3. Getting Ready

3 Getting Ready Stanley loved sightseeing, but he couldn't wait to start his mission. And there was one important thing to do before he could attend a ball at Buckingham Palace. He had to find something to wear! The next morning, Mr. Lambchop led the way down a long escalator that took the family beneath the city of London. "Welcome to the Underground!" he said.

斯坦利喜欢观光，但他迫不及待地要开始他的任务。 在他参加白金汉宫的舞会之前，还有一件重要的事情要做。 他得找件衣服穿!第二天早上，兰姆切普领着大家走下一段长长的自动扶梯，把全家带到了伦敦城下。 “欢迎来到地铁!”他说。

Arthur looked at the tunnel ahead of him. "Yes, we are definitely underground," he agreed. "But this does not look like a place to buy clothes." Mr. Lambchop laughed. "That is because this is the way to the store," he explained. Stanley noticed something as his eyes adjusted to the light. This was not just any tunnel. It was a train tunnel! "The London Underground is the city's subway," Mrs. Lambchop told the boys. "Some people also call it the Tube." Soon Stanley could feel a gust of wind coming from the end of the tunnel. He grabbed on to Arthur to steady himself as he saw a silver subway train gliding into the station. The doors opened, and people stepped out of the train. A voice came over a loudspeaker. "Mind the gap!" it said.

阿瑟看着前方的隧道。 “是的，我们绝对是在地下，”他同意道。 “但这里看起来不像是买衣服的地方。” 兰切普笑了。“那是因为这是去商店的路，”他解释说。 斯坦利的眼睛渐渐适应了光线，他注意到了什么。 这可不是普通的隧道。 那是一条火车隧道!“伦敦地铁是这座城市的地铁，”兰姆切普太太告诉孩子们。 “有些人也管它叫地铁。” 不久，斯坦利感觉到一阵风从隧道的尽头吹来。 当他看到一辆银色的地铁列车驶进车站时，他抓住阿瑟稳住自己。 车门开了，人们走下了火车。 扩音器里传来一个声音。 “小心缝隙!”它说。

Mind the gop, Stanley heard. The announcer sounded a lot like Detective Bates. "What does that mean?" asked Arthur. "What gap?" "The space between the train and the platform," said Mrs. Lambchop. Stanley looked down and saw a small, thin gap, which he could easily slip through. Carefully, he stepped into the train, making sure he did not fall into that space. But he had a much bigger problem than the gap! The Tube was very crowded. There were people in every seat, plus people standing in every inch of space between the seats. They were holding on to poles and bars, making a web with their arms. Their feet made a maze on the floor. "Excuse me," Arthur said politely, edging into a tiny spot. "Pardon me," Mrs. Lambchop said as she reached above her head for a bar to hold on to. Stanley slipped past a woman who was reading a magazine. He hopped over a briefcase that was sitting on the floor. By the time the train started moving again, he was leaning against the

小心点，斯坦利听见了。 播音员的声音很像贝茨警探。 “什么意思?”阿瑟问。 “什么差距?”“火车和月台之间的空间。”兰切普太太说。 斯坦利往下一看，看到了一个又小又细的缺口，他可以很容易地溜过去。 他小心翼翼地跨进火车，确保自己没有掉到那个地方。 但他有一个比差距更大的问题!地铁里非常拥挤。 每个座位上都有人，座位之间的每一寸地方都有人站着。 他们抓着杆子和栏杆，用胳膊织网。 他们的脚在地板上弄出一个迷宫。 “不好意思。”阿瑟礼貌地说，慢慢挤进一个小地方。 “对不起，”兰切普太太边说边把手举过头顶去抓一根棍子。 斯坦利从一个正在看杂志的女人身边溜过。 他跳过了一个放在地板上的公文包。 当火车再次开动时，他已经靠在

wall, blending into an advertising poster. He was quite comfortable, because he did not take up much room. "Look!" said someone in the crowd. "Flat Stanley is performing in the Royal Theatre!" Suddenly everyone was looking at him. Well,

墙，混成一张广告海报。 他很舒服，因为他不占太多的地方。 “看!”人群中有人说。 “Flat Stanley要在皇家剧院演出了!”突然，所有人都看着他。 好吧,

actually they were looking at the poster behind him. Stanley turned around to see it. It was an advertisement for an exciting new show. The way he was standing, it looked like he would be acting in the show himself! When he twisted, though, people could see they weren't looking at a picture of Flat Stanley. They were looking at the real Flat Stanley! "In person, you are even flotter than I expected," someone said. "May I have your autograph?" someone else asked. Stanley smiled. He was used to being famous by now. After all, that was why he was in London in the first place! No one would ever suspect him of attending a palace ball with a secret plan. But he did have one regret about his mission. The thing he was famous for—being flat—had nothing to do with the job. Sometimes being flat was useful. On this trip to London, being flat was just... flat.

实际上他们在看他身后的海报。 斯坦利转过身去看。 这是一个激动人心的新节目的广告。 从他站着的样子看，就像他要亲自表演一样!然而，当他扭曲的时候，人们可以看到他们看到的不是Flat Stanley的照片。 他们看到的是真正的Flat Stanley!有人说:“你本人比我想象的还要浮夸。” “我可以要你的签名吗?”另一个人问道。 斯坦利笑了。他现在已经习惯了出名。 毕竟，这就是他当初来伦敦的原因!没有人会怀疑他带着秘密计划参加宫廷舞会。 但他对自己的使命有一个遗憾。 他出名的一点是——他很平——与他的工作毫无关系。 有时候保持平坦是有用的。 在这次伦敦之旅中，平淡只是…… 平的。