評(píng)論
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1. There is a story many years ago of an elementary teacher. Her name was Mrs. Thompson. And as she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. But that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy.
1.這是很多年前一位小學(xué)老師的故事。她叫湯普森夫人。開(kāi)學(xué)的第一天（on the very first day of school），當(dāng)她站在五年級(jí)教室前面時(shí)，她向孩子們?nèi)隽藗€(gè)謊。像大多數(shù)老師一樣，她看著同學(xué)們說(shuō)她同樣地愛(ài)他們。但那是不可能的，因?yàn)榫驮诘谝慌牛樽谝巫永锏模且粋€(gè)叫特迪的小男孩。
2. Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn't play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. And Teddy could be unpleasant.
2.湯普森夫人去年(the year before)就觀察過(guò)特迪，注意到(noticed引導(dǎo)3個(gè)that從句)他和其他孩子相處（play with）得不好，他的衣服又臟又亂，人也經(jīng)常是（constantly）需要洗澡的樣子，并且特迪可能會(huì)讓人感到討厭。
3. At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.
3.在湯普森夫人任教的學(xué)校，她必須查看一下每個(gè)孩子過(guò)去的記錄，她一直等到最后才看特迪的。然而，看他的檔案(file)時(shí)，她著實(shí)感到吃驚（she was in for a surprise）。
4. Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners...he is a joy to be around."
4.特迪一年級(jí)的老師寫(xiě)道：“特迪是一個(gè)愛(ài)笑的聰明孩子(a bright child with a ready laugh)，作業(yè)寫(xiě)得很整潔，又懂禮貌(has good manners)……他給周圍的人帶來(lái)了歡樂(lè)。”
5. His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well-liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."
5.他二年級(jí)的老師寫(xiě)的是：“特迪是一個(gè)優(yōu)秀的學(xué)生，他的同學(xué)都很喜歡他，但他有些麻煩，因?yàn)樗赣H的病到了晚期，家里生活肯定有些困難。”
6. His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best but his father doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."
6.他三年級(jí)的老師寫(xiě)道：“他母親的死對(duì)他打擊很大(be hard on sb.)，他盡力做好(do one’s best)，但他父親對(duì)他不夠關(guān)心，如果不采取一些措施的話，他的家庭生活很快就會(huì)影響(affect)到他。”
7. Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and sometimes sleeps in class."
7.特迪四年級(jí)的老師寫(xiě)的是：“特迪性格獨(dú)癖，對(duì)學(xué)習(xí)不感興趣。他朋友很少，有時(shí)還在班里睡覺(jué)。”
8. By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing and a bottle that was one quarter full of perfume. She stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.
8.到現(xiàn)在為止(by now)，湯普森夫人才意識(shí)到了問(wèn)題所在，她為自己感到羞愧(she was ashamed of herself.)。當(dāng)學(xué)生們?yōu)樗龓?lái)那些圣誕禮物時(shí)，這種感覺(jué)更加強(qiáng)烈(even worse)了，禮物都用漂亮的絲帶和彩紙包裝著(wrap in)，除了特迪的。他的禮物包裝顯得很笨拙（clumsily），粗質(zhì)的褐色包裝紙(the heavy, brown paper)也是來(lái)自于食品袋子。在一堆其他人的禮物中間，湯普森夫人耐心地(take pains)打開(kāi)了它，她看到里面有一個(gè)人造鉆石手鐲(a rhinestone bracelet)，其中一些石子已經(jīng)遺失了，還有一瓶只剩下四分之一的香水(one quarter full of perfume)。有些孩子笑了起來(lái)，她制止住孩子們的笑聲，驚呼這個(gè)鐲子是多么漂亮，她帶上了它，并灑了些香水在手腕上。
9. Teddy stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to." After the children left she cried for at least an hour.
9.那天放學(xué)后，特迪呆了很長(zhǎng)時(shí)間，只說(shuō)了一句：“湯普森夫人，今天你身上的香水味就像我媽媽過(guò)去一樣。”在孩子們都離開(kāi)后，她哭了不下一個(gè)小時(shí)。
10. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, and writing, and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children.
10.就在那一天，她放棄了教閱讀、寫(xiě)作和算術(shù)。相反，她開(kāi)始教育孩子們。
11. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children same, Teddy became one of her "teacher's pets."
11.湯普森夫人特別關(guān)注特迪。和她在一塊的時(shí)候，他的頭腦好像又活躍起來(lái)了。她越是鼓勵(lì)他，他的反應(yīng)越快。到這一年結(jié)束時(shí)(by the end of the year)，特迪已經(jīng)成為這個(gè)班里最聰明的學(xué)生之一，盡管她曾撒謊會(huì)同樣愛(ài)所有的學(xué)生，特迪卻成為她“最喜歡的學(xué)生”之一。
12. A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.
12.一年以后，她在她門縫下發(fā)現(xiàn)一個(gè)短箋，是特迪寫(xiě)的，告訴她，她仍是他一生中最好的老師。
13. Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, second in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.
13.六年后，她又收到來(lái)自特迪的另一張短箋，說(shuō)他以班級(jí)第二的成績(jī)從高中畢業(yè)了，她仍是他一生中最好的老師。
14. Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had in his whole life.
14.又過(guò)了四年，她收到另一封信，里面說(shuō)盡管(while)不時(shí)遇到困難，他還會(huì)呆在學(xué)校里，繼續(xù)完成學(xué)業(yè)(stick with 繼續(xù)做)，而且很快他就會(huì)以優(yōu)秀的成績(jī)(with the highest of honors)從大學(xué)畢業(yè)了。他向湯普森夫人保證說(shuō)，她仍然是他一生中最好的也是他最喜歡的老師。
15. Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer. The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoller, M.D.
15.又一個(gè)四年過(guò)去了，他又寫(xiě)來(lái)一封信，這次他解釋說(shuō)，在獲得學(xué)士學(xué)位后，他決定繼續(xù)深造，信里還解釋說(shuō)她還是他最好的、最喜歡的老師，但是這時(shí)他的署名有些長(zhǎng)了。署名的地方寫(xiě)著：醫(yī)學(xué)博士(M. D. 即Medicinae Doctor)西奧多·F·斯托勒。
16. The story doesn't end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he'd met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in the place at the wedding that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom.
16.故事并沒(méi)有這樣結(jié)束。你瞧，那個(gè)春天還有一封信呢。特迪說(shuō)他遇到了一位女孩，并且馬上要結(jié)婚了。他解釋說(shuō)他父親幾年前去世了，想知道湯普森夫人是否愿意在婚禮上坐在新郎母親的位置上。
17. Of course, Mrs. Thompson, did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. And she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.
17.當(dāng)然，湯普森夫人去了。你猜怎么著？她戴著那個(gè)手鐲，就是遺失了幾顆石子的那一個(gè)。而且她特意用了特迪上次和她過(guò)圣誕節(jié)時(shí)(on their last Christmas together)送給(remember 偏意：vt. 送錢[禮物]給…)她的他媽媽以前用過(guò)的香水。
18. They hugged each other, and Teddy whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you, Mrs. Thompson, for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."
18.他們相互擁抱，特迪在湯普森夫人耳邊輕輕地說(shuō)：“湯普森夫人，謝謝你信任我。非常感謝你讓我覺(jué)得自己很重要，而且使我覺(jué)得我能夠變得不同。”
19. Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."
19.喊著淚水，湯普森夫人也輕輕地對(duì)他說(shuō)：“特迪，你弄錯(cuò)了，是你讓我知道我能夠改變，直到遇到你我才知道怎么教學(xué)。”
