读者文摘:猫的二次生命

A CAT'S SECOND LIFE

猫的二次生命

Our black-and-gray tabby cat had been missing an unusual three days.

我们那只黑白相间的虎斑猫离奇失踪了三天。

On the fourth day, I found him halfsmashed on the pavement a block from our house.

第四天，我发现猫在离我们家一个街区的人行道上摔得半死。

We drove him home in our trunk.

我们把猫放在后备箱运回家，

We prayed and cried as we said our last goodbye over his backyard grave.

在后院的坟墓前和猫道别，祈祷、哭泣着。

The next morning, I awoke and heard a sound at the door.

第二天早上，我醒来听到门口有声音。

There was our cat, alive and well.

猫还活着。

I said to my husband, "Honey, either we buried the wrong cat,

我对丈夫说：“亲爱的，要么我们埋错了猫，

or we have to rename him Lazarus because he just rose from the dead."

要么我们给猫起名叫拉撒路，因为它死里逃生。”

SUNRISE MELTS AN OLD SALT

被日出融化的经验丰富的水手

On my 24th birthday, I was standing¹ a communications watch on the bridge of the USS George Washington.

在我24岁生日那天，我站在乔治·华盛顿号驱逐舰舰桥上的一个通信监视器前。

The captain was feared by the enlisted² men and never spoke³ to anyone below officer status.

士兵们都怕船长，船长从来没有和低于军官头衔的人说过话。

It was early, and the sun was just appearing over the Mediterranean⁴ Sea.

时间还早，太阳刚刚从地中海上空升起。

"Shipmate, get over here!" the captain bellowed⁵. "Yes, sir!" I ran from my alcove⁶ into view.

“嘿，到这儿来！”船长大声叫道。“是！”我从壁龛里跑出来，走进这片视野。

"Look at that," he said, pointing to the red glowing sun cutting through the fog over the still, black sea.

“看那个，”船长指向穿越迷雾的红日。

It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

这是我见过的最美的日出。

I'll never forget his inadvertent birthday gift.

我永远不会忘记船长无意间送给我的生日礼物。

IMPATIENT BIG SISTER

不耐烦的大姐姐

After confirming her pregnancy⁷, my friend told her four-year-old daughter about the new brother or sister on the way.

确认自己怀孕后，我的朋友告诉四岁的女儿关于即将到来的弟弟或妹妹。

She made it clear that the baby's arrival would be quite a ways away.

朋友向女儿明确表示，小宝宝出生还得很久。

Her husband came home, and the family had dinner and discussed the good news.

晚上，丈夫回家，全家人一起吃晚饭，讨论着这个好消息。

Finally, it was time for bed, and the little girl, suddenly very distressed⁸, said to her mother,

最后，到了睡觉时间，小女孩突然苦恼地对妈妈说道，

"I know you said it would be a long time until we got our baby, but this is just ridiculous."

“我知道你说过得等很长时间才能有小baby，但这太荒谬了。”

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 enlisted   

adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持）

参考例句：

• enlisted men and women 男兵和女兵
• He enlisted with the air force to fight against the enemy. 他应募加入空军对敌作战。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

5 bellowed   

v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫

参考例句：

• They bellowed at her to stop. 他们吼叫着让她停下。
• He bellowed with pain when the tooth was pulled out. 当牙齿被拔掉时，他痛得大叫。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 alcove   

n.凹室

参考例句：

• The bookcase fits neatly into the alcove.书架正好放得进壁凹。
• In the alcoves on either side of the fire were bookshelves.火炉两边的凹室里是书架。

7 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

8 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。