地道加拿大商务英语口语原汁原味情景对话-3
Stephen Leacock's humorous writings earned him international fame. He was born in England and arrived in Ontario as a boy of six in 1876.
斯蒂芬.利科克笔下的风趣和幽默使他享有国际声誉。他出生在英国，于1876年来到安大略省，当时他只是个6岁的男孩子。
His father, Peter Leacock, was an unsuccessful farmer, and a mean, ungrateful man, Stephen Leacock's youth was spent working every hard on the struggling family farm.
斯蒂芬的父亲彼得.利科克是个不成器的农夫，是个卑鄙而且无情无义的人。斯蒂芬的青年时代是在处于挣扎中的家庭农场的艰苦劳动中度过的。
As his farming problems grew, his father, Peter Leacock, sank deeper into debt and alcoholism. When Stephen was seventheen, the father got on a train and left his wife and eleven children forever.
随着农场情况的不断恶化，他的父亲，彼得.利科克更加沉溺在负债和酗酒之中。斯蒂芬17岁的时候，他父亲跨上一列火车，永远离开了他的妻子和11个孩子。
Unable to go directly into university,Stephen Leacock took a job as a school teacher to help support the deserted family.For the next few years he studied at the University of Toronto at night.
由于没有能够直接进入大学学习，斯蒂芬接受了一份教师的工作来帮助维持这个被遗弃的家庭。在这之后的几年中，他利用晚上到多伦多大学读书。
In 1891 he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, The next few years were spent as a school master.
1891年斯蒂芬毕业了，并获得了文学学士的学位，后来，他在一所学校当老师。
To augment his meagre teaching salary, he began writing humorous stories for magazines.
为了补充他教书赚来的微不足道的薪水，斯蒂芬开始为一些杂志撰写幽默故事。
Leacock managed to save the income from his writings in a bank account, Before long he met a young woman called Beatrix Hamilton, and they were married in 1900.
利科克尽量把写作得来的收入存在银行里，不久，他结识了一位叫比阿特丽克斯.汉密尔顿的年轻女子，1900年他们结婚。
Leacock continued with his studies and become a special lecturer in history and political science at McGill University.
利科克继续读书，并成为麦吉尔大学历史和政治学的特邀教师。
In 1904 he graduated with a Ph, D. degree. The next four years were spent writing his first book, a text entitled Elements of Political Science that eventually was translated into eighteen languages.
1904年，他结束了学业，并获得了博士学位，之后的四年中，他撰写了他的第一本书，一本名为《政治学要素》的教科书，这本书后来被翻译成18种语言。
He also published a collection of the humorous magazine pieces he had written. He called it Literary Lapse.
另外，利科克还出版了一本幽默集锦，里面荟编了他曾经为各家杂志撰写的幽默小品文。他把这本书称为《文字之误》
Since the original publisher of Elements of Political Science was unwilling to bring it out. Leacock had it published at his own expense.
由于《政治学要素》一书的出版商不愿意出《文字之误》，利科克只好用自己的钱支付其出版费用。
A British edition became a best seller, He continued to write and teach at McGill University.
这本书的英文版成为最畅销书。他在麦吉尔大学继续他的教授及著书工作。
Stephen Leacock's most famous book was Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town based on his early days near Orillia, Ontario.
斯蒂芬.利科克最著名的书是《小镇上的阳光》，此书是基于他在安大略省奥瑞利亚附近地区的早年生活而写的。
He was obliged to retire from the University in 1934, nine years after the death of his wife, Leacock, who found his greatest satisfaction in teaching and being among young people, died in 1944 at the age of 75.
在他的夫人去世9年之后的1934年，麦吉尔大学要求他退休。这位在教书事业中，在年轻人中找到极大的满足的人，于1944年离开了人世，年仅75岁
