讀點好英文:Visit with a Tramp　一個流浪漢的來訪

Visit with a Tramp　一個流浪漢的來訪

·Isaac·

I was swinging on the front gate, trying to decide whether to walk down the street to play with Verna, my best friend in fifth grade, when I saw a tramp come up the road.

“Hello, little girl，”he said，“is your mama at home?”

I nodded and swung the gate open to let him in the yard. He looked like all the tramps who came to our house from the hobo camp by the river during the Great Depression.His shaggy hair hung below a shapeless hat, and his threadbare shirt and trousers had been rained on and slept in.He smelled like a bonfire.

He shuffled to the door. When my mother appeared, he asked，“Lady, could you spare a bite to eat?”

“I think so. Please sit on the step.”

He dropped onto the narrow wooden platform that served as the front porch of our two-room frame house. In minutes my mother opened the screen and handed him a sandwich made from thick slices of homemade bread and generous chunks of boiled meat.She gave him a tin cup of milk.“I thank you, lady.”he said.

I swung on the gate, watching the tramp wolf down the sandwich and drain the cup. Then he stood and walked back through the gate.“They said your mama would feed me.”he told me on the way out.

Verna had said the hobos told one another who would feed them.“They never come to my house.”she had announced proudly.

So why does Mama feed them?I wondered. A widow, she worked as a waitress in the mornings and sewed at night to earn money.Why should she give anything to men who didn't work at all?

I marched inside.“Verna's mother says those men are too lazy to work. Why do we feed them?”

My mother smiled. Her blue housedress matched her eyes and emphasized her auburn hair.

“Lovely, we don't know why those men don't work，”she said，“but they were babies once. And their mothers loved them, like I love you.”She put her hands on my shoulders and drew me close to her apron, which smelled of starch and freshly baked bread.

“I feed them for their mothers, because if you were ever hungry and had nothing to eat, I would want their mothers to feed you.”

艾薩克

我在大門口晃悠，想著要不要沿街去找維娜玩，她是我五年級時最好的朋友。這時，我看見一個流浪漢從街上走來。

“你好，小姑娘，”他說，“你媽媽在家嗎？”

我點點頭，把門打開讓他進了院子。經(jīng)濟大蕭條時期，有許多流浪漢從河邊的游民營來我家，他看起來跟他們一樣。蓬亂的頭發(fā)從那頂不成形的帽子下露了出來，破破爛爛的襯衣和褲子顯然被雨水淋濕過，還被穿著睡過覺。他渾身散發(fā)著一種篝火的味道。

他慢吞吞地走到門口。我媽媽出來了，他問：“夫人，能不能給我點吃的？”

“好吧，請坐在臺階上等一下?！?/p>

他坐在狹長的木板平臺上，那兒是兩間屋的前廊。不一會兒，媽媽打開簾子，遞給他一個三明治——用家里自制的厚面包片夾著幾大塊熟肉。她還給了他一杯牛奶?！爸x謝您，夫人?！彼f。

我在門口一邊晃悠著，一邊看著這個流浪漢狼吞虎咽地吃下那個三明治，喝光牛奶。然后，他站起來，穿過門廊往外走?！八麄冋f你媽媽會給我東西吃?！彼鲩T的時候?qū)ξ艺f。

維娜曾說過，誰給流浪漢東西吃，他們就會互相轉(zhuǎn)告?！八麄儚牟蝗ノ壹摇！彼湴恋卣f道。

媽媽為什么要給他們東西吃呢？我很奇怪。媽媽是一個寡婦，上午在餐廳做服務(wù)員，晚上還要做縫紉活兒來掙錢。她為什么要把東西給這些不去工作的人吃呢？

我大步走進屋子，說：“維娜的媽媽說，這些人太懶了，都不工作。我們?yōu)槭裁匆o他們吃的呢？”

媽媽笑了，她藍色的圍裙和眼睛很相稱，也襯托了她赤褐色的頭發(fā)。

“寶貝，我們不知道他們?yōu)槭裁床还ぷ??！彼f，“但他們也曾是孩子，他們的媽媽也愛他們，就像我愛你一樣?！彼央p手放在我肩頭，把我拉到她的身邊，圍裙散發(fā)出漿洗過的和新烤的面包的味道。

“我給他們東西吃，是為了他們的媽媽。如果你餓了，又什么吃的都沒有，我希望他們的媽媽也能給你東西吃。”

Practising&Exercise　實戰(zhàn)提升篇

核心單詞

shaggy['??gi]adj.有粗毛的；頭發(fā)蓬亂的

appear[?'pi?]v.出現(xiàn)；顯露

generous['d?en?r?s]adj.慷慨的，大方的

announce[?'nauns]v.宣布，發(fā)布

march[ma：t?]v.走過；步行

hungry['h??gri]adj.饑餓的；渴望的

實用句型

She put her hands on my shouIders and drew me cIose to her apron, which smeIIed of starch and freshIy baked bread.

她把雙手放在我肩頭，把我拉到她的身邊，圍裙散發(fā)出漿洗過的和新烤的面包的味道。

①這里是由which引導的非限定性定語從句。

②put on穿上，把……放在……上。類似的表達還有put up建造；put aside撇開；put away把……收起，放好。

翻譯練習

1.那張沙發(fā)可以當床用。（serve as）

2.說到德語，我一竅不通。（come to）

3.小男孩還不到上學年齡。（too……to……）