E.B.怀特给小朋友们的信

    各位小朋友、大朋友们，来听听那个写了《精灵鼠小弟》和《夏洛的网》的叫E.B.怀特的老头儿有些什么话要对你们说？
    Letter from E.B. WhiteThis is the letter that Mr. White wrote before his death about his three books for children:
    Dear Reader:
    I receive many letters from children and can't answer them all -- there wouldn't be time enough in a day. That is why I am sending you this printed reply to your letter. I'll try to answer some of the questions that are commonly asked.
    Where did I get the idea for Stuart Little and for Charlotte's Web¹? Well, many years ago I went to bed one night in a railway sleeping car, and during the night I dreamed about a tiny boy who acted rather like a mouse. That's how the story of Stuart Little got started.
    As for Charlotte's Web, I like animals and my barn² is a very pleasant place to be, at all hours. One day when I was on my way to feed the pig, I began feeling sorry for the pig because, like most pigs, he was doomed³ to die. This made me sad. So I started thinking of ways to save a pig's life. I had been watching a big grey spider at her work and was impressed by how clever she was at weaving⁴. Gradually⁵ I worked the spider into the story that you know, a story of friendship and salvation⁶ on a farm. Three years after I started writing it, it was published. (I am not a fast worker, as you can see.)Sometimes I'm asked how old I was when I started to write, and what made me want to write. I started early -- as soon as I could spell. In fact, I can't remember any time in my life when I wasn't busy writing. I don't know what caused me to do it, or why I enjoyed it, but I think children often find pleasure and satisfaction is trying to set their thoughts down on paper, either in words or in pictures. I was no good at drawing, so I used words instead. As I grew older, I found that writing can be a way of earning a living.
    Some of my readers want me to visit their school. Some want me to send a picture, or an autograph⁷, or a book. And some ask questions about my family and my animals and my pets. Much as I'd like to, I can't go visiting. I can't send books, either -- you can find them in a bookstore or a library. Many children assume⁸ that a writer owns (or even makes) his own books. This is not true -- books are made by the publisher. If a writer wants a copy, he must buy it. That's why I can't send books. And I do not send autographs⁹ -- I leave that to the movie stars. I live most of the year in the country, in New England. From our windows we can look out at the sea and the mountains. I live near my married son and three grandchildren¹⁰.
    Are my stories true, you ask? No, they are imaginary¹¹ tales, containing fantastic characters and events. In real life, a family doesn't have a child who looks like a mouse; in real life, a spider doesn't spin¹² words in her web. In real life, a swan¹³ doesn't blow a trumpet¹⁴. But real life is only one kind of life -- there is also the life of the imagination. And although my stories are imaginary, I like to think that there is some truth in them, too -- truth about the way people and animals feel and think and act.

1 web   

n.网，蛛丝，蹼，织物，圈套，卷筒纸；vi.生蹼，形成网；vt.织蜘蛛网于，使落入圈套

参考例句：

• The spider weaves a web.蜘蛛织网。
• You mean the World Wide Web?你是说国际互联网？

2 barn   

n.谷仓，饲料仓，牲口棚

参考例句：

• That big building is a barn for keeping the grain.那幢大房子是存放粮食的谷仓。
• The cows were driven into the barn.牛被赶进了牲口棚。

3 doomed   

命定的

参考例句：

• The court doomed the accused to a long term of imprisonment. 法庭判处被告长期监禁。
• A country ruled by an iron hand is doomed to suffer. 被铁腕人物统治的国家定会遭受不幸的。

4 weaving   

v.编，织，织成( weave的现在分词 )；编排；杜撰；（把…）编成

参考例句：

• Weaving and knitting are traditional cottage industries. 编织和针织是传统的家庭手工业。
• traditional crafts like basket-weaving 像编篮子之类的传统工艺

5 gradually   

adv.逐渐地

参考例句：

• The roaring sea gradually calmed down.咆哮的大海逐渐平静下来。
• Gradually he became silent.渐渐地他变得沉默寡言了。

6 salvation   

n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困

参考例句：

• Salvation lay in political reform.解救办法在于政治改革。
• Christians hope and pray for salvation.基督教徒希望并祈祷灵魂得救。

7 autograph   

n.亲笔，自署，亲笔签名；vt.自署于，亲笔签名于，亲笔写

参考例句：

• I asked the author to autograph my book.我请作者在书上亲笔签名。
• I'll be able to get you their autograph if you like.如果你喜欢，我会让他们给你签名的。

8 assume   

vt.假装；假定，设想；承担；呈现，采取

参考例句：

• I assume that he won't cheat you.想来他是不会骗你的。
• We can't assume anything in this case.在这种情况下我们不可能做出假设。

9 autographs   

n.亲笔签名( autograph的名词复数 )；亲笔稿，手迹v.在…上亲笔签名( autograph的第三人称单数 )；亲笔书写

参考例句：

• The film fans gathered around him and asked for his autographs. 影迷围上来要他签名留念。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• I have got lots of famous footballers' autographs. 我有许多著名足球运动员的亲笔签名。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 grandchildren   

n.孙子；孙（女），外孙（女）( grandchild的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He left a bequest to each of his grandchildren. 他给他的孙辈每人留下一笔遗产。
• His grandchildren afforded him his greatest pleasure in his old age. 他的孙子和孙女们在晚年的时候给了他最大的欢乐。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 imaginary   

adj.想象中的，假想的，虚构的，幻想的；虚数的

参考例句：

• All the characters in this book are imaginary.此书中的所有人物都是虚构的。
• The boy's fears were only imaginary.这小孩的恐惧只是一种想象。

12 spin   

v./n.纺，（使）快速旋转；旋转，旋转运动

参考例句：

• A man cannot spin and weave at the same time.[谚]一心不能二用。
• We can go for a spin on a bicycle on campus.我们可以骑自行车在校园里兜一圈。

13 swan   

n.天鹅；vi.闲荡，游荡

参考例句：

• A swan has white feathers and a long thin neck.天鹅长着白色的羽毛和长而细的脖子。
• Swan Lake is the name of a famous ballet.天鹅湖是一出著名的芭蕾舞剧。

14 trumpet   

n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘

参考例句：

• He plays the violin, but I play the trumpet.他拉提琴，我吹喇叭。
• The trumpet sounded for battle.战斗的号角吹响了。