路易斯用他的嘴叼起一枝新粉筆。他有些膽怯了。他使勁地盯著這個單詞。
He took a good look at the word. "A long word," hethought, "is really no harder than a short one.
“一個很長的單詞,”他想,“可它真的不比一個短的難多少。
I'll just copy one letter at a time, and pretty soon itwill be finished.
我只要一次照著寫一個字母,一會兒就能寫完的。
Besides, my life is a catastrophe. It's acatastrophe to be without a voice."
此外,我的生活不就是場大災難嘛。沒有嗓子就是一場大災難。”
Then he began writing. CATASTROPHE, he wrote, making each letter very neatly.
然后他開始寫了。“CATASTROPHE”,他寫著,每個字母都寫得格外端正。
When he got to the last letter, the pupils clapped and stamped their feet and banged on theirdesks,
當他寫到最后一個字母時,全體學生都鼓起掌來,還邊跺著腳邊拼命地拍桌子,
and one boy quickly made a paper airplane and zoomed it into the air. Mrs. Hammerbothamrapped for order.
一個男孩趁亂飛速地折了一只紙飛機,把它扔上了天。哈默博瑟姆太太大聲叫大家安靜
"Very good, Louis," she said.
“很好,路易斯,”她說,
"Sam, it's time you went to your own classroom--you shouldn't be in my room.
“薩姆,你該回到你自己的教室去了——你不該在我的教室里的。
Go and join the fifth grade. I'll take care of your friend the swan."
回五年級去吧。我會照顧好你的天鵝朋友的。”
Back in his own room, Sam sat down at his desk, feeling very happy about the way things hadturned out.
回到自己的教室后,薩姆在他的課桌旁坐下,心里為這事能如此解決而高興。
The fifth-graders were having a lesson in arithmetic,
五年級正在上數學課,
and their teacher, Miss Annie Snug, greeted Sam with a question. Miss Snug was young andpretty.
他們的老師安妮·斯格納小姐用一道題來歡迎薩姆的到來。斯格納小姐年輕而又漂亮。