美国小学英语教材5:第236课 祖母的那不勒斯之旅(5)

“I haven’t seen the place where I was born for years and years,” continued Grandmother wistfully. Then they knew. Grandmother was homesick¹. And why should she not be, indeed? It was sixty years since she had left Naples as a bride, and in all that time there was no money that could be spared to take her home for a visit.

“我已经很多年没见过我出生的地方了，”祖母持续伤感。然后他们知道了。原来是祖母想家了。她为什么不能呢？她离开那不勒斯当新娘已经有60年了，在这段时间里，她没有多余的钱可以回家探亲。

“If I had not bought the oxen last spring—” began Ugo, but again Margaretta shook her head. But if only they could send her, with one of the children to look after her, to spend a week or two with Uncle Tony and his family in Naples! But where would the money come from? It really couldn’t be done.

“如果我不是去年春天买的牛——”乌戈开始说，但玛格丽塔又摇了摇头。但是，要是他们能把她和其中一个孩子送到那不勒斯去，让她和托尼叔叔及其家人在一起呆上一两个星期就好了！但是钱从哪里来呢?这真的是不可能的。

Next morning, when the children went to the spring with buckets² to fetch water, they talked it over.

第二天早上，当孩子们提着水桶去泉水边取水时，他们讨论了一番。

III

“Why,” said Mario, “it is the simplest thing in the world. Put the oxen to the cart³ and put Grandmother in the cart, and presto⁴! I’ll drive her myself to Naples, just as easy!”

“为何，”马里奥说，“这是世界上最简单的事情。把牛放到车里，把祖母放到车里，嘿！我要亲自开车送她去那不勒斯，就这么简单！”

“Not at all,” said Annina, who was practical⁵. “Where’s the geography？

把牛放到车里，把祖母放到车里，嘿！我要亲自开车送她去那不勒斯，就这么简单！”

Fioretta, the book-lover, ran back to the house on nimble feet and got the geography. They gathered about the map of Italy eagerly. Alas⁶, Naples was nearly, or quite, or even more than, three hundred miles away, and the map between Florence and Naples was well-sprinkled with mountains and snaky black rivers.

爱书的菲奥雷塔敏捷地跑回屋里，看了路线。他们急切地聚集在意大利地图周围。唉，那不勒斯离我们差不多、差不多、甚至有三百多英里远，而佛罗伦萨和那不勒斯之间的地图上布满了山脉和蜿蜒的黑色河流。

1 homesick   

adj.想家的；患思乡病的

参考例句：

• She's feeling a little homesick.她有点想家。
• He left his job largely because he was homesick.他辞职不干主要是因为他想家。

2 buckets   

n.水桶( bucket的名词复数 )；一桶（的量）；大量

参考例句：

• They were playing on the beach with their buckets and spades . 他们带着桶和铲子在沙滩上玩。
• Men came with buckets of water and began to douse the flames. 人们提来一桶桶水灭火。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 cart   

n.（二轮或四轮）运货马车，手推车；vt.用马车装载，用手提（笨重物品），强行带走

参考例句：

• We use this to cart the goods.我们用这个来拉运货物。
• Let's go over and help them pull the cart.咱们过去帮他们拉车。

4 presto   

adv.急速地；n.急板乐段；adj.急板的

参考例句：

• With something so important,you can't just wave a wand and presto!在这么重大的问题上，你想挥动一下指挥棒，转眼就变过来,办不到！
• I just turned the piece of wire in the lock and hey presto,the door opened.我把金属丝伸到锁孔里一拧，嘿，那门就开了。

5 practical   

adj.实际的，实践的；实用的，应用的；有实际经验的

参考例句：

• He is a practical person.他是位很讲实际的人。
• Your invention is clever,but not practical.你的发明很巧，但不实用。

6 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。