Who Was Helen Keller 海伦·凯勒 Chapter 3 Helen Teaches Herself

Even in her dark world, Helen had happy times. She loved to be outdoors. She’d feel her way carefully along the walls of the house. Helen loved to touch all the plants that grew around the house. She smelled the flowers. Soon she could tell plants apart by their feel and smell. This was how she got information.

Helen learned to do simple chores. She folded the clean clothes. She knew which clothes were hers. She also learned that when her mother put on her coat, she was going out. Helen tugged¹ at her coat to go, too.

But for Helen everyday mishaps² could turn into dangerous accidents. Once Helen spilled some water on her apron³. She wanted it to dry. So she held her apron near the fireplace⁴. She did not know how close she was to the fire. Her apron burst into flames. Quickly, her nurse used a blanket to put out the fire. It burned only Helen’s fingers slightly and singed⁵ her hair. Helen had been very lucky.

As she grew older, Helen developed a sense of mischief⁶. She liked to play tricks. One day, Helen found some keys. She knew that keys locked doors. Her mother was in the pantry getting something, and Helen was right outside. Helen took the keys and locked her mother in the pantry. Her mother pounded on the door. She yelled⁷ to be let out. Helen sat on the porch⁸ where she could feel the vibrations⁹ of her mother’s pounding. Helen sat there and smiled. Mrs. Keller was locked in the pantry for three hours.

Helen and a young servant named Martha Washington often played together. Martha was a few years older than Helen. But Helen was the bossier of the two. One day, they were cutting out paper dolls on the porch. Helen soon grew tired of this. So she cut off all the flowers growing on vines near the porch. Still bored, Helen decided¹⁰ to cut Martha’s hair. Martha said no at first, but then gave in. Few people said no to Helen. So Martha’s hair soon lay at her feet. And, then, because she felt that it was only fair, Helen let Martha cut her own long, golden hair. Helen’s mother was not happy with either child.

Helen’s other friend was the family dog, Belle¹¹. Helen tried to teach the dog her signs. But the dog would just sleep or run off after a bird. Helen could not understand why Belle was such a poor student.

And so Helen passed her days.

Then, when Helen was five, her sister Mildred was born. Suddenly Helen’s world changed. Someone else needed her mother’s love. Someone else sat in her mother’s lap. Helen became jealous of the baby who seemed to be taking her mother away.

One day, Helen discovered her baby sister sleeping in her doll’s cradle¹². Helen grew very angry. Before anyone else could stop her, Helen pushed over the cradle. Mildred tumbled¹³ out. Luckily, Mrs. Keller caught Mildred before she hit the floor. Now, Mrs. Keller realized that Helen was not only a danger to herself. She was a danger to others. If Helen’s mother could not control Helen who was still a young girl, what would happen when Helen got older? Helen had to change.

The Kellers took Helen to another doctor in Baltimore, Maryland. The doctor was an eye specialist. Again the Kellers heard the same words. There was nothing the doctor could do for Helen. But the doctor did tell Captain Keller about Alexander Graham Bell who lived in nearby Washington, D.C. Bell, who had invented the telephone in 1876, was also a former teacher of the deaf. Perhaps Bell might know someone to help Helen.

For the first time in a very long while, the Kellers felt a little bit of hope.

1 tugged   

v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。
• A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 mishaps   

n.轻微的事故，小的意外( mishap的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a series of mishaps 一连串的倒霉事
• In spite of one or two minor mishaps everything was going swimmingly. 尽管遇到了一两件小小的不幸，一切都进行得很顺利。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 apron   

n.围裙；工作裙

参考例句：

• We were waited on by a pretty girl in a pink apron.招待我们的是一位穿粉红色围裙的漂亮姑娘。
• She stitched a pocket on the new apron.她在新围裙上缝上一只口袋。

4 fireplace   

n.壁炉，炉灶

参考例句：

• The fireplace smokes badly.这壁炉冒烟太多。
• I think we should wall up the fireplace.我想应该封住壁炉。

5 singed   

v.浅表烧焦( singe的过去式和过去分词 )；（毛发）燎，烧焦尖端[边儿]

参考例句：

• He singed his hair as he tried to light his cigarette. 他点烟时把头发给燎了。
• The cook singed the chicken to remove the fine hairs. 厨师把鸡燎一下，以便去掉细毛。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 mischief   

n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹

参考例句：

• Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。
• He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。

7 yelled   

v.叫喊，号叫，叫着说( yell的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He yelled at the other driver. 他冲着另一位司机大叫。
• The lost man yelled, hoping someone in the woods would hear him. 迷路的人大声喊着，希望林子里的人会听见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 porch   

n.门廊，入口处，走廊，游廊

参考例句：

• There are thousands of pages of advertising on our porch.有成千上万页广告堆在我们的门廊上。
• The porch is supported by six immense pillars.门廊由六根大柱子支撑着。

9 vibrations   

n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 )；震动；感受；（偏离平衡位置的）一次性往复振动

参考例句：

• We could feel the vibrations from the trucks passing outside. 我们可以感到外面卡车经过时的颤动。
• I am drawn to that girl; I get good vibrations from her. 我被那女孩吸引住了，她使我产生良好的感觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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。

11 belle   

n.靓女

参考例句：

• She was the belle of her Sunday School class.在主日学校她是她们班的班花。
• She was the belle of the ball.她是那个舞会中的美女。

12 cradle   

n.摇篮，策源地，支船架；vt.把...放在摇篮里

参考例句：

• The baby was rocked to sleep in a cradle.婴儿在摇篮里被摇得睡着了。
• Tokyo was the cradle of Japanese culture.东京是日本文化的发源地。

13 tumbled   

v.倒塌( tumble的过去式和过去分词 )；翻滚；突然摔倒；恍然大悟

参考例句：

• He slipped and tumbled down the stairs. 他脚一滑滚下了楼梯。
• A hundred and fifty empty bottles tumbled onto the floor. 150个空瓶子滚落到地板上。 来自《简明英汉词典》