读者文摘:父亲在工作和照顾女儿之间的斗争(2)

She follows a daily routine that is both time-consuming and challenging.

她每天的工作既费时又有挑战性。

It includes certain basic tasks:

包括一些基本任务：

watching the "grop." (That would be the fish.) Sweeping¹ the rug in her room and her crib.

看“格罗”（一条鱼）打扫自己房间的地毯和婴儿床。

(Yes, Meghan sweeps her crib.)

（是的，梅根扫了扫她的婴儿床。）

Sitting for a few minutes on the bottom shelf of the bookcase to determine whether she still fits there.

在书架最底层的架子上坐上几分钟，看看合不合适。

(She fit yesterday, and the prospects² look good for tomorrow.)

（昨天还行，明天应该也不错。）

Checking periodically on Edward.

定期去看一下爱德华。

Climbing in and out of the stroller for practice.

在婴儿车爬进爬出。

Testing the sofa springs.

在沙发上蹦蹦跳跳。

Her constant companion through all of this is Dumpty, a shapeless rag doll whose best days are far behind him.

过程中，Dumpty（一个不像样的布娃娃）一直陪伴着她，Dumpty的好日子到头了。

A year ago, he was well stuffed and bursting with good cheer.

一年前，它壮壮的，欢声笑语。

His perpetual smile endeared him to Meghan immediately.

梅根因为Dumpty永恒不变的微笑立刻喜欢上了它。

She provides his transportation; he provides her security.

梅根走哪都带着Dumpty；Dumpty保护着梅根。

The filthier³ he grows, the more she seems to rely on his wisdom and homespun philosophy.

Dumpty越脏，梅根就愈加喜欢它的智慧和简单朴实。

About a week ago, my wife put Dumpty in the washing machine, hoping at least to make him recognizable.

大约一个星期前，我的妻子把Dumpty放进洗衣机里，希望这样至少能让它干净一些。

We were not ready for the emaciated⁴ creature that emerged. Dumpty had been disemboweled during the rinse⁵ cycle.

我们还没有准备好迎接瘦弱的Dumpty。在冲洗过程中，Dumpty的“肠子”被搅的七零八落。

My wife spent 20 minutes picking his foam⁶ rubber intestines⁷ out of the machine.

妻子花了20分钟从机器里取出它的泡沫橡胶“肠子”。

We thought Meghan might discard this mere⁸ shell of a Dumpty.

我们以为梅根可能会把它丢掉。

We were wrong.

但我们错了。

There was no detectable⁹ difference in her relationship with him,

梅根和Dumpty的关系没有明显的区别，

except that she found him easier to carry while performing her chores.

除了在做家务的时候，梅根发现Dumpty更容易携带。

1 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

2 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

3 filthier   

filthy（肮脏的，污秽的）的比较级形式

参考例句：

4 emaciated   

adj.衰弱的，消瘦的

参考例句：

• A long time illness made him sallow and emaciated.长期患病使他面黄肌瘦。
• In the light of a single candle,she can see his emaciated face.借着烛光，她能看到他的被憔悴的面孔。

5 rinse   

v.用清水漂洗，用清水冲洗

参考例句：

• Give the cup a rinse.冲洗一下杯子。
• Don't just rinse the bottles. Wash them out carefully.别只涮涮瓶子，要仔细地洗洗里面。

6 foam   

v./n.泡沫，起泡沫

参考例句：

• The glass of beer was mostly foam.这杯啤酒大部分是泡沫。
• The surface of the water is full of foam.水面都是泡沫。

7 intestines   

n.肠( intestine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perhaps the most serious problems occur in the stomach and intestines. 最严重的问题或许出现在胃和肠里。 来自辞典例句
• The traps of carnivorous plants function a little like the stomachs and small intestines of animals. 食肉植物的捕蝇器起着动物的胃和小肠的作用。 来自辞典例句

8 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

9 detectable   

adj.可发觉的；可查明的

参考例句：

• The noise is barely detectable by the human ear.人的耳朵几乎是察觉不到这种噪音的。
• The inflection point at this PH is barely detectable.在此PH值下，拐点不易发现。