高中英语美文赏读系列---第六辑讲义

26 Mom's Hands
Night after night,she came to tuck me in, even long after my childhood years. Following her longstanding custom, she'd lean down and push my long hair out of the way,then kiss my forehead.
I don't remember when it first started annoying me—her hands pushing my hair that way.But it did annoy me, for they felt work-worn and rough against my young skin. Finally, one night, I shouted out at her,“Don't do that anymore—your hands are too rough!”She didn't say anything in reply.But never again did my mother close out my day with that familiar expression of her love.
Time after time, with the passing years, my thoughts returned to that night.By then I missed my mother's hands, missed her goodnight kiss on my forehead. Sometimes the incident seemed very close, sometimes far away. But always it lurked, in the back of my mind.
Well, the years have passed, and I'm not a little girl anymore. Mom is in her mid-seventies, and those hands I once thought to be so rough are still doing things for me and my family. She's been our doctor, reaching into a medicine cabinet for the remedy to calm a young girl's stomach or soothe the boy's scraped knee.She cooks the best fried chicken in the world...gets stains out of blue jeans like I never could...
Now,my own children are grown and gone. Mom no longer has Dad,
and on special occasions, I find myself drawn next door to spend the night with her. So it was late on Thanksgiving Eve, as I slept in the bedroom of my youth, a familiar hand hesitantly run
across my face to brush the hair from my forehead. Then a kiss,ever so gently, touched my brow.
In my memory, for the thousandth time, I recalled the night my young voice complained,“Don't do that anymore —your hands are too rough!”Catching Mom's hand in hand,I blurted out how sorry I was for that night. I thought she'd remember,as I did. But Mom didn't know what I was talking about.She had forgotten—and forgiven—long ago.
That night,I fell asleep with a new appreciation for my gentle mother and her caring hands.And the guilt that I had carried around for so long was nowhere to be found.
Words and Expressions
tuck me in为我掖好被子(使我安睡)
longstanding adj.长时间的；长期存在的
work-worn adj.由于工作而破旧的
lurk vi.潜伏，埋伏，潜
cabinet n.橱，陈列柜
soothe vt.安慰，抚慰；减轻痛苦
scrape v.擦伤
stain n.污点
blurt v.突然说出，脱口而出
Read the following sentence and make your own: (But) never again did my mother close out my day with that familiar expression of her love.
Never again
Read and recite the following sentences:
(1) Sometimes the incident seemed very close, sometimes far away. But always it lurked, in the back of my mind.
(2) In my memory, for the thousandth time, I recalled the night my young voice complained,“Don't do that anymore—your hands are too rough!"
(3) That night, I fell asleep with a new appreciation for my gentle mother and her caring hands. And the guilt that I had carried around for so long was nowhere to be found.
Now try and write the sentences out here:
(1) Sometimes the incident ,sometimes
But always it lurked,
(2) In my memory, ,“Don't do
that anymore—your hands are too rough!"
(3) That night, I fell asleep with.
And the guilt that I had carried around for so long was.
Which sentence(s) do you like most? Write it (or them) out here:
参考译文
母亲的手
母亲总是在我入睡之后，为我掖好被子，然后俯下身子，轻轻拨开覆在我脸上的长发，亲吻我的前额。

日复一日，母亲一直保持着这个习惯，即使我已
不再是小孩子了，这一切却依然故我。

不知从什么时候开始，母亲的这种习惯渐渐让我感到不悦——我不喜欢她那双布满老茧的手就这样划过我细嫩的皮肤。

终于，在一个夜晚，我忍不住冲她吼了起来：“你不要再这样了，你的手好粗糙！”母亲无言以对。

但从此却再没有用这种我熟悉的表达爱的方式来为我的一天画上句号。

日子一天天过去，随着时间的流逝，我却总是不由得想起那一夜。

我开始想念母亲的那双手，想念她印在我前额上的“晚安”。

这种渴望忽远忽近，但始终潜藏在我心灵深处的某个角落。

若干年后，我成熟了，已不再是个小女孩了。

母亲也已到了古稀之年，可她却始终没有停止过操劳，用她那双曾经被我视为“粗糙”的手为我和我的家庭做着力所能及的事情。

她是我们的家庭医生，小姑娘胃痛时，她会从药箱里找出胃药来，小男孩擦伤了膝盖时，她会去安抚他的伤痛。

她能做出世界上最好吃的炸鸡，能把蓝色牛仔裤上的污渍除去得毫无痕迹··...·
现在，我自己的孩子也已长大，有了自己的生活，母亲却没有了父亲的陪伴。

有一次，恰好是感恩节前夜，我决定就睡在母亲旁边的
卧室里，陪她度过这一夜。

这是我儿时的卧室，一切都是那么的熟悉，还有一只熟悉的手犹豫着从我的脸上掠过，梳理着我前额的头发，然后，一个吻，带着一如往日的温柔，轻轻落在了我的额头。

在我的记忆里，曾几千次再现那晚的情景和我那稚嫩的抱怨声：“你不要再这样了，你的手好粗糙！”我一把抓住母亲的手，一股脑说出我对那一晚深深的愧疚。

我想，她一定和我一样，对那晚的事历历在目。

然而，母亲却不知我在说些什么——她早忘了，早已原谅我了。

那天晚上，我带着对母亲新的感激安然入睡，我感激她的温柔，和她那呵护的双手。

多年来压在我心头的负罪感也随之烟消云散。

27 Love Is a Two-way Street
A father sat at his desk poring over his monthly bills when his young son rushed in and announced,“Dad,because this is your birthday and you're 55 years old, I'm going to give you 55 kisses, one for each year!" When the boy started making good on his word,the father exclaime d, “Oh, Andrew,don't do it now;I'm too busy!”
The youngster immediately fell silent as tears welled up in his big blue eyes. Apologetically the father said, “You can finish later.”
The boy said nothing but quietly walked away, disappointment written over h is face. That evening the father said, “Come and finish the kisses now, Andrew!"But the boy didn't respond.
Unfortunately, a few days later after this incident, the boy had an
accident and was drowned. His heartbroken father wrote...
“If only I could tell him how much I regret my thoughtless words, and could be assured that he knows how much my heart is aching.”
...Love is a two-way street. Any loving act must be warmly accepted or it will be taken as rejection and can leave a scar.If we are too busy to give and receive love, we are too busy! Nothing is more important than responding with love to the cry for love from those who are near and precious to us, because...there may be no chance at all as in the case of the little boy...
Words and Expressions
pore v.认真研读
make good on one's word实现某人的话
exclaim v.(由于强烈的情感或痛苦而)呼喊，惊叫，大声说
well up 涌出，涌现
apologetically adv.道歉地
aching adj.痛的，疼痛的，心痛的
scar n.伤痕，伤疤；精神上的创伤
in the case of在··……的情况下，就……来说，就……而言
Read the following sentence and make your own sentence:
If only I could tell him how much I regret my thoughtless words, and could be assured that he knows how much my heart is aching.
If only I could_
Read and recite the following sentences:
(1) The youngster immediately fell silent as tears welled up in his big blue eyes.
(2 The boy said nothing but quietly walked away, disappointment written over his face.
(3) Nothing is more important than responding with love to the cry for love from those who are near and precious to us.
Now write the sentence out here:
(1) The youngster immediately. _as tears_
(2) The boy said nothing but
disappointment.
(3) Nothing is more important than.
to the cry for love from those.
Which sentence(s) do you like most? Write it (or them) out here:
参考译文
爱，是一条双行道
父亲坐在办公桌旁，正盯着那些堆积了一个月来的账单，这时，他的小儿子冲了过来，大声宣布：“爸爸，因为今天是你五十五岁的生日，我想给你五十五个吻，一年一个！”当男孩正要兑现诺言时，他爸爸大声说道：“哦，安德鲁，现在不行，我太忙了！”
小男孩马上不吭声了，蓝色的大眼睛里涌满了泪水。

父亲深表歉意地说：“过会有空再亲吧。

”
男孩什么也没说，只是静静地走开了，失望的表情溢于言表。

那天晚上，父亲说：“来吧安德鲁，现在可以亲了！”但是，孩子却没有做出回应。

不幸的是，这件事刚过去几天之后，小男孩就不幸溺水身亡。

伤心欲绝的爸爸写道：“如果我早告诉他，对于那些无心的话我是多么后悔，他一定会明白我的心有多么痛。

”
……爱，是一条双行道。

对于爱的表示一定要热心地接受，否则对方会以为你拒绝了，从而留下一道伤痕。

如果我们忙得连给予和接受爱的时间都没有，那未免也忙得太过分了！对于那些在我们身边，对我们弥足珍贵的人，用爱去回应他们爱的渴望，这再重要不过了！因为······如果发生像小男孩这样的情况，即使后悔也没有机会了。

28 My Mother Taught Me
My mother taught me to appreciate a job well done:
“If you're going to kill each other,do it outside.I just finished cleaning!"
My mother taught me religion:
“You better pray that will come out of the carpet.”My mother taught me about time travel:
“If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"
My mother taught me logic:
“Because I said so,that's why.”
My mother taught me foresight:
“Be sure you wear clean underwear in case you're in an accident.”
My mother taught me about contortion:
“Will you look at the dirt on the back of your neck!”
My mother taught me about stamina:
“You'll sit there till all that spinach is finished.”My mother taught me about weather:
“It looks as if a tornado swept through your room.”
My mother taught me how to solve physics problems:
“If I yelled because I saw a meteor co ming toward you, would you listen then?”
My mother taught me about envy:
“There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do!”
Words and Expressions
logic n.逻辑(学)，逻辑性
foresight n.预见，先见之明；深谋远虑
contortion n.扭曲，弄歪；歪曲
stamina n.体力，耐力，持久力
spinach n.菠菜
tornado n.龙卷风；旋风
What did your mother teach you?
My mother taught me
My mother taught me about.
My mother taught me to.
My mother taught me how to_
My mother taught me that
Which sentence(s) do you like most? Write it (or them) out here:
参考译文
母亲教我的
母亲教我如何珍惜他人辛苦劳动：
“如果你们要打架，到外边打去——我刚整理好房间！”
母亲教我什么是宗教：
“你最好祈祷那个东西能从地毯下冒出来。

”母亲教我什么是时间旅行：
“你要是不改，我把你一把推到下周三！”(意为：不让过周末。

) 母亲教我什么是逻辑：
“为什么？因为我就是这么说的！”
母亲教我什么是远见：
“一定要穿干净内衣，以防万一你遇到事故。

”母亲教我什么是柔体杂技：
“你能不能看看你脖子后面的泥！”。