读者文摘:网友趣事分享

Quiet, Please! I'm Trying to Nap.

请安静一点！我想小睡一会儿。

I am a leader of a national college ministry¹ and was discussing the book of Genesis with some students one day.

我是一所国立学院的牧师，有一天我和学生们讨论《创世纪》这本书。

We were talking about the story of human beings created to live in a garden setting.

我们在讨论人类被创造出来，生活在花园里的故事。

Lending credence² to this idea, I said that there is no sound more soothing³ than a burbling stream or brook⁴.

我说，没有什么声音能比潺潺的小溪或小溪更能抚慰人心了，这番话也印证了我的观点。

Then I asked the students, "What is the most peaceful environment you can imagine—for example, where you could most easily fall asleep?"

然后我问学生，“你能想象的最平静的环境是什么？比如说，你在哪里最容易睡着？”

There was a short silence, and then a young lady spoke⁵ up helpfully: "Class?"

一阵短暂的沉默之后，一位年轻的女士说了一个有帮助的答案：“教室？”

You're the Cream in My Coffee.

你是我咖啡里的奶油

It's 4 a.m. and we hurry into the truck stop for our morning coffees, his black and mine with cream.

凌晨四点，我们匆匆进入了卡车停车站去喝我们的早咖啡，他喝的是黑咖啡，我喝的加奶油咖啡。

As we head down the road drinking and chatting, he hands me his still-hot coffee so I can pour a little into mine.

在我们沿着路边喝边聊的时候，他把还热着的咖啡递给我，这样我就可以往我的咖啡里倒一点。

He knows my coffee cools quicker because of the cream.

他知道我的咖啡凉的快，因为有奶油。

Such a tiny thing—one of the many little threads that make up the fabric⁶ of our life—

如此微小的一件事——构成我们生活的许多小事之一，

but such a sweet thoughtfulness that makes all the difference in a relationship. I have the world's best husband.

但如此甜蜜的体贴使一段关系完全不同。我有世界上最好的丈夫。

Like a Duck Takes to Water.

就像鸭子喝水一样。

My husband and I were excited when we purchased a lakefront home because we had a yellow Labrador puppy and we knew Labs loved the water.

我和丈夫买了一个湖边的房子，我们很兴奋。因为我们养着一只黄色的拉布拉多犬，我们知道拉布拉多喜欢水。

Much to our surprise, our pup was petrified⁷ of the lake and whimpered every time we tried to coax⁸ her in to swim with us.

让我们大吃一惊的是，我们的狗被湖吓呆了，每次我们想哄骗它下水和我们一起游泳的时候，它都会呜咽。

That is, until the day a family of ducks swam by. Our Lab joined the ducklings and began to paddle with them.

直到有一天，一群鸭子游了过来。我们的狗加入了鸭子，和它们一块戏水。

The mother duck was not pleased at the new addition, but we were ecstatic.

鸭妈妈不喜欢这个信赖的家伙。但是我们则欣喜若狂。

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 credence   

n.信用，祭器台，供桌，凭证

参考例句：

• Don't give credence to all the gossip you hear.不要相信你听到的闲话。
• Police attach credence to the report of an unnamed bystander.警方认为一位不知姓名的目击者的报告很有用。

3 soothing   

adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的

参考例句：

• Put on some nice soothing music.播放一些柔和舒缓的音乐。
• His casual, relaxed manner was very soothing.他随意而放松的举动让人很快便平静下来。

4 brook   

n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让

参考例句：

• In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
• The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

7 petrified   

adj.惊呆的；目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆，使惊呆；变僵硬；使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• I'm petrified of snakes. 我特别怕蛇。
• The poor child was petrified with fear. 这可怜的孩子被吓呆了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 coax   

v.哄诱，劝诱，用诱哄得到，诱取

参考例句：

• I had to coax the information out of him.我得用好话套出他掌握的情况。
• He tried to coax the secret from me.他试图哄骗我说出秘方。