365个英语简短小故事- 39. Another Jealous Girlfriend

Scott was sound asleep when the phone rang.

"Are you awake?" Jolene shouted. Scott mumbled¹ something. How could he still be asleep, she asked. It was almost noon. He told her that he hadn't gone to sleep until 6 a.m. Jolene told him to get up, and come pick her up. They had to go to the store to return the birthday gift he had given her.

It was a tangerine² plant. The leaves were curling³ up. It was going to die, she said. "Curling leaves means⁴ the plant is going to die?" Scott asked. Of course, she told him.

"Look, honey," he asked, "let me go back to sleep for one hour, okay? Then I'll come pick you up." Jolene wondered why he needed one hour. Was he expecting a phone call from his ex-girlfriend? No, he patiently tried to explain, he just wanted to get another hour of sleep.

But he could not sleep anymore. Once Jolene mentioned anything about Amy, he'd better get over there quickly. Scott broke up with Amy five years ago. Now they were just friends. But, Amy still loved him. That wasn't a problem for Scott, until Jolene found out about it. If Amy still loved Scott, Jolene figured that they just might get back together.

She can recognize a dying⁵ plant but not a dead love affair, Scott grumbled⁶ as he rolled out of bed.

 

1 mumbled   

含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He mumbled something to me which I did not quite catch. 他对我叽咕了几句话，可我没太听清楚。
• George mumbled incoherently to himself. 乔治语无伦次地喃喃自语。

2 tangerine   

n.橘子，橘子树

参考例句：

• Hand me of a the ripest tangerine please.请递给我一个最熟的橘子。
• These tangerine are transported here by air from Fuzhou.这些福橘是刚刚从福州空运过来的。

3 curling   

n. 苏格兰的冰上掷石游戏, 头发的卷曲, 卷缩 动词curl的现在分词

参考例句：

• Curling hair styles are all the cry this year. 今年烫发的发型很流行。
• I love curling up in an armchair with a good book. 我爱在扶手椅上蜷作一团看我喜欢的书。

4 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

5 dying   

adj.垂死的，临终的

参考例句：

• He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
• She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子，那里有一个垂死的人。

6 grumbled   

抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声

参考例句：

• He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
• The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏，水手们边干活边发着牢骚。