【双语有声阅读】母亲的礼物(上)

I grew up in a small town where the elementary school was a ten-minute walk from my house and in an age ,

 

我是在一个小镇上长大的，从镇上的小学校到我家，只需步行10分钟。

 

not so long ago , when children could go home for lunch and find their mothers waiting.

 

离当前不算太太久远的那个时代 ，小学生可以回家吃午饭，而他们的母亲，则会老早在家等候着。

 

At the time, I did not consider this a luxury, although today it certainly would be.

 

这一切对如今的孩子来说，无疑是一种奢望，可是那时的我却不以为然。

 

I took it for granted that mothers were the sandwich-makers, the finger-painting appreciators and the homework monitors.

 

我觉得做母亲的给她的孩子制作三明治，鉴赏指画，检查他们的家庭作业，都是理所当然的事。

 

I never questioned that this ambitious, intelligent woman, who had had a career before I was born and would eventually return to a career, would spend almost every lunch hour throughout my elementary school years just with me.

 

我从来没有想过：像我母亲这样一个颇有抱负又很聪明的女人，在我降生之前，她有一份工作，而且后来她又谋了份差事，可是，在我上小学那几年，她却几乎天天陪着我吃午饭，一同打发午餐时的每一分钟。

 

I only knew that when the noon bell rang,I would race breathlessly home. My mother would be standing¹ at the top of the stairs, smiling down at me with a look that suggested I was the only important thing she had on her mind.

 

只记得，每当午时铃声一响，我就一口气地往家里跑。母亲总是站在门前台阶的最高层，笑盈盈地望着我--那神情分明表示：我便是母亲心目中唯一最重要的东西了。

 

For this, I am forever grateful.

 

为此，我一辈子都要感谢我的母亲。

 

Some sounds bring it all back: the highpitched squeal² of my mother's teakettle, the rumble³ of the washing machine in the basement and the jangle of my dog's license⁴ tags as she bounded down the stairs to greet me.

 

如今，每当我听到一些声音，像母亲那把茶壶水开时发出的尖叫声，地下室洗衣机的隆隆声，还有， 我那条狗蹦下台阶冲我摇头摆尾时它脖子上那牌照发出的撞击声，便会勾起我对往事的回忆。

 

Our time together seemed devoid⁵ of the gerrymandered schedules that now pervade⁶ my life.

 

和母亲在一起的岁月，全然没有充斥于我的生活中的、事先排定的虚情假意的日程表。

 

One lunchtime when I was in the third grade will stay with me always.

 

我永远忘不了在我上三年级时的那一顿午饭。

 

I had been picked to be the princess in the school play, and for weeks my mother had painstakingly⁷ rehearsed my lines with me.

 

在那天之前，我被学校选中，要在一个即将演出的小剧中扮演公主的角色。一连好几个礼拜，母亲总是不辞辛劳地陪着我，一起背诵台词。

 

But no matter how easily I delivered them at home, as soon as I stepped onstage, every word disappeared from my head.

 

可是，不管在家里怎么背得滚瓜烂熟，只要一上舞台，我的脑子里就成了一片空白。

 

Finally, my teacher took me aside.

 

终于，老师把我叫到了一边。

 

She explained that she had written a narrator's part to the play, and asked me to switch roles.

 

她说剧中旁白这个角色的台词已写好了，想把我替换下来当旁白。

 

Her word, kindly⁸ delivered, still stung, especially when I saw my part go to another girl.

 

尽管老师这些话说得和和气气，可还是刺痛了我的心，特别是当我发觉自己扮演的公主角色让另外一个女孩顶替时，更是如此。

 

I didn't tell my mother what had happened when I went home for lunch that day.

 

那天回家吃午饭时我没有把这事告诉母亲。

 

But she sensed my unease, and instead of suggesting we practice my lines, she asked If I wanted to walk in the yard.

 

然而，母亲见我心神不定，因此没有再提练习背台词的事儿，而是问我愿意不愿意到院子里散散步。

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 squeal   

v.发出长而尖的声音；n.长而尖的声音

参考例句：

• The children gave a squeal of fright.孩子们发出惊吓的尖叫声。
• There was a squeal of brakes as the car suddenly stopped.小汽车突然停下来时，车闸发出尖叫声。

3 rumble   

n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说

参考例句：

• I hear the rumble of thunder in the distance.我听到远处雷声隆隆。
• We could tell from the rumble of the thunder that rain was coming.我们根据雷的轰隆声可断定，天要下雨了。

4 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

5 devoid   

adj.全无的，缺乏的

参考例句：

• He is completely devoid of humour.他十分缺乏幽默。
• The house is totally devoid of furniture.这所房子里什么家具都没有。

6 pervade   

v.弥漫，遍及，充满，渗透，漫延

参考例句：

• Science and technology have come to pervade every aspect of our lives.科学和技术已经渗透到我们生活的每一个方面。
• The smell of sawdust and glue pervaded the factory.工厂里弥漫着锯屑和胶水的气味。

7 painstakingly   

adv. 费力地 苦心地

参考例句：

• Every aspect of the original has been closely studied and painstakingly reconstructed. 原作的每一细节都经过了仔细研究，费尽苦心才得以重现。
• The cause they contrived so painstakingly also ended in failure. 他们惨淡经营的事业也以失败而告终。

8 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。