英语阅读：一个水手的圣诞礼物
感谢你给我机会上场-美丽的国家
美联英语提供
：英语阅读：
A
Sailor's Christmas Gift
一个水手的圣诞礼物
两分钟做个小测试，看看你的英语水平
/test/?tid=16-73675-0
A Sailor's Christmas Gift
一个水手的圣诞礼物
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 ererything 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。
由于接连五天的恶劣天气，
旅途上一切很不顺
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
littlejoint
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。
Mywife 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，
< br>她哭了起来。
孩子们一个个都护着他们的妈妈，
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。
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。
Allof us were interupted 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。
Flowers
，
< br>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。
Wearilyshe sat down at a table between
the sailor and us
．
To the
waiter she
said
，
<
/p>
．
I haven't sold aflower all
afternoon
．
said ho
arsely
，
，
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
orsages
．
are
they
？
祝您圣诞快乐！
说着，他笑嘻嘻地从花
篮里挑出两束专供妇女佩带在前胸的鲜，
多
少钱？
，
monsieur
．
两个法郎，先生。
< br>
Pressing one of the
small corsages flat
，
he put
it into the letter he had
written
，
then handed the
woman a twentyfranc
note
．
他把其中的一束花压平，放进一封已经写好的笺里，然后将一张
20
法郎面额的钞票递
给了老妪。
I don't have change
，
< br>monsieur
，
．
．
< br>
我没有零钱找您，先生。
她说，
我这就向服务员去借。
，
ma'am
，
．
is my Christmas present to
you
．
<
/p>
不用了，夫人。
说着，水手俯身吻了吻老
太婆那张皱纹褶褶的老脸，
这是我送给您
的圣诞礼物。
Straightening up, he came to our
table,holding the other corsage in front of
him
．
beautifu
l daughter?
Merry Christmas,and
departed
．
他直起身躯，朝我们的餐桌走来，那另一束鲜花擎在他的胸前。
先生，
他对我说，
我可以将这束花作为礼物送给您漂亮的妻子吗？
说着，他迅速地将那束鲜花塞到我妻子的
手中，道了声
圣诞快乐
，便转身走出了餐馆。
Everyonehad stopped
eating
．
Everyone had been
watching the sailor
．
Everyone
was silent
．
A few
seconds later,Christmas exploded throughout the
restaurant like a
bomb
．
The old
flower woman jumped up, waving the twenty franc
note
．
Hobbling
to
the
middle
of
the
floor
she
did
a
merry
jig
and
shouted
to
the
piano
player,
too
．
人们都放下手中的餐具
，
个个目不转睛地看着那位水手，
整个餐厅悄无声息。
几秒钟后，
圣诞节日那固有的欢乐激情像枚炸
弹似地爆裂开来。
卖花老妪腾身站起，
挥动着她手中的那
张
20
法郎的钞票。
她跌跌绊绊地走到餐厅的中央，
欢快地踏起了舞步，
冲着钢琴师
大声嚷：
约瑟夫，瞧瞧我这份圣诞礼物吧！说什么我也得让你分
享其中的一半，让你也能吃上一顿
丰盛的圣诞晚餐。
The piano player began to belt
out
with magic hands, nodding his head
in rhythm
．
钢琴师急速地弹起了
《好国王温西斯劳斯》舞曲，
魔术般的指头敲击着琴键，头部和着
乐曲的旅律频频点动。
My wife waved her corsage
in time to the music
．
She was
radiant and appeared
twenty years
younger
．
The tears had left
her eyes, and the corners of her mouth
turned up in
laughter
．
She began to sing,
and our three sons joined her, bellowing
the song with uninhibited
enthusiasm
．
我的妻子也随着音乐的节奏挥动着那束鲜花。她容光焕发，仿佛一下子年轻了
20
岁。
幸福的泪水夺眶而出，嘴角上绽出青春的笑容。她
启动歌喉，
放声歌唱，我们的三个孩子随
声和了起来。他们纵情
高歌，没有一丝半缕的拘谨感。
Gut!
the
Germans
．
They
jumped
on
their
chairs
and
began
singing the words in
German
．
The
waiter embraced the flower
woman
．
Waving
their
arms,
they
sang
in
French
．
The
Frenchman
who
had
slapped
the
boy
beat
rhythm
with
his
fork
against
a
bottle
．
The
lad
climbed
on
his
lap,
singing
in
a
youthful
soprano
．
好！好！
德国人高声喝彩。他
们跳到椅子上，并用德语唱起这支歌。服务员上前拥抱
着卖花的老太太，
两人同时挥舞手臂，
用法语唱了起来。
那个曾打了他的
儿子一巴掌的法国
男子用餐叉敲击着酒瓶打起了拍子，那男孩爬上他爸爸的膝盖，用童声
歌唱起来。
TheGermans
ordered wine for
everyone
．
They delivered it
themselves, hugging
the other
customers
．
One of the French
families called for
champagne
－
made the
rounds, kissing each of us on both
cheeks
．
The owner of the
restaurant started
First
Noel,
．
德国人请在场的每个人喝酒。
人们自斟自饮，
相互拥抱。<
/p>
那家法国人当中的一位要来了
香槟
---
到每张桌上给人敬酒，并吻了每个人的双颊。饭馆老板带头唱起圣诞歌，我们大家
都跟着唱，其中有半数人是含着眼泪唱的。
Peoplecrowded in from the street until
many customers were
standing
．
The
walls shook as hands and feet kept time
to the Christmas carols
．
人们络绎不绝地从街上向餐馆涌来，
其中一些顾客由于没有空位而只好站在那里。
人们
和着圣诞歌的
节奏手舞足蹈，声音震得餐厅的四壁阵阵发颤。
Themiserable
evening
in
a
shoddy
restaurant
ended
up
being
the
very
best
Christmas
Eve
we
had ever
experienced
just
because
of
a
young
sailor
who
had
Christmas
spirit in his soul
．
He
released the love and joy that had been smothered
within us by anger and
disappointment
．
He gave us
Christmas
．
没想到在这家简陋的小餐馆里所度过的那个凄凉的夜晚，
结果竟变成我们终
生难忘的最
最美好的圣诞之夜。
这全亏那位灵魂中闪烁着圣诞精
神的年轻海员。
是他把我们由于愤懑和
失望而被压抑在内心深处
的爱心和欢乐给引发出来的。他赐给了我们圣诞的欢乐。
两分钟做个小测试，看看你的英语水平
/test/?tid=16-73675-0