原文：1-005
If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. This responsiveness had nothing to do with that flabby impressionability which is dignified under the name of the "creative temperament"--it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again. No--Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men."
譯文
如果說(shuō)一個(gè)人的性格由成功的作態(tài)組合而成，是一個(gè)無(wú)法分割的系列，那么在他身上有著某種打動(dòng)人心的特質(zhì)，那是他對(duì)于生命承諾的高度敏感，仿佛他和兩千里外記錄著地震強(qiáng)度的某個(gè)復(fù)雜儀器有著關(guān)聯(lián)。他這種敏捷的反應(yīng)，與雖被贊譽(yù)為“創(chuàng)意氣質(zhì)”，實(shí)則軟弱無(wú)力的敏感性一點(diǎn)兒關(guān)系都沒(méi)有 － 那是某種對(duì)事物懷有希望的驚人天賦，一種我從未在他人身上看到過(guò)，今后也不太可能再看到的奮不顧身的浪漫。不，蓋茨比終究是好樣兒的；而正是那些來(lái)獵食他的人，那些在他夢(mèng)碎后飄浮的污濁灰塵，一時(shí)竟讓我對(duì)人類未竟的悲傷和短促的狂喜失去了興趣。
解析
這幾句話全是長(zhǎng)句。理解長(zhǎng)句的關(guān)鍵，在于抓住它的主干結(jié)構(gòu)。
