英语听力 暮光之城•暮色 第22期:打开的书(3)

 I checked the clock. I still had an hour, but my mom was well known for jumping the gun. 我看了一下钟。还有一小时的时间，可我妈"提前抢跑"那是出了名的。

Mom, Calm down. I'm writing right now. Do not do anything rash. Bella. 妈：您冷静冷静。我这就写。别做任何鲁莽的事情。贝拉。

I sent that, and began again. 把这个发了，我接着又开始写。

Mom, Everything is great. 妈：一切都很好。

Of course it's raining. 当然在下雨喽。

I was waiting for something to write about. 我在等可写的东西呀。

School is not bad, just a little repetitive. 学校还不错，就是课程上有点重复。

I met some nice kids who sit by me at lunch. 我认识了几个很不错的同学，他们吃午饭都坐在我旁边。

Your blouse is at the dry cleaners—you were supposed to pick it up Friday. 您的衬衣在干洗店里——应该星期五去取。

Charlie bought me a truck, can you believe it? 查理给我买了一辆卡车，您能相信吗？

I love it. It's old, but really sturdy, which is good, you know, for me. 我很喜欢。是辆旧车，不过真的很结实，您知道，对我而言这是辆适合我的好车。

I miss you, too. 我也想您。

I'll write again soon, but I'm not going to check my e mail every five minutes. 我会很快再给您写信的，但是我不会每5分钟查一次电子邮件的。

Relax, breathe. 深呼吸，放轻松。

I love you. Bella. 我爱您。贝拉。

I had decided¹ to read Wuthering Heights—the novel we were currently studying in English—yet again for the fun of it, 我决定读《呼啸山庄》——我们目前英语课正在学这本小说——不过也是为了轻松一下，

and that's what I was doing when Charlie came home. 查理回家时我正好在读。

I'd lost track of the time, and I hurried downstairs to take the potatoes out and put the steak in to broil². 我把时间给忘了，于是赶紧下楼把土豆取了出来，把牛排放了进去。

"Bella?" my father called out when he heard me on the stairs. "是贝拉吗？"我父亲听见我下楼时喊了一声。

Who else? I thought to myself. 还能是谁呀？我心里想道。

"Hey, Dad, welcome home." "Thanks." He hung up his gun belt and stepped out of his boots as I bustled³ about the kitchen. "嘿，爸，欢迎回家。" "谢谢。"我在厨房里忙活的时候，他把佩枪皮带挂起来了，也脱掉了靴子。

As far as I was aware, he'd never shot the gun on the job. But he kept it ready. 就我所知，他出警时还从未开过枪。不过，枪还都是上了膛的。

When I came here as a child, he would always remove the bullets as soon as he walked in the door. 小时候我来他这里的时候，他总是一进门就把子弹给卸了。

I guess he considered me old enough now not to shoot myself by accident, and not depressed⁴ enough to shoot myself on purpose. 我猜想，他觉得现在我已经够大了，不至于玩枪走火发生意外，也没有抑郁到自杀的程度。

"What's for dinner?" he asked warily⁵. "晚饭吃什么？"他警惕地问道。

My mother was an imaginative cook, and her experiments were not always edible⁶. 我母亲是个想象力丰富的厨子，而她试出来的饭菜并不总是容易下咽的。

I was surprised, and sad, that he seemed to remember that far back. 我感到惊讶，也感到难过，都这么长时间了，他似乎对此还记忆犹新。

"Steak and potatoes," I answered, and he looked relieved. "土豆加牛排，"我回答说，他看上去宽心了。

He seemed to feel awkward standing⁷ in the kitchen doing nothing; he lumbered⁸ into the living room to watch TV while I worked. 他似乎觉得什么也不做，就那么傻站在厨房里，看着我忙前忙后有些不好意思，于是笨重地到起居室看电视去了。

We were both more comfortable that way. 这样，我们都更自在。

I made a salad while the steaks cooked, and set the table. 烤牛排的时候，我拌了一碗沙拉，摆好了桌子。

I called him in when dinner was ready, and he sniffed⁹ appreciatively as he walked into the room. 饭做好以后，我叫他进来，进来的时候，他拿鼻子闻了闻，看来很欣赏的样子。

"Smells good, Bell." "Thanks." "很香嘛，贝拉。" "谢谢。"

We ate in silence for a few minutes. It was not uncomfortable. 我们默默地吃了几分钟，没有觉得不自在。

Neither of us was bothered by the quiet. 我们谁都不会因为安静而心烦。

In some ways, we were well suited for living together. 从某些方面来说，我们很适合住在一起。

"So, how did you like school? Have you made any friends?" he asked as he was taking seconds. "哦，对了，你觉得学校怎样？交到了朋友没有？"他添菜的时候问道。

"Well, I have a few classes with a girl named Jessica. I sit with her friends at lunch. "噢，我和一个叫杰西卡的女孩有几门课同班。我和她的朋友们一块儿吃的午饭。

And there's this boy, Mike, who's very friendly. Everybody seems pretty nice. "With one outstanding exception. 还有一个男生，迈克，很友好。每个人似乎都非常不错。"只有一个，特别例外。

"That must be Mike Newton. Nice kid? nice family. His dad owns the sporting goods store just outside of town. "肯定是迈克·牛顿。不错的孩子——家庭也不错。他爸爸开有一家体育用品商店，就在城外。

He makes a good living off all the backpackers who come through here." 靠着那些过往的背着背包徒步旅行的人，他可挣了不少钱啦。"

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 broil   

v.烤，烧，争吵，怒骂；n.烤，烧，争吵，怒骂

参考例句：

• Bake,broil,grill or roast foods rather than fry them.烧烤或烘烤而不要油炸食物。
• He is in a broil of indignation.此刻他正怒气冲冲。

3 bustled   

闹哄哄地忙乱，奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 )； 催促

参考例句：

• She bustled around in the kitchen. 她在厨房里忙得团团转。
• The hostress bustled about with an assumption of authority. 女主人摆出一副权威的样子忙来忙去。

4 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

5 warily   

adv.留心地

参考例句：

• He looked warily around him,pretending to look after Carrie.他小心地看了一下四周，假装是在照顾嘉莉。
• They were heading warily to a point in the enemy line.他们正小心翼翼地向着敌人封锁线的某一处前进。

6 edible   

n.食品，食物；adj.可食用的

参考例句：

• Edible wild herbs kept us from dying of starvation.我们靠着野菜才没被饿死。
• This kind of mushroom is edible,but that kind is not.这种蘑菇吃得，那种吃不得。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 lumbered   

砍伐（lumber的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• A rhinoceros lumbered towards them. 一头犀牛笨重地向他们走来。
• A heavy truck lumbered by. 一辆重型卡车隆隆驶过。

9 sniffed   

v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》