雙語閱讀（2021年4月15日）

Chapter 4 Burdens

`Oh， dear， how hard it does seem to take up our packs and jog on，‘ sighed Meg， the morning after the party； for， now the holidays were over， the week of merry-making did not fit her for going on easily with the task she never liked。

`I wish it was Christmas or New Year all the time； wouldn’t it be fun？‘ answered Jo， yawning dismally。

`We shouldn’t enjoy ourselves half so much as we do now。 But it does seem so nice to have little suppers and bouquets， and go to parties， and drive home， and read and rest， and not work。 It‘s like other people， you know， and I always envy girls who do such things； I’m so fond of luxury，‘ said Meg， trying to decide which of two shabby gowns was the least shabby。

`Well， we can’t have it， so don‘t let us grumble， but shoulder our bundles and trudge along as cheerfully as Marmee does。

`I’m sure Aunt March is a regular Old Man of the Sea to me， but I suppose when I‘ve learnt to carry her without complaining， she will tumble off， or get so light that I shan’t mind her。‘ This idea tickled Jo’s fancy， and put her in good spirits； but Meg didn‘t brighten， for her burden， consisting of four spoilt children， seemed heavier than ever。 She hadn’t heart enough even to make herself pretty， as usual， by putting on a blue neck-ribbon， and dressing her hair in the most becoming way。

`Where‘s the use of looking nice， when no one sees me but those cross midgets， and no one cares whether I’m pretty or not？‘ she muttered， shutting her drawer with a jerk。 `I shall have to toil and moil all my days， with only little bits of fun now and then， and get old and ugly and sour， because I’m poor， and can‘t enjoy my life as other girls do。 It’s a shame！‘

So Meg went down， wearing an injured look， and wasn’t at all agreeable at breakfast-time。 Everyone seemed rather out of sorts， and inclined to croak。 Beth had a headache， and lay on the sofa， trying to comfort herself with the cat and three kittens； Amy was fretting because her lessons were not learned， and she couldn‘t find her rubbers； Jo would whistle and make a great racket getting ready； Mrs。 March was very busy trying to finish a letter which must go at once； and Hannah had the grumps， for being up late didn’t suit her。

`There never was such a cross family！‘ cried Jo， losing her temper when she had upset an inkstand， broken both bootlacings， and sat down upon her hat。

`You’re the crossest person in it！‘ returned Amy， washing out the sum， that was all wrong， with the tears that had fallen on her slate。

`Beth， if you don’t keep these horrid cats down cellar I‘ll have them drowned，’ exclaimed Meg， angrily， as she tried to get rid of the kitten， which had scrambled up her back， and stuck like a burr just out of reach。

Jo laughed， Meg scolded， Beth implored， and Amy wailed， because she couldn‘t remember how much nine times twelve was。

`Girls， girls， do be quiet one minute！ I must get this off by the early mail， and you drive me distracted with your worry，’ cried Mrs。 March， crossing out the third spoilt sentence in her letter。

There was a momentary lull， broken by Hannah， who stalked in， laid two hot turnovers on the table， and stalked out again。 These turnovers were an institution； and the girls called them `muffs‘， for they had no others， and found the hot pies very comforting to their hands on cold mornings。 Hannah never forgot to make them， no matter how busy or grumpy she might be， for the walk was long and bleak； the poor things got no other lunch， and were seldom home before two。

`Cuddle your cats， and get over your headache， Bethy。 Good-bye， Marmee； we are a set of rascals this morning， but we’ll come home regular angels。 Now then， Meg！‘ and Jo tramped away， feeling that the pilgrims were not setting out as they ought to do。

They always looked back before turning the corner， for their mother was always at the window， to nod and smile， and wave her hand to them。 Somehow it seemed as if they couldn’t have got through the day without that； for， whatever their mood might be， the last glimpse of that motherly face was sure to affect them like sunshine。

`If Marmee shook her fist instead of kissing her hand to us， it would serve us right， for more ungrateful wretches than we are were never seen，‘ cried Jo， taking a remorseful satisfaction in the snowy walk and bitter wind。

`Don’t use such dreadful expressions，‘ said Meg， from the depths of the veil in which she had shrouded herself like a nun sick of the world。

`I like good strong words that mean something，’ replied Jo， catching her hat as it took a leap off her head， preparatory to flying away altogether。

`Call yourself any names you like； but I am neither a rascal nor a wretch， and I don‘t choose to be called so。’

`You‘re a blighted being， and decidedly cross today， because you can’t sit in the lap of luxury all the time。 Poor dear， just wait till I make my fortune， and you shall revel in carriage and ice-cream and high-heeled slippers and posies carriages and red-headed boys to chat with。‘

`How ridiculous you are， Jo！’ but Meg laughed at the nonsense， and felt better in spite of herself。

`Lucky for you I am； for if I put on crushed airs， and tried to be dismal， as you do， we should be in a nice state。 Thank goodness， I can always find something funny to keep me up。 Don‘t croak any more but come home jolly， there’s a dear。‘

Jo gave her sister an encouraging pat on the shoulder as they parted for the day， each going a different way， each hugging her little warm turnover， and each trying to be cheerful in spite of wintry weather， hard work， and the unsatisfied desires of pleasure-loving youth。

When Mr。 March lost his property in trying to help an unfortunate friend， the two oldest girls begged to be allowed to do something towards their own support， at least。 Believing that they could not begin too early to cultivate energy， industry， and independence， their parents consented， and both fell to work with the hearty goodwill which， in spite of all obstacles， is sure to succeed at last。 Margaret found a place as nursery governess， and felt rich with her small salary。 As she said， she was `fond of luxury’， and her chief trouble was poverty。 She found it harder to bear than the others， because she could remember a time when home was beautiful， life full of ease and pleasure， and want of any kind unknown。 She tried not to be envious or discontented but it was very natural that the young girl should long for pretty things， gay friends， accomplishments， and a happy life。 At the Kings‘ she daily saw all she wanted， for the children’s older sisters were just out， and Meg caught frequent glimpses of dainty party-dresses and bouquets， heard lively gossip about theatres， concerts， sleighing parties， and merry-makings of all kinds， and saw money lavished on trifles which would have been so precious to her。 Poor Meg seldom complained， but a sense of injustice made her feel bitter towards everyone sometimes， for she had not yet learned to know how rich she was in the blessings41 which alone can make life happy。

Jo happened to suit Aunt March， who was lame， and needed an active person to wait upon her。 The childless old lady had offered to adopt one of the girls when the troubles came， and was much offended because her offer was declined。 Other friends told the Marches that they had lost all chance of being remembered in the rich old lady‘s will； but the unworldly Marches only said：

`We can’t give up our girls for a dozen fortunes。 Rich or poor， we will keep together and be happy in one another。‘

The old lady wouldn’t speak to them for a time， but， happening to meet Jo at a friend‘s， something in her comical face and blunt manners struck the old lady’s fancy， and she proposed to take her for a companion。 This did not suit Jo at all； but she accepted the place since nothing better appeared， and， to everyone‘s surprise， got on remarkably well with her irascible relative。 There was an occasional tempest， and once Jo had marched home， declaring she couldn’t bear it any longer； but Aunt March always cleared up quickly， and sent for her back again with such urgency that she could not refuse， for in her heart she rather liked the peppery old lady。

I suspect that the real attraction was a large library of fine books， which was left to dust and spiders since Uncle March died。 Jo remembered the kind old gentleman， who used to let her build railroads and bridges with his big dictionaries， tell her stories about the queer pictures in his Latin books， and buy her cards of gingerbread whenever he met her in the street。 The dim， dusty room， with the busts staring down from the tall bookcases， the cosy chairs， the globes， and， best of all， the wilderness of books， in which she could wander where she liked，， made the library a region of bliss to her。 The moment Aunt March took her nar was busy with company Jo hurried to this quiet place， and curling herself up in the easy-chair， devoured poetry， romance， history， travels， and pictures， like a regular book-worm。 But， like all happiness， it did not last long； for as sure as she had just reached the heart of the story， the sweetest verse of the song， or the most perilous adventure of her traveller， a shrill voice called， `Josy-phine！ Josy-phine！‘ and she had to leave her paradise to wind yarn， wash the poodle， or read Belsham’s Essays by the hour together。

Jo‘s ambition was to do something very splendid； what it was she had no idea， as yet， but left it for time to tell her； and， meanwhile， found her greatest affliction in the fact that she couldn’t read， run， and ride as much as she liked。 A quick temper， sharp tongue， and restless spirit were always getting her into scrapes， and her life was a series of ups and downs， which were both comic and pathetic。 But the training she received at Aunt March‘s was just what she needed； and the thought that she was doing something to support herself made her happy， in spite of the perpetual `Josy-phine！’

Beth was too bashful to go to school； it had been tried。， but she suffered so much that it was given up， and she did her lessons at home with her father。 Even when he went away， and her mother was called to devote her skill and energy to Soldiers‘ Aid Societies， Beth went faithfully on by herself， and did the best she could。 She was a housewifely little creature， and helped Hannah keep home neat and comfortable for the workers， never thinking of any reward but to be loved。 Long， quiet days she spent， not lonely nor idle， for her little world was peopled with imaginary friends， and she was by nature a busy bee。 There were six dolls to be taken up and dressed every morning， for Beth was a child still， and loved her pets as well as ever。 Not one whole or handsome one among them all were outcasts till Beth took them in； for， when her sisters outgrew these idols， they passed to her， because Amy would have nothing old or ugly。 Beth cherished them all the more tenderly for that very reason， and set up a hospital for infirm dolls。 No pins were ever stuck into their cotton vitals； no harsh words or blows were ever given them； no neglect ever saddened the heart of the most repulsive： but all were fed and clothed， nursed and caressed， with an affection which never failed。

One forlorn fragment of dollanity had belonged to Jo； and， having led a tempestuous life， was left a wreck58 in the ragbag， from which dreary poor-house it was rescued by Beth， and taken to her refuge。 Having no top to its head， she tied on a neat little cap， and， as both arms and legs were gone， she hid those deficiencies by folding it in a blanket， and devoting her best bed to this chronic invalid。 If anyone had known the care lavished on that dolly， I think it would have touched their hearts， even while they laughed。 She brought it bits of bouquets； she read to it， took it out to breathe the air， hidden under her coat； she sang it lullabies， and never went to bed without kissing its dirty face， and whispering tenderly， `I hope you’ll have a good night， my poor dear。‘

Beth had her troubles as well as the others； and not being an angel， but a very human little girl， she often `wept a little weep’， as Jo said， because lessons and have a fine piano。 She loved music so dearly， tried so hard to learn， and practised away so patiently at the jingling old instrument， that it did seem as if someone （not to hint Aunt March） ought to help her。 Nobody did， however， and nobody saw Beth wipe the tears off the yellow keys， that wouldn‘t keep in tune， when she was all alone。 She sang like a little lark about her work， never was too tired to play for Marmee and the girls， and day after day said hopefully to herself， `I know I’ll get my music some time， if I‘m good。’

There are many Beths in the world， shy and quiet， sitting in corners till needed， and living for others so cheerfully that no one sees the sacrifices till the little cricket on the hearth stops chirping， and the sweet， sunshiny presence vanishes， leaving silence and shadow behind。

If anybody had asked Amy what the greatest trial of her life was， she would have answered at once， `My nose‘。 When she was a baby， Jo had accidentally dropped her into the coal-hod， and Amy insisted that the fall had ruined her nose for ever。 It was not big， nor red， like poor `Petrea’s‘， it was only rather flat， and all the pinching in the world could not give it an aristocratic point。 No one minded it but herself， and it was doing its best to grow， but Amy felt deeply the want of a Grecian nose， and drew whole sheets of handsome ones to console herself。

`Little Raphael’， as her sisters called her， had a decided talent for drawing， and was never so happy as when copying flowers， designing fairies， or illustrating66 stories with queer specimens of art。 Her teachers complained that， instead of doing her sums， she covered her slate with animals； the blank pages of her atlas were used to copy maps on； and caricatures of the most ludicrous description came fluttering out of all her books at unlucky moments。 She got through her lessons as well as she could， and managed to escape reprimands by being a model of deportment。 She was a great favourite with her mates， being good-tempered and possessing the happy art of pleasing without effort。 Her little airs and graces were much admired， so were her accomplishments； for beside her drawing， she could play twelve tunes， crochet， and read French without mispronouncing more than two-thirds of the words。 She had a plaintive way of saying `When Papa was rich we did so-and-so，‘ which was very touching； and her long words were considered `perfectly elegant’ by the girls。

Amy was in a fair way to be spoilt； for everyone petted her， and her small vanities and selfishness were growing nicely。 One thing， however， rather quenched the vanities； she had to wear her cousin‘s clothes。 Now Florence’s mamma hadn‘t a particle of taste， and Amy suffered deeply at having to wear a red instead of a blue bonnet， unbecoming gowns， and fussy aprons that did not fit。 Everything was good， well made， and little worn； but Amy’s artistic eyes were much afflicted， especially this winter， when her school dress was a dull purple， with yellow dots， and no trimming。

`My only comfort，‘ she said to Meg， with tears in her eyes， `is that Mother doesn’t take tucks in my dresses whenever I‘m naughty， as Maria Park’s mother does。 My dear， it‘s really dreadful； for sometimes she is so bad， her frock is up to her knees， and she can’t come to school。 When I think of this deggerredation， I feel that I can bear even my flat nose and purple gown， with yellow sky-rockets on it。‘

Meg was Amy’s confidante and monitor， and， by some strange attraction of opposites， Jo was gentle Beth‘s。 To Jo alone did the shy child tell her thoughts； and over her big harum-scarum sister Beth unconsciously exercised more influence than anyone in the family。 The two elder girls were a great deal to one another， but each took one of the younger into her keeping， and watched over her in her own way； `playing mother’ they called it， and put their sisters in the places of discarded dolls， with the maternal instincts of little women。

`Has anybody got anything to tell？ It‘s been such a dismal day I’m really dying for some amusement，‘ said Meg， as they sat sewing together that evening。

`I had a queer time with aunt today， and， as I got the best of it， I’ll tell you about it，‘ began Jo， who dearly loved to tell stories， was reading that everlasting Belsham， and droning away as I always do， for aunt soon drops off， and then I take out some nice book， and read like fury till she wakes up。 I actually made myself sleepy； and， before she began to nod， I gave such a gape that she asked me what I meant by opening my mouth wide enough to take the whole book in at once。

`I wish I could and be done with it，’ said I， trying not to be saucy81。

`Then she gave me a long lecture on my sins， and told me to sit and think them over while she just “lost” herself for a moment。 She never finds herself very soon； so the minute her cap began to bob， like a top-heavy dahlia， I whipped the Vicar of Wakefield out of my pocket， and read away， with one eye on him， and one on aunt。 I‘d just got to where they all tumbled into the water， when I forgot， and laughed out loud。 Aunt woke up； and， being more good-natured after her nap， told me to read a bit， and show what frivolous work I preferred to the worthy and instructive Belsham。 I did my very best， and she liked it， though she only said：

`I don’t understand what it‘s all about。 Go back and begin it， child。’

`Back I went， and made the Primroses as interesting as ever I could。 Once I was wicked enough to stop in a thrilling place， and say meekly， “I‘m afraid it tires you， ma’am； shan‘t I stop now？”

`She caught up her knitting， which had dropped out of her hands， gave me a sharp look through her specs， and said， in her short way：

`Finish the chapter， and don’t be impertinent， miss。‘

`Did she own she liked it？’ asked Meg。

`Oh， bless you， no！ but she let old Belsham rest； and， when I ran back after my gloves this afternoon， there she was， so hard at the Vicar that she didn‘t hear me laugh as I danced a jig86 in the hall， because of the good time coming。 What a pleasant： life she might have， if she only chose。 I don’t envy her much， in spite of her money， for after all， rich people have about as many worries as poor ones， think，` added Jo。

`That reminds me，‘ said Meg， `that I’ve got something to tell。 It isn‘t funny， like Jo’s story， but I thought about it a good deal as I came home。 At the Kings‘ today I found everybody in a flurry， and one of the children said that her oldest brother had done something dreadful， and papa had sent him away。 I heard Mrs。 King crying and Mr。 King talking very loud， and Grace and Ellen turned away their faces when they passed me， so I shouldn’t see how red their eyes were。 I didn‘t ask any questions， of course； but I felt so sorry for them， and was rather glad I hadn’t any wild brothers to do wicked things and disgrace the family。‘

`I think being disgraced in school is a great deal tryinger than anything bad boys can do，’ said Amy， shaking her head， as if her experience of life had been a deep one。 `Susie Perkins came to school today with a lovely red carnelian， ring； I wanted it dreadfully， and wished I washer with all my might。

`Well， she drew a picture of Mr。 Davis， with a monstrous nose and a hump， and the words， `Young ladies， my eye is upon you！coming out of his mouth in a balloon thing。 We were laughing over it， when all of a sudden his eye was on us， and he ordered Susie to bring up her slate。 She was parrylized with fright， but she went， and oh， what do you think he did？ He took her by the ear - the ear， just fancy how horrid！ - and led her to the recitation platform， and made her stand there half an hour， holding that slate so everyone could see it。‘

`Didn’t the girls laugh at the picture？‘ asked Jo， who relished88 the scrape。

`Laugh！ Not one！ They sat as still as mice； and Susie cried quarts， I know she did。 I didn’t envy her then； for I felt that millions of carnelian rings wouldn‘t have made me happy after that。 I never， never should have got over such an agonizing mortification。’ And Amy went on with her work， in the proud consciousness of virtue， and the successful utterance of two long words in a breath。

`I saw something that I liked this morning， and I meant to tell it at dinner， but I forgot，‘ said Beth， putting Jo’s topsy-turvy basket in order as she talked。

`When I went to get some oysters for Hannah， Mr。 Laurence was in the fish-shop； but he didn‘t see me， for I kept behind a barrel， and he was busy with Mr。 Cutter， the fishman。 A poor woman came in， with a pail and a mop， and asked Mr。 Cutter if he would let her do some scrubbing for a bit of fish， because she hadn’t any dinner for her children， and had being disappointed of a day‘s work。 Mr。 Cutter was in a hurry， and said “No，” rather crossly； so she was going away， looking hungry and sorry， when Mr。 Laurence hooked up a big fish with the crooked end of his cane， and held it out to her。 She was so glad and surprised， she took it right in her arms， and thanked him over and over。 He told her to “go along and cook it”， and she hurried off， so happy！ Wasn’t it good of him？ Oh， she did look so funny， hugging the big， slippery， fish， and hoping Mr。 Laurence‘s bed in heaven would be ’aisy“。‘

When they had laughed at Beth’s story， they asked their mother for one； and， after a moment‘s thought， she said soberly： `As I sat cutting out blue flannel96 jackets today， at the rooms， I felt very anxious about Father， and thought how lonely and helpless we should be if anything happened to him。 It， was not a wise thing to do； but I kept on worrying till an old man came in， with an order for some clothes。 He sat down near me， and I began to talk to him； for he looked poor and tired and anxious。

`Have you sons in the army？’ I asked； for the note he brought was not to me。

`Yes， ma‘am。 I had four， but two were killed， one is a prisoner， and I’m going to the other， who is very sick in a Washington hospital，‘ he answered， quietly。

`You have done a great deal for your country， sir，’ I said， feeling respect now instead of pity。

`Not a mite more than I ought， ma‘am。 I’d go myself， if I was any use； as I ain‘t， I give my boys， and give ’em free。‘

`He spoke so cheerfully， looked so sincere， and seemed so glad to give his all， that I was ashamed of myself。 I’d given one man， and thought it too much， while he gave four without grudging99 them。 I had all my girls to comfort me at home； and his last son was waiting， miles away， to say ”good-bye“ to him， perhaps！ I felt so rich， so happy， thinking of my blessings， that I made him a nice bundle， gave him some money， and thanked him heartily100 for the lesson he had taught me。‘

`Tell another story， Mother - one with a moral to it， like this。 I like， to think about them afterwards， if they are real， and not too preachy，’ said Jo， after a minute‘s silence。

Mrs。 March smiled， and began at once； for she had told stories to this little： audience for many years， and knew how to please them。

`Once upon a time， there were four girls， who had enough to eat and drink and wear， a good many comforts and pleasures， kind friends and parents， who loved them dearly， and yet they were not contented。’ （Here the listeners stole sly look at one another， and began to sew diligently。） `These girls were anxious to be good， and made many excellent resolutions； but they did not keep them very well， and were constantly saying， ”If we only had this，“ or ”If we could only do that，“ quite forgetting how much they already had， and how many pleasant things they actually could do。 So they asked an old woman what spell they could use to make them happy， and she said， `When you feel discontented， think over your blessings and be grateful。‘ （Here Jo looked up quickly， as if about to speak， but changed her mind， seeing that the story was not done yet。） `Being sensible girls， they decided to try her advice， and soon were surprised to see how well off they were。 One discovered that money couldn’t keep shame and sorrow out of rich people‘s houses； another that， though she was poor， she was a great deal happier， with her youth， health， and good spirits， than a certain fretful， feeble old lady， who couldn’t enjoy her comforts； a third， that， disagreeable as it was to help get dinner， it was harder still to have to go begging for it； and the fourth， that even carnelian rings were not so valuable as good behaviour。 So they agreed to stop complaining， to enjoy the blessings already possessed， and try to deserve them， lest they should be taken away entirely， instead of increased； and I believe they were never disappointed， or sorry that they took the old woman‘s advice。’

`Now， Marmee， that is very cunning of you to turn our own stories against us， and give us a sermon instead of a romance！‘ cried Meg。

`I like that kind of sermon。 It’s the sort Father used to tell us，‘ said Beth， thoughtfully， putting the needles straight on Jo’s cushion。

`I don‘t complain near as much as the others do， and I shall be more careful than ever now； for I’ve had warning from Susie‘s downfall，’ said Amy， morally。

`We needed that lesson， and we won‘t forget it。 If we do， you just say to us， as old Chloe did in Uncle Tom， ”Tink ob yer marcie， chillen！ tink ob yer marcies！“’ added Jo， who could not for the life of her help getting a morsel of fun out of the little！ sermon， though she took it to heart as much as any of them。

第四章 負擔

“唉！又得背起擔子往前走了，生活真是一種磨難，”晚會的第二天早上梅格這樣嘆息道。過節玩了一週，現在又要從事不喜歡的工作，她心裡相當不情願。

“我但願每天都過聖誕節或者過新年，那就好玩了，”喬說著懶洋洋地打了個呵欠。

“我們能過上現在這種日子已經是三生有幸。但是如果能參加一些宴會舞會，有鮮花馬車，每天讀書休息，不用工作，那該有多麼愜意。你知道有些人就有這樣的福氣，我總是羨慕這些女孩子，我這人就是嚮往奢華，”梅格說。她正在比較兩條破舊不堪的長裙，看哪一條稍好一點。

“畢竟我們沒有這個福氣，還是別發牢騷，挑起擔子，像媽媽一樣樂觀地向前走吧。我肯定馬奇嬸嬸就是我的冤家對頭，但我想只要我學會忍受，不去埋怨，她就會被丟到腦後，或者變得微不足道。”這主意讓喬覺得挺好玩，心情也愉快起來，但梅格卻不是很高興，因為她的擔子——四個寵壞了的孩子——現在顯得異常沉重。她甚至沒有心情像往常一樣在領口打上藍絲，也沒有心緒對鏡理妝。

“一天到晚都對著幾個小搗蛋鬼，我打扮得這麼漂亮有誰來看？又有誰來理會我漂亮不漂亮？”她咕噥道，把抽屜猛地一推關上，”我將終生勞碌，只能偶爾得到一點樂趣，逐漸變老變醜，變得尖酸刻薄，就因為我窮，不能像其他女孩子一樣享受生活。這是個恥辱！”梅格說完走下去，臉上帶著一種受傷的表情，吃早餐時也全無心緒。大家似乎都有點不對勁，個個臉上陰霾滿布。貝思頭痛，躺在沙發上，試圖在那隻大貓和三隻小貓之中尋找安慰；艾美煩躁不安，因為她沒有弄懂功課，而且找不到膠擦；喬真想大吹一聲口哨；馬奇太太正趕著寫一封急信；罕娜因為不喜歡大家晚起，不停地抱怨。

“我從來沒見過一家人這麼火爆！”喬喊道。她打翻了墨水後，弄斷了兩根靴帶，又坐在自己的帽子上，終於發起了脾氣。

“你是最火爆的一個！”艾美反擊道，用滴落在寫字板上的淚水抹去全算錯了的數目。

“貝思，如果你不把這些討厭的貓放到地窖裡去，我就把他們淹死，”梅格一面憤怒地高叫，一面力圖擺脫一隻爬到她背上牢牢粘著不肯走的小貓。

喬大笑著，梅格責備著，貝思央求著，艾美因為想不起九乘十二等於多少而號哭起來。

“姑娘們，姑娘們，安靜一會吧！我必須趕在第一個郵班前把信寄出，你們卻亂哄哄地鬧得我心神不定，”馬奇太太叫道，一邊劃掉信中第三個寫錯了的句子。

眾人一時安靜下來，這時罕娜大步走進來，把兩個熱氣騰騰的捲餅放在桌子上，又大步走出去。這兩個捲餅是家裡的慣例，姑娘們稱之為”手籠“，因為她們發覺寒冷的早上手裡籠著個熱餅挺暖和，罕娜無論多麼忙多麼牢騷滿腹也不會忘記做上兩個，因為路遠天寒，兩個可憐的姑娘常要在兩點以後才回到家裡，捲餅便是她們的午飯。

“抱上你的貓，頭痛就會好了，貝思。再見，媽媽。我們今早真是一班小壞蛋，不過我們回家時一定還是平日的小天使。走吧，梅格！”喬邁開步伐，覺得她們的天國之旅從一開始就沒有走好。

她們轉過拐角之前總要回頭望望，因為母親總是倚在窗前點頭微笑，向她們揮手道別。不這樣她們這一天就似乎過得不踏實，因為無論她們心情如何，她們最後一起所看到的母親的臉容無異於縷縷陽光，令她們歡欣鼓舞。

“即使媽咪不向我們揮手吻別，而是揮起拳頭，我們也是罪有應得，因為我們是天底下最不知道感恩圖報的小混帳，”喬在悽風蕭瑟的雪路上大聲懺悔。

“不要用這麼難聽的字眼，”梅格說。她用頭巾把自己裹得嚴嚴實實，看上去就像一個厭世的尼姑。

“我喜歡強有力而有意義的好字眼，”喬答道，用手抓著幾乎被風吹落的帽子。

“你愛怎麼叫自己就怎麼叫吧，我可不是壞蛋，也不是混帳，也不願意人家這麼叫我。”“你是個傷心落魄人，今天這麼怒氣沖天是因為你不能整天置身於花團錦簇之中。可憐的寶貝，等著吧，等我賺到錢，你就可以享受馬車、雪糕、高跟鞋、花束，並和紅髮小夥子一起跳舞了。”“喬，你真荒唐！”梅格不由被這荒唐話逗笑了。

“幸虧是我呢！如果我也像你一樣垂頭喪氣一副憂鬱相，我們可都成了什麼樣子？謝天謝地，我總可以找到一些有趣的東西來令自己振作。別再發牢騷了，高高興興地回家吧，這就對了。”分手時，喬鼓勵地拍拍姐姐的肩膀。兩人分頭而去，各自揣著自己暖烘烘的小卷餅，都想盡量讓心情愉快起來，儘管寒風刺骨、工作辛勞，儘管一顆年輕、熱愛幸福的心沒有得到滿足。

當馬奇先生為幫助一位不幸的朋友而失去財產時，他的兩個大女兒請求讓她們出去乾點活，這樣她們至少可以負擔自己的生活。考慮到應該早點培養她們的進取精神和自立能力，父母便同意了。姐妹帶著美好的心願投入工作，相信儘管困難重重，最後一定會取得成功。瑪格麗特找到的職業是幼兒家庭教師，薪酬雖少，對她來說卻是一筆大數目。正如她自己所說，她”嚮往奢華“，她的主要煩惱便是貧窮。由於她還記得華屋美服、輕鬆快樂、無憂無慮的好時光，她比起他姐妹更難接受現實。她也試圖知足、試圖不嫉妒別人，但年青姑娘愛美、愛交朋友、希望成功和過幸福生活卻是天性使然。在金斯家裡，她天天都看到她想要的東西，因為孩子們的幾個姐姐剛開始參加社交活動。梅格不時看到精緻的舞會禮服和漂亮的花束，聽到她們熱烈地談論戲劇、音樂會、雪橇比賽等各種娛樂活動，看到她們花錢如流水，隨意揮霍。可憐的梅格雖然極少抱怨，但一股不平之氣卻令她有時對每個人都懷有恨意。她還不明白她其實是多麼富有，因為祝福本身就能令人過上幸福的生活。

喬剛好被馬奇嬸嬸看中了。馬奇嬸嬸跛了腿，需要找一個勤快的人來侍候。剛跛腿時這位無兒無女的老太太曾向馬奇夫婦提出要收一個姑娘為養女，卻被婉言拒絕了，心裡老大不高興。一些朋友告訴馬奇夫婦說他們錯失了被列入這位闊太太遺囑繼承人的機會，但超塵脫俗的馬奇夫婦只是說 ”我們不能為錢財而放棄女兒。不論貧富，我們都要廝守一起，共享天倫之樂。”老太太有一段時間都不願跟他們說話，但一次在朋友家裡偶然見到了喬。喬言談風趣，舉止直率，十分合老太太的心意，她便提出讓喬跟她作個伴。喬並不樂意，但她找不到更好的差事，便答應下來。出人意料的是，她跟這位性情暴躁的親戚相處得非常好。但偶爾也會遇到狂風驟雨，一次喬便氣得跑回了家，宣佈自己忍無可忍；但馬奇嬸嬸總是很快收拾殘局，急匆匆地派人請她回去，令她不便拒絕。其實，她內心對這位火辣辣的老太太也頗有好感。

我猜想真正吸引喬的是一個裝滿了漂亮圖書的大藏書室，這個房間自馬奇叔叔去世後便積滿了灰塵和蜘蛛網。喬記得那位和藹的老紳士常常讓她用大字典堆起鐵道橋樑，跟她講拉丁語書中那些古怪插圖的故事，在街上碰到她時給她買薑餅。藏書室光線暗淡，灰塵滿布，還有舒適的椅子、精緻的地球儀，最妙的是，幾個半身人像從書架上俯視地下，書籍凌亂地堆放著，喬可以毫無顧忌地隨處走動翻閱，這一切使藏書室成了喬的天堂。每當馬奇嬸嬸打盹兒或顧著跟人閒聊時，喬便匆匆走進這個平靜之處，像名符其實的蛀書蟲一樣大嚼詩歌、浪漫故事、遊記、漫畫書等等。不過這種令人陶醉的享受卻總是不能持久；每當她看得入神，讀到精彩之處，必定會傳來一聲尖叫：“約瑟 芬！約瑟 芬！”這時她便不得不離開自己的天堂，出去繞紗線，給捲毛狗洗澡，或者朗讀波爾沙的《隨筆》，忙個不停。

喬的理想是做一番宏偉的事業，但這番事業究竟是什麼她卻一直毫無頭緒，也並不急於知道；她覺得自己最大的痛苦是不能盡興讀書、跑步和騎馬。她是個急性子，言語尖刻，內心躁動不安，經常把自己推入困境，因此她的生活經歷悲喜交集，甜酸苦辣，五味俱全。不過，她在馬奇嬸嬸家裡受到的鍛鍊正是她所需要的，而一想到這樣工作可以自立，她就無比高興，即使是馬奇嬸嬸那沒完沒了的“約瑟 芬！”也變得微不足道了。

貝思因性格太羞怯而沒有上學；她也曾進過學堂，但感到極度痛苦，只得輟學在家，跟著父親讀書。父親走後，母親也被派去為”戰士援助會“服務，貝思仍忠實不移，堅持儘自己的最大努力自學。她是個賢妻良母型的小姑娘，幫罕娜為工人們把家裡打理得整潔舒適，從不乞求報償，只要被人愛著便心滿意足。她靜悄悄地度過漫漫長日，從不孤獨，從不懶散，因為她的小天地不乏虛構出來的朋友，而她天生就是個勤勞的小蜜蜂。每天一早貝思都要給六個玩具寶寶穿衣裝扮，因為她還是個孩子，仍然喜歡寵物。她的小寶貝原來都是棄兒，個個殘缺不全，都是兩個姐姐長大後不要而傳給她的，因為這樣又舊又醜的東西艾美是不會要的。正因為如此，貝思對它們呵護有加，專為這些搖搖擺擺的小寶貝設了間醫院。她給這些布娃娃一絲不苟地打針，給它們餵飯、穿衣、護理，從不打罵它們，並不忘奉上深情的一吻，即使是最醜陋的玩偶也不會被忽略。一個殘缺不堪的”寶寶”原是喬的舊物，經過暴風驟雨的生活洗禮後，四肢不全，五官不整，被棄置在一個破袋子裡頭，貝思把它從那破舊的包袱裡解救出來放到她的避難所。因為頭頂不見了，她便紮上一頂雅緻的小帽，四肢沒有了，便把它裹在毯子裡，把缺陷掩蓋起來，並把最好的床讓給這位長期病員。如果有人知道她是如何細緻入微地照料這個玩具娃娃，我想他們即使發笑，也一定會深受感動。她給它送花、讀書，把它裹在她的大衣裡，帶它出去呼吸新鮮空氣，給它唱搖籃曲，睡覺前總要吻吻那髒臉孔，並柔聲細語：“祝你晚安，可憐的寶貝。”貝思像她的姐妹一樣也有自己的煩惱，她並非什麼天使，也是個食人間煙火的小姑娘。用喬的話來說，她常常“哭鼻子”，因為不能去上音樂課，因為家裡沒有一架好鋼琴。她酷愛音樂，學得異常用功，並極有耐心地用那架丁當作響的鋼琴練習彈奏，似乎真該有人（並非暗指馬奇嬸嬸）來幫她一把。然而沒有人幫她，也沒有人看到她悄悄把落在五音不全的黃色琴鍵上的眼淚抹掉。她像只小云雀般為自己的工作歌唱，為媽咪和姐妹們伴奏，永不言累，每天都滿懷希望地對自己說：“我知道有一天我一定會學好音樂，只要我乖。”世界上有許許多多個貝思，靦腆平靜，默默居於一角，需要時才挺身而出，樂於為別人而犧牲自己。人們只看到她們臉上的笑容，卻沒有意識到她們所作出的犧牲，直到爐邊的小蟋蟀停止了吟唱，和美的陽光消逝而去，空剩下一片寂靜和黑暗。

如果有人問艾美生活中最大的痛苦是什麼，她會立即回答：“我的鼻子。”當她還是嬰孩時，喬一次不小心把她摔落在煤鬥裡頭。艾美認定那次意外永遠毀掉了她的鼻子。她的鼻子既不大也不紅，只是有點扁。無論怎樣捏怎樣夾也弄不出個貴族式的鼻尖兒，除了她自己外，並沒有人在意，而且鼻子的長勢也極好，但艾美總認為自己的鼻樑不夠直，便畫了一大堆美鼻畫兒聊以自慰。

“小拉斐爾“正如她的姐姐們所稱，無疑極有繪畫天分。

她最大的幸福莫過於摹繪鮮花、設計小仙女，或用古怪的藝術形象說明故事。她的老師抱怨說她的寫字板不是用來做算術，而是畫滿了動物，地圖冊上的空白版面被她摹滿了地圖，她的書本一不小心便會弄出許多荒唐滑稽的漫畫。她的學習成績就個人能力而言已屬不俗，其行為舉止也被大家視為楷模，並因此而逃過數次懲戒。她脾性隨和，深諳取悅別人之道，因此在學校深得人心。她姿態略有點做作，但多才多藝，除繪畫外，還會彈十二首曲子，善鉤織，讀法文時讀錯的字不超過三分之二，令人十分羨慕。她說”爸爸有錢的那個時候我們如何如何“這句話時，悲哀婉轉，令人感動，她拖長了的發音也被姑娘們視為”絕頂優雅“。

艾美差不多被大家寵壞了，她的虛榮和自私也成正比例增長。然而有一件事卻刺傷了她的虛榮心：她得穿表姐的衣服。由於表姐弗洛倫斯的母親毫無品味，艾美大受其苦，帽子該配藍色的卻配了紅色，衣服與她很不協調，而圍裙又過分講究。其實這些衣物全都不錯，做工精細，磨損極少，但艾美的藝術眼光卻不能忍受，尤其是這個冬天，她穿的暗紫色校服佈滿黃點還沒有飾邊。

“我唯一的安慰，”她對梅格說，眼中淚光閃閃，”是媽媽不像瑪莉亞·帕克的媽媽，她在我淘氣玩耍時也不會把我的裙子捲起來。哎呀，那真是糟糕透了。有時瑪莉亞的長裙子被捲到了膝頭上面，不能來上學，當我想到這種屈辱時，我覺得我的扁鼻樑和那件黃火球紫色衣服也可以忍受了。”梅格是艾美的知己和監護人，也許是一種性格上的異性相吸吧，喬和溫柔的貝思又是一對。靦腆的貝思獨獨跟喬傾訴心事；透過這位高大、冒失的姐姐她不知不覺對全家形成舉足輕重的影響。兩個姐姐互相之間十分要好，但都各以自己的方式照管著一個妹妹——她們稱之為“扮媽媽” 並出於一種小婦人的母性對兩個妹妹呵護有加。

“你們有什麼有趣的事嗎？今天悶死了，講點什麼輕鬆一下，”那天晚上她們坐在一起做針線活兒，梅格這樣問。

“今天我和嬸嬸之間有個不尋常的插曲，因為我佔了上風，所以講給你們聽，“極愛講故事的喬首先說道，”我像往常一樣用既單調又沉悶的聲調讀永遠讀不完的波爾沙，嬸嬸很快就被我打發入夢鄉，我趁此機會拿出一本好書，如飢似渴地看起來，她醒來的時候我已覺得困了。她問我為什麼把嘴巴張得這麼大，足可以把整本書一口吞進去。

“‘真能這樣倒是不錯，正好把它作個了結，’我說，儘量不衝撞她。

“她對我的劣行好一頓訓斥，並叫我在她‘養養神’那一會功夫認真思過。她很快又進入夢鄉，頭上的帽子像朵頭重腳輕的大麗花一樣搖搖擺擺。見此情景，我馬上從口袋裡抽出《威克菲爾德牧師傳》讀起來，一隻眼看書，一隻眼留意嬸嬸。剛剛讀到書中人物全都跌入水中時，我一時忘情，笑出了聲。嬸嬸醒過來，心情頗佳，叫我讀一點聽聽，看這本書究竟如何輕薄，竟敢把她那本富有教育意義的寶書波爾沙比下去。我盡力而為，她聽得津津有味，但卻說 “‘我不明白這本書說的是什麼。從頭再讀一次，孩子。’“我從頭再讀，並儘量讀得有聲有色。讀到扣人心絃之處，我故意停下來低聲說：‘我擔心你會厭煩呢，夫人；要不要停下來？’“她把剛才從手中掉落的編織活計拿起，透過眼鏡片狠狠瞪我一眼，用她一貫簡潔的口吻說：“把這章讀完，不得無禮，小姐。‘”“她承認她喜歡這本書嗎？”梅格問。

“噢，告訴你吧，不承認！但她把波爾沙扔到了一邊，我今天下午跑回去拿手套時，看到她正全神貫注地讀那本牧師傳，我高興得在大廳裡跳起快步舞，並笑出聲來，她竟全然不覺。只要她願意，她可以過多麼愉快的生活啊！儘管她有錢，我並不怎麼羨慕她。我想窮人有窮人的煩惱，富人也有富人的煩惱，”喬接著說。

“我也想起一件事來，”梅格說，”這雖不如喬的故事有趣，但它讓我回家想了很久。今天我發現金斯家裡的人個個都慌慌張張，一個孩子說她大哥犯了件大事，爸爺把他趕走了。我聽到金太太在哭，金先生在大罵，格萊絲和艾倫走過我身邊時也別過臉，免得眼睛紅紅的讓我看到。當然我什麼也沒有問，但我很替他們難過，同時很慶幸自己沒有這樣可惡的兄弟，令家裡人蒙受恥辱。”“壞男孩固然可恨，但在學校蒙受恥辱則更加令人難受，”艾美搖著腦袋說，似乎已經歷盡滄桑，“蘇茜·巴金斯今天戴著一枚精緻的紅玉戒指上學，我羨慕得不得了，恨不得也有一個。嘿，她給戴維斯先生畫了一幅漫畫，怪鼻子，駝背，嘴裡還吐出一串話：’年輕女士們，我的眼睛在盯著你們！‘我們正在大笑，不料他的眼睛果真盯上了我們。他命令蘇茜把畫板帶上去。她嚇癱了，但還是走上去。噢，你們猜他怎麼著？他揪著她的耳朵- 耳朵！想想這多恐怖！ 把她揪到背書檯上讓她在那裡站了半個小時，舉著畫板讓大家看。”“姑娘們有沒有笑那幅畫？”喬問，回味著那尷尬的局面。

“笑？誰敢！她們像老鼠般一聲不吱靜靜地坐著，蘇茜淚如雨下，可憐的人。那時我不再羨慕她了，因為我覺得如果這樣，即使有千千萬萬個紅玉戒指也不能使我幸福。我永遠永遠不會忘記這種刻骨銘心的奇恥大辱。”然後艾美繼續做她的針線活兒，併為自己的品行和成功地一口氣發出兩串長長的片語而自鳴得意。

“我今早看到一件我喜歡的事情，吃飯時要說的，卻給忘了，”貝思一邊說一邊整理喬亂七八糟的籃子，”我去為罕娜買些鮮蠔，看到勞倫斯先生也在魚店裡，但他沒看到我，因為我站在一個水桶後面，他又忙著跟觓e夫卡特先生說話。一個窮苦女人拿著桶和刷子走進來，問卡特先生能否讓她幹些洗刮魚鱗的活兒，因為她的孩子們都餓著肚子，她自己又攬不到活幹。卡特先生正忙著，毫不客氣地說了聲’不‘；這個又飢餓又難過的女人正要走開，勞倫斯先生用自己的手杖彎柄勾起一條大魚遞到她面前。她又驚又喜，把魚抱在懷裡，一再道謝。他叫她趁鮮趕快回去把魚煮了吧，她便高高興興地匆匆走開了。勞倫斯先生真是個好心人！噢，她當時的模樣也真逗人，抱著滑溜溜的大魚，口裡祝願勞倫斯先生在天堂的大床’虛虛（舒舒）服服‘。”大家聽到貝思的故事全笑起來，又請母親也來一個。母親略想一想，嚴肅地說：“今天我在工作間裡裁剪藍色天鵝絨大衣時，非常掛念父親，我想如果萬一他遇到什麼不測的話，我們將多麼孤獨無援。這樣想很傻，但我不能自已。這時一個老人走進來交給我一張衣服訂單。他在我旁邊坐下，我看他模樣像個窮苦人家，顯得既疲倦又焦慮，便和他攀談起來。

“’你有兒子在部隊嗎？‘我問，因為他帶來的條子不是給我的。

“’有，夫人。有四個，但兩個死了，還有一個在監獄，我現在去看另一個，他住在華盛頓醫院，病得十分厲害，‘他平靜地說。

“’你為國家作出了巨大貢獻，先生，‘我說，這時我對他不再感到憐憫，而是油然起敬。

“’理應如此，夫人。如果用得上我的話，我也會去的；既然用不上，我就獻上我的孩子，無償地獻上。‘“他聲調愉快，神情懇切，似乎奉獻自己的一切是一大樂事，我不禁暗自慚愧。我獻出一個人便思前想後，他獻出了四個卻毫無怨言。我在家裡有四個好女兒來安慰我，他唯一能見到的兒子卻遠在數英里之外，可能等著跟他道永別！想到上帝賜給我的恩典，我覺得自己已經很富足，也很幸福。我於是給他打了個漂亮的包裹，給他一些錢，並由衷地感謝他給我上了一課。”“再講一個，媽媽- 講個帶哲理的，就像這個一樣。我喜歡聽完後再回味一遍，如果故事真實可信，說教味道又不濃的話，”喬沉默了一會後說。

馬奇太太笑笑，馬上又講開了。她跟這班小聽眾講了多年故事，知道怎樣迎合她們。

“從前，有四個姑娘，她們衣食不愁，安逸舒適，有好心的朋友和深深愛著她們的父母，然而她們並不滿足。”這時聽眾們狡黠地互相交換個眼色，又繼續飛針走線。

“這些姑娘們都想做個好孩子，並作了許多宏圖大計，但總是不能持久。她們老說：’如果我們有這些東西就好了。‘或’如果我們能夠這樣多好。‘完全忘記了自己已身處福中。於是她們問一位老婦人有什麼魔法可以使她們幸福。老婦人說：’當你們感到不滿足時，想想自己所擁有的東西，併為此而心存感激。‘“（這時喬馬上抬起頭來，似乎有話要說，但想到故事尚未結束，便把話嚥了回去。）“姑娘們是聰明人，決定採納這個建議，不久便驚奇地發現她們是多麼富有。一個姑娘發現，金錢並不能使有錢人家免受羞辱和痛苦；另一個發現雖然自己沒有錢，但卻擁有青春活力和健康的身體，遠比愁眉苦臉、年老體弱、不會享受生活樂趣的人幸福；第三個發現下廚做飯雖然不是件快事，但被迫去討飯的滋味更難接受；第四個發現良好的品行比紅玉戒指更加珍貴。於是她們不再牢騷滿腹，而是盡情享受已經擁有的一切，併力圖報答天恩，唯恐失去而不是更多地享受它們。我相信她們沒有後悔接受了老婦人的建議。”“呀，媽咪，你好狡猾，用我們自己的故事來對付我們，不講故事，卻跟我們講起大道理來了！”梅格嚷道。

“我喜歡這種大道理，爸爸以前也經常這樣講的，”貝思沉思著說道，把針插入喬的針墊裡。

“我的怨言沒有別人那麼多，但從今開始也要更加小心，否則蘇茜的下場就是個榜樣，”艾美頗有哲理地說。

“我們正需要這麼個啟示，而且將不會忘記。如果我們忘了，你就學《湯姆叔叔的小屋》裡的克洛艾那樣，衝我們說：’想想上天的恩典吧，孩子們！想想上天的恩典吧！‘”喬情不自禁地從這個小布道中發掘出一點樂趣，雖然她也像其他姐妹一樣把它記在心中。

1 dismal adj。陰沉的，淒涼的，令人憂鬱的，差勁的

That is a rather dismal melody。那是一支相當憂鬱的歌曲。

My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal。我重新找到一個合適的工作崗位的希望很渺茫。

2 dismally adv。陰暗地，沉悶地

Fei Little Beard assented dismally。 費小鬍子哭喪著臉回答。

He began to howl dismally。 它就淒涼地吠叫起來。

3 bouquets n。花束（ bouquet的名詞複數 ）；（酒的）芳香

The welcoming crowd waved their bouquets。 歡迎的群眾搖動著花束。

As the hero stepped off the platform， he was surrounded by several children with bouquets。 當英雄走下講臺時，已被幾名手持花束的兒童圍住了。

4 grumble vi。抱怨；咕噥；n。抱怨，牢騷；咕噥，隆隆聲

I don’t want to hear another grumble from you。我不願再聽到你的抱怨。

He could do nothing but grumble over the situation。他除了埋怨局勢之外別無他法。

5 trudge v。步履艱難地走；n。跋涉，費力艱難的步行

It was a hard trudge up the hill。這趟上山是一次艱難的跋涉。

The trudge through the forest will be tiresome。長途跋涉穿越森林會令人疲憊不堪。

6 tickle（使）發癢（ tickle的過去式和過去分詞 ）； （使）愉快，逗樂

We were tickled pink to see our friends on television。 在電視中看到我們的一些朋友，我們高興極了。

I tickled the baby‘s feet and made her laugh。 我胳肢孩子的腳，使她發笑。

7 dressing n。（食物）調料；包紮傷口的用品，敷料

Don’t spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself。別花那麼多時間來打扮自己。

The children enjoy dressing up in mother‘s old clothes。孩子們喜歡穿上媽媽舊時的衣服玩。

8 toil vi。辛勞工作，艱難地行動；n。苦工，難事

The wealth comes from the toil of the masses。財富來自大眾的辛勤勞動。

Every single grain is the result of toil。每一粒糧食都來之不易。

9 croak vi。嘎嘎叫，發牢騷

Everyone seemed rather out of sorts and inclined to croak。每個人似乎都有點不對勁，想發發牢騷。

Frogs began to croak with the rainfall。蛙隨著雨落開始哇哇叫。

10 fretting n。 微振磨損 adj。 煩躁的， 焦慮的

Fretting about it won’t help。 苦惱於事無補。

The old lady is always fretting over something unimportant。 那位老婦人總是為一些小事焦慮不安。

11 slate n。板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候選人名單；adj。暗藍灰色的，含板岩的；vt。用石板覆蓋，痛打，提名，預訂

The nominating committee laid its slate before the board。提名委員會把候選人名單提交全體委員會討論。

What kind of job uses stained wood and slate？ 什麼工作會接觸木頭汙濁和石板呢？

12 horrid adj。可怕的；令人驚恐的；恐怖的；極討厭的

I‘m not going to the horrid dinner party。我不打算去參加這次討厭的宴會。

The medicine is horrid and she couldn’t get it down。這種藥很難吃，她咽不下去。

13 scrambled v。快速爬行；攀登；爭奪；（軍事飛機）緊急起飛

Each scrambled for the football at the football ground。 足球場上你爭我奪。

He scrambled awkwardly to his feet。 他笨拙地爬起身來。

14 implored 懇求或乞求（某人）

She implored him to stay。 她懇求他留下。

She implored him with tears in her eyes to forgive her。 她含淚哀求他原諒她。

15 wailed v。哭叫，哀號

She wailed over her father‘s remains。 她對著父親的遺體嚎啕大哭。 來自

The women of the town wailed over the war victims。 城裡的婦女為戰爭的死難者們痛哭。

16 momentar adj。片刻的，瞬息的；短暫的

We are in momentary expectation of the arrival of you。我們無時無刻不在盼望你的到來。

I caught a momentary glimpse of them。我瞥了他們一眼。

17 lull v。使安靜，使入睡，緩和，哄騙；n。暫停，間歇

The drug put Simpson in a lull for thirty minutes。藥物使辛普森安靜了30分鐘。

Ground fighting flared up again after a two-week lull。經過兩個星期的平靜之後，地面戰又突然爆發了。

18 turnovers n。營業額（ turnover的名詞複數 ）；失誤（籃球術語）；職工流動率；（商店的）貨物週轉率

However， one other thing we continue to have issues with are turnovers。 然而，另外一件我們仍然存在的問題就是失誤。

The Shanghai team took advantage of a slew of Jiangxi turnovers。 上海隊利用江西隊的頻繁失球佔了上風。

19 turnover n。人員流動率，人事變動率；營業額，成交量

The store greatly reduced the prices to make a quick turnover。這家商店實行大減價以迅速週轉資金。

Our turnover actually increased last year。去年我們的營業額竟然增加了。

20 bleak adj。（天氣）陰冷的；淒涼的；暗淡的

They showed me into a bleak waiting room。他們引我來到一間陰冷的會客室。

The company’s prospects look pretty bleak。這家公司的前景異常暗淡。

21 rascals 流氓（ rascal的名詞複數 ）； 無賴； （開玩笑說法）淘氣的人（尤指小孩）； 惡作劇的人

“Oh， but I like rascals。 ”唔，不過我喜歡流氓。

“They‘re all second-raters， black sheep， rascals。 ”他們都是二流人物，是流氓，是惡棍。

22 rascal n。流氓；不誠實的人

If he had done otherwise，I should have thought him a rascal。如果他不這樣做，我就認為他是個惡棍。

The rascal was frightened into holding his tongue。這壞蛋嚇得不敢往下說了。

23 wretches n。不幸的人（ wretch的名詞複數 ）；可憐的人；惡棍；壞蛋

The little wretches were all bedraggledfrom some roguery。 小淘氣們由於惡作劇而弄得髒乎乎的。

The best courage for us poor wretches is to fly from danger。 對我們這些可憐蟲說來，最好的出路還是躲避危險。

24 wretch n。可憐的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人

You are really an ungrateful wretch to complain instead of thanking him。你不但不謝他，還埋怨他，真不知好歹。

The dead husband is not the dishonoured wretch they fancied him。死去的丈夫不是他們所想象的不光彩的壞蛋。

25 remorseful adj。悔恨的

He represented to the court that the accused was very remorseful。他代被告向法庭陳情說被告十分懊悔。

The minister well knew——subtle，but remorseful hypocrite that he was！牧師深知這一切——他是一個多麼難以捉摸又懊悔不迭的偽君子啊！

26 shrouded v。隱瞞（ shroud的過去式和過去分詞 ）；保密

The hills were shrouded in mist 。 這些小山被籠罩在薄霧之中。

The towers were shrouded in mist。 城樓被蒙上薄霧。

27 nun n。修女，尼姑

I can’t believe that the famous singer has become a nun。我無法相信那個著名的歌星已做了修女。

She shaved her head and became a nun。她削髮為尼。

28 catching adj。易傳染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

There are those who think eczema is catching。有人就是認為溼疹會傳染。

Enthusiasm is very catching。熱情非常富有感染力。

29 blighted adj。枯萎的，摧毀的

Blighted stems often canker。有病的莖往往潰爛。

She threw away a blighted rose。她把枯萎的玫瑰花扔掉了。

30 decided adj。決定了的，堅決的；明顯的，明確的

This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents。這使他們比對手具有明顯的優勢。

There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting。英國人和中國人打招呼的方式有很明顯的區別。

31 tune n。調子；和諧，協調；v。調音，調節，調整

He‘d written a tune，and played it to us on the piano。他寫了一段曲子，並在鋼琴上彈給我們聽。

The boy beat out a tune on a tin can。那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

32 revely vi。狂歡作樂，陶醉；n。作樂，狂歡

She seems to revel in annoying her parents。她似乎以惹父母生氣為樂。

The children revel in country life。孩子們特別喜歡鄉村生活。

33 slippers n。 拖鞋

a pair of slippers 一雙拖鞋

He kicked his slippers off and dropped on to the bed。 他踢掉了拖鞋，倒在床上。

34 hearty adj。熱情友好的；衷心的；盡情的，縱情的

After work they made a hearty meal in the worker’s canteen。工作完了，他們在工人食堂飽餐了一頓。

We accorded him a hearty welcome。我們給他熱忱的歡迎。

35 goodwill n。善意，親善，信譽，聲譽

His heart is full of goodwill to all men。他心裡對所有人都充滿著愛心。

We paid ￡10，000 for the shop，and ￡2000 for its goodwill。我們用一萬英鎊買下了這家商店，兩千英鎊買下了它的信譽。

36 envious adj。嫉妒的，羨慕的

I don‘t think I’m envious of your success。我想我並不嫉妒你的成功。

She is envious of Jane‘s good looks and covetous of her car。她既忌妒簡的美貌又垂涎她的汽車。

37 contented adj。滿意的，安心的，知足的

He won’t be contented until he‘s upset everyone in the office。不把辦公室裡的每個人弄得心煩意亂他就不會滿足。

The people are making a good living and are contented，each in his station。人民安居樂業。

38 accomplishments n。造詣；完成（ accomplishment的名詞複數 ）；技能；成績；成就

It was one of the President’s greatest accomplishments。 那是總統最偉大的成就之一。

Among her accomplishments were sewing，cooking，playing the piano and dancing。 她的才能包括縫紉、烹調、彈鋼琴和跳舞。

39 lavished v。過分給予，濫施（ lavish的過去式和過去分詞 ）

I lavished all the warmth of my pent-up passion。 我把憋在心裡那一股熱烈的情感儘量地傾吐出來。

An enormous amount of attention has been lavished on these problems。 在這些問題上，我們已經花費了大量的注意力。

40 injustice n。非正義，不公正，不公平，侵犯（別人的）權利

They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated。他們抱怨受到不公平的對待。

All his life he has been struggling against injustice。他一生都在與不公正現象作鬥爭。

41 blessings n。（上帝的）祝福（ blessing的名詞複數 ）；好事；福分；因禍得福

Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise。 塞翁失馬，焉知非福。

We don‘t rely on blessings from Heaven。 我們不靠老天保佑。

42 lame adj。跛的，（辯解、論據等）無說服力的

The lame man needs a stick when he walks。那跛腳男子走路時需藉助柺棍。

I don’t believe his story。It‘sounds a bit lame。我不信他講的那一套。他的話聽起來有些靠不住。

43 tunes n。曲調，曲子（ tune的名詞複數 ）v。調音（ tune的第三人稱單數 ）；調整；（給收音機、電視等）調諧；使協調

a potpourri of tunes 樂曲集錦

When things get a bit too much， she simply tunes out temporarily。 碰到事情太棘手時，她乾脆暫時撒手不管。

44 remarkably ad。不同尋常地，相當地

I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances。 我認為她在那種情況下非常剋制。

He made a remarkably swift recovery。 他康復得相當快。

45 busts 半身雕塑像（ bust的名詞複數 ）； 婦女的胸部； 胸圍； 突擊搜捕

Dey bags swells up and busts。 那奶袋快脹破了。

Marble busts all looked like a cemetery。 大理石的半身象，簡直就象是墳山。

46 cosy adj。溫暖而舒適的，安逸的

We spent a cosy evening chatting by the fire。我們在爐火旁聊天度過了一個舒適的晚上。

It was so warm and cosy in bed that Simon didn’t want to get out。床上溫暖而又舒適，西蒙簡直不想下床了。

47 wildernesn。杳無人煙的一片陸地、水等，荒漠

She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness。她趕著牛群穿過荒野。

Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means。荒涼地區的教育不是錢財問題。

48 bliss n。狂喜，福佑，天賜的福

It‘s sheer bliss to be able to spend the day in bed。整天都可以躺在床上真是幸福。

He’s in bliss that he‘s won the Nobel Prize。他非常高興，因為獲得了諾貝爾獎金。

49 devoured 吞沒（ devour的過去式和過去分詞 ）； 耗盡； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎嚥地吃光

She devoured everything she could lay her hands on： books， magazines and newspapers。 無論是書、雜誌，還是報紙，只要能弄得到，她都看得津津有味。

The lions devoured a zebra in a short time。 獅子一會兒就吃掉了一匹斑馬。

50 perilous adj。危險的，冒險的

The journey through the jungle was perilous。穿過叢林的旅行充滿了危險。

We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis。歷經一連串危機，我們如今已安然無恙。

51 shrill adj。尖聲的；刺耳的；v尖叫

Whistles began to shrill outside the barn。哨聲開始在穀倉外面尖叫。

The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter。刺耳的鈴聲打散了小汽艇的牌局。

52 yarn n。紗，紗線，紡線；奇聞漫談，旅行軼事

I stopped to have a yarn with him。我停下來跟他聊天。

The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber。纖維是紗的基本結構單元。

53 outgrew 長［發展］ 得超過（某物）的範圍（ outgrow的過去式 ）； 長［發展］得不能再要（某物）； 長得比…快； 生長速度超過

She outgrew the company she worked for and found a better job somewhere else。 她進步很快，不再滿足於她所在工作的公司，於是又在別處找到一份更好的工作。

It soon outgrew Carthage and became the largest city of the western world。 它很快取代了迦太基成為西方的第一大城市。 來

54 idols 偶像（ idol的名詞複數 ）； 受崇拜的人或物； 受到熱愛和崇拜的人或物； 神像

The genii will give evidence against those who have worshipped idols。 魔怪將提供證據來反對那些崇拜偶像的人。

Teenagers are very sequacious and they often emulate the behavior of their idols。 青少年非常盲從，經常模仿他們的偶像的行為。

55 repulsive adj。排斥的，使人反感的

She found the idea deeply repulsive。她發現這個想法很噁心。

The repulsive force within the nucleus is enormous。核子內部的斥力是巨大的。

56 caressed 愛撫或撫摸…（ caress的過去式和過去分詞 ）

His fingers caressed the back of her neck。 他的手指撫摩著她的後頸。

He caressed his wife lovingly。 他憐愛萬分地撫摸著妻子。

57 tempestuous adj。狂暴的

She burst into a tempestuous fit of anger。她勃然大怒。

Dark and tempestuous was night。夜色深沉，狂風肆虐，暴雨傾盆。

58 wreck n。失事，遇難；沉船；vt。（船等）失事，遇難

Weather may have been a factor in the wreck。天氣可能是造成這次失事的原因之一。

No one can wreck the friendship between us。沒有人能夠破壞我們之間的友誼。

59 dreary adj。令人沮喪的，沉悶的，單調乏味的

They live such dreary lives。他們的生活如此乏味。

She was tired of hearing the same dreary tale of drunkenness and violence。她聽夠了那些關於酗酒和暴力的乏味故事。

60 chronic adj。（疾病）長期未愈的，慢性的；極壞的

Famine differs from chronic malnutrition。饑荒不同於慢性營養不良。

Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition。慢性中毒也可能由虛弱導致死亡。

61 invalid n。病人，傷殘人；adj。有病的，傷殘的；無效的

He will visit an invalid。他將要去看望一個病人。

A passport that is out of date is invalid。護照過期是無效的。

62 jingling 叮噹聲

A carriage went jingling by with some reclining figure in it。 一輛馬車叮噹駛過，車上斜倚著一個人。

Melanie did not seem to know， or care， that life was riding by with jingling spurs。 媚蘭好像並不知道，或者不關心，生活正馬刺丁當地一路駛過去了呢。

63 lark n。雲雀，百靈鳥；n。嬉戲，玩笑；vi。嬉戲

He thinks it cruel to confine a lark in a cage。他認為把雲雀關在籠子裡太殘忍了。

She lived in the village with her grandparents as cheerful as a lark。她同祖父母一起住在鄉間非常快活。

64 hearth n。壁爐爐床，壁爐地面

She came and sat in a chair before the hearth。她走過來，在爐子前面的椅子上坐下。

She comes to the hearth，and switches on the electric light there。她走到壁爐那裡，開啟電燈。

65 chirping 鳥叫，蟲鳴（ chirp的現在分詞 ）

The birds，chirping relentlessly，woke us up at daybreak。 破曉時鳥兒不斷吱吱地叫，把我們吵醒了。

The birds are chirping merrily。 鳥兒在歡快地鳴叫著。

66 illustrating 給…加插圖（ illustrate的現在分詞 ）； 說明； 表明； （用示例、圖畫等）說明

He upstaged the other speakers by illustrating his talk with slides。 他演講中配上幻燈片，比其他演講人更吸引聽眾。

Material illustrating detailed structure of graptolites has been etched from limestone by means of hydrofluoric acid。 表明筆石詳細構造的物質是利用氫氟酸從石灰岩中侵蝕出來。

67 specimens n。樣品（ specimen的名詞複數 ）；範例；（化驗的）抽樣；某種型別的人

Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon。 宇航員從月球帶回了岩石標本。

The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains。 那位旅行者從山上帶回了一些岩石標本。

68 atlas n。地圖冊，圖表集

He reached down the atlas from the top shelf。他從書架頂層取下地圖集。

The atlas contains forty maps，including three of Great Britain。這本地圖集有40幅地圖，其中包括3幅英國地圖。

69 crochet n。鉤針織物；v。用鉤針編制

That’s a black crochet waistcoat。那是一件用鉤針編織的黑色馬甲。

She offered to teach me to crochet rugs。她提出要教我鉤織小地毯。

70 plaintive adj。可憐的，傷心的

Her voice was small and plaintive。她的聲音微弱而哀傷。

Somewhere in the audience an old woman‘s voice began plaintive wail。觀眾席裡，一位老太太傷心地哭起來。

71 touching adj。動人的，使人感傷的

It was a touching sight。這是一幅動人的景象。

His letter was touching。他的信很感人。

72 quenched 解（渴）（ quench的過去式和過去分詞 ）； 終止（某事物）； （用水）撲滅（火焰等）； 將（熱物體）放入水中急速冷卻

He quenched his thirst with a long drink of cold water。 他喝了好多冷水解渴。

I quenched my thirst with a glass of cold beer。 我喝了一杯冰啤酒解渴。

73 bonnet n。無邊女帽；童帽

The baby’s bonnet keeps the sun out of her eyes。嬰孩的帽子遮住陽光，使之不刺眼。

She wore a faded black bonnet garnished with faded artificial flowers。她戴著一頂褪了色的黑色無邊帽，帽上綴著褪了色的假花。

74 fussy adj。為瑣事擔憂的，過分裝飾的，愛挑剔的

He is fussy about the way his food‘s cooked。他過分計較食物的烹調。

The little girl dislikes her fussy parents。小女孩討厭她那過分操心的父母。

75 aprons 圍裙（ apron的名詞複數 ）； 停機坪，臺口（舞臺幕前的部份）

Many people like to wear aprons while they are cooking。 許多人做飯時喜歡系一條圍裙。

The chambermaid in our corridor wears blue checked gingham aprons。 給我們掃走廊的清潔女工圍藍格圍裙。

76 artistic adj。藝術（家）的，美術（家）的；善於藝術創作的

The picture on this screen is a good artistic work。這屏風上的畫是件很好的藝術品。

These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends。外國朋友很喜歡這些美術工藝品。

77 afflicted 使受痛苦，折磨（ afflict的過去式和過去分詞 ）

About 40% of the country’s population is afflicted with the disease。 全國40%左右的人口患有這種疾病。

A terrible restlessness that was like to hunger afflicted Martin Eden。 一陣可怕的、跟飢餓差不多的不安情緒折磨著馬丁·伊登。

78 maternal adj。母親的，母親般的，母系的，母方的

He is my maternal uncle。他是我舅舅。

The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts。那個絕望的小男孩的模樣喚起了她的母性。

79 everlasting adj。永恆的，持久的，無止境的

These tyres are advertised as being everlasting。廣告上說輪胎持久耐用。

He believes in everlasting life after death。他相信死後有不朽的生命。

80 gape v。張口，打呵欠，目瞪口呆地凝視

His secretary stopped taking notes to gape at me。他的秘書停止了記錄，目瞪口呆地望著我。

He was not the type to wander round gaping at everything like a tourist。他不是那種像個遊客似的四處閒逛、對什麼都好奇張望的人。

81 saucy adj。無禮的；俊俏的；活潑的

He was saucy and mischievous when he was working。他工作時總愛調皮搗蛋。

It was saucy of you to contradict your father。你頂撞父親，真是無禮。

82 frivolous adj。輕薄的；輕率的

This is a frivolous way of attacking the problem。這是一種輕率敷衍的處理問題的方式。

He spent a lot of his money on frivolous things。他在一些無聊的事上花了好多錢。

83 worthy adj。（of）值得的，配得上的；有價值的

I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust。我認為他不值得信賴。

There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned。沒有值得一提的事發生。

84 primroses n。報春花（ primrose的名詞複數 ）；淡黃色；追求享樂（招至惡果）

Wild flowers such as orchids and primroses are becoming rare。 蘭花和報春花這類野花越來越稀少了。

The primroses were bollming； spring was in evidence。 迎春花開了，春天顯然已經到了。

85 meekly adv。溫順地，逆來順受地

He stood aside meekly when the new policy was proposed。 當有人提出新政策時，他唯唯諾諾地站。

He meekly accepted the rebuke。 他順從地接受了批評。

86 jig n。快步舞（曲）；v。上下晃動；用夾具輔助加工；蹦蹦跳跳

I went mad with joy and danced a little jig。我欣喜若狂，跳了幾步吉格舞。

He piped a jig so that we could dance。他用笛子吹奏格舞曲好讓我們跳舞。

87 monstrous adj。巨大的；恐怖的；可恥的，丟臉的

The smoke began to whirl and grew into a monstrous column。濃煙開始盤旋上升，形成了一個巨大的煙柱。

Your behaviour in class is monstrous！你在課堂上的行為真是丟人！

88 relished v。欣賞（ relish的過去式和過去分詞 ）；從…獲得樂趣；渴望

The chaplain relished the privacy and isolation of his verdant surroundings。 牧師十分欣賞他那蒼翠的環境所具有的幽雅恬靜，與世隔絕的氣氛。

Dalleson relished the first portion of the work before him。 達爾生對眼前這工作的前半部分滿有興趣。

89 agonizing adj。痛苦難忍的；使人苦惱的v。使極度痛苦；折磨（agonize的ing形式）

I spent days agonizing over whether to take the job or not。 我用了好些天苦苦思考是否接受這個工作。

90 mortification n。恥辱，屈辱

To my mortification， my manuscript was rejected。 使我感到失面子的是：我的稿件被退了回來。

The chairman tried to disguise his mortification。 主席試圖掩飾自己的窘迫。

91 virtue n。德行，美德；貞操；優點；功效，效力

He was considered to be a paragon of virtue。他被認為是品德盡善盡美的典範。

You need to decorate your mind with virtue。你應該用德行美化心靈。

92 utterance n。用言語表達，話語，言語

This utterance of his was greeted with bursts of uproarious laughter。他的講話引起陣陣鬨然大笑。

My voice cleaves to my throat，and sob chokes my utterance。我的噪子哽咽，泣不成聲。

93 oysters 牡蠣（ oyster的名詞複數 ）

We don‘t have oysters tonight， but the crayfish are very good。 我們今晚沒有牡蠣供應。但小龍蝦是非常好。

She carried a piping hot grill of oysters and bacon。 她端出一盤滾燙的烤牡蠣和鹹肉。

94 crooked adj。彎曲的；不誠實的，狡猾的，不正當的

He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him。他彎了彎手指，示意我們到他那兒去。

You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads。在這些彎彎曲曲的鄉間小路上你得慢慢開車。

95 cane n。手杖，細長的莖，藤條；v。以杖擊，以藤編制的

This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy。這甘蔗既甜又多汁。

English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment。英國小學老師過去常用教鞭打男學生作為懲罰。

96 flannel n。法蘭絨；法蘭絨衣

She always wears a grey flannel trousers。她總是穿一條灰色法蘭絨長褲。

She was looking luscious in a flannel shirt。她穿著法蘭絨裙子，看上去楚楚動人。

97 mite n。極小的東西；小銅幣

The poor mite was so ill。可憐的孩子病得這麼重。

He is a mite taller than I。他比我高一點點。

98 spoke n。（車輪的）輻條；輪輻；破壞某人的計劃；阻撓某人的行動 v。講，談（speak的過去式）；說；演說；從某種觀點來說

They sourced the spoke nuts from our company。他們的輪輻螺帽是從我們公司獲得的。

The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre。輻條是輪子上連線外圈與中心的條棒。

99 grudging adj。勉強的，吝嗇的

He felt a grudging respect for her talents as an organizer。他勉強地對她的組織才能表示尊重。

After a pause he added“sir。”in a dilatory，grudging way。停了一會他才慢吞吞地、勉勉強強地加了一聲“先生”。

100 heartily adv。衷心地，誠懇地，十分，很

He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse。他痛快地吃了一頓，就出去找他的馬。

The host seized my hand and shook it heartily。主人抓住我的手，熱情地和我握手。

101 diligently ad孜孜不倦地

He applied himself diligently to learning French。 他孜孜不倦地學法語。

He had studied diligently at college。 他在大學裡勤奮學習。

102 possessed adj。瘋狂的；擁有的，佔有的

He flew out of the room like a man possessed。他像著了魔似地猛然衝出房門。

He behaved like someone possessed。他行為舉止像是魔怔了。

103 entirely ad。全部地，完整地；完全地，徹底地

The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty。 那場火災完全是由於他們失職而引起的。

His life was entirely given up to the educational work。 他的一生統統獻給了教育工作。

104 morsel n。一口，一點點

He refused to touch a morsel of the food they had brought。他們拿來的東西他一口也不吃。

The patient has not had a morsel of food since the morning。從早上起病人一直沒有進食。