原版英文故事与诗歌：The Golden Boys

 　　Every August. Every August for twelve years. Every August for twelve years we went to the same small town on holiday. Every August for twelve years we went to the same beach. Every August for twelve years my parents rented³ the same small house in the same small town near the same beach, so every morning of every August for twelve years I woke⁴ up and walked down to the same beach and sat⁵ under the same umbrella or on the same towel in front of the same sea.

 

　　There was⁶ a small café on the beach where we sat every day, and everyday⁸ Mr Morelli in the café said⁹ “Good morning!” to my parents, and then always patted¹⁰ me on the head like a dog. Every day we walked down to our red and white umbrella, every day my father sat on his deckchair and read the newspaper then went to sleep, every day my mother went for a swim in the sea and then went to sleep. Every lunchtime¹¹ we ate¹² the same cheese sandwiches which my mother made¹³, and then every afternoon we went up to the café and ate an ice cream¹⁴ while¹⁵ my parents talked to Mr Morelli about the weather. Every summer for twelve years I sat there and read books and sometimes played volleyball with some of the other boys and girls who were there, but I never made any friends.

 

　　It was so boring¹⁶.

 

　　Every August for twelve years the same family sat next to us. They were called the Hamiltons. We had¹⁷ a red and white umbrella, they had a green one. Every morning my parents said “Good morning!” to Mr and Mrs Hamilton, and Mr and Mrs Hamilton said “Good morning!” to my parents. Sometimes they talked about the weather.

 

　　Mr and Mrs Hamilton had two sons. Richard was the same age as⁷ me, and his brother Philip was two years older than me. Richard and Philip were both taller than me. Richard and Philip were very friendly¹⁸, and both very handsome¹⁹. They were much friendlier²⁰ and more handsome than me. They made friends with everyone, and organised the games of volleyball on the beach or swimming races in the sea with the other children. They always won²² the games of volleyball and the swimming races. My parents liked Richard and Philip a lot. “Why can’t you be more like Richard and Philip?” they said to me. “Look at them! They make friends with everyone! They are polite²³, good boys! You just sit here reading²⁴ books and doing nothing!”

 

　　I, of course²⁵, hated²⁶ them.

 

　　Richard and Philip, Richard and Philip, Richard and Philip – it was all I ever¹ heard from my parents every August for twelve years. Richard and Philip were perfect²⁷. Everything about them was better than anything about me. Even²⁸ their green beach umbrella was better than our red and white one.

 

　　I was sixteen years old the last summer we went there. Perfect Richard and perfect Philip came²⁹ to the beach one day and said that they were going³⁰ to have a barbecue³¹ at lunchtime. They were going to cook for everyone! “Forget your cheese sandwiches”, they laughed, “Come and have some hamburgers or barbecue chicken with us! We’re going to cook!”

 

　　My parents, of course, thought³² this was wonderful. “Look at how good Richard and Philip are! They’re going to do a barbecue and they’ve invited³³ everybody³⁴! You couldn’t organise²¹ a barbecue!”

 

　　Every summer for twelve years, on the other side³⁶ of my family, sat Mrs Moffat. Mrs Moffat was a very large woman who came to the same beach every summer for twelve years on her own². Nobody³⁷ knew if she had a husband³⁸ or a family, but my parents said that she was very rich. Mrs Moffat always came to the beach wearing a large hat, a pair of sunglasses³⁹ and a gold necklace⁴⁰. She always carried a big bag with her. She never went swimming, but sat under her umbrella reading magazines⁴¹ until⁴² lunchtime when she went home.

 

　　Richard and Philip, of course, also invited Mrs Moffat to their barbecue.

 

　　Richard and Philip’s barbecue was, of course, a great success⁴³. About twenty people came and Richard and Philip cooked lots of hamburgers and chicken and made a big salad and brought⁴⁴ big pieces of watermelon and everyone laughed and joked⁴⁵ and told Mr and Mrs Hamilton how wonderful their sons were. I ate one hamburger and didn’t talk to anybody⁴⁶. After a while, I left, and made sure that nobody saw⁴⁷ me leave.

 

　　Mrs Moffat ate three plates of chicken and two hamburgers. After that she said she was very tired and was going to go and have a sleep. She walked over to her umbrella and sat down on her deckchair and went to sleep. When she woke up later⁴⁸, everybody on the beach was surprised⁴⁹ to hear her screaming⁵⁰ and shouting.

 

　　“My bag!!!! My bag!!!” she shouted. “It’s gone!!! It’s GONE!!!” Everybody on the beach ran⁵¹ over to Mrs Moffat to see what the problem⁵² was. “Someone has taken my bag!!!” she screamed⁵³, “Someone has stolen⁵⁴ my bag!!!”

 

　　“Impossible!” said everybody else. “This is a very safe, friendly beach! There are no thieves⁵⁵ here!” But it was true⁵⁶. Mrs Moffat’s big bag wasn’t there anymore⁵⁷.

 

　　Nobody had seen⁵⁸ any strangers⁵⁹ on the beach during⁶⁰ the barbecue, so they thought that Mrs Moffat had perhaps⁶¹ taken her bag somewhere⁶² and forgotten it. Mr Morelli from the café organised a search⁶⁴ of the beach. Everybody looked everywhere for Mrs Moffat’s big bag.

 

　　Eventually⁶⁵, they found⁶⁶ it. My father saw it hidden⁶⁷ in the sand under a deckchair. A green deckchair. Richard and Philip’s deckchair. My father took⁶⁸ it and gave⁶⁹ it back to Mrs Moffat. Everybody looked at Richard and Philip. Richard and Philip, the golden⁷⁰ boys, stood⁷¹ there looking surprised. Of course, they didn’t know what to say.

 

　　Mrs Moffat looked in her bag. She started screaming again. Her purse⁷² with her money in it wasn’t in the big bag. “My purse!” she shouted, “My purse has gone! Those boys have stolen it! They organised a barbecue so they could³⁵ steal⁷³ my purse!”

 

　　Everybody tried to explain⁷⁴ to Mrs Moffat that this couldn’t possibly be true, but Mrs Moffat called the police⁷⁵. The police arrived and asked golden Richard and golden Philip lots of questions. Richard and Philip couldn’t answer the questions. Eventually, they all got⁶³ into a police car and drove⁷⁶ away to the police station.

 

　　I sat there, pretending⁷⁷ to read my book and trying to hide⁷⁸ a big, fat purse under the sand on the beach.

 

　　That was the last summer we went to the beach. My parents never talked about Richard and Philip again.

1 ever   

adv.曾经；永远；不断地；在任何时候；究竟

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to hangzhou?你曾经去过杭州吗？
• I will be young and strong and beautiful for ever.我将永远年轻、强壮，永远漂亮。

2 own   

v.拥有，持有；adj.(属于)自己的，特有的

参考例句：

• I need my own space.我需要自己的空间。
• Everything I own is yours.我所有的一切都是你的。

3 rented   

adj.租用的，租金的v.租用( rent的过去式和过去分词 )；出租（房屋等）；租借（房屋、土地、机器等）；撕碎( rend的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• We rented an unfurnished apartment. 我们租了一套不带家具的公寓。
• Tenants are responsible for the upkeep of rented property. 承租人应负责维修租用的房产。

4 woke   

v.醒( wake的过去式 )；唤醒；唤起（记忆）；使再次感觉到

参考例句：

• She woke up with a terrible hangover. 她醒来时宿醉反应很厉害。
• I woke up covered in a rash. 我醒来时长了一身皮疹。

5 sat   

v.（sit的过去式，过去分词）坐

参考例句：

• He sat on a chair.他坐在椅子上。
• The mother sat by the sick child all night long.妈妈整夜守在生病的孩子身旁。

6 was   

v.(is,am的过去式)是，在

参考例句：

• He said he was right.他说他是正确的。
• He was cold and hungry.他又冷又饿。

7 as   

conj.按照；如同

参考例句：

• He got work in a hotel as a waiter.他在一家旅馆找到了当服务生的工作。
• In the hotel,the old men were drinking away as usual.在旅馆里，这些老人和往常一样喝个不停。

8 everyday   

adj.每天的，日常的，平常的

参考例句：

• Sweeping the floor is his everyday work.扫地是他的日常工作。
• He practices speaking English everyday.他每天练习说英语。

9 said   

v.动词say的过去式、过去分词

参考例句：

• He said to me that he could not come.他对我说他不能来。
• He said to his mother that he would do it by himself.他对他的母亲说他将自己独立做那件事。

10 patted   

v.轻拍( pat的过去式和过去分词 )；拍成，拍至；表扬，称赞（某人/自己）

参考例句：

• She patted the dog on the head. 她轻轻地拍着狗的头。
• He leaned forward and patted me on the shoulder. 他向前倾着身子并拍我的肩膀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 lunchtime   

n.午餐时间

参考例句：

• We only had a little snack at lunchtime.我们午饭只吃了一点小吃。
• It was close to lunchtime when the children arrived.孩子们到家时，已近午饭时间。

12 ate   

v.吃，eat的过去式

参考例句：

• I ate a whole box of chocolates.我吃了一整盒巧克力。
• It's a long time since she ate out last time.她很长一段时间没在外面吃饭了。

13 made   

v.make的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• They were not made in china.它们不是中国制造的。
• The monkey made a long arm for the peach.猴子伸臂去摘桃子。

14 cream   

n.乳脂，(鲜)奶油；奶油色

参考例句：

• Please put cream in her coffee.请在她的咖啡里加奶精。
• Ice cream is on special this week only!冰淇淋特价优惠，只限本周！

15 while   

conj.当…的时候；而；虽然；尽管 n.一会儿

参考例句：

• In a short while,the cat ate up the fish.不久，那只猫便将鱼吃个精光。
• He teaches English in the school all the while.他一直在这所学校里教英语。

16 boring   

adj.无聊的；令人生厌的

参考例句：

• It is a boring film.这是一部枯燥乏味的电影。
• This story is kind of boring.这个故事有点无聊。

17 had   

vbl.have的过去式和过去分词；conj.有

参考例句：

• I just had a good idea!我有个好主意！
• The boy had a small branch of a tree in his hand.这个男孩手上拿一条小树枝。

18 friendly   

adj.友好的，和气的

参考例句：

• He's not friendly to others.他对别人不友好。
• People here are very friendly.这儿的人很友好。

19 handsome   

adj.英俊的，大方的，美观的

参考例句：

• He is a handsome man.他是一位美男子。
• She lost her heart to the handsome guy.她爱上了这个漂亮的小伙子。

20 friendlier   

adj.友好的( friendly的比较级 )；好用的；和睦的；朋友似的

参考例句：

• Autumn is a friendlier time. 秋天比较友好。 来自名作英译部分
• Generally speaking, Americans friendlier and more outgoing than the English people. 一般来说，美国人比英国人更友好，更容易相处。 来自互联网

21 organise   

vt.组织，安排，筹办

参考例句：

• He has the ability to organise.他很有组织才能。
• It's my job to organise all the ceremonial events.由我来组织所有的仪式。

22 won   

vt.赢得(为win的过去式)

参考例句：

• We won the game in the end.我们最终赢得了比赛。
• We won the football game.我们赢得了足球赛的胜利。

23 polite   

adj.有礼貌的，客气的；斯文的，有教养的

参考例句：

• It's not polite to stare at a girl in the face.盯着姑娘的脸瞧是不礼貌的。
• She is a polite girl.她是一个文雅的姑娘。

24 reading   

n.阅读，知识，读物，表演，对法律条文的解释；adj.阅读的

参考例句：

• Children learn reading and writing at school.孩子们在学校学习阅读和写作。
• He finds pleasure in reading.他从阅读中得到乐趣。

25 course   

n.课程，讲座，过程，路线，一道(菜)

参考例句：

• The college course was then cut to three years.大学学制那时缩短到三年。
• Of course,I don't always sleep in the afternoons.当然，我并不总是在下午睡觉。

26 hated   

v.憎恨( hate的过去式和过去分词 )；讨厌；不愿；为…感到抱歉

参考例句：

• She hated the flummery of public relations. 她讨厌公关工作中的虚夸恭维。
• It was galling to have to apologize to a man she hated. 令人恼火的是得向她憎恶的男人道歉。

27 perfect   

n.完成式；adj.完美的，全然的，理想的，熟练的，正确的，完成式的；vt.使完美，修改

参考例句：

• She speaks perfect English.她英语说得好极了。
• The weather is perfect for a picnic.这种天气举行野餐好极了。

28 even   

adj.平坦的，偶数的，相等的；adv.甚至，恰好，正当

参考例句：

• It was cold yesterday,but it's even colder today. 昨天冷，今天更冷了。
• He's the best teacher even though he has the least experience.尽管他经验最少，但教得最好。

29 came   

v.动词come的过去式

参考例句：

• I was surprised why he came here so early.他为什么那么早到这里，我很惊奇。
• The doctor came in time to save his life.医生及时来抢救他的生命。

30 going   

n.去，离去，地面(或道路)的状况，工作情况；(复数形式）goings: 行为；adj.进行中的，流行的，现存的

参考例句：

• We're going to listen to a report this afternoon. 今天下午我们要去听报告。
• He hates leaving the office and going on holiday.他不愿离开办公室去度假。

31 barbecue   

n.（户外的）烤肉，尤指户外；vt.烤肉，烧烤

参考例句：

• The barbecue starts at around six.烧烤晚会大约六点钟开始。
• Can you make the best barbecue sauce in America?你作出最好的烧烤酱油在美国？

32 thought   

n.想法，思想，思维，思潮，关心，挂念；v.vbl.think的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• It was just a thought.这仅仅是一个想法。
• She thought he had a cold.她认为他感冒了。

33 invited   

v.邀请( invite的过去式和过去分词 )；请求；引诱；招致

参考例句：

• He hoped they would not feel affronted if they were not invited . 他希望如果他们没有获得邀请也不要感到受辱。
• They only invited Jack and Sarah as an afterthought . 他们邀请杰克和萨拉不过是事后想起的补救办法。

34 everybody   

pron.每人，人人(=everyone)

参考例句：

• Christmas is a holiday for everybody.圣诞节是所有人的节日。
• It is difficult to find a time that suits everybody.很难找到一个对每人都合适的时间。

35 could   

v.能，可能(can的过去式)；aux.v.(can的过去式)能；可以

参考例句：

• Could I open the window?我可以打开窗子吗？
• I could wait ten minutes.我可以等十分钟。

36 side   

n.边，旁边；面，侧面

参考例句：

• The shop is on the west side of the street.商店在街道的西边。
• There was a lot of people on every side. 到处都是人。

37 nobody   

pron.无人，没有任何人

参考例句：

• Nobody is in the house.没有人在房子里。
• Nobody knows where she lives.没有人知道她住哪里。

38 husband   

n.丈夫

参考例句：

• My husband just lost his job.我老公刚刚失业了。
• I visited my daughter and her husband.我去看望我的女儿和女婿。

39 sunglasses   

n.太阳眼镜，墨镜

参考例句：

• You had better wear sunglasses in summer.夏天你最好带太阳镜。
• He looks very cool in sunglasses.他戴上太阳镜真酷。

40 necklace   

n.项链，项圈

参考例句：

• She wears a necklace.她戴着项链。
• Your necklace is just like mine.你的项链和我的项链很相似。

41 magazines   

n.弹药库( magazine的名词复数 )；杂志；弹仓；（电视、广播）专题节目

参考例句：

• She devoured everything she could lay her hands on: books, magazines and newspapers. 无论是书、杂志，还是报纸，只要能弄得到，她都看得津津有味。
• magazines that objectify women 将妇女人格物化的杂志

42 until   

prep.直到...为止；conj.直到...时才...

参考例句：

• He arrived home until midnight.他直到半夜才到家。
• She didn't sleep until midnight.她直到半夜才睡。

43 success   

n.成就，成功

参考例句：

• The party looks like being a success after all.无论怎么说这次聚会看起来是成功的。
• All in all,it has been a great success.总的来说，非常成功。

44 brought   

vbl.bring的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He brought a new book with him.他带来一本新书。
• I brought you your shirt.我带来了你的衬衣。

45 joked   

v.开玩笑( joke的过去式和过去分词 )；戏弄；闹着玩；说着玩

参考例句：

• They joked about his ineptitude. 他们取笑他的笨拙。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They joked with me about my coming late. 他们拿我来晚了这件事开玩笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

46 anybody   

n.重要人物；pron.任何人

参考例句：

• They do not see anybody.他们没看见任何人。
• You couldn't tell anybody.你不能告诉任何人。

47 saw   

vbl.看见(see的过去式)；n.锯；v.用锯子锯

参考例句：

• Would you like to saw a tree for me?你能为我锯棵树吗？
• The moment I saw you,I knew you were angry with me.我一看到你，就知道你在生我的气。

48 later   

adv.过后，后来；adj.以后的，更后的，较晚的

参考例句：

• He didn't turn up until half an hour later.半小时后他才出现。
• This part of the hospital was built on later.医院的这个部分是后来增建的。

49 surprised   

adj.感到惊讶的，感到惊奇的

参考例句：

• Is that anything to be surprised at?那有什么可怪的？
• The news greatly surprised us.这消息使我们非常惊异。

50 screaming   

adj.尖叫的，令人惊愕的，引人捧腹大笑的v.（因伤痛、害怕、激动等）尖叫 ~发出尖叫声( scream的现在分词 )；（向某人或为某事）高声喊；发出大而尖的声音；呼啸而过

参考例句：

• He covered her mouth to stop her from screaming. 他捂上她的嘴，不让她叫出声来。
• People were floundering about in the water, shouting and screaming. 人们呼喊尖叫着在水里挣扎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

51 ran   

vbl.run的过去式

参考例句：

• He ran,and then slowed down to a walk.他跑着，然后放慢速度步行。
• As soon as Marie opened the door,the dog ran in.当玛丽一打开门，狗就跑了进来。

52 problem   

n.问题；难题

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• This problem is too hard for me to solve.这个问题太难，我解决不了。

53 screamed   

v.（因伤痛、害怕、激动等）尖叫 ~发出尖叫声( scream的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人或为某事）高声喊；发出大而尖的声音；呼啸而过

参考例句：

• I screamed and everyone stared. 我尖叫一声，众人都盯着我看。
• The little girl screamed and it took us aback. 小女孩的尖叫声吓了我们一跳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

54 stolen   

v.偷( steal的过去分词 )；悄悄地做，悄悄地走

参考例句：

• A girl was killed yesterday in a crash involving a stolen car. 昨天有一女孩在一桩涉及窃车的撞车事故中丧生。
• The stolen car was returned to its rightful owner . 被盗的汽车还给了其合法的主人。

55 thieves   

n.小偷，窃贼(复数形)

参考例句：

• a nest of thieves 贼窝
• The thieves took the jewels and then cleaned out. 那些贼拿了首饰，匆匆而去。

56 true   

a.真实，不假的；忠实，可靠的；正确无误的

参考例句：

• He who doesn't reach the Great Wall is not a true man.不到长城非好汉。
• I will come and see if it is true.我要来了解一下，是否真有其事。

57 anymore   

adv.不再， 再也不

参考例句：

• She doesn't live here anymore.她已不在这里住了。
• He doesn't come here anymore.他再也不到这儿来。

58 seen   

vbl.(see的过去分词)看见

参考例句：

• Since I left college, I have not seen him.自从我离开大学以后，就没有见过他了。
• I hope to have seen the film next week.我希望下星期能看到这部电影。

59 strangers   

陌生人( stranger的名词复数 )； 外地人，初到者

参考例句：

• The local people are very hospitable to strangers. 当地人对外来客人十分友好热情。
• He was a paradox—a loner who loved to chat to strangers. 他真是个矛盾人物，生性孤僻却又喜欢和陌生人闲聊。

60 during   

prep.在…期间，在…时候

参考例句：

• What did you do with yourself during the summer holidays?暑假你是怎样度过的？
• London is full of visitors during May and June.五六月间伦敦挤满了游客。

61 perhaps   

adv.也许，可能

参考例句：

• Perhaps it will rain in the afternoon.下午可能有雨。
• Perhaps I can help you.也许我能帮帮你的忙吧。

62 somewhere   

adv.在某处；n.(在)某处

参考例句：

• He's from somewhere in the middle east.他从中东某个地方来。
• Somewhere in the united states.在美国的某个地方。

63 got   

v.(get的过去式)得到，猜到，明白

参考例句：

• I just got some bad news.我刚得到一些坏消息。
• I have got far too much work to do.我要做的事太多了。

64 search   

n.搜寻，探究；v.搜寻，探求，调查

参考例句：

• Did you search all over?你整个都搜查过了吗？
• After a long search,they found the lost child.经过很长时间的寻找，他们发现了这个走失的小孩。

65 eventually   

adv.终于，最后

参考例句：

• Eventually he won the match.他终于赢得了这场比赛。
• Their marriage eventually broke up.他们的婚姻终告破裂。

66 found   

v.建立，创立，创办；vbl.(find的过去分词)找到

参考例句：

• I found him at home.我发现他在家。
• The United Nations was found in 1945.联合国于1945年成立。

67 hidden   

hide的过去分词

参考例句：

• Our trips are all-inclusive—there are no hidden costs. 我们的旅行费用全包—没有任何隐含性费用。
• There are fears of a hidden agenda behind this new proposal. 人们担心这一新提议的背后有不可告人的目的。

68 took   

vt.带，载(take的过去式)

参考例句：

• I took my dog for a walk along the river.我带着狗沿那条河散步。
• It took me about two hours to cook the meat.我花了大约两个小时来煮这些肉。

69 gave   

vbl.（give的过去式）给予，产生，发表

参考例句：

• He asked for money and I gave him some.他要钱，我给了他一些。
• I gave you a map so you wouldn't get lost. 我给你一张地图，这样你就不会迷路了。

70 golden   

adj.金的，含金的，可贵的，金色的，贵重的，繁盛的

参考例句：

• My teacher is an Englishman with golden hair.我的老师是一个金黄色头发的英国人。
• It's a balmy evening,the golden time for lovers.这是一个暖和的夜晚，是恋人们的黄金时光。

71 stood   

vbl.stand的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She stood up when they came in.当他们进来时，她站了起来。
• The child stood by the side of his mother.孩子站在母亲身边。

72 purse   

n.(女式)钱包

参考例句：

• She cried out that she had lost her purse.她高喊钱包丢了。
• He found a purse on the road.他在路上捡到一个钱包。

73 steal   

vi.偷，偷偷行动，(棒球等)偷垒；vt.偷，走私，偷垒；n.偷东西，诈取，砍价

参考例句：

• Would you steal from your own family?你会从自己家里偷东西吗？
• He didn't actually steal the money.他实际上没偷那笔钱。

74 explain   

vt.解释，说明；vi. 解释，说明，辩解

参考例句：

• She knows how to explain it.她知道怎么解释它。
• Could you explain that again?您能再解释一遍吗？

75 police   

n.警察，警察当局，治安，公安；vt.维持治安，警备，管辖

参考例句：

• They sent him over to the police.他们将他遣送警察局。
• It took the police only several days to break the case.警察只用了几天就破案了。

76 drove   

vbl.驾驶，drive的过去式；n.畜群

参考例句：

• He drove at a speed of sixty miles per hour.他以每小时60英里的速度开车。
• They drove foreign goods out of the market.他们把外国货驱逐出市场。

77 pretending   

v.假装( pretend的现在分词 )；伪装；（尤指儿童）（在游戏中）装扮；自诩

参考例句：

• He deceived her by pretending to be a famous movie star. 他冒充著名电影明星来骗她。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• "We have a mission to perform. Quit pretending." cried he angrily. 他生气地高喊一声：“我们有任务， 别装蒜。” 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

78 hide   

n.兽皮；迹象；躲藏处；vt.藏，隐瞒，遮避；剥…的皮；vi.躲藏

参考例句：

• She tried to hide her feelings.她设法掩藏她的感情。
• Are you trying to hide something from me?你是不是有什么事想瞒着我？