Track 7
by Ankita Tandon翻譯:常青
釋懷
Track 7
by Ankita Tandon
翻譯:常青
文字難度·
I used to1)peep through my window. There I could see the busy road, the2)vendors selling a variety of things. My3)caretaker used to tell me the names of things.
I enjoyed watching colorful balloons,4)cotton candies, ice creams, burgers, hotdogs and other5)innumerable things...the things I had always seen through my window but never touched or tasted. I was just allowed to see them. The reason was that I was sufering from a serious disease. I could only have soup,boiled vegetables and6)porridge. To me, life was7)pale.
I wasn't allowed to walk for more than 15 minutes. I always thought the people who could visit the market and eat those colorful things were very lucky. But I was not one of them.
My parents took great care of me. They provided me with all the facilities, including the latest video games, books as well as children's flms. I was fond of writing poems, so my parents8)assigned a teacher who could guide me. But still, that colorful road looked more attractive to me.
I decided to visit the street and I requested my father to take me. Considering my request, my father took me one day.
I was excited to see and touch the things I had always9)longed for. My father made me sit at a shop of candies and stood near me. A boy came to the shop. He was wearing a10)ragged shirt and11)half pants. He used12)crutches to walk as he was suffering from13)polio. After a while, he begged the shopkeeper for a little money. The shopkeeper14)shrieked at him and ordered him to go away. He moved away with a sad face.
I had brought 15 bucks to buy and eat something without the knowledge of my father. I thought the boy also wished to eat candies like me. Everybody would like to because candies were so attractive and they must be very delicious. I called that boy and decided to share my money with him. But let me have a15)confrmation, maybe he wanted cotton candy or ice cream. So I asked why he wanted money. Did he also wish to eat candies like me?
He told me that the fnancial condition of his family was not good. He had a sister, who wasn't keeping well for a long time. But they could not provide medicine. Actually, they couldn't even fulfll the basic needs of the family.
I was16)taken aback and gave him those 15 bucks. This is also life where basic needs are hardly met. I used to think that my life was so difcult and all the other people can enjoy a happy life.
Next morning, I was again standing at the same place of my house, the same window,staring at the same road but thanking God that he gave me enough means to face my problems. I realized that maybe the grass is not always greener on the other side.
1) peep [pIp] v. 偷看,窺視
2) vendor ['vend?] n. 小販,叫賣商
3) caretaker ['ke?teIk?] n. 看管人,守護者
4) cotton candy 棉花糖
5) innumerable [I'nju?m?r?b?l] adj. 數(shù)不清的,無數(shù)的
6) porridge ['p?rId?] n. 粥,麥片粥
7) pale [peIl] adj. 蒼白的,灰白的
8) assign [?'saIn] v. 指定
9) long for 渴望
10) ragged ['r?gId] adj. 衣衫襤褸的,破爛的,破舊的
11) half pants 中褲
12) crutch [kr?t?] n. 拐杖
14) shriek [?ri?k] v. 尖聲叫喊
15) confrmation [,k?nf?'meI??n] n. 確認,證實
16) taken aback 驚訝,大吃一驚
以前我總會從我的窗戶偷偷往外看。透過窗戶,我可以看到繁忙的道路,路上有小販在銷售著各種各樣的東西??醋o我的人過去常常會給我介紹那些東西。
我喜歡看著那五彩繽紛的氣球、棉花糖、冰淇淋、漢堡、熱狗,以及其他數(shù)之不盡的東西……那些我透過窗戶能夠看到,卻從來沒有觸碰過或品嘗過的東西。我只能遠遠地看著它們,因為我患有十分嚴重的疾病。我只能喝湯,吃水煮的蔬菜和麥片粥。對于我來說,生活是蒼白無趣的。
我走路不能超過15分鐘。我一直認為可以去市場吃上那些色彩豐富的食物的人是非常幸運的。但我并不是這樣的幸運兒。
我的父母對我呵護備至。他們?yōu)槲姨峁┝烁鞣N設(shè)備,包括最新的電子游戲、書籍和兒童電影。我喜歡寫詩,所以我的父母請了一位老師來指導我。盡管如此,那條五彩繽紛的街道對我而言更有吸引力。
我決定去街上看看并請求我的父親帶我去??紤]到我的請求,有天父親終于帶上了我。
我可以看到并觸摸到我一直渴望的東西,這讓我非常興奮。爸爸讓我坐在一家糖果店里并站在了離我不遠的地方。一個男孩走了進來,穿著破舊的襯衫和中褲。因為患有小兒麻痹癥,他得依靠拐杖走路。過了一會兒,他向老板討要一點錢。店主朝他尖叫,命令他離開。于是他一臉悲傷地走了。
在我爸爸不知情的情況下,我?guī)Я?5美元出來買一些東西吃。我覺得那個男孩也和我一樣想吃到糖果。每個人都會想吃的,因為糖果很吸引人,而且也一定非常好吃。我叫住了那個男孩,決定給他一些我手頭上的錢。但我得先確認下,也許他想要的是棉花糖或冰淇淋。于是我問他為什么需要錢,他也和我一樣想吃糖果嗎?
他告訴我,他家庭的經(jīng)濟條件并不好。他有一個姐姐已經(jīng)生病很久了,一直沒好。但他們沒錢買藥。事實上,他們甚至沒有錢支撐整個家庭的基本開銷。
我大吃一驚,給了他那15美元。即使生活的基本需求難以得到保障,還是要繼續(xù)生活下去。我從前常常以為,我的生活十分艱難,而其他人卻都是那么幸福。
第二天早上,我依舊站在我家的那個窗戶邊,盯著同一條街道,然而我感謝上帝,感謝他給了我足夠多的途徑來面對我的問題。我意識到,這世界并不總是隔岸風景好、鄰家芳草綠。
Unfolding Life