一、作者简介
    本文作者艾格尼丝·史沫特莱（Agnes Smedley, 1890-1950）是一位美国女作家、新闻记者。1928年以《法兰克福日报》特派记者身份来中国，在上海参加中国进步文化运动。抗日战争爆发后，前往延安，在山西前线做过战地救护工作。1950年5月6日，与世长辞，临终留下遗嘱：把骨灰埋在中国，遗物交给朱德总司令处理……这位“像热爱自己的祖国一样热爱中国”、“经常忘记了自己并不是中国人”的美国人，以一种令人震撼的方式表达了她对中国人民和朱德元帅的诚挚感情。本文摘自她所著的记述朱德生平的《伟大的道路》。

二、解说
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是一个分词短语，作状语，出现在主语前面。译成汉语时应根据汉语的表达习惯先出主语，译作“他们两个人坐火车于一九二二年十月下旬到达柏林，直奔周恩来的住处。”

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.
当周恩来的房门打开时，他们看到的是一个身材瘦长、比普通人略高一点的人，两眼闪着光辉，面貌很引人注意，称得上清秀。
    "border on/upon"：be almost the same as sth.; verge on sth.几乎与某事相同；在某不物的边缘。
    例：（1）The proposal borders upon the absurd. 该提议近乎可笑。
        （2）The boy's reply to his teacher was bordering on rudeness. 那男学生回答教师的问话时态度近乎粗鲁。
        （3）Our task borders on the impossible. 我们的任务几乎是不可能完成的。

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.
周恩来性情温和，待人体贴，在招呼他们坐下，询问有何见教的时候，甚至还有些腼腆。
    "quiet": 意为"gentle, not forceful", 译为“性情温和”较为妥贴。

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.
    朱德娓娓道来，周恩来就站在他面前，习惯地微微侧着头，专心地听到他把话说完，才提出问题。

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.
过了几个月，回信来了，两人都被吸收为正式党员，但朱德的党籍没有对外界公开。
    “was kept a secret from outsiders”是“对外界保持秘密”的意思，但若采取直译，全句读起来不很通顺，故为了行文方便，采用反译法，即从相反的角度来译。