美国语文第三册 第49期:艾米没有赚到的钱

 　　Amy was a dear little girl, but she was too apt¹ to waste time in getting ready to do her tasks, instead of doing them at once as she ought. 艾米是个可爱的小姑娘，可是她太容易把时间浪费在准备做事的过程中，而不是有应该做的事情就马上去做。

　　In the village in which she lived, Mr. Thornton kept a store where he sold fruit of all kinds, including berries² in their season. 在她住的村子里，桑顿先生开了一家店，店里出售各种各样的水果，包括各个时令的浆果。

　　One day he said to Amy, whose parents were quite poor, "Would you like to earn some money?" 有一天他对父母穷困的艾米说：“你想不想赚一些钱？”

　　"Oh, yes," replied she, "for I want some new shoes, and papa has no money to buy them with." “噢，想的，”她回答说，“因为我想买双新鞋子，可是爸爸没有钱给我买。”

　　"Well, Amy," said Mr. Thorhton, "I noticed some fine, ripe black berries in Mr. Green's pasture³ today, and he said that anybody was welcome to them." “那好，艾米，”桑顿先生说，“今天我看到格林先生的牧场里有些漂亮的黑莓成熟了，他说欢迎任何人去采摘。”

　　I will pay you thirteen cents a quart⁴ for all you will pick for me. 你去帮我摘回来，每一夸脱我将付给你一角三分钱。

　　Amy was delighted at the thought of earning some money; so she ran home to get a basket, intending to go immediately to pick the berries. 想到可以赚钱，艾米很高兴。于是她跑回家去拿篮子，打算立即就去采摘黑莓。

　　Then she thought she would like to know how much money she would get if she picked five quarts⁵. 然后，她想知道如果她能采摘到五夸脱黑莓的话，将会赚到多少钱。

　　With the help of her slate⁶ and pencil, she found out that she would get sixty-five cents. 用铅笔在石板上算了一阵，她算出来那将会是六角五分。

　　"But supposing I should pick a dozen quarts," thought she, "how much should I earn then?" “可要是我能摘到12夸脱呢，”她又想，“那我又该赚到多少钱呢？”

　　"Dear me," she said, after figuring a while, "I should earn a dollar and fifty-six cents." “哎呀，”算了一会儿以后，她说，“我将会赚到一美元五角六分。”

　　Amy then found out what Mr. Thornton would pay her for fifty, a hundred, and two hundred quarts. 接着艾米又算出了如果她采摘到50夸脱、100夸脱甚至200夸脱黑莓的话，桑顿先生分别该付给她多少钱。

　　It took her sometime⁷ to do this, and then it was so near dinner time that she had to stay at home until afternoon. 这花掉了她不少的时间，这时已经快到午饭时间了，所以她不得不留在家里，直到下午。

　　As soon as dinner was over, she took her basket and hurried to the pasture. 吃完午饭，艾米拿起篮子，急忙到牧场去。

　　Some boys had been there before dinner, and all the ripe berries were picked. 有些男孩子午饭前就已经在那里了，所有成熟了的黑莓都被摘走了。

　　She could not find enough to fill a quart measure. 她能找到的还不够一夸脱的分量。

　　As Amy went home, she thought of what her teacher had often told her—"Do your task at once; then think about it," for"one doer is worth a hundred dreamers." 在回家的路上，艾米想起了老师经常对她说的话——“立刻去做应该做的事，然后再去思考，”因为，“一个实干者抵得上一百个梦想家。”

1 apt   

adj.易于，有...倾向，恰当的，聪明的

参考例句：

• Beginners are too apt to make mistakes in grammar.初学者极易犯语法错误。
• He is the most apt of all pupils.他是所有学生中最聪明的一个。

2 berries   

n.浆果( berry的名词复数 )；（葡萄，番茄等）浆果；干果仁；干种子

参考例句：

• Birds feed on nuts and berries in the winter. 鸟类靠坚果和浆果过冬。
• We went here and there looking for berries. 我们四处寻找浆果。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 pasture   

n.牧场，牲畜饲养

参考例句：

• This is the place where they used to pasture.这就是他们过去经常放牧的地方。
• The boy got up very early every morning to pasture cattle.这男孩每天起得很早去放牛。

4 quart   

n.夸脱（液量、干量单位）

参考例句：

• There is a quart of milk left in the pail.桶里还剩下一夸脱牛奶。
• That glass will contain a quart of beer.那个杯子可容一夸脱啤酒。

5 quarts   

夸脱（液体或固体的容积单位）( quart的名词复数 )； 金矿

参考例句：

• A gallon contains four quarts. 一加仑相当于四夸脱。
• Susie cried quarts, I know she did. 苏姗泪流满面，我知道她会这样的。

6 slate   

n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订

参考例句：

• The nominating committee laid its slate before the board.提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
• What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触木头污浊和石板呢？

7 sometime   

adv.将来某一时候；改天

参考例句：

• He came sometime last month.上个月某个时候他曾经来过。
• It will happen sometime and somewhere.有朝一日这总会在什么地方发生的。