottery, Mr. Summers raised the issue of a new box, but every year the subject was allowed to fade away without anything being done. The black box grew shabbier each year; by now it was no longer completely black but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color.
有個說法是，現在這個箱子是用它之前箱子的幾片碎片拼湊而成的，也就是那個第一批在這裡定居建村的人所製作的箱子。每年摸彩後，Summers 先生會提議要不要換個新的箱子，但每年這個主題都不了了之，沒有任何改變。黑箱子每年變得越來越破爛；如今它不再是全黑，而是有一邊嚴重裂開，露出了原本的木頭顏色。
There was a great deal of fussing done before Mr. Summers proclaimed the lottery open. When Mr. Summers had confirmed that everyone was present, he cleared his throat and inspected the list. "All ready?" he called. "Now, I'll read the names—heads of families first—and the men come up and take a paper out of the box. Keep the paper folded in your hand without looking at it until everyone has taken their turn. Everything clear?"
在 Summers 先生宣布開獎之前，有很多無謂的小事要被完成。當 Summers 先生確保每個人都在場時，他清了清喉嚨，看了看名單。「都準備好了嗎？」他喊道。「現在，我會唱名－－戶長先叫－－然後男人們上來從箱子裡抽出一張紙片。把紙摺疊在手裡不要看，直到每個人都輪過。一切都清楚嗎？」
The people had done it so many times that they only half listened to the directions; most of them were quiet, wetting their lips, not looking around. Then Mr. Summers raised one hand high and announced the names one after another. The villagers grinned at one another humorlessly and nervously. They had to step forward to draw a paper. Then all through the crowd there were men clutching the small folded papers in their large hands, turning them over and over nervously. Some villagers even whispered that the inhabitants of a village in the north were talking of abandoning the lottery; however, this opinion was dismissed as foolish and nonsense.
人們已經摸彩過許多次，所以只有一半的心力在聽著指示；大多數人都很安靜，舔著嘴唇，不四處張望。然後 Summers 先生高舉單臂，一個接著一個宣布名字。村民嚴肅緊張地互相咧嘴而笑。他們必須上前抽一張紙片。然後，在人群中，男人們的大手中緊抓著小張對折的紙片，惴惴不安地把紙片翻來覆去。一些村民甚至低聲說，北方村子裡的居民在討論要廢除摸彩；然而，這種意見被歸為愚蠢和無稽之談。
Mr. Summers called his own name and then stepped forward precisely and extracted another slip from the box. After that, there was a long pause, a breathless pause, until Mr. Summers, holding his slip of paper in the air, said, "All right, fellows." For a minute, no one moved, and then all the slips of paper were opened simultaneously. Suddenly, all the women began to speak at once, saying, "Who is it?" "Who's got it?" Then the voices began to say, "It's Hutchinson. It's Bill," "Bill Hutchinson's got it."
Summers 先生叫了自己的名字，然後嚴謹地向前邁進，從箱子裡取出了另一張紙片。在那之後，停頓了好一陣子，一個令人喘不過氣的停頓，直到 Summers 先生高舉著他的紙片說：「好了，各位。」有一分鐘都沒有人移動，然後所有的紙片都同時被打開。突然，所有的女人都同時開始說話，說著：「是誰？」「是誰抽到了？」然後有聲音開始說：「是 Hutchinson 家。是 Bill。」「Bill Hutchinson 抽到了。」
People looked around to see the Hutchinsons. Bill Hutchinson was standing quiet, staring down at the paper in his hand. Suddenly, Tessie Hutchinson shouted to Mr. Summers, "You didn't give him enough time to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn't fair!"
人們環顧四周想找 Hutchinson 一家。Bill Hutchinson 安靜地站著，低頭凝視手中的紙片。突然，Tessie Hutchinson 對 Summers 先生大喊：「你沒有給他足夠的時間選擇他想要的紙片。我看見了。這不公平!」
Disregarding Tessie's protest, Mr. Graves emptied the papers out of the box onto the ground and then put five papers in for the Hutchinsons. As Mr. Summers called their names, each member of the family came up and drew a paper. When they opened their slips, they found that Tessie had pulled out the paper with the black dot on it. Mr. Summers instructed everyone to hurry up, and there was a fuss in the crowd.
不管 Tessie 的抗議，Graves 先生把紙片從箱子清空倒到地上，然後幫 Hutchinson 一家放五張紙片進去。當 Summers 先生叫到他們的名字時，家族中的每個成員都上前抽一張紙片。當他們打開自己的紙片時，他們發現 Tessie 抽到了有黑點的紙片。Summers 先生指示大家快點，這時人群中起了騷動。
"All right, folks." Mr. Summers said. "Let's get this over with quickly." The pile of stones the boys had made earlier was ready; there were stones on the ground with the scraps of paper that had come out of the box blowing around. One villager selected a stone so large that she had to pick it up with both hands. The children had stones already. And someone handed little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles.
「好了，鄉親們。」Summers 先生說。「我們速戰速決吧。」男孩們先前堆的石頭已經準備好了；地上有石頭，伴隨著從箱子倒出來飄來飄去的紙屑。一位村民選了一塊大石頭，大到她得用雙手才拿得起來。孩子們已經準備好石頭了。有人給了小 Davy Hutchinson 幾塊鵝卵石。
Tessie Hutchinson was in the center of a cleared space by now, and she held her hands out frantically as the villagers moved in on her. "It isn't fair," she said. A stone hit her on the side of the head. "It isn't fair, it isn't right," Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her.
Tessie Hutchinson 現在已經在一個空地的中央，當村民們靠近她時，她瘋狂地伸出雙手。「這不公平。」她說。一塊石頭擊中了她頭的一側。「這不公平，這是不對的。」Hutchinson 太太尖叫著，然後他們朝她蜂擁而上。
- congregate [ˋkɑŋgrɪ͵get] v.
聚集，集合
Groups of teenagers often congregate at the mall and wander around window shopping. - lottery [ˋlɑtərɪ] n.
摸彩
The classmates held a lottery to decide who would hand the flowers to their teacher. - cling [klɪŋ] v.
抓緊
Minnie clung to her boyfriend and screamed as the roller coaster went downhill. - discreet [dɪˋskrit] adj.
謹慎的，小心的
Laura was very discreet when she was refusing Megan's invitation, hoping not to hurt her feelings. - discretion [dɪˋskrɛʃən] n.
慎重，謹慎
Your secret is completely safe with me because I am the soul of discretion. - beckon [ˋbɛkn] v.
（招手或點頭）向...示意
Lucy saw her friends in the school restaurant, and they beckoned her to join them. - amiable [ˋemɪəb!] adj.
隨和親切的
Professor Watts is an amiable man and his students find it easy to approach him. - nag [næg] v.
不斷叨唸
Jack kept nagging his son until he finally cleaned his room. - nagging [ˋnægɪŋ] adj.
嘮叨的
The employees are always complaining about their nagging boss, yet they never talk about quitting their jobs. - ceaselessly [ˋsislɪslɪ] adv.
不停地，持續地
Mr. Jackson has worked ceaselessly to build up his business, and he now owns three stores. - ceaseless [ˋsislɪs] adj.
不停的，不間斷的
During the lockdown, the ceaseless flow of traffic vanished from the city's streets. - cease [sis] v.
停止
Beth warned her neighbors that she would call the police if they didn't cease making so much noise. - murmur [ˋmɝmɚ] n.
低語聲
A murmur of excitement went through the audience as the lights went down for the start of the show. - murmur [ˋmɝmɚ] v.
低聲說
When she heard the news, Laura murmured something that I didn't catch, but I could tell she wasn't pleased. - precede [priˋsid] v.
（順序，位置或時間上）處在...之前
Barack Obama preceded Donald Trump as U.S. President, holding office from 2009 to 2017. - preceding [priˋsidɪŋ] adj.
在前的，在先的
Though I had felt nervous in the preceding few days, I was quite calm when the exam began. - shabby [ˋʃæbɪ] adj.
破舊的
Wearing a shabby coat, the poor old homeless man walked slowly along the street. - splinter [ˋsplɪntɚ] v.
裂成碎片
The box splintered when I dropped it, and I cut my finger picking it up. - fuss [fʌs] v.
緊張不安，大驚小怪
Will you stop fussing? It's a small casual party and there's no need to dress up. - fuss [fʌs] n.
緊張不安，大驚小怪
Even though I didn't hurt myself when I fell off my motorcycle, my parents made such a fuss and wanted me to stop riding. - proclaim [prəˋklem] v.
宣告，公布
The chef was delighted when an influential magazine proclaimed his restaurant the best in the city. - inspect [ɪnˋspɛkt] v.
檢查
If you are buying clothes at a big discount, you should definitely inspect them carefully first. - inspection [ɪnˋspɛkʃən] n.
檢查，審視
The desert may appear lifeless, but on closer inspection we can find all kinds of animals surviving there. - grin [grɪn] v.
露齒笑
I could tell Byron was a friendly guy from the way he grinned when Polly introduced him to us. - grin [grɪn] n.
露齒笑
William had clearly enjoyed the show, for he came out of the concert hall with a huge grin on his face. - clutch [klʌtʃ] v.
緊抓，緊握
Clutching my passport and boarding card, I ran to the plane as fast as I could. - inhabitant [ɪnˋhæbətənt] n.
（某地的）居民
Most of the island's inhabitants live in a small fishing village on the north coast. - inhabit [ɪnˋhæbɪt] v.
居住於
These fish inhabit dark underwater caves and have never evolved eyesight. - inhabitable [ɪnˋhæbɪtəb!] adj.
適合居住的
There is no water on the island, so it isn't inhabitable for human beings. - abandon [əˋbændən] v.
放棄
Derek abandoned his attempt to open a clothing store in the town when he realized that renting a property would cost too much. - dismiss [dɪsˋmɪs] v.
對...不予理會
When Ruth's son said he had seen a ghost, she dismissed it as just a bad dream. - nonsense [ˋnɑnsɛns] n.
謬論，胡言
Judy tends to start talking nonsense when she is feeling nervous in a group of strangers. - simultaneously [saɪməlˋtenɪəslɪ] adv.
同時地
Alice arrived at the party simultaneously with her ex-boyfriend, and neither of them looked very pleased. - simultaneous [͵saɪm!ˋtenɪəs] adj.
同時發生的
When his boss met the Russian businessmen face to face, Joshua was required to provide simultaneous translation. - disregard [͵dɪsrɪˋgɑrd] v.
不理會
Disregarding the warning notice, the boys went swimming in the dangerous river. - disregard [͵dɪsrɪˋgɑrd] n.
忽視
Disregard for local customs may lead to serious problems when you're traveling abroad. - protest [ˋprotɛst] n.
抗議；反對
Despite Timmy's protests, his parents insisted that he eat all the carrots. - protest [prəˋtɛst] v.
抗議；反對
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in the square to protest against the actions of the police. - scrap [skræp] n.
碎片
I had a scrap of paper with Jane's phone number on it, but now I can't find it anywhere. - frantically [ˋfræntɪklɪ] adv.
瘋狂地
After frantically searching in vain for his car keys for half an hour, Frank was forced to take a taxi to the interview. - frantic [ˋfræntɪk] adj.
發狂似的
The frantic passengers tried desperately to get into the lifeboats as the ship went down. - preside over
掌管，主持
We had a class debate about economic policy, which was presided over by our teacher. - tag along
跟隨
Mom said you're going to the department store, so do you mind if I tag along? - fade away
消失，消退
As the sound of the departing train faded away into the distance, Marina felt completely alone. - get sth. over with
熬過
I hate going to the dentist, and I'll be very glad to get this appointment over with. - move in on sb./sth.
向...逼進
The thieves were counting the money in the apartment, having no idea that the police were quietly moving in on them.
