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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
They divorced two years after they moved in and sold the house.” “Posh house.” “My family is posh. They’re very weird1 about it, too.” “Brothers and sisters?” “Mark is twenty-two and finishing pre-law at Harvard. Alicia is seventeen and a senior in high school. She’s a cellist2.” I detect affection for the sister and a certain flatness for the brother. “You aren’t too fond of your brother?” “Mark is just like Dad. They both like to win, talk you down until you submit.” “You know, I always envy people with siblings3, even if they don’t like them all that much,” “You’re an only child?” “Yep. I thought you knew everything about me?” “Actually I know everything and nothing. I know how you look without clothes, but until this afternoon I didn’t know your last name. I knew you lived in Chicago, but I know nothing about your family except that your mom died in a car crash when you were six. I know you know a lot about art and speak fluent French and German; I had no idea you were a librarian. You made it impossible for me to find you in the present; you said it would just happen when it was supposed to happen, and here we are.” “Here we are,” I agree. “Well, my family isn’t posh; they’re musicians. My father is Richard DeTamble and my mother was Annette Lyn Robinson.” “Oh—the singer!” “Right. And he’s a violinist. He plays for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. But he never really made it the way she did. It’s a shame because my father is a marvelous violin player. After Mom died he was just treading water.” The check arrives. Neither of us has eaten very much, but I at least am not interested in food right now. Clare picks up her purse and I shake my head at her. I pay; we leave the restaurant and stand on Clark Street in the fine autumn night. Clare is wearing an elaborate blue knitted thing and a fur scarf; I have forgotten to bring an overcoat so I’m shivering. Uh oh. “I live about two blocks from here, but my place is tiny and really messy right now.
她继续紧握着我的手，带着渴望和爱意看着我，可我又是何德何能呢？
"克莱尔？"
"什么事？"
"我们能从头来过么？假装成一对普通男女普通的初次约会那样？"
"好呀。"克莱尔起身，坐回到她那边去。她直直地坐着，忍着不笑出来。
"嗯，对，就这样。呃，克莱尔，呃，谈谈你吧，有什么爱好？养什么宠物？有没有特别的性倾向？"
"你自己提问发掘啊。"
"好吧。让我想想……你在哪儿读书？学什么专业？"
"我是艺术学院的学生，主修雕塑，最近开始学造纸。"
"真酷。有什么样的作品呢？"
克莱尔第一次露出坐立不安的神情，"就像……很大的……是关于鸟的。"她盯着桌子，低头呷了口茶。
"鸟？"
"呃，其实是关于，呃，向往。"她依旧没看我，我决定换个话题。
"多说说你家里人吧。"
"好的，"克莱尔放松了，又笑了，"我的家，在密歇根州，在一个叫南黑文的湖边小镇上。我们家的房子，实际上，在小镇的外围，它最早是属于我外公和密格朗外婆的，外公在我出生前就去世了，后来外婆一直和我们过，她去世那年我十七岁。我的外公是个律师，我爸爸也是律师，我爸爸到我外公那儿工作时，认识了我妈妈。"
"他娶了老板的女儿。"
"是的。我妈妈是独生女，事实上我有时会想，他真正娶到手的是否是他老板的房子。这幢房子很漂亮，很多有关工艺美术运动的书上都记载着它。"
"这房子有名字吗？谁建造的呢？"
"他们都管它叫草坪云雀屋，是彼得·文斯在一八九六年时建造的。"
"哦！我见过那幢房子的照片，它是为亨德森的某个家族分支建造的，对么？"
"是的。那是送给玛丽·亨德森和戴尔特·巴斯康伯的结婚礼物，可他们俩搬进去住了两年就离婚了，然后变卖了房子。"
"豪宅啊。"
"我们家也算是名门望族了，但他们也觉得这房子很不一般。"
"你的兄弟姐妹呢？"
"马克二十二岁，就要读完哈佛法学院的预修课程了。爱丽西亚今年十七岁，在读高三，她是个大提琴手。"我察觉到她对妹妹很有感情，对哥哥则是一般。"你不是特别喜欢你哥哥？"
"马克就像爸爸，他们两人都很争强好胜，常常要说到你认输为止。"
"知道么，我一直很羡慕别人有兄弟姐妹，哪怕关系不怎么好。"
"你是独生子么？"
"是呀，我以为你对我什么都知道呢！"
"其实我知道你的一切，也对你一无所知。我知道你不穿衣服的样子，可是直到今天下午，我都不知道你的姓。我知道你住在芝加哥，可是除了知道你妈妈在你六岁时因为一场车祸而过世外，我对你们家的其他情况完全不了解。我知道你很懂艺术，能说一口流利的法语和德语，可我一点也不知道你在图书馆工作。你让我很难在现实的世界中找到你，你只说事情在该发生的时候就会发生，然后我们就相遇了。"
"是，我们相遇了，"我同意她的说法，"我么，我们家不是名门望族。他们是音乐家。我爸爸叫理查·德坦布尔，我妈妈叫安尼特·林·罗宾逊。"
"哦，那个歌唱家！"
"是的。我爸爸在芝加哥交响乐团里拉小提琴，可他一直没能像我妈妈那么出名，但他确实是个非常了不起的小提琴家，挺遗憾的。我母亲去世后，他只是偶尔参加了些表演。"这时，账单来了。我们两人吃得都不多，不过我已经对食物没什么兴趣了。克莱尔取出钱包，我朝她直摇头，我付了钱。离开餐馆，我们俩站立在秋夜晴爽的克拉克街上。克莱尔穿了一件精美的蓝色针织衫，戴了一条毛皮围巾；我出门时忘了带大衣，冷得直哆嗦。
"你住在哪？"克莱尔问我。
哦，别。"我住的地方离这里两条马路，不过那儿很小，现在那里乱七八糟的。
收听单词发音 |
1
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
参考例句： |
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2
cellist
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| n.大提琴手 | |
参考例句： |
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3
siblings
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| n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
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