一、作者簡介
    本文作者艾格尼絲·史沫特萊（Agnes Smedley, 1890-1950）是一位美國女作家、新聞記者。1928年以《法蘭克福日報》特派記者身份來中國，在上海參加中國進步文化運動。抗日戰爭爆發后，前往延安，在山西前線做過戰地救護工作。1950年5月6日，與世長辭，臨終留下遺囑：把骨灰埋在中國，遺物交給朱德總司令處理……這位“像熱愛自己的祖國一樣熱愛中國”、“經常忘記了自己并不是中國人”的美國人，以一種令人震撼的方式表達了她對中國人民和朱德元帥的誠摯感情。本文摘自她所著的記述朱德生平的《偉大的道路》。

二、解說
1. Taking the train, the two friends arrived in Berlin in late October 1922, and went directly to the address of Chou En-lai.
    Taking the train是一個分詞短語，作狀語，出現在主語前面。譯成漢語時應根據漢語的表達習慣先出主語，譯作“他們兩個人坐火車于一九二二年十月下旬到達柏林，直奔周恩來的住處。”

2. When Chou En-lai's door opened they saw a slender man of more than average height with gleaming eyes and a face so striking that it bordered on the beautiful.
當周恩來的房門打開時，他們看到的是一個身材瘦長、比普通人略高一點的人，兩眼閃著光輝，面貌很引人注意，稱得上清秀。
    "border on/upon"：be almost the same as sth.; verge on sth.幾乎與某事相同；在某不物的邊緣。
    例：（1）The proposal borders upon the absurd. 該提議近乎可笑。
        （2）The boy's reply to his teacher was bordering on rudeness. 那男學生回答教師的問話時態度近乎粗魯。
        （3）Our task borders on the impossible. 我們的任務幾乎是不可能完成的。

3. Chou was a quiet and thoughtful man, even a little shy as he welcomed his visitors, urged them to be seated and to tell how he could help them.
周恩來性情溫和，待人體貼，在招呼他們坐下，詢問有何見教的時候，甚至還有些靦腆。
    "quiet": 意為"gentle, not forceful", 譯為“性情溫和”較為妥貼。

4. As he talked Chou En-lai stood facing him, his head a little to one side as was his habit, listening intently until the story was told, and then questioning him.
    朱德娓娓道來，周恩來就站在他面前，習慣地微微側著頭，專心地聽到他把話說完，才提出問題。

5. When the reply came a few months later they were enrolled as full members, but Chu's membership was kept a secret from outsiders.
過了幾個月，回信來了，兩人都被吸收為正式黨員，但朱德的黨籍沒有對外界公開。
    “was kept a secret from outsiders”是“對外界保持秘密”的意思，但若采取直譯，全句讀起來不很通順，故為了行文方便，采用反譯法，即從相反的角度來譯。