Lesson 25 — Do the English speak English?

原文

I arrived in London at last. The railway station was big, black and dark. I did not know the way to my hotel, so I asked a porter. I not only spoke English very carefully, but very clearly as well.

The porter, however, could not understand me. I repeated my question several times and at last he understood. He answered me, but he spoke neither slowly nor clearly. I am a foreigner, I said.

Then he spoke slowly, but I could not understand him. My teacher never spoke English like that. The porter and I looked at each other and smiled. Then he said something and I understood it.

You'll soon learn English, he said. I wonder. In England each person speaks a different language. The English understand each other, but I don't understand them.

Do they speak English?

译文

我终于到达伦敦了。火车站很大，又黑又黑。我不知道去酒店的路，所以我问了一个搬运工。我不仅英语说得很仔细，而且说得也很清楚。

然而，搬运工无法理解我的意思。我重复了好几次我的问题，最后他明白了。他回答了我，但语速既不慢也不清晰。我是外国人，我说。

然后他说话很慢，但我听不懂。我的老师从来没有那样说英语。我和搬运工相视一笑。然后他说了一些话，我就明白了。

你很快就会学会英语，他说。我想知道。在英格兰，每个人都说不同的语言。英国人互相听得懂，但我听不懂他们。

他们会说英语吗？