英语美文背诵 难忘的钢琴曲(上)

Piano Music

难忘的钢琴曲

There are advantages and disadvantages to coming from a large family. Make that a large family with a single parent, and they double. The disadvantages are never so apparent as when someone wants to go off to college. Parents have cashed in life insurance policies to cover the cost of one year.

来自大家庭既有好处也有坏处。如果是个单亲大家庭，好坏都会变成双倍。当有人要离家去念大学时，坏处尤其明显。为了支付一年的开销，父母只好将寿险兑换成现金。

My mother knew that she could not send me to college and pay for it. She worked in a retail¹ store and made just enough to pay the bills and take care of the other children at home. If I wanted to go to college, it was up to me to find out how to get there.

母亲一早知道她无力送我上学与支付学费。她在一家零售店工作，挣的钱刚够养活家里的其他孩子。如果我想上大学，就得自食其力。

I found that I qualified² for some grants because of the size of our family, my mom's income and my SAT scores. There was enough to cover school and books, but not enough for room and board. I accepted a job as part of a work-study program. While not glamorous³, it was one I could do. I washed dishes in the school cafeteria.

我发现我的家庭人口、妈妈的收入与我的学业能力测试分数符合拿助学金的标准。那只足够用来交学费和买书，但维持不了食宿。于是我半工半读，找了一份工作。虽然工作不讨人喜欢，可那是我力所能及的事情。我在学校饭堂里洗碗。

To help myself study, I made flash cards that fit perfectly⁴ on the large metal dishwasher. After I loaded the racks, I stood there and flipped⁵ cards, learning the makeup⁶ of atoms while water and steam broke them down all around me. I learned how to make y equal to z while placing dishes in stacks. My wrinkled fingers flipped many a card, and many times my tired brain drifted off, and a glass would crash to the floor. My grades went up and down. It was the hardest work I had ever done.

为了促进学习，我做了一副恰好能装在大金属洗碗机上的学习卡。把碗碟放在架子上之后，我就站在那儿翻卡片，四周弥漫着水汽，而我在学习原子的构成。我学会了如何在叠碟子的时候背下方程式。我起皱的手指翻过许多卡片，很多时候我疲倦的大脑恍恍惚惚，令玻璃杯也摔破到地上。我的成绩时起时落。那是我做过的最艰难的工作。

Just when I thought the bottom was going to drop out of my college career, an angel appeared. Well, one of those that are on earth, without wings.

正当我的大学学业快进行不下去时，天使出现了。是在地球上的天使，没翅膀的。

"I heard that you need some help," he said.

“我听说你需要帮助，”他说。

“What do you mean?” I asked, trying to figure out which area of my life he meant.

“你说什么？”我问道，竭力想弄清楚他说的是我生活中的那些方面。

"Financially, to stay in school."

“经济上的，留校念书。”

"Well, I make it okay. I just have trouble working all these hours and finding time to study."

“这个，我还好。只是我工作得太久了，找不到读书的时间。”

"Well, I think I have a way to help you out."

“啊，我想我可以有办法帮你一把。”

He went on to explain that his grandparents needed help on the weekends. All that was required of me was cooking meals and helping⁷ them get in and out of bed in the morning and evening. The job paid four hundred dollars a month, twice the money I was making washing dishes. Now I would have time to study. I went to meet his grandparents and accepted the job.

接着他解释道，他的祖父母周末需要人帮助。我只用做做饭、早晚帮他们上下床就好了。这份工作的报酬是一个月四百美元，两倍于我洗碗赚的钱。现在我可以有学习的时间了。我去与他的祖父母见面并接下了工作。

1 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

2 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

3 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

4 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

5 flipped   

轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转，撞毁了。
• The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。

6 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。