新视野大学英语 读写教程第二册 unit5-c

Section C

What Is in Larry's Mind?

The day my son Larry started kindergarten（幼儿园） he gave up trousers with bibs（围嘴）and began wearing blue jeans with a belt. I watched him go off the first morning with the older girl next door, seeing clearly that a stage of my life was ended. My nursery-school（托儿所）child with the sweet voice was replaced with a confident character in long trousers, who forgot to stop at the corner and wave good-bye to me.
He came home the same way, the front door flying open, his cap on the floor, and the voice, suddenly rough, shouting, "Isn't anybody here?"
At lunch he spoke¹ impolitely（不礼貌地）to his father, spilled his baby sister's milk, and remarked that his teacher said we were not to take the name of the Lord in vain（滥用上帝的名义）.
"How was school today?" I asked, acting² very casual.
"All right," he said.
"Did you learn anything?" his father asked.
Larry regarded his father coldly. "I didn't learn nothing," he said.
"Anything." I said. "Didn't learn anything."
"The teacher spanked³（打）a boy, though." Larry said, while eating his bread and butter. "For being fresh," he added, with his mouth full.
"What did he do?" I asked. "Who was it?"
Larry thought. "It was Charles," he said. "He was fresh. The teacher spanked him and made him stand in a corner. He was awfully（非常）fresh."
"What did he do?" I asked again, but Larry slid off his chair, took a cookie（饼干）, and left, while his father was still saying. "See here, young man."
The third day — it was Wednesday of the first week — Charles banged a see-saw （翘翘板）on to the head of a little girl and made her bleed, and the teacher made him stay inside all during morning break. Thursday Charles had to stand in a corner during story-time because he kept pounding his feet on the floor. Friday Charles could not use the blackboard because he threw chalk.
On Friday of that week things were back to normal. "You know what Charles did today?" Larry demanded at the dinner table, in a voice slightly amazed. "He told a little girl to say a word and she said it and the teacher washed her mouth out with soap and Charles laughed."
"What word?" his father asked unwisely, and Larry said, "I'll have to whisper it to you; it's so bad." He got down off his chair and went around to his father. His father bent⁴ his head down and Larry whispered joyfully⁵. His father's eyes grew larger.
"Did Charles tell the little girl to say that?" he asked in a serious tone⁶.
"She said it twice," Larry said. "Charles told her to say it twice."
"What happened to Charles?" my husband asked.
"Nothing," Larry said. "He was passing out the crayons（蜡笔）."
Monday morning Charles forgot about the little girl and said the bad word himself three or four times, getting his mouth washed out with soap each time. He also threw chalk.
Then it was the first Parent-Teachers meeting, and I wanted very much to meet Charles's mother.
My husband came to the door with me that evening as I set out for the P.T.A. meeting. "Invite her over for a cup of tea after the meeting," he said. "I want to get a look at her."
"If only she's there," I said in hope.
"She'll be there," my husband said. "I don't see how they could hold a P.T.A. meeting without Charles's mother."
At the meeting I sat restlessly, scanning⁷ each comfortable mother's face, trying to determine which one hid the secret of Charles. None of them looked stressed enough to me. No one stood up in the meeting and apologized for the way her son had been acting. No one mentioned Charles.
After the meeting I identified and sought out Larry's kindergarten teacher. She had a plate with a cup of tea and a piece of cake; I had a plate with a cup of tea and a piece of cake. We were cautious⁸ as we moved toward one another, and smiled.
"I've been so anxious to meet you," I said. "I'm Larry's mother."
"We're all so interested in Larry," she said.
"Well, he certainly likes kindergarten," I said. "He talks about it all the time."
"We had a little trouble adjusting, the first week or so," she said rigidly⁹, "but now he's a fine little helper. With occasional mistakes, of course."
"Larry usually adjusts very quickly," I said. "I suppose this time it's Charles's influence."
"Charles?"
"Yes," I said, laughing, "you must have your hands full in that kindergarten with Charles."
"Charles?" she said. "We don't have any Charles in the kindergarten."

1 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。

2 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

3 spanked   

v.用手掌打( spank的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• We spanked along in his new car. 我们坐在他的新车里兜风。 来自辞典例句
• The nurse spanked the naughty child. 保育员打了一下那个淘气的孩子的屁股。 来自辞典例句

4 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

5 joyfully   

adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地

参考例句：

• She tripped along joyfully as if treading on air. 她高兴地走着，脚底下轻飘飘的。
• During these first weeks she slaved joyfully. 在最初的几周里，她干得很高兴。

6 tone   

n.语气，音调，气度，色调；vt.（up）增强

参考例句：

• There was a tone of mockery in his voice.他说话的语气含有嘲笑的意味。
• Holmes used an informal,chatty tone in his essays.霍姆斯在文章中语气轻松随便。

7 scanning   

v.扫描

参考例句：

• He turns the bicycle about scanning the hand brakes. 他把一辆自行车转过来转过去，仔细研究那手刹车。 来自辞典例句
• Scanning was first used in the transmission of pictures by telegraph. 最先应用扫描法是用电报传播图像。 来自辞典例句

8 cautious   

adj.十分小心的，谨慎的

参考例句：

• We should not only be bold,but also be cautious.我们不仅要大胆，而且要谨慎。
• He was cautious about his work.他对工作非常谨慎。

9 rigidly   

adv.刻板地，僵化地

参考例句：

• Life today is rigidly compartmentalized into work and leisure. 当今的生活被严格划分为工作和休闲两部分。
• The curriculum is rigidly prescribed from an early age. 自儿童时起即已开始有严格的课程设置。