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Life was combat, and victory was not to the lazy, the timid, the drugstore cowboy, the mush-mouth afraid to tell people exactly what was on his mind. She ran.
生活是一場戰斗，而勝利不屬于那些懶漢、膽小鬼和游手好閑的人，也不屬于那些唯唯諾諾、不敢直言的人。母親的一生都在驚碌奔波中度過。
But now the running was over. For a time I could not accept the inevitable. As I sat by her bed, my impulse was to argue her back to reality. On my first visit to the hospital in Baltimore, she asked who I was.
如今她不再忙碌了，一時間我竟不能接受這個無法逃避的事實。當我坐在她床邊時，總是有種想把她喚回現實的沖動。在我第一次去巴爾的摩醫院探望她時，她問我是誰。
Russell, I said.
“我是拉塞爾?！蔽艺f。
Russell's way out west, she advised me.
“拉塞爾去西部了。”她提醒我說。
No, I'm right here.
“不，我就在這里?！?/div>
Guess where I came from today? was her response.
她卻回應道，“猜猜看今天我從哪兒來？”
Where?
“哪里？”
All the way from New Jersey.
“從新澤西來。”
No. You've been in the hospital for three days, I insisted.
“不對。你已經在醫院待了三天了。”我堅持說。
So it went until a doctor came by to give one of those oral quizzes that medical men apply in such cases. She failed completely, giving wrong answers or none at all. Then a surprise.
我們的談話就這樣持續到醫生進來時才結束，他來對母親進行常規的問診。對于醫生的問診，她回答得一塌糊涂，要么答錯，要么根本不答。接下來發生的事情卻出人意料。
When is your birthday? he asked.
“您的生日是哪一天？”醫生問道。
November 5, 1897, she said. Correct. Absolutely correct.
“1897年11月5日?！彼f。正確，完全正確。
How do you remember that? the doctor asked.
“您是怎么記得的？”醫生又問。
Because I was born on Guy Fawkes Day.
“因為我是在蓋伊·?？怂辜o念日出生的?！?/div>
Guy Fawkes? asked the doctor, "Who is Guy Fawkes?"
“蓋伊·?？怂梗俊贬t生問道，“誰是蓋伊·?？怂?？”
She replied with a rhyme I had heard her recite time and again over the years:
她以一首歌謠回答了醫生。這些年來我聽她反復地吟唱過好多遍這首歌謠：
"Please to remember the Fifth of November, gunpowder treason and plot. I see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot."
“請將11月5日銘記于心，火藥陰謀粉碎于那日。我有充分的理由認為絕不應該忘掉那場火藥陰謀。”
| 重點單詞 | 查看全部解釋 | |||
| response | [ri'spɔns] |
想一想再看 n. 回答，響應，反應，答復 |
聯想記憶 | |
| inevitable | [in'evitəbl] |
想一想再看 adj. 不可避免的，必然(發生)的 |
||
| treason | ['tri:zn] |
想一想再看 n. 叛逆，通敵，背叛，叛國罪 |
||
| absolutely | ['æbsəlu:tli] |
想一想再看 adv. 絕對地，完全地;獨立地 |
||
| combat | ['kɔmbət] |
想一想再看 n. 爭斗，戰斗 |
聯想記憶 | |
| impulse | ['impʌls] |
想一想再看 n. 沖動，驅動力，傾向，心血來潮 |
聯想記憶 | |
| plot | [plɔt] |
想一想再看 n. 陰謀，情節，圖，(小塊)土地， |
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| timid | ['timid] |
想一想再看 adj. 膽怯的，害羞的 |
聯想記憶 | |
| recite | [ri'sait] |
想一想再看 vt. 背誦，逐一例舉，敘述或回答問題 |
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| rhyme | [raim] |
想一想再看 n. 韻，押韻，韻文 vt. 押韻，用韻詩表達 vi. |
