美国小学英语教材6:第228课 明星学徒(1)

TIM GROGAN, THE STAR APPRENTICE¹ David O. Woodbury

蒂姆·格罗根 明星学徒 大卫·伍德伯里

We live in a world of machines; they even make our bread and our clothing. But we must never forget the skilled and faithful men

我们生活在机器的世界里，它们甚至为我们制作面包和衣服，但我们永远不能忘记技艺高超和忠心的人，

whose work makes these machines possible for us. These men are wonder workers in metal, glass, and wood.

是他们让这些机器为我们工作，这些是工作在钢铁、玻璃和木材行业的优秀工人。

Here is the story of a boy who had proved that he had in him the making of a master workman.

下面的故事证明了这个男孩有成为工匠大师的素质。

Then came his final test, the test of faithfulness.

他的最后一个测试来临了，对忠诚的测试。

THE YOUNG HELPER

年轻的帮手

Tim Grogan, youngest helper in the shops, leaned against the hot shell of his Big Blower, and smiled proudly.

蒂姆·格罗根是工厂里最年轻的帮手，他倚靠着大型吹风机炽热的外壳，并骄傲地大笑着。

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The huge machine had been built for a company in India. There they were waiting for it to blow its thirty thousand cubic feet of air per minute through their blast furnaces.

这个巨型机器是为印度一家公司制作的，他们正在等待着吹风机可以通过鼓风炉每分钟烘干30立方英尺的空气。

And with every foot of it, thought Tim, would go something of himself;

蒂姆认为它烘干的每一英尺都有他的功劳；

their roaring fires would roar the harder because of him. For had he not worked eight months on her as an apprentice in the great machine works?

因为蒂姆，熊熊燃烧的火焰将更加猛烈，如果不是他这八个月作为学徒在机器车间工作？

Had he not known her when she was no more than a shapeless pile of bolts and ribs² and plates?

当时这个机器还是一堆没有形状的螺栓 ，肋材和薄板，如果不是他熟悉它？

He could remember how the overhead crane man had shouted He-e-eads up! as he had sailed down the length of the building with the first load of the parts dangling³ from his hook.

他还记得当时头顶上的起重机指挥者叫嚷着小心，起重机钩子上悬挂着第一批零件，将零件放在建筑上。

Yes, and the long weeks with wrench⁴ and other tools, so that every part in the whole machine was stamped upon his mind forever.

没错，几周以来利用扳手等其它工具，机器的所有零部件都永远地印在他的脑中。

The foreman had said, You're too young, kid. You'll never last on this job! Had he? Well, Tim would say that he had.

工头曾说你太年轻了，孩子，这个工作你不会做太久，真的吗？蒂姆告诉他他可以。

That bunch of steel and iron had grown under his own hand into this beautiful great cylinder⁵ that reached nearly to the roof of the shop,

这堆钢铁在他的手中变成了美丽的圆柱，高度几乎和工厂的烟囱比高，

and Tim had at least a dozen finger-prints on every piece of her.

机器的每一部分都留下了至少蒂姆的12枚指纹。

1 apprentice   

n.学徒，徒弟

参考例句：

• My son is an apprentice in a furniture maker's workshop.我的儿子在一家家具厂做学徒。
• The apprentice is not yet out of his time.这徒工还没有出徒。

2 ribs   

n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹

参考例句：

• He suffered cracked ribs and bruising. 他断了肋骨还有挫伤。
• Make a small incision below the ribs. 在肋骨下方切开一个小口。

3 dangling   

悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口

参考例句：

• The tooth hung dangling by the bedpost, now. 结果，那颗牙就晃来晃去吊在床柱上了。
• The children sat on the high wall,their legs dangling. 孩子们坐在一堵高墙上，摇晃着他们的双腿。

4 wrench   

v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受

参考例句：

• He gave a wrench to his ankle when he jumped down.他跳下去的时候扭伤了足踝。
• It was a wrench to leave the old home.离开这个老家非常痛苦。

5 cylinder   

n.圆筒，柱(面)，汽缸

参考例句：

• What's the volume of this cylinder?这个圆筒的体积有多少？
• The cylinder is getting too much gas and not enough air.汽缸里汽油太多而空气不足。