---
url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-3/04-the-double-life-of-alfred-bloggs.md
description: 新概念英语第三册：The Double Life of Alfred Bloggs。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。
---

# 04 · 阿尔弗雷德·布洛格斯的双重生活

### 第1段

These days, people who do manual work often receive far more money than people who work in offices. People who work in offices are frequently referred to as "white-collar workers" for the simple reason that they usually wear a collar and tie to go to work. Such is human nature, that a great many people are often willing to sacrifice higher pay for the privilege of becoming white-collar workers. This can give rise to curious situations, as it did in the case of Alfred Bloggs who worked as a dustman for the Ellesmere Corporation.
When he got married, Alf was too embarrassed to say anything to his wife about his job. He simply told her that he worked for the Corporation. Every morning, he left home dressed in a smart black suit. He then changed into overalls and spent the next eight hours as a dustman. Before returning home at night, he took a shower and changed back into his suit. Alf did this for over two years and his fellow dustmen kept his secret. Alf's wife has never discovered that she married a dustman and she never will, for Alf has just found another job. He will soon be working in an office. He will be earning only half as much as he used to, but he feels that his rise in status is well worth the loss of money. From now on, he will wear a suit all day and others will call him "Mr. Bloggs", not "Alf".

中文理解：如今，从事体力劳动的人，收入往往比办公室职员高得多。办公室职员常被称为“白领”，原因很简单：他们通常穿着有领衬衫、打着领带上班。人性往往如此，许多人宁愿放弃更高的收入，也想换来白领的身份。这种心态有时会造成一些奇特的情况，在埃尔斯米尔公司做垃圾清运工的阿尔弗雷德·布洛格斯就是一例。
阿尔弗雷德，人们通常叫他阿尔夫。他结婚时，觉得自己的职业说不出口，便没告诉妻子实情，只说自己在那家公司上班。每天早晨，他穿着一身笔挺的黑色西装出门，随后换上工作服，做上八个小时的垃圾清运工作。晚上回家前，他先洗个澡，再换回西装。他就这样瞒了两年多，同事们也一直替他保密。妻子至今不知道自己嫁给了一名垃圾清运工，而且以后也不会知道了，因为阿尔夫刚找到另一份工作，很快就要进办公室上班。新工作的薪水只有原来的一半，但他觉得，身份提高了，少赚一些也值得。从今以后，他可以整天穿着西装，别人也会称他“布洛格斯先生”，而不再直呼“阿尔夫”了。

* **These days**：近来；如今；表示当前一段时期，不是特定的这几天日期。

* **do manual work**：从事体力劳动；manual work 与 office work 对照；不是手工艺品的同义词。

* **referred to as**：被称为；保留 as，表示称呼而非提及对象。

* **give rise to**：引起；导致；常接问题、担忧或争议，比日常 cause 稍正式。

* **too embarrassed to**：窘得不好意思……；too + 形容词 + to do 表示程度阻碍行动，不能漏译这种否定效果。

* **dressed in**：穿着；in接穿着，as接扮演的角色。

* **changed into**：换上……；本课指换衣，不是把自身变成另一个物体。

* **took a shower**：洗淋浴；take / have a shower 是完整搭配；不要逐字译成拿淋浴。

* **kept his secret**：替他保守秘密；keep someone's secret；注意 keep 与 reveal 的方向相反。

* **has just found another job**：刚找到另一份工作；has just done 表近期结果，another + 单数名词。

* **well worth**：很值得；worth 后做某事用 doing，不接 to do。

* **From now on**：从现在起；用于宣布改变；叙述过去的那一刻可用 from then on。

#### 原文注释 · These days, people who do manual work often receive far more money than people who work in offices.

注释：①receive = get。②sacrifice = give up。③privilege = special advantage, honour。 ④give rise to = lead to, cause,引起、惹起。⑤curious = strange。⑥Such is human nature 是表语 such 前置的倒装结构，可理解为 Human nature is such；that 引导结果从句，意思是“人性如此，以至于……”。such 不是形式主语。⑦in the case of 至于，就…而言，in case of（介词短语，后接名词）万一、如果发生。⑧这里是as 引导的方式状语从句\[感谢读者@bill@Far Away@入居法师屡次探讨，让我得以详细检视此次错误20200909]，该从句中又含有who 引导的定语从句。

\[语法符号讲解] ⑥该句 human nature 是主语，is 是系动词，such 是前置的表语；that 从句说明由这种人性引出的结果。原来的主语从句标记应结合这一分析理解，不要把 that 从句误认作真正主语。

#### 原文注释 · When he got married, Alf was too embarrassed to say anything to his wife about his job.

注释：①embarrassed = shy，be ashamed of。②before 引导的时间状语从句，return 的逻辑主语与主句的he 保持一致，所以原句=Before he returned home。③discovered = found out。④she never will=she will never discover，省略句中，never 放到助动词之前。⑤status = social position 地位，身份。辨析：stature，身高、水平；statute，法令、法规。\[本段he left home dressed in a smart black suit 句子成分划分有所修改，感谢读者@zzz-naruto 指出20211028]

#### Summary 摘要

When he got married, Alfred Bloggs told his wife he worked for the Corporation. Though he dressed in a smart black suit every morning, he changed into overalls at work and spent the day working as a dustman. Then he took a shower and changed back into his suit at night. This lasted for two years and his fellow dustmen kept his secret. His wife will never learn the truth(了解真相) because her husband will be an office worker in future. (80 words)

#### Composition 作文 Nearly Caught 差点穿帮

\[1]One morning Alf and three other dustmen were collecting rubbish in Merton Street and they stopped outside Mrs. Frost's house.

\[2]Though Alf didn't know it, his wife was visiting Mrs. Frost at the time. She and Mrs. Frost were old friends, though Mrs. Frost had never met Alf. Alf was just getting out of the dustcart to go into Mrs. Frost's backyard when he saw his wife leaving Mrs. Frost's house. He quickly returned to the dustcart and hid in the driving cabin. While he was hiding, his fellow dustmen helped him by collecting Mrs. Frost's rubbish. Meanwhile, Alf's wife and Mrs. Frost talked on the doorstep(门阶). It looked as though their conversation would never end!

\[3]At last Mrs. Bloggs said goodbye to Mrs. Frost. She waved to one of the dustmen whom she recognized and she went towards the dustcart to greet him. The dustman waved back and gave her a big smile as the dustcart drove off(开走，赶走). Mrs. Bloggs stood on the pavement and watched the dustcart disappear down the street. Then she began to walk home. "It's all right, Alf," his friend said. "She can't see you now."

\[4]"Thanks, Jim," Alf said. "That was a lucky escape!" (200 words)

## 学完这一课

介绍一种职业称呼，先定义人群，再解释名称的由来。

[Nce · 本册复习台](/new-concept/book-3/review) · [三册选择地图](/new-concept/)

*译文依据整理稿，由本站按中文表达重新校订；解析据吴应时、何景霖整理资料及首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第20—22页，2022年2月第3版。*