評論
打印
Amy was a dear little girl, but she was too apt to waste time in getting ready to do her tasks, instead of doing them at once as she ought.
艾米是個可愛的小姑娘，可是她太容易把時間浪費在準備做事的過程中，而不是有應該做的事情就馬上去做。
In the village in which she lived, Mr. Thornton kept a store where he sold fruit of all kinds, including berries in their season.
在她住的村子里，桑頓先生開了一家店，店里出售各種各樣的水果，包括各個時令的漿果。
One day he said to Amy, whose parents were quite poor, "Would you like to earn some money?"
有一天他對父母窮困的艾米說：“你想不想賺一些錢？”
"Oh, yes," replied she, "for I want some new shoes, and papa has no money to buy them with."
“噢，想的，”她回答說，“因為我想買雙新鞋子，可是爸爸沒有錢給我買。”
"Well, Amy," said Mr. Thorhton, "I noticed some fine, ripe black berries in Mr. Green's pasture today, and he said that anybody was welcome to them."
“那好，艾米，”桑頓先生說，“今天我看到格林先生的牧場里有些漂亮的黑莓成熟了，他說歡迎任何人去采摘。”
I will pay you thirteen cents a quart for all you will pick for me.
你去幫我摘回來，每一夸脫我將付給你一角三分錢。
Amy was delighted at the thought of earning some money; so she ran home to get a basket, intending to go immediately to pick the berries.
想到可以賺錢，艾米很高興。于是她跑回家去拿籃子，打算立即就去采摘黑莓。
Then she thought she would like to know how much money she would get if she picked five quarts.
然后，她想知道如果她能采摘到五夸脫黑莓的話，將會賺到多少錢。
With the help of her slate and pencil, she found out that she would get sixty-five cents.
用鉛筆在石板上算了一陣，她算出來那將會是六角五分。
"But supposing I should pick a dozen quarts," thought she, "how much should I earn then?"
“可要是我能摘到12夸脫呢，”她又想，“那我又該賺到多少錢呢？”
"Dear me," she said, after figuring a while, "I should earn a dollar and fifty-six cents."
“哎呀，”算了一會兒以后，她說，“我將會賺到一美元五角六分。”
Amy then found out what Mr. Thornton would pay her for fifty, a hundred, and two hundred quarts.
接著艾米又算出了如果她采摘到50夸脫、100夸脫甚至200夸脫黑莓的話，桑頓先生分別該付給她多少錢。
It took her sometime to do this, and then it was so near dinner time that she had to stay at home until afternoon.
這花掉了她不少的時間，這時已經快到午飯時間了，所以她不得不留在家里，直到下午。
As soon as dinner was over, she took her basket and hurried to the pasture.
吃完午飯，艾米拿起籃子，急忙到牧場去。
Some boys had been there before dinner, and all the ripe berries were picked.
有些男孩子午飯前就已經在那里了，所有成熟了的黑莓都被摘走了。
She could not find enough to fill a quart measure.
她能找到的還不夠一夸脫的分量。
As Amy went home, she thought of what her teacher had often told her—"Do your task at once; then think about it," for"one doer is worth a hundred dreamers."
在回家的路上，艾米想起了老師經常對她說的話——“立刻去做應該做的事，然后再去思考，”因為，“一個實干者抵得上一百個夢想家。”
