英语短文：一个海员的圣诞礼物
冬季汽车保养常识-高考专项计划
英语短文：一个海员的圣诞礼物
Last year at Christmas time
my wife
，
three
boys
，
and I
were
in France
，
on our way from
Paris to Nice
．
For five
wretched days everything had gone
wrong
．
Our hotels were
“tourist traps”；
our rented
car broke down
；
we were all
restless and irritable in the crowded
car
．
On Christmas
Eve
，
when we checked into a
dingy hotel in Nice
，
there
was no
Christmas spirit in our
hearts
．
去年，在圣诞节期间，我和我的妻子以及我们的三个孩子，从
法
国踏上由巴黎到尼斯的旅途。因为接连五天的恶劣天气，旅途上一切
< br>很不顺心。我们下榻的旅馆尽是些敲诈勒索旅客的“陷阱”；我们租
用的那辆汽车
老是发生故障，在拥挤不堪的车子上大家个个显得烦躁
不安。圣诞节前夕，我们住进了尼
斯的一家旅店，这家旅店又脏又暗，
我们打心眼里感觉不到丝毫的节日气氛。
It was
raining and cold when we went out to
eat
．
We found
a
drab little joint shoddily decorated for the
holiday
．
It
smelled
greasy
．
Only five tables in
the restaurant were
occupied
．
There
were two German couples
，
two
French families
，
and an
American sailor
，
by
himself
．
In the corner a
piano
player listlessly played
Christmas music
．
我们外出就餐时，天正下着小雨，天气寒冷。我们找到了一家
死
气沉沉的小餐馆。为点缀一下节日的气氛，这家餐馆刚刚做了番粗劣
< br>的装潢。一进门就闻到一股刺鼻的油污气味。整个餐厅只有五张桌子
有人就餐：两
对德国夫妇，两户法国家庭和一名孑然一身的美国水手。
在餐厅的一个角落里，有位钢琴
师在无精打采地弹奏着圣诞乐曲。
I was too stubborn and too tired and
miserable to
leave
．
I looked
around and noticed that the other customers
were eating in stony
silence
．
The only person who
seemed
happy was the American
sailor
．
While
eating
，
he was writing a
letter
，
and a
half
－
smile lighted his
face
．
我情绪低落，加之疲惫不堪，执意不愿离开这儿去找别的餐馆
了。
我环顾四周，见这里的顾客一个个沉默不语，只顾吃着、喝着，唯独
那位美国水手看上去兴高采烈。他一边吃着，一边写信，面带微笑，
神采奕奕。
My
wife ordered our meal in
French
．
The waiter brought us
the wrong thing
．
I
scolded my wife for being
stupid
．
She
began
to cry
．
The boys defended
her
，
and I felt even
worse
．
我的妻子给我们叫来了法国式的饭菜，而服务员给我们端来的
却
是别的东西。我斥责妻子尽干些蠢事，她哭了起来。孩子们一个个都
< br>护着他们的妈妈，于是我的情绪变得更加糟糕。
Then
，
at the table
with the French family on our
left
，
the father slapped one
of his children for some minor
infraction
，
and
the boy began to cry
．
On our
right
，
the
German
wife began berating her
husband
．
继而，坐在我们左侧餐桌上的那家法国人父亲因为一点鸡毛蒜
皮
的小事动手打了他的一个孩子一记耳光，那个小男孩哇哇大哭起来。
< br>在我的右边，那个德国妇女不知因何缘故开始喋喋不休地数落、责骂
起她的丈夫来
。
All
of us were interrupted
by an unpleasant blast of old
air
．
Through the
front door came an old French flower
woman
．
She wore a
dripping
，
tattered
overcoat
，
and shuffled
in on wet
，
rundown
shoes
．
Carrying her basket of
flowers
，
she
went
from one table to the other
．
我们大家都被一阵令人不快、死灰
复燃的陈规陋习弄得心烦意乱。
这时，从前门进来一个卖花的法国老妪。她浑身湿透，衣
衫褴褛，脚
穿一双水淋淋的破鞋，手里提着花篮，沿桌叫卖。
，
monsieur
？
Only one
franc
．
“买花吗，先生？一束才一个法郎哩。”
No one bought
any
．
谁也没有答理她。
Wearily
she sat
down at a table between the sailor and
us
．
To the waiter
she said
，
．
I haven't sold a
flower all afterno
on
．
，
，
Joseph
，
soup on Christmas
Eve
？
她疲惫不堪，在水手和我们之间的那张餐桌旁边坐了下来，对
服
务员说：
请来碗汤吧。整整一下午，
我连一朵花也不曾脱手。
接着，
她转向
那位钢琴师，用嘶哑的声音问，
在圣诞节前夕喝碗汤，约瑟夫，
你能设想这种滋味吗？
He pointed to
his empty
．
钢琴师指了指身旁的那只空空如也的
放小费的盘子
。
The young
sailor finished his meal and got up to
leave
．
Putting on
his coat
，
he walked over to
the flower
woman's
table
．
那位年轻的海员已用罢晚餐，欠起身来准备离开餐馆。他披上
外
套，走到卖花老妪的桌前。
，
，
smiling and picking out two
or sages
．
< br>？