英语小达人 259 Disappointment

 　　Disappointment

　　失望

　　Little Johnny ran into the kitchen crying and cradling something in both hands.

　　小约翰尼哭着跑进厨房，两只手里捧着什么东西。

　　"Mommy, my turtle is dead," Little Johnny told his mother as he held the turtle out to her.

　　“妈妈，我的小乌龟死了，”小约翰尼把手伸到妈妈跟前说道。

　　His mother kissed him on the head, then said, "That's all right. We'll wrap him in tissue paper, put him in a little box, then have a nice burial ceremony in the backyard. After that, we'll go out for an ice cream soda¹, and then get you a new pet. I don't want you..."

　　妈妈吻了他的额头，说：“这样吧，我们用纸巾把它包起来，放在一个小盒子里，然后在后院为它举行葬礼。之后，我带你去吃冰激凌苏打水，再给你买一只宠物。我不想让你……”

　　Her voice trailed off as she noticed the turtle move in his hands.

　　突然她发现乌龟在小约翰尼的手里动了，她的声音低了下来。

　　"Johnny, your turtle is not dead after all."

　　“约翰尼，你的乌龟还没有死呢。”

　　"Oh," Little Johnny said, "Can I kill it?"

　　“啊，”小约翰尼说，“那么我能把它弄死吗？”

　　重点讲解：

　　1. cradle sth. in hands.

　　轻轻抱着（或捧着）某物；

　　eg. Shukria with finely pencilled eyebrows², gazing into the distance, cradling a pen in her hand.

　　眉毛描得非常漂亮的苏克瑞亚注视着前方，手里还拿着一支钢笔。

　　eg. Brooks³ stands on a chair, poised⁴ at the bars of a window, cradling Jake in his hands.

　　布鲁克斯站在一把椅子上，在窗口的栅栏前踌躇，手里搂着杰克。

　　2. trail off

　　（声音）逐渐减弱，越来越小；

　　eg. 'But he had no reason. He of all men...' Kate's voice trailed off.

　　“但是他没有任何理由。在所有人当中…” 凯特的声音越来越轻。

　　eg. The scene before him dimmed out and his words trailed off.

　　他眼前的景象变得模糊起来，而他的话音也渐渐低下来。

　　3. notice sb. do sth.

　　注意到某人做某事；

　　eg. The writer was so absorbed in her work that she didn't notice him enter the room.

　　那个作家专心致志地工作，她都没有听到他进屋的声音。

　　eg. I did not notice him do it in very much the same way.

　　我未注意他用完全相同的方法做这件事。

1 soda   

n.苏打水；汽水

参考例句：

• She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
• I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。

2 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

3 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。