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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
How much is a miracle?
一个奇迹多少钱？
Tess was a precocious1 eight-year-old when she heard her Mom and Dad talking about her little brother, Andrew. All she knew was that he was very sick and they were completely out of money. They were moving to an apartment complex next month because Daddy didn't have the money for the doctor bills and their house.
苔丝是个早熟的八岁女孩。她听到她的妈妈和爸爸在谈论她的弟弟安德鲁。她只知道弟弟病得很重，而且家里的钱都用完了。他们家下个月要搬到一所公寓大楼，因为爸爸已经没钱支付医药费和房子的开支了。
Only a very costly2 surgery could save Andrew now and it was looking like there was no one to loan them the money. She heard Daddy say to her tearful Mother with whispered desperation, "Only a miracle can save him now."
现在，要救安德鲁的命，就必须进行一次费用高昂的手术，但似乎没人会借钱给他们家了。她听到爸爸绝望地低声对妈妈说：“现在只有奇迹可以就他的命。”
Tess went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all of the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rex all's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.
苔丝走进自己的卧室，从衣柜里取出了藏在里面的一个玻璃果冻罐。她把全部零钱都倒在地板上，开始仔细地数着。她甚至反复数了三遍。总数必须完全精确，一分不差。她小心地将硬币放回罐中并拧紧盖子，然后从后门溜了出去，前往6个街区以外，门的上方挂着大大的红色印第安酋长招牌的Rex all's药店。
She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing3 noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster4. No good. Finally, she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it!
她耐心地等待药剂师注意到她，但此时药剂师太忙了。苔丝扭了扭脚，划出一声噪音。还是吸引到药剂师的注意。她用最大的力气清了清喉咙。还是没用。最后，她从罐子里取出了2角5分硬币，并将硬币重重地砸在玻璃柜台上。终于有效了！
"And what do you want?" the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. "I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages," he said without waiting for a reply to his question. "Well, I want to talk to you about MY brother," Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. "He's really, really sick... and I want to buy a miracle."
“你想要什么？”药剂师用恼怒的口气问道。“我正在和我来自芝加哥相别好几年的兄弟说话。”他第二句话跟得很快，完全没有等待女孩回答他的问题。“好吧，我想和你谈谈‘我的兄弟，”苔丝用同样恼怒的口气回答道。“他真的，真的病得很重......我想买一个奇迹。”
"I beg your pardon?" asked the pharmacist. "His name is Andrew, and he has something bad growing inside of his head, and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?"
“对不起，你再说一遍好吗？”药剂师问道。“他的名字叫安德鲁，他的脑袋里长了一些不好的东西，我爸爸说现在只有奇迹可以救他。那，一个奇迹多少钱？”
"We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you," the pharmacist said, softening5 a little. "Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs."
“我们不出售奇迹，小姑娘。我很抱歉，但我没法帮到你，”药剂师的语气缓和了一些。“听着，我有钱付款的。如果不够，我也会以后补上。告诉我它多少钱。”
The pharmacist's brother was a well-dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, "What kind of a miracle does your brother need?" "I don't know," Tess replied with her eyes welling up. "I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But, my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money." "How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago. "One dollar and eleven cents," Tess answered barely audibly. "And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to."
药剂师的兄弟是个穿着讲究的男子。他弯下腰 问小女孩：“你的兄弟需要什么样的奇迹？”“我不知道，”苔丝回答说，眼睛开始湿润。“我只知道他真的生病了，妈妈说他需要进行手术。但是，我爸爸没有钱付手术费了，所以我想用我的钱。”“你有多少钱？”来自芝加哥的男子问道。“1美元11美分，”苔丝用几乎听不清的声音回答道。“我的全部钱都在这里，但如果需要的话，我还可以再弄来点儿。”
"Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man. "A dollar and eleven cents—the exact price of a miracle for little brothers." He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten6 and said “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need."
“好吧，真巧，”男子笑了。“1美元11美分——小兄弟需要的奇迹正好是这个价格。”他一手接过钱，另一只手握住小女孩的连指手套，说：“带我去你住的地方。我想看看你的兄弟，见见你的父母。我们看看我是否有你需要的那种奇迹。”
That well-dressed man was Doctor Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neurosurgery. The operation was completed without charge. And it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well. Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place.
那个衣着讲究的男子是卡尔顿·阿姆斯特朗医生，一名神经外科专业医生。这项手术是免费完成的。手术后不久，安德鲁就回到家中，并且恢复得不错。爸爸、妈妈开心地谈论着这一连串的经历。
"That surgery," her Mom whispered, "was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?" Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost... one dollar and eleven cents... plus the faith of a little child.
“那项手术，”她妈妈低声说，“真是一个奇迹。我想知道它应该花费多少钱？”苔丝笑了，她知道一个奇迹的价钱——1美元11美分——再加上一个小孩的信仰。
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收听单词发音
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1
precocious
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| adj.早熟的；较早显出的 | |
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2
costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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3
scuffing
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| n.刮[磨，擦，划]伤v.使磨损( scuff的现在分词 )；拖着脚走 | |
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4
muster
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| v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册 | |
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5
softening
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| 变软，软化 | |
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6
mitten
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| n.连指手套，露指手套 | |
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