改变美国青少年人生的书籍 值得借鉴

 　　1. Little Women 1686

　　《小妇人》1868年

　　Outline

　　梗概

　　In picturesque¹ 19th-century New England of the US, the 4 March sisters - tomboyish Jo, beautiful Meg, fragile Beth, and romantic Amy - come of age while their father is off to war.

　　19世纪，在风景如画的美国新英格兰地区，父亲马奇去了战场，而家里的四个女儿——假小子乔、美丽的梅格、敏感的贝思以及浪漫主义的艾美——正当妙龄。

　　Comments

　　简评

　　小妇人.jpg

　　My copy of this is probably 55 years old - I've probably read it at least 25 times. This is a story of a family that functioned in a particular way in a particular time. - Reader Corrie

　　--我这本(《小妇人》)大概已有55年的历史了，我看过至少25遍。这本书讲述了一个家庭在特殊历史时期通过特殊方式生存下来的故事。——读者科里

　　This book is so great. It has characters every girl could ever relate to. - Reader Martha

　　--这本书棒极了。每个女孩都能在其中找到自己的影子。——读者玛莎

　　Classical fragments

　　经典片段

　　"Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled² Jo, lying on the rug. "It's so dreadful to be poor!" sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress. "I don't think it's fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all," added little Amy, with an injured sniff³. "We've got Father and Mother, and each other," said Beth contentedly⁴ from her corner.

　　--"没有礼物圣诞节怎么过？"乔躺在小地毯上咕哝。"贫穷真可怕！"梅格发出一声叹息，低头望着身上的旧衣服。"有些女孩拥有荣华富贵，有些却一无所有，我认为这不公平。"艾美鼻子轻轻一哼，难掩嫉妒之情。"但我们有父母姐妹，"坐在一角的贝思提出抗议。

　　"Right, Jo; better be happy old maids than unhappy wives, or unmaidenly girls, running about to find husbands," said Mrs March decidedly.

　　--"是的，乔。快乐的老处女胜过家庭怨妇，也胜过到处搜罗丈夫的不正经女人，"马奇夫人用坚定的口吻说道。

　　2. Harriet the Spy 1964

　　《小间谍哈里特》1964年

　　Outline

　　梗概

　　Harriet M. Welsch is a spy. In her notebook, she writes down everything she knows about everyone, even her classmates and her best friends. Then Harriet loses track of her notebook, and it ends up in the wrong hands. Before she can stop them, her friends have read the always truthful⁵, sometimes awful things she's written about each of them. Will Harriet find a way to put her life and her friendships back together?

　　哈里特·M·韦尔什是个间谍。她在日记里写下她所认识的所有人的所有事，同学、好朋友也不例外。有一天，哈里特把日记弄丢了，日记落在了最不该看到它的人手中。她还没来得及阻止，她的朋友们都读到了那些关于他们每个人的真实的、甚至糟糕的过往。哈里特能否将她的生活拉回正轨并跟朋友们重修于好？

　　Comments

　　简评

　　When I read "Harriet the Spy" in 5th grade, I was taken by Harriet's habit of wandering, observing and writing. - Reader Jamie

　　--5年级时第一次读到《小间谍哈里特》，就被哈里特爱幻想、善于观察和写作的特质深深吸引。——读者杰米

　　She has to rank competitively with the greatest literary characters of all time - so spunky, so misunderstood, so maligned⁶ by her peers. - Reader Griffin

　　--哈里特可以与任何时期最伟大的文学人物媲美——如此的朝气蓬勃，又遭遇了同龄人如此深切的误解和非议。——读者格里芬

　　Classical fragments

　　经典片段

　　[Harriet] hated math. She hated math with every bone in her body. She spent so much time hating it that she never had time to do it.

　　--哈里特讨厌数学。她身体里的每根骨头都讨厌数学。她花这么多时间讨厌数学以至于没时间学数学。

　　Sometimes you have to lie. But to yourself you must always tell the truth.

　　--人有时不得不撒谎。但对自己，一定要永远实话实说。

　　3. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy⁷ 1979

　　《银河系漫游指南》1979年

　　Outline

　　梗概

　　Join the book's hero, Arthur Dent⁸, as he travels the galaxy with his intrepid⁹ pal¹⁰ Ford¹¹ Prefect, getting into horrible messes and wreaking¹² hilarious¹³ havoc¹⁴. Dent is grabbed from Earth moments before a cosmic construction team obliterates¹⁵ the planet to build a freeway.

　　让我们加入本书主人公阿瑟·邓特的银河冒险，看他怎样跟勇敢的小伙伴福特·派法一起进入乱如麻的恐怖世界，引发一场令人捧腹的灾难。邓特被抛出地球之前，刚有一支宇宙施工队将地球消灭掉，准备在原处建一条高速路。

　　Comments

　　简评

　　You'll never read funnier science fiction. – Amazon.com

　　--再没有比这更搞笑的科幻小说了。——亚马逊网站

　　I think that one of the things that one has to keep in mind while reading this book is that it was written in 1979. - Reader Alejandro

　　--我觉得我们在读这本书时得时刻记住，这是一本写于1979年的书。——读者亚历杭德罗

　　Classical fragments

　　经典片段

　　"I don't want to die now!" he yelled. "I've still got a headache! I don't want to go to heaven with a headache!"

　　--"我现在不想死！"他大声喊道。"我的头疼还没好呢！我不想带着头疼上天堂！"

　　The President of the Universe holds no real power. His sole purpose is to take attention away from where the power truly exists.

　　--宇宙大总统手中没有实权。他唯一的目标就是把人们的注意力从实权人物那儿转移开。

　　"What do you get if you multiply six by nine?" "Six by nine. 42.""That's it. That's all there is." "I always thought something was fundamentally wrong with the universe."

　　--"6乘以9是多少？""6乘以9，42。""对，就这些了。""我总觉得关于宇宙好像哪里出现了根本性的问题。"

　　The ultimate answer to life, the universe and everything is...42!

　　--人生、宇宙和所有一切的终极奥秘就是——42！

　　4. Sirena 1998

　　《海妖悲歌》1998年

　　Outline

　　梗概

　　When mermaid¹⁶ Sirena and her sisters sing their siren songs to the sailors on their way to the Trojan War, the men crash their ships upon the rocks. There is one survivor¹⁷. Sirena defies the goddess Hera by tending his wounds and soon the two are deeply in love. But does Philoctetes love Sirena's song, or her soul? And will the pull of honor prove stronger than the bond of love?

　　船员们要去参加特洛伊战争，在航行途中遇到用歌声引诱他们的美人鱼赛丽娜和她的姐妹们，船员们应声触礁。只有一个幸存者。赛丽娜违背天后赫拉的旨意，照顾受伤船员，两人因此坠入爱河。菲罗克忒忒斯爱的到底是赛丽娜的歌声，还是她的灵魂？他能否挣脱情网去为荣誉而战？

　　Comments

　　简评

　　Rather than pandering¹⁸ to younger readers, she poured out a poignant¹⁹ tale with the most beautiful language. The lesson was also unforgettable: Don't change yourself for anyone. - Reader Ashley

　　--作者没有刻意迎合年轻读者，而是用最美的笔触纵情描绘出寓意深刻的故事。得出的教训同样令人难忘：不要为任何人改变自己。——读者阿什利

　　The story is lovely, but the ending is very sad. I recommend it to anyone of any age. - Reader Sookie

　　--很美的故事，但结局很悲情。推荐给所有年龄段的读者。——读者苏琪

　　Classical fragments

　　经典片段

　　I feel the stars. Each sparkle sets aflame the pain in my heart.

　　--我感觉到了星火。它的每一次闪耀都引燃我心中的情殇。

　　I want so much to sing, I tell myself no. But it is so hard to keep from singing.

　　--我渴望歌唱，我告诉自己不可以。但这种渴望难以抗拒。

　　5. The Chocolate War 1947

　　《巧克力战争》1974年

　　Outline

　　梗概

　　Jerry Renault ponders the question on the poster: Do I dare disturb the universe? Refusing to sell chocolates in the annual school fund-raiser may not seem like a radical²⁰ thing to do. But when Jerry challenges a secret school society called The Vigils, his defiant²¹ act turns into an all-out war.

　　杰瑞·雷诺思索着海报上的一行字：我敢不敢撼动这宇宙？在一年一度的校筹款会上，杰瑞拒绝贩卖巧克力的行为也许不算激进，但当他与学校里一个叫"守夜会"的秘密学社为敌时，他的抗争才真正演变成一场全面战争。

　　Comments

　　简评

　　It's a powerful lesson about standing²² by what you believe in, even if you must do so alone. - Reader Kat

　　--本书有力地说明了，要坚持你所信奉的，即使是一个人在战斗。——读者凯特

　　The world is evil and there's nothing you can do about it. Trying to fight against it is the most important thing you can do. - Robert Cormier, author of this book

　　--世界是险恶的，你无法改变这个现实。努力反抗才是你最重要的出路。——本书作者罗伯特·科米尔

　　Classical fragments

　　经典片段

　　He hated to think of his own life stretching ahead of him that way, a long succession of days and nights that were fine - not good, not bad, not great, not lousy, not exciting, not anything.

　　--他厌恶自己的生活以这种方式继续下去，漫长的还过得去的日日夜夜——不算好，不算坏，不算伟大，不算堕落，不算激动人心，什么都不算。

　　It doesn't matter how big the body, it's what you do with it.

　　--不在于你的块头有多大，而在于你怎样运用你的身体。

　　6. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret 1970

　　《上帝，你在吗？是我，玛格丽特》1970年

　　Outline

　　梗概

　　Margaret Simon, almost 12, has just moved from New York City to the suburbs, and she's anxious to fit in with her new friends. When she's asked to join a secret club she jumps at the chance. But when the girls start talking about boys, bras, Margaret starts to wonder if she's normal. There are some things about growing up that are hard for her to talk about, even with her friends. Lucky for Margaret, she's got someone else to confide²³ in.

　　玛格丽特·西蒙快12岁了，她的家刚从纽约市区搬到郊区。就在她为怎样融入新朋友中而发愁时，她获邀加入一个秘密俱乐部，她于是欣然接受。当俱乐部的女孩们都在谈论男同学、内衣等问题时，玛格丽特才发现自己知之甚少。关于成长，玛格丽特有一些疑问，即使是跟朋友也难以启齿。幸运的是，她找到了另外的倾诉对象。

　　Comments

　　简评

　　This is the ultimate book that every female, whatever her age, should read at least once. – Reader Crystal

　　这是一本所有女性(无论什么年龄)都该至少读一遍的终极指南。——读者克里斯特尔

　　Classical fragments

　　经典片段

　　Are you there God? It's me, Margaret. I just told my mother I want a bra. Please help me grow God.

　　--上帝，你在吗？是我，玛格丽特。我刚刚跟妈妈说了我想要个内衣。上帝，请帮忙让我长大吧。

1 picturesque   

adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的

参考例句：

• You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。
• That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。

2 grumbled   

抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声

参考例句：

• He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
• The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏，水手们边干活边发着牢骚。

3 sniff   

vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视

参考例句：

• The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
• When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候，他们会彼此嗅一会儿。

4 contentedly   

adv.心满意足地

参考例句：

• My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe.父亲坐着心满意足地抽着烟斗。
• "This is brother John's writing,"said Sally,contentedly,as she opened the letter.

5 truthful   

adj.真实的，说实话的，诚实的

参考例句：

• You can count on him for a truthful report of the accident.你放心，他会对事故作出如实的报告的。
• I don't think you are being entirely truthful.我认为你并没全讲真话。

6 maligned   

vt.污蔑，诽谤（malign的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• She feels she has been much maligned by the press. 她觉得她遭到了新闻界的恣意诽谤。
• We maligned him dreadfully when you come to think of it. 回头想想，我们狠狠地中伤了他。 来自辞典例句

7 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。

8 dent   

n.凹痕，凹坑；初步进展

参考例句：

• I don't know how it came about but I've got a dent in the rear of my car.我不知道是怎么回事，但我的汽车后部有了一个凹痕。
• That dent is not big enough to be worth hammering out.那个凹陷不大，用不着把它锤平。

9 intrepid   

adj.无畏的，刚毅的

参考例句：

• He is not really satisfied with his intrepid action.他没有真正满意他的无畏行动。
• John's intrepid personality made him a good choice for team leader.约翰勇敢的个性适合作领导工作。

10 pal   

n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友

参考例句：

• He is a pal of mine.他是我的一个朋友。
• Listen,pal,I don't want you talking to my sister any more.听着，小子，我不让你再和我妹妹说话了。

11 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

12 wreaking   

诉诸（武力），施行（暴力），发（脾气）( wreak的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Coal mining is a messy business, often wreaking terrible environmental damage nearby. 采矿是肮脏的行业，往往会严重破坏周边环境。
• The floods are wreaking havoc in low-lying areas. 洪水正在地势低洼地区肆虐。

13 hilarious   

adj.充满笑声的，欢闹的；[反]depressed

参考例句：

• The party got quite hilarious after they brought more wine.在他们又拿来更多的酒之后，派对变得更加热闹起来。
• We stop laughing because the show was so hilarious.我们笑个不停，因为那个节目太搞笑了。

14 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

15 obliterates   

v.除去( obliterate的第三人称单数 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭

参考例句：

• He obliterates her signature. 他擦掉了她的签名。 来自互联网
• A curtain is too heavy, too thick, and it obliterates every texture save its own. 但是帏幕太沉重，太厚密了，它抹去了一切纹理，只除了它自己的。 来自互联网

16 mermaid   

n.美人鱼

参考例句：

• How popular would that girl be with the only mermaid mom!和人鱼妈妈在一起，那个女孩会有多受欢迎！
• The little mermaid wasn't happy because she didn't want to wait.小美人鱼不太高兴，因为她等不及了。

17 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

18 pandering   

v.迎合（他人的低级趣味或淫欲）( pander的现在分词 )；纵容某人；迁就某事物

参考例句：

• This magazine is criticized for pandering to the vulgar taste of some readers. 这家杂志因迎合某些读者的低级趣味而遭到批评。 来自辞典例句
• We're four points up there; we don't need to get hit for pandering. 我们在那儿领先四个百分点；我们不必为了迎合一些选民而遭受批评。 来自电影对白

19 poignant   

adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的

参考例句：

• His lyrics are as acerbic and poignant as they ever have been.他的歌词一如既往的犀利辛辣。
• It is especially poignant that he died on the day before his wedding.他在婚礼前一天去世了，这尤其令人悲恸。

20 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

21 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

22 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。

23 confide   

v.向某人吐露秘密

参考例句：

• I would never readily confide in anybody.我从不轻易向人吐露秘密。
• He is going to confide the secrets of his heart to us.他将向我们吐露他心里的秘密。