美国小学英语教材3:第142课 格雷琴的惊喜(3)

 Oh, it was wonderful to see that window the day before Christmas! 啊，能在圣诞节的前一天看到这个橱窗实在是太棒了！

All the tin soldiers stood up very straight and tall. 所有的小锡兵都高挑笔直地站着。

The rocking-horses were waiting to gallop¹ away. 摇摆木马正等着随时奔跑。

The tops were all ready to spin². 陀螺为旋转而蓄势待发。

And the balls rolled about, because it was so hard for them to keep still. 小球儿滚来滚去，很难让它们停下来一动不动。

The beautiful dolls were dressed in their best. 漂亮的娃娃们也穿上了最美丽的衣服。

One of them was a princess, who wore a pink satin dress. 其中的一个是位公主，她穿着粉红色的绸缎连衣裙。

She sat in a chair, with all the other dolls around her. 坐在椅子上，其他的娃娃围在她的周围。

It was in this very window that Gretchen saw a doll that made her forget all the others. 就在这个橱窗里，格雷琴看到了一个让她忘记其他一切的玩偶。

It was a real baby doll, not half so fine as some of the others, but it had a look on its face as if it wanted to be loved. 那是一个真正的婴儿娃娃，虽然不及其他娃娃一半的精致，但是它脸上的表情就好像是需要别人疼爱一样。

Gretchen's kind heart went out to it, and she thought that if Rupert ever came to America, he would surely³ give it to her. 格雷琴一颗善良的心为它所牵挂，她觉得如果鲁伯特来到美国，他一定会把这个小礼物给她的。

All the rest of the day the little girl could think of nothing but the doll. 这一天剩下的时间里，小姑娘只想着那个娃娃。

The Wonderful Surprise 巨大的惊喜

When Gretchen got home, she was very happy to find that her father was better. 格雷琴一回到家，很高兴地发现爸爸的病好了很多。

But her mother told her sadly that there could be no Christmas tree for them this year. 但妈妈却伤心地告诉她，今年他们也许没有圣诞树了。

The little girl tried hard to be brave. 小姑娘很努力才没有哭出来。

When evening came, Gretchen wrapped⁴ herself up in a shawl, and, taking her shoes in her hand, crept⁵ down the stairs. 夜幕降临的时候，格雷琴给自己披上了披肩，手里拿着鞋子，悄悄地走下了楼梯。

Through the door she went, and out upon the doorstep. 她穿过了门，来到门前台阶上。

 

1 gallop   

v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展

参考例句：

• They are coming at a gallop towards us.他们正朝着我们飞跑过来。
• The horse slowed to a walk after its long gallop.那匹马跑了一大阵后慢下来缓步而行。

2 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。

3 surely   

adv.确实地，无疑地；必定地，一定地

参考例句：

• It'should surely be possible for them to reach an agreement.想必他们可以达成协议。
• Surely we'll profit from your work.我们肯定会从你的工作中得到益处。

4 wrapped   

adj.有包装的，预先包装的v.包( wrap的过去式和过去分词 )；覆盖；用…包裹（或包扎、覆盖等）；卷起

参考例句：

• The chocolates are individually wrapped in gold foil. 巧克力用金箔纸一颗颗独立包装。
• Would you like the chocolates gift-wrapped? 你要把巧克力糖打成礼品包吗？

5 crept   

v.蹑手蹑足地走( creep的过去式和过去分词 )；缓慢地行进；爬行；匍匐

参考例句：

• I crept up the stairs, trying not to wake my parents. 为了尽量不吵醒父母，我蹑手蹑脚地上了楼。
• He had crept up on his unsuspecting victim from behind. 他从背后悄悄逼近了那毫无戒备的受害者。