原版英文故事与诗歌：The Golden Boys

The Golden 1 Boysby Chris RoseEvery August. Every August for twelve years. Every August for twelve years we went to the same small town on holiday. Every August for twelve years we went to the same beach. Every August for twelve years my parents rented 4 the same small house in the same small town near the same beach, so every morning of every August for twelve years I woke 5 up and walked down to the same beach and sat 6 under the same umbrella or on the same towel in front of the same sea.

There was 7 a small café on the beach where we sat every day, and everyday 9 Mr Morelli in the café said 10 “Good morning!” to my parents, and then always patted 11 me on the head like a dog. Every day we walked down to our red and white umbrella, every day my father sat on his deckchair and read the newspaper then went to sleep, every day my mother went for a swim in the sea and then went to sleep. Every lunchtime 12 we ate 13 the same cheese sandwiches which my mother made 14, and then every afternoon we went up to the café and ate an ice cream 15 while 16 my parents talked to Mr Morelli about the weather. Every summer for twelve years I sat there and read books and sometimes played volleyball with some of the other boys and girls who were there, but I never made any friends.

It was so boring 17.

Every August for twelve years the same family sat next to us. They were called the Hamiltons. We had 18 a red and white umbrella, they had a green one. Every morning my parents said “Good morning!” to Mr and Mrs Hamilton, and Mr and Mrs Hamilton said “Good morning!” to my parents. Sometimes they talked about the weather.

Mr and Mrs Hamilton had two sons. Richard was the same age as 8 me, and his brother Philip was two years older than me. Richard and Philip were both taller than me. Richard and Philip were very friendly 19, and both very handsome 20. They were much friendlier 21 and more handsome than me. They made friends with everyone, and organised the games of volleyball on the beach or swimming races in the sea with the other children. They always won 23 the games of volleyball and the swimming races. My parents liked Richard and Philip a lot. “Why can’t you be more like Richard and Philip?” they said to me. “Look at them! They make friends with everyone! They are polite 24, good boys! You just sit here reading 25 books and doing nothing!”

I, of course 26, hated 27 them.

Richard and Philip, Richard and Philip, Richard and Philip – it was all I ever 2 heard from my parents every August for twelve years. Richard and Philip were perfect 28. Everything about them was better than anything about me. Even 29 their green beach umbrella was better than our red and white one.

I was sixteen years old the last summer we went there. Perfect Richard and perfect Philip came 30 to the beach one day and said that they were going 31 to have a barbecue 32 at lunchtime. They were going to cook for everyone! “Forget your cheese sandwiches”, they laughed, “Come and have some hamburgers or barbecue chicken with us! We’re going to cook!”

My parents, of course, thought 33 this was wonderful. “Look at how good Richard and Philip are! They’re going to do a barbecue and they’ve invited 34 everybody 35! You couldn’t organise 22 a barbecue!”

Every summer for twelve years, on the other side 37 of my family, sat Mrs Moffat. Mrs Moffat was a very large woman who came to the same beach every summer for twelve years on her own 3. Nobody 38 knew if she had a husband 39 or a family, but my parents said that she was very rich. Mrs Moffat always came to the beach wearing a large hat, a pair of sunglasses 40 and a gold necklace 41. She always carried a big bag with her. She never went swimming, but sat under her umbrella reading magazines 42 until 43 lunchtime when she went home.

Richard and Philip, of course, also invited Mrs Moffat to their barbecue.

Richard and Philip’s barbecue was, of course, a great success 44. About twenty people came and Richard and Philip cooked lots of hamburgers and chicken and made a big salad and brought 45 big pieces of watermelon and everyone laughed and joked 46 and told Mr and Mrs Hamilton how wonderful their sons were. I ate one hamburger and didn’t talk to anybody 47. After a while, I left, and made sure that nobody saw 48 me leave.

Mrs Moffat ate three plates of chicken and two hamburgers. After that she said she was very tired and was going to go and have a sleep. She walked over to her umbrella and sat down on her deckchair and went to sleep. When she woke up later 49, everybody on the beach was surprised 50 to hear her screaming 51 and shouting.

“My bag!!!! My bag!!!” she shouted. “It’s gone!!! It’s GONE!!!” Everybody on the beach ran 52 over to Mrs Moffat to see what the problem 53 was. “Someone has taken my bag!!!” she screamed 54, “Someone has stolen 55 my bag!!!”

“Impossible!” said everybody else. “This is a very safe, friendly beach! There are no thieves 56 here!” But it was true 57. Mrs Moffat’s big bag wasn’t there anymore 58.

Nobody had seen 59 any strangers 60 on the beach during 61 the barbecue, so they thought that Mrs Moffat had perhaps 62 taken her bag somewhere 63 and forgotten it. Mr Morelli from the café organised a search 65 of the beach. Everybody looked everywhere for Mrs Moffat’s big bag.

Eventually 66, they found 67 it. My father saw it hidden 68 in the sand under a deckchair. A green deckchair. Richard and Philip’s deckchair. My father took 69 it and gave 70 it back to Mrs Moffat. Everybody looked at Richard and Philip. Richard and Philip, the golden boys, stood 71 there looking surprised. Of course, they didn’t know what to say.

Mrs Moffat looked in her bag. She started screaming again. Her purse 72 with her money in it wasn’t in the big bag. “My purse!” she shouted, “My purse has gone! Those boys have stolen it! They organised a barbecue so they could 36 steal 73 my purse!”

Everybody tried to explain 74 to Mrs Moffat that this couldn’t possibly be true, but Mrs Moffat called the police 75. The police arrived and asked golden Richard and golden Philip lots of questions. Richard and Philip couldn’t answer the questions. Eventually, they all got 64 into a police car and drove 76 away to the police station.

I sat there, pretending 77 to read my book and trying to hide 78 a big, fat purse under the sand on the beach.

That was the last summer we went to the beach. My parents never talked about Richard and Philip again.

THE END