美国小学英语教材4:第200课 惊喜圣诞(3)

 By that time Bobby had cracked all the butternuts for dinner and stood with his hands in his pockets, watching his sister. 那时，鲍勃已经砸好了所有的坚果，等着晚饭时吃，他双手插在口袋里站在那看着姐姐。

"What in the world are you going to do?" he asked with a grin. “你到底要做什么？”他咧嘴笑着问道。

Betty grinned back at him. "You take the ax and go over to the grove¹ and cut down a Christmas tree. 贝蒂也朝他笑了一下说：“你拿着斧子去树林里，砍一棵圣诞树吧。”

Uncle Ben said we could have one. 叔叔本说我们可以要颗圣诞树。

"But we haven't a thing to put on it." "We shall have something when you get back. Uncle Ben will go with the horse and wagon² and bring the tree home." “但我们没有什么东西可以挂在树上。”“你回来时，我们就有的挂了。叔叔本会驾着马车走，然后把树拉回家。”

Bob went off, wondering, and Betty began to cut out pieces from an old gray flannel³ shirt of Uncle Ben's and to hunt in the button box for old shoe buttons. 鲍勃心里寻思着走开了，贝蒂开始从叔叔本的灰色旧法兰绒衬衫上剪下一个个碎片，并在按钮盒里寻找旧鞋扣。

When Bob drove in with Uncle Ben and the little tree, Betty dangled⁴ in front of her brother seven gray mice by their tails of string. 鲍勃和叔叔本带着一颗小树回来时，贝蒂拿着七只灰色老鼠的尾巴，在她哥哥面前摇晃着。

With shoe buttons for eyes and bodies made of gray flannel, they looked so real that Uncle Ben jumped when he saw them. 这些老鼠的眼睛是鞋扣做的，身体是灰色的法兰绒布条卷成的，它们看起来就像真的一样，叔叔本看到时都跳了起来。

"My land, child, those mice would fool any cat in the country!" “天啊，贝蒂，这些老鼠能骗过乡下所有的猫啊！”

"Smell,” answered Betty, as she dangled them under her uncle's nose. "Catnip mice," he chuckled⁵. “你闻闻，”贝蒂一边回答，一边把它们放到叔叔的鼻子下面摇晃，“猫草做的老鼠，”他笑着说。

"I guess I know now who your poor folks will be this year. They haven't a cent to their names, nor a shirt to their backs," laughed Bobby. “我想我知道你今年的穷伙伴是谁了，他们一分钱也没有，也没有衬衫可穿。” 鲍勃笑着说。

"But why the tree?" "Come and help me set it up; then you'll find out," answered Betty. “但是为什么要树呢？”“来帮我把它装点好，然后你就知道了，”贝蒂回答说。

 

1 grove   

n.林子，小树林，园林

参考例句：

• On top of the hill was a grove of tall trees.山顶上一片高大的树林。
• The scent of lemons filled the grove.柠檬香味充满了小树林。

2 wagon   

n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车

参考例句：

• We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
• The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

3 flannel   

n.法兰绒；法兰绒衣服

参考例句：

• She always wears a grey flannel trousers.她总是穿一条灰色法兰绒长裤。
• She was looking luscious in a flannel shirt.她穿着法兰绒裙子，看上去楚楚动人。

4 dangled   

悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口

参考例句：

• Gold charms dangled from her bracelet. 她的手镯上挂着许多金饰物。
• It's the biggest financial incentive ever dangled before British footballers. 这是历来对英国足球运动员的最大经济诱惑。

5 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。