美國語文第四冊 第21期：真正的男子漢（01）
"Please, mother, do sit down and let me try my hand," said Fred Liscom, a bright, active boy twelve years old.
“媽媽，求您了，坐下吧，讓我來試試。”弗雷德.利斯科姆說。他是一個陽光、活潑的12歲少年。
Mrs. Liscom, looking pale and worn, was moving languidly about, trying to clear away the breakfast she had scarcely tasted.
利斯科姆夫人看起來蒼白而疲憊，她沒精打采地挪動著，打算收拾起她基本上沒怎么吃的早餐。
She smiled, and said, "You, Fred, you wash dishes?" "Yes, indeed, mother," replied Fred;
她微笑著說：“弗雷德，你，你來洗盤子嗎？”“是的，媽媽，”弗雷德回答道，
I should be a poor scholar if I couldn't, when I've seen you do it so many times. Just try me.
如果我看您刷盤子看了那么多次還沒學(xué)會，那我肯定是個差勁的學(xué)生。就讓我試試吧。
A look of relief came over his mother's face as she seated herself in her low rocking-chair.
當(dāng)母親坐到她的矮搖椅上時，臉上露出了如釋重負(fù)的表情。
Fred washed the dishes, and put them in the closet.
弗雷德洗好盤子，將它們放到櫥柜里。
He then swept the kitchen, brought up the potatoes from the cellar for the dinner and washed them, and then set out for school.
接著他又打掃了廚房，從地窖里拿上來一些土豆，把它們洗凈，準(zhǔn)備做晚餐用，然后就去上學(xué)了。
Fred's father was away from home, and as there was some cold meat in the pantry, Mrs. Liscom found it an easy task to prepare dinner.
弗雷德的父親不在家，家里的儲藏室里還有些凍肉，利斯科姆夫人感覺準(zhǔn)備晚餐還比較輕松。
Fred hurried home from school, set the table,and again washed the dishes.
弗雷德從學(xué)校匆匆忙忙回到家，擺好餐具，飯后又刷了碗。
He kept on in this way for two or three days, till his mother was able to resume her usual work,
他如此執(zhí)行了兩到三天，直到他母親能夠繼續(xù)她的日常工作。
and he felt amply rewarded when the doctor, who happened in one day, said, "Well, madam, it's my opinion that you would have been very sick if you had not kept quiet."
聽了這些話，他感到自己得到了極大的褒獎。醫(yī)生某天說道：“唉呀，女士，我認(rèn)為如果前段時間您沒有靜養(yǎng)，很有可能會病得很重。”
The doctor did not know how the "quiet" had been secured, nor how the boy's heart bounded at his words.
醫(yī)生當(dāng)然不知道“靜養(yǎng)”是如何得到保證的，也不知道聽到他的話男孩的心是如何狂跳不止。
Fred had given up a great deal of what boys hold dear, for the purpose of helping his mother, coasting and skating being just at this time in perfection.
弗雷德已經(jīng)放棄了很多男孩的珍視,為了幫助母親,規(guī)劃的目的和滑冰都是完美的。
Besides this, his temper and his patience had been severely tried.
此外，他的脾氣和耐心也經(jīng)歷了嚴(yán)峻的考驗(yàn)。
