07 The Best Mother
最棒的妈妈
(By Liddell Sharen)
Terri Wilson stomped her foot. She was the only student left in the schoolyard. And it was raining. Finally, her mother's car turned into the parking lot.
特丽·威尔逊使劲跺着脚。校园里只剩下她一个学生了。天还在下着雨。终于,她妈妈的车转进了停车场。
You're late! Terri said as she got in the car.
“你来晚了!”特丽边上车边说。
Sorry. I had to take Snowball to the veterinarian for his shots, her mother said. "I almost didn't come. I thought you'd be walking home. Then I remembered you wouldn't wear your raincoat this morning."
“对不起。我得带雪球去兽医那儿打针,”她妈妈解释说,“我差点就不来了。我以为你会自己走回家呢。后来想起来你今天早上出门时不愿意穿雨衣。”
Terri scowled . No one in sixth grade wore raincoats!
特丽皱了皱眉头。六年级生中才没人穿雨衣呢!
Their small white dog pawed at her knee. "Snowball! Get down! Bad dog! You're getting hair all over me."
他们家的小白狗把爪子搭在她的膝盖上。“雪球!下去!你这只臭狗!你弄得我浑身都是狗毛。”
Terri, he's just glad to see you.
“特丽,它只是很高兴看见你。”
Terri sighed and patted the trembling animal. "Sorry, boy. I didn't mean to yell."
特丽叹了口气,轻轻拍了拍吓得瑟瑟发抖的小狗。“对不起,小家伙。我不是故意朝你吼的。”
Mrs. Wilson stopped the car in the driveway. Terri helped carry the groceries into the kitchen. Grumbling to herself, she pulled a carton of milk, some cans of apple juice, and a box of oatmeal from a bag. Why couldn't her mother buy chocolate milk and carbonated drinks and sugar- frosted puffs like Mrs. Hanson bought for Laurie?
威尔逊太太把车停在了家门口的车道上。特丽帮忙把买的食品拿进厨房。她一边从袋子里拽出一盒牛奶、几罐苹果汁和一盒燕麦片,一边嘀嘀咕咕地发着牢骚。她的妈妈怎么就不能像汉森太太给劳丽买东西那样,买些巧克力牛奶、碳酸饮料还有糖霜泡芙呢?
Her two older brothers trooped into the kitchen. "We're starving. Is there anything to eat?"
她的两个哥哥一起走进厨房。“我们饿死了。有没有吃的啊?”
Mrs. Wilson pointed to the fruit bowl and the boys grabbed the last two apples. Half a dozen oranges remained in the bowl. Terri clenched her fists. She hated peeling oranges. Wishing she were an only child like Jill MacDonald, she stomped off to her room.
威尔逊太太指了指果盘,两个男孩抢走了最后两个苹果。果盘里就剩下六个橙子了。特丽气得攥紧了拳头。她讨厌剥橙子皮。她使劲跺着脚,回到了自己的房间。她多么希望自己和吉尔·麦克唐纳一样是家里的独生女啊!
Where was her tape player? She pawed aimlessly through the scattered piles of papers, books, and tapes littering her floor. Her mother refused to clean her bedroom; she said eleven-year-olds should be responsible for their own things. Terri snorted. Susan Brown was twelve, and her mother still picked up for her.
她的录音机在哪儿呢?她像一只无头苍蝇似的在地板上左一堆右一堆的纸啊、书啊、磁带里翻找起来。她的妈妈拒绝为她打扫房间,说11岁大的孩子应该自己负责自己的事情了。特丽不屑地哼了一声。苏珊·布朗都12岁了,她妈妈还帮她收拾房间呢。
That evening Terri turned her basket of clean clothes upside down. The only pajamas she could find were the red flannel ones. She loved the soft feel of the material, but she hated the bright color. She called down the hall. "Did you do a wash today?"
那天晚上,特丽把她那一篮干净衣服翻了个底朝天,可是只找到了那套红色法兰绒睡衣。她很喜欢法兰绒那种柔软的感觉,但她不喜欢那种鲜亮的颜色。她朝楼下客厅喊道:“你今天洗衣服了吗?”
Yes.
“洗了啊。”
Did you wash my blue pajamas?
“那你洗我的蓝色睡衣了吗?”
I don't think so. In fact, I don't think I washed anything of yours. Did you put your clothes in the hamper ?
“好像没洗。实际上,我洗的衣服里没有一件是你的。你把衣服放到洗衣篮里了吗?”
"
特丽气得咬牙切齿。她讨厌把脏衣服拿到杂物间,放到那只丑得要命的洗衣篮里。妈妈为什么就不能帮她收一下要洗的衣服呢?不管怎么说,她一天至少要路过特丽的房间50次。阿曼达·卡明斯的妈妈总是确保阿曼达最喜欢的衣服是干净的。有一次阿曼达连续两个星期每天都穿同一条紫色的紧身裤。她说她妈妈每天晚上帮她把裤子洗好,准备好第二天给她穿。
Terri ground her teeth. She hated carrying her dirty clothes to the stupid hamper in the utility room. Why couldn't her mother gather up her laundry? After all, she walked by Terri's room at least fifty times a day. Amanda Cummings' mother always made sure her favorite clothes were clean. Once Amanda wore the same purple capris every day for two weeks. She said her mom washed it every night and had it ready for her to wear the next day.
特丽套上红色睡衣,然后依偎在她的泰迪熊巴斯特旁边。妈妈得再把巴斯特可怜的胳膊缝一下了,她一边想着,一边闭上了眼睛。过了一会儿,她听到一阵声响,是有人在用吸尘器。她睁开一只眼睛,然后迅速坐直了身子。是苏珊·布朗的妈妈,她怎么深更半夜打扫卧室啊?
" "
特丽看了看房间四周,困惑不已。布朗太太把她的所有衣服和玩具都收拾好了,还把她的书和磁带整整齐齐地摆在了书架上。
- 英语美文点亮智慧人生39:Life Is All
- 英语美文点亮智慧人生40:The Old Fish
- 英语美文点亮智慧人生41:A Moment of
- 英语美文点亮智慧人生42:A Perfect He
- 英语美文点亮智慧人生43:Cherish as G