温馨夜读 PART3 07 The Wooden Bowl 一只木碗
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[00:00.76]The Wooden Bowl 一只木碗
[00:05.89]A frail 1 old man went to live with his son,
[00:09.74]daughter-in-law, and a four-year old grandson.
[00:12.90]The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred 2, and his step faltered 3.
[00:19.90]The family ate together nightly at the dinner table.
[00:23.29]But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands
[00:27.07]and failing sight made eating rather difficult.
[00:30.07]Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor.
[00:33.68]When he grasped the glass often milk spilled on the tablecloth 4.
[00:38.61]The son and daughter-in-law became irritated 5 with the mess.
[00:42.98]So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner.
[00:47.14]There, grandfather ate alone
[00:49.94]while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner at the dinner table.
[00:53.49]Since grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.
[01:00.71]Sometimes when the family glanced in grandfather’s direction,
[01:05.29]he had a tear in his eye as he ate alone.
[01:08.80]Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions
[01:13.72]when he dropped a fork or spilled food.
[01:16.57]The four-year-old son watched it all in silence.
[01:20.40]One evening before supper,
[01:23.13]the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps 6 on the floor.
[01:27.62]He asked the child sweetly,“What are you making?”
[01:32.11]Just as sweetly, the boy responded,
[01:35.74]“Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and mama
[01:40.08]to eat your food from when I grow up.”
[01:42.50]The four-year-old son smiled and went back to work.
[01:46.44]The words so struck the parents that they were speechless.
[01:50.27]Then tears started to stream down their cheeks.
[01:54.10]Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.
[01:58.58]That evening the husband took grandfather’s hand
[02:02.64]and gently led him back to the family table.
[02:05.48]For the remainder 7 of his days he ate every meal with the family.
[02:10.54]And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer
[02:15.45]when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.
[02:20.71]Children are remarkably 8 perceptive 9.
[02:23.45]Their eyes always observe, their ears always listen,
[02:28.97]and their minds always process the messages they absorb.
[02:33.62]If they see us patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for family members,
[02:38.87]they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives.
[02:42.70]The wise parent realizes that every day is being laid for the child’s future.
[02:49.27]Let us all be wise builders and role models.
[02:52.99]Take care of yourself ... and those you love ... today, and everyday!
- Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了，身体虚弱，不便独居。
- She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上，看上去特别虚弱。
- She suffered from dizziness and blurred vision. 她饱受头晕目眩之苦。
- Their lazy, blurred voices fell pleasantly on his ears. 他们那种慢吞吞、含糊不清的声音在他听起来却很悦耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He faltered out a few words. 他支吾地说出了几句。
- "Er - but he has such a longhead!" the man faltered. 他不好意思似的嚅嗫着：“这孩子脑袋真长。”
- He sat there ruminating and picking at the tablecloth.他坐在那儿沉思，轻轻地抚弄着桌布。
- She smoothed down a wrinkled tablecloth.她把起皱的桌布熨平了。
- His little affectations irritated her. 他的装腔作势令她不快。
- Her genteel accent irritated me. 她那矫揉造作的腔调使我感到难受。
- Don't litter up the floor with scraps of paper. 不要在地板上乱扔纸屑。
- A patchwork quilt is a good way of using up scraps of material. 做杂拼花布棉被是利用零碎布料的好办法。
- They joined up with us to spend the remainder of the holiday.他们来跟我们一起共度余下的假期。
- He spent the remainder of his years in Japan.他在日本度过了余生。
- I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
- He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。
- This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
- He is very perceptive and nothing can be hidden from him.他耳聪目明，什么事都很难瞒住他。