儿童故事集：太小不能喝茶-Too Tiny For Tea

 Marty Mckay was already five years old, but he was still the baby of the family.

“Can I have some tea too?” Marty asked his mother. She drank her tea from a beautiful cup and stirred¹ it with a silver spoon.

“No, Marty. You’re too young to drink tea.”

“But, why?” Marty asked.

“Because your fingers are too tiny to hold the cup. And tea is too hot for you, baby.”

“I’m not a baby,” Marty said. “I’m five and a half.”

Marty went out to the yard. His brother Ralph was playing basketball.

“Can I play too?” Marty asked. Ralph bounced² the ball up and and down under Marty’s nose and then threw it into the basket.

“No Marty, you’re too young to play basketball.”

“But, why?” Marty asked.

“Because the basket is too high for you to reach. And the ball is too big for your tiny baby hands,” Ralph said.

“I’m not a baby,” Marty said. “I’m five and three quarters.”

Marty went into the kitchen. His sister Jane was getting ready to ride her bicycle to the candy store.

“Can I go to the store to buy candy?” Marty asked Jane. He could feel the wind in his hair and the candy on his tongue.

“No, you’re too young to go to the store,” Jane said.

“But why?” Marty asked.

“Because the store is too far for you to ride to. And your baby bike is too slow.”

“I’m not a baby,” Marty said. “I’m nearly six.”

“Six?” Jane laughed. “You just turned five!”

Marty sat on the grass and watched his sister ride away on her bike. He started to cry. Marty’s father was washing the car. He heard a tiny cry and went to find out what was wrong.

“Why are you crying?” Marty’s father asked.

“Because I’m too tiny to do anything. I wish I weren’t the youngest one.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” his father said.

Just then, Marty’s mother came out to bring Marty’s dad his tea. She patted³ her belly⁴ and smiled.

“We’re going to have another baby,” his mother said.

“And that means⁵ you’re going to be a big brother,” his father said.

“But, I’m too tiny to be a big brother,” Marty said. “I’m just a baby!”

1 stirred   

v.（使）移动( stir的过去式和过去分词 )；搅拌；（使）行动；（使）微动

参考例句：

• She stirred her tea. 她搅了搅茶。
• He stirred the coffee until it was a light reddish-brown. 直到咖啡成红褐色，他才停止搅拌。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 bounced   

v.弹回( bounce的过去式和过去分词 )；（电子邮件）被退回；拒付；（朝某个方向）颠簸行进

参考例句：

• The ball bounced twice before he could reach it. 球弹了两次他才接到。
• The new car bounced along the bumpy mountain road. 这辆新车在崎岖的山路上颠簸行驶。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 patted   

v.轻拍( pat的过去式和过去分词 )；拍成，拍至；表扬，称赞（某人/自己）

参考例句：

• She patted the dog on the head. 她轻轻地拍着狗的头。
• He leaned forward and patted me on the shoulder. 他向前倾着身子并拍我的肩膀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 belly   

n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛

参考例句：

• The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
• His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。

5 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。