Gospel of Doubt 1

There we were, souls and bodies packed into a Texas church on the last night of our lives.

ps:在我们生命的最后一晚，灵魂和尸体被塞进了德克萨斯州的教堂。

werebe 的过去时复数和第二人称单数形式; 有时代替 was，用于条件从句、动词 wish 之后等

souls灵魂; 心性; 内心; 心灵; 精神状况，道德品质; soul的复数

bodies身体; 躯体; 躯干; 尸体; 死尸; body的第三人称单数和复数

packed异常拥挤的; 挤满人的; 有大量…的; …极多的; 紧密地压在一起; 收拾; 装; 包装; 包裹; pack的过去分词和过去式

into到…里面; 进入; 朝; 向; 对着; 撞上; 碰上

Texas得克萨斯州; <美>最高甲板舱，高级房舱

church教堂，礼拜堂; 礼拜; 礼拜仪式; 基督教教派; 领…到教堂接受宗教仪式

last night昨晚; 最后一夜

lives住; 居住; 生存; 活着; live的第三人称单数和life的复数

Packed into a room just like this, but with creaky wooden pews draped in worn-down red fabric, with an organ to my left and a choir at my back and a baptism pool built into the wall behind them.

ps:像这样挤在一个房间里，但破旧的红色布料覆盖着吱吱作响的木制长椅，左手拿着风琴，背着唱诗班席，身后墙上还建了一个洗礼池。

creaky嘎吱作响的; 老朽的; 破旧的; 摇摇欲坠的

pews教堂长椅; pew的复数

draped将悬挂，披; 遮盖; 盖住; 装饰; 使放松地搭在…上; drape的过去分词和过去式

organ器官; 管风琴

choir唱诗班; 合唱团，歌唱队; 唱经楼，唱诗席

baptism洗礼，浸礼

worn-down 破旧的

A room like this, nonetheless. With the same great feelings of suspense, the same deep hopes for salvation, the same sweat in the palms and the same people in the back not paying attention.

ps:不过，像这样的房间。怀着同样巨大的悬念感，同样深切的救赎希望，同样的汗水在掌心，同样的人在背后不留神。

nonetheless尽管如此

feelings感觉，感触; 想法; 看法; 信念; 态度; 意见; feeling的复数

suspense担心; 焦虑; 兴奋; 悬念

hopes希望，期望; 希望; 期望; 希望的东西; 期望的事情; 被寄予希望的人; hope的第三人称单数和复数

salvation得救; 救恩; 救世; 避免方式，解救途径

sweat汗; 出汗; 流汗; 一身汗; 繁重的工作; 艰苦的劳动; 累活儿; 艰苦努力; 渗出水分，结水珠; 辛苦地干

palms手掌; 手心; 棕榈树; 把…藏在手中; palm的第三人称单数和复数

paying付费; 付酬; 交纳; 偿还; 赢利; 创收; pay的现在分词

attention注意; 专心; 留心; 注意力; 兴趣; 关注; 殷勤; 关心; 立正

This was December 31,1999, the night of the Second Coming of Christ, and the end of the world as I knew it.

ps:这是1999年12月31日，基督第二次降临的夜晚，也是我所知道的世界末日。

December十二月

night夜; 夜晚; 晚上，夜晚; …之夜

Second Coming基督复临

Christ基督; 耶稣基督; 天哪

end of结尾; 为某事物的结尾; 末尾

world世界; 地球; 天下; 某地域的人类社会; 星球，天体

knew知道; 知悉; 了解; 认识到; 懂得; 意识到; 确信; 确知; 肯定; know的过去式

I turned 12 that year and reached the age of accountability.

ps:那年我12岁，到了负责任的年龄。

turned转动，旋转; 转身; 扭转; 翻转; 翻动; 把…翻过来; turn的过去分词和过去式

year年; 日历年; 一年时间; 与某事相关的一年; 年度

reached到达; 抵达; 引起…的注意; 增加到，提升到; reach的过去分词和过去式

age年龄; 年龄段; 时代，时期; 变老; 使显老; 使变老; 使苍老; 成熟，变陈

accountability责任；有义务，有责任; 衡算计量; 保管责任

And once I stopped complaining about how unfair it was that Jesus would return as soon as I had to be accountable for all that I had done, I figured I had better get my house in order very quickly.

ps:一旦我不再抱怨耶稣会在我必须对我所做的一切负责的时候回来是多么不公平，我想我最好尽快把我的房子收拾好。

complaining抱怨; 埋怨; 发牢骚; complain的现在分词

unfair不公正的; 不公平的; 待人不平等的

as soon as立刻; 一…就…

all that那么

had better最好

my house舍间；舍；舍下

in order应当发生的; 自然的; 合宜的; 整齐; 井然有序

So I went to church as often as I could. I listened for silence as anxiously as one might listen for noise, trying to be sure that the Lord hadn't pulled a fast one on me and decided to come back early.

ps:所以我尽可能经常去教堂。我倾听着，像人们倾听喧闹一样焦急地静默着，试着确定上帝没有对我使出浑身解数，决定早点回来。

went to相当于; 付出

as often as每次，每当

listened听; 倾听; 听信; 听从; 听着，注意听; listen的过去分词和过去式

silence寂静; 无声; 沉默; 缄默; 默不作声; 缄口不谈; 拒绝回答; 使安静; 使不说话; 压制，使不再发表; 安静，静下来

anxiously焦急地; 忧虑地; 满心

pulled拉; 拽; 扯; 拖; 拔出; 抽出; 拖，拉动; pull的过去分词和过去式

a fast one急球，诡计，骗局

come back回忆起; 回想起来; 重新流行; 再度时兴

And just in case he did, I built a backup plan, by reading the "Left Behind" books that were all the rage at the time.

And I found in their pages that if I was not taken in the rapture at midnight, I had another shot.

ps:我在他们的书页上发现，如果我没有在午夜被抓到，我还有一次机会。

found创建，创办; 建立，兴建; 把…基于; 把…建立在; find的过去分词和过去式

their他们的; 她们的; 它们的; 在提及性别不详的人时，用以代替his或her

pages页，面，张，版; 页面，版面; 历史篇章，历史篇页; 呼叫; 用传呼机传呼; page的第三人称单数和复数

not(构成动词be、do和have及情态动词can或must等的否定形式，常缩略为n't)不，没有; 不; (用于hope、expect、believe等动词后，作为否定的回答)不

taken感兴趣的;被吸引的; 携带; 拿走; 取走; 运走; 带去; 引领; 使达到，把…推向，把…带到; take的过去分词

rapture狂喜; 欢天喜地; 兴高采烈; 使…狂喜

at midnight在午夜

another又一; 再一; 另一; 不同的; 类似的

shot射击; 开枪; 枪声; 优秀射手，枪手，炮手; 铅沙弹; 杂色的; 闪色的; 破烂不堪; 筋

All I had to do was avoid taking the mark of the beast, fight off demons, plagues and the Antichrist himself.

ps:我所要做的，就是不取兽的印记，不与鬼，瘟疫，和敌基督的人争战。

All所有; 全部; 全体; 一切; 全部的，整个的; 唯一的事物; 所有的事物; 完全; 很; 十分; 非常; 太; 过分

avoid避免; 防止; 回避; 避开; 躲避; 避免撞到

taking携带; 拿走; 取走; 运走; 带去; 引领; 使达到，把…推向，把…带到; take的现在分词

fight off战胜; 消除; 击退; 打退

demons恶魔; 魔鬼; 技艺出众的人; 精力充沛的人; 邪恶事物; demon的复数

plagues死亡率高的传染病; 灾害，祸患; 给…造成长时间的痛苦; 困扰; 折磨; 使受煎熬; 纠缠; 缠磨; 缠扰; plague的第三人称单数和复数

Antichrist敌基督

himself他自己，自己; 强调句中的男性主语或宾语

It would be hard, but I knew I could do it.

Questions:

1.Why does Gerald use humor in his presentation ?

to engage the audience.

2.Why was December 31,1999 significant to Gerald? 

He thought Jesus would return on this date.

3.How does Gerald describe the life behind the books? 

They were very popular at the time.

4.By reaching the age of accountability, Gerald...

had to start taking  the responsibility for his behavior.

Read and repeat the sentences:

1.When he reach the age of accountability, he had to take the responsibility for all he had done.

2.I listened for silence as anxiously as one might listen for noise, trying to be sure that the Lord hadn't pulled a fast one on me and decided to come back early.

3.I built a backup plan in case the Lord decided to come back early.