評論
打印
"These samplers were nearly always saved, and now we are very glad to own one of them.
這些繡樣幾乎都會存下來，現在我們也很高興能夠擁有一件。
We even put samplers up on the wall, like pictures, for people to see.
我們甚至可以把繡樣像畫一樣掛在墻上，供人們觀賞。
You must take good care of this, Mary.
瑪麗，你一定要保管好這個繡樣。
Not many little girls have one of them."
沒有多少小女孩能有像這樣的一件繡樣。
"Is it really three hundred years old?" asked Peter.
它真有300年的歷史嗎，彼得問道。
"Yes," said Mother. "Here is the year, 1631, sewed in it, and here are the alphabet and the name 'Polly.' But the bright colors have faded."
是的，母親說，這里是年份，1631年，就繡在上面，這里是字母和名字，波利。但它的光澤已經褪去了。
"It must have been hard to sew all those letters," Mary said.
繡這些字母一定不容易，瑪麗說。
"Girls and boys did many hard things long ago," answered Mother,
很久以前男孩和女孩會去做許多困難的事情，媽媽回答說，
"There was so much work to be done in this new country that children helped all they could.
這個剛建立不久的國家有好多好多的工作要做，所有的孩子都要盡全部所能來幫忙。
Polly learned to sew, spin, knit, and make her own clothes. She also helped to do the cooking and to take care of the house."
波利學會了繡花、紡織、針織，還會給自己做衣服，她還要幫忙做飯、收拾屋子。
"What did the boys do in 1631?" asked Peter.
那1631年的時候，男孩子們在做什么呢？
"Polly's brother helped his father take care of the farm animals," answered Mother.
彼得問道。波利的哥哥要幫著他的爸爸照看農場的牲口，媽媽回答說。
"He picked berries,weeded the garden, and cut wood for the big fireplace.
他要采摘漿果，給花園鋤草，還要為大壁爐去砍些柴火。
In those days there were no stoves, and Polly and her mother had to do their cooking in pans and in big pots hanging over the fire in the fireplace."
在那個年代沒有爐子，波利和她的媽媽必須用平底鍋和吊掛在壁爐上的大罐子來做飯。
"Didn't the children go to school?" asked Peter.
孩子們不上學嗎？彼得問。
"Yes,"said Mother, "They went to a small log schoolhouse, where the children sat on benches.
他們上學啊，媽媽說，他們會去一間小木屋，坐在長凳上上課。
They had to sit there a long time, too, for school began at eight o'clock in the morning.
孩子們要等很長時間，早上8點鐘才開始上課。
The boys and girls went home to dinner at eleven o'clock and came back at one.
11點鐘的時候回家吃飯，下午1點鐘再過去上課。
Then they stayed in school until four."
接下來他們會在學校一直待到下午4點鐘。
"They must have got tired," said Mary.
他們一定很累，瑪麗說。
"I'm sure they did," said Mother.
我覺得也是，媽媽說。
