To Kill a Mockingbird 杀死一只知更鸟 Chapter 7(2)
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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Jem stayed moody1 and silent for a week. As Atticus had once advised me to do, I triedto climb into Jem's skin and walk around in it: if I had gone alone to the Radley Place attwo in the morning, my funeral would have been held the next afternoon. So I left Jemalone and tried not to bother him.
 
School started. The second grade was as bad as the first, only worse -- they stillflashed cards at you and wouldn't let you read or write. Miss Caroline's progress nextdoor could be estimated by the frequency of laughter; however, the usual crew hadflunked the first grade again, and were helpful in keeping order. The only thing goodabout the second grade was that this year I had to stay as late as Jem, and we usuallywalked home together at three o'clock.
 
One afternoon when we were crossing the schoolyard toward home, Jem suddenlysaid: "There's something I didn't tell you."
 
As this was his first complete sentence in several days, I encouraged him: "Aboutwhat?"
 
"About that night."
 
"You've never told me anything about that night," I said.
 
Jem waved my words away as if fanning gnats2. He was silent for a while, then he said,"When I went back for my breeches -- they were all in a tangle3 when I was gettin‘ out of'em, I couldn't get ‘em loose. When I went back -- " Jem took a deep breath. "When Iwent back, they were folded across the fence… like they were expectin' me."
 
"Across -- "
 
"And something else -- " Jem's voice was flat. "Show you when we get home. They'dbeen sewed up. Not like a lady sewed ‘em, like somethin' I'd try to do. All crooked4. It'salmost like -- "
 
" -- somebody knew you were comin‘ back for 'em."
 
Jem shuddered5. "Like somebody was readin‘ my mind… like somebody could tell whatI was gonna do. Can't anybody tell what I'm gonna do lest they know me, can they,Scout6?"
 
Jem's question was an appeal. I reassured7 him: "Can't anybody tell what you're gonnado lest they live in the house with you, and even I can't tell sometimes."
 
We were walking past our tree. In its knot-hole rested a ball of gray twine8.
 
"Don't take it, Jem," I said. "This is somebody's hidin‘ place."
 
"I don't think so, Scout."
 
"Yes it is. Somebody like Walter Cunningham comes down here every recess9 andhides his things -- and we come along and take ‘em away from him. Listen, let's leave itand wait a couple of days. If it ain't gone then, we'll take it, okay?"
 
"Okay, you might be right," said Jem. "It must be some little kid's place -- hides histhings from the bigger folks. You know it's only when school's in that we've foundthings."
 
"Yeah," I said, "but we never go by here in the summertime."
 
We went home. Next morning the twine was where we had left it. When it was stillthere on the third day, Jem pocketed it. From then on, we considered everything wefound in the knot-hole our property.
 
The second grade was grim, but Jem assured me that the older I got the better schoolwould be, that he started off the same way, and it was not until one reached the sixthgrade that one learned anything of value. The sixth grade seemed to please him fromthe beginning: he went through a brief Egyptian Period that baffled me -- he tried to walkflat a great deal, sticking one arm in front of him and one in back of him, putting one footbehind the other. He declared Egyptians walked that way; I said if they did I didn't seehow they got anything done, but Jem said they accomplished10 more than the Americansever did, they invented toilet paper and perpetual embalming11, and asked where wouldwe be today if they hadn't? Atticus told me to delete the adjectives and I'd have thefacts.
 
There are no clearly defined seasons in South Alabama; summer drifts into autumn,and autumn is sometimes never followed by winter, but turns to a days-old spring thatmelts into summer again. That fall was a long one, hardly cool enough for a light jacket.
 
Jem and I were trotting12 in our orbit one mild October afternoon when our knot-holestopped us again. Something white was inside this time.
 
Jem let me do the honors: I pulled out two small images carved in soap. One was thefigure of a boy, the other wore a crude dress. Before I remembered that there was nosuch thing as hoo-dooing, I shrieked13 and threw them down.#p#分页标题#e#
 
Jem snatched them up. "What's the matter with you?" he yelled. He rubbed the figuresfree of red dust. "These are good," he said. "I've never seen any these good."
 
He held them down to me. They were almost perfect miniatures of two children. Theboy had on shorts, and a shock of soapy hair fell to his eyebrows14. I looked up at Jem. Apoint of straight brown hair kicked downwards15 from his part. I had never noticed itbefore. Jem looked from the girl-doll to me. The girl-doll wore bangs. So did I.
 
"These are us," he said.
 
"Who did ‘em, you reckon?"
 
"Who do we know around here who whittles16?" he asked.
 
"Mr. Avery."
 
"Mr. Avery just does like this. I mean carves."
 
Mr. Avery averaged a stick of stovewood per week; he honed it down to a toothpickand chewed it.
 
"There's old Miss Stephanie Crawford's sweetheart," I said.
 
"He carves all right, but he lives down the country. When would he ever pay anyattention to us?"
 
"Maybe he sits on the porch and looks at us instead of Miss Stephanie. If I was him, Iwould."
 
Jem stared at me so long I asked what was the matter, but got Nothing, Scout for ananswer. When we went home, Jem put the dolls in his trunk.
 
Less than two weeks later we found a whole package of chewing gum, which weenjoyed, the fact that everything on the Radley Place was poison having slipped Jem'smemory.
 
The following week the knot-hole yielded a tarnished17 medal. Jem showed it to Atticus,who said it was a spelling medal, that before we were born the Maycomb Countyschools had spelling contests and awarded medals to the winners. Atticus saidsomeone must have lost it, and had we asked around? Jem camel-kicked me when Itried to say where we had found it. Jem asked Atticus if he remembered anybody whoever won one, and Atticus said no.
 
Our biggest prize appeared four days later. It was a pocket watch that wouldn't run, ona chain with an aluminum18 knife.
 
"You reckon it's white gold, Jem?"
 
"Don't know. I'll show it to Atticus."
 
Atticus said it would probably be worth ten dollars, knife, chain and all, if it were new.
 
"Did you swap19 with somebody at school?" he asked.
 
"Oh, no sir!" Jem pulled out his grandfather's watch that Atticus let him carry once aweek if Jem were careful with it. On the days he carried the watch, Jem walked on eggs.
 
"Atticus, if it's all right with you, I'd rather have this one instead. Maybe I can fix it."
 
When the new wore off his grandfather's watch, and carrying it became a day'sburdensome task, Jem no longer felt the necessity of ascertaining20 the hour every fiveminutes.
 
He did a fair job, only one spring and two tiny pieces left over, but the watch would notrun. "Oh-h," he sighed, "it'll never go. Scout -- ?"
 
"Huh?"
 
"You reckon we oughta write a letter to whoever's leaving us these things?"
 
"That'd be right nice, Jem, we can thank ‘em -- what's wrong?"
 
Jem was holding his ears, shaking his head from side to side. "I don't get it, I just don'tget it -- I don't know why, Scout…" He looked toward the livingroom. "I've gotta goodmind to tell Atticus -- no, I reckon not."
 
"I'll tell him for you."
 
"No, don't do that, Scout. Scout?"
 
"Wha-t?"
 
He had been on the verge21 of telling me something all evening; his face would brightenand he would lean toward me, then he would change his mind. He changed it again.
 
"Oh, nothin‘."
 
"Here, let's write a letter." I pushed a tablet and pencil under his nose.
 
"Okay. Dear Mister…"
 
"How do you know it's a man? I bet it's Miss Maudie -- been bettin‘ that for a longtime."
 
"Ar-r, Miss Maudie can't chew gum -- " Jem broke into a grin. "You know, she can talkreal pretty sometimes. One time I asked her to have a chew and she said no thanks,that -- chewing gum cleaved22 to her palate and rendered her speechless," said Jemcarefully. "Doesn't that sound nice?"#p#分页标题#e#
 
"Yeah, she can say nice things sometimes. She wouldn't have a watch and chainanyway."
 
"Dear sir," said Jem. "We appreciate the -- no, we appreciate everything which youhave put into the tree for us. Yours very truly, Jeremy Atticus Finch23."
 
"He won't know who you are if you sign it like that, Jem."
 
Jem erased24 his name and wrote, "Jem Finch." I signed, "Jean Louise Finch (Scout),"
 
beneath it. Jem put the note in an envelope.
 
Next morning on the way to school he ran ahead of me and stopped at the tree. Jemwas facing me when he looked up, and I saw him go stark25 white.
 
"Scout!"
 
I ran to him.
 
Someone had filled our knot-hole with cement.
 
"Don't you cry, now, Scout… don't cry now, don't you worry-" he muttered at me all theway to school.
 
When we went home for dinner Jem bolted his food, ran to the porch and stood on thesteps. I followed him. "Hasn't passed by yet," he said.
 
Next day Jem repeated his vigil and was rewarded.
 
"Hidy do, Mr. Nathan," he said.
 
"Morning Jem, Scout," said Mr. Radley, as he went by.
 
"Mr. Radley," said Jem.
 
Mr. Radley turned around.
 
"Mr. Radley, ah -- did you put cement in that hole in that tree down yonder?"
 
"Yes," he said. "I filled it up."
 
"Why'd you do it, sir?"
 
"Tree's dying. You plug ‘em with cement when they're sick. You ought to know that,Jem."
 
Jem said nothing more about it until late afternoon. When we passed our tree he gaveit a meditative26 pat on its cement, and remained deep in thought. He seemed to beworking himself into a bad humor, so I kept my distance.
 
As usual, we met Atticus coming home from work that evening. When we were at oursteps Jem said, "Atticus, look down yonder at that tree, please sir."
 
"What tree, son?"
 
"The one on the corner of the Radley lot comin‘ from school."
 
"Yes?"
 
"Is that tree dyin‘?"
 
"Why no, son, I don't think so. Look at the leaves, they're all green and full, no brownpatches anywhere -- "
 
"It ain't even sick?"
 
"That tree's as healthy as you are, Jem. Why?"
 
"Mr. Nathan Radley said it was dyin‘."
 
"Well maybe it is. I'm sure Mr. Radley knows more about his trees than we do."
 
Atticus left us on the porch. Jem leaned on a pillar, rubbing his shoulders against it.
 
"Do you itch27, Jem?" I asked as politely as I could. He did not answer. "Come on in,Jem," I said.
 
"After while."
 
He stood there until nightfall, and I waited for him. When we went in the house I sawhe had been crying; his face was dirty in the right places, but I thought it odd that I hadnot heard him.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 moody XEXxG     
adj.心情不稳的,易怒的,喜怒无常的
参考例句:
  • He relapsed into a moody silence.他又重新陷于忧郁的沉默中。
  • I'd never marry that girl.She's so moody.我决不会和那女孩结婚的。她太易怒了。
2 gnats e62a9272689055f936a8d55ef289d2fb     
n.叮人小虫( gnat的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • He decided that he might fire at all gnats. 他决定索性把鸡毛蒜皮都摊出来。 来自辞典例句
  • The air seemed to grow thick with fine white gnats. 空气似乎由于许多白色的小虫子而变得浑浊不堪。 来自辞典例句
3 tangle yIQzn     
n.纠缠;缠结;混乱;v.(使)缠绕;变乱
参考例句:
  • I shouldn't tangle with Peter.He is bigger than me.我不应该与彼特吵架。他的块头比我大。
  • If I were you, I wouldn't tangle with them.我要是你,我就不跟他们争吵。
4 crooked xvazAv     
adj.弯曲的;不诚实的,狡猾的,不正当的
参考例句:
  • He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指,示意我们到他那儿去。
  • You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。
5 shuddered 70137c95ff493fbfede89987ee46ab86     
v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 );发抖;(机器、车辆等)突然震动;颤动
参考例句:
  • He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车,车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 scout oDGzi     
n.童子军,侦察员;v.侦察,搜索
参考例句:
  • He was mistaken for an enemy scout and badly wounded.他被误认为是敌人的侦察兵,受了重伤。
  • The scout made a stealthy approach to the enemy position.侦察兵偷偷地靠近敌军阵地。
7 reassured ff7466d942d18e727fb4d5473e62a235     
adj.使消除疑虑的;使放心的v.再保证,恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句:
  • The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 twine vg6yC     
v.搓,织,编饰;(使)缠绕
参考例句:
  • He tied the parcel with twine.他用细绳捆包裹。
  • Their cardboard boxes were wrapped and tied neatly with waxed twine.他们的纸板盒用蜡线扎得整整齐齐。
9 recess pAxzC     
n.短期休息,壁凹(墙上装架子,柜子等凹处)
参考例句:
  • The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
  • Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。
10 accomplished UzwztZ     
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的
参考例句:
  • Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
  • Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。
11 embalming df3deedf72cedea91a9818bba9c6910e     
v.保存(尸体)不腐( embalm的现在分词 );使不被遗忘;使充满香气
参考例句:
  • The corpse was preserved from decay by embalming. 尸体用香料涂抹以防腐烂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • They were experts at preserving the bodies of the dead by embalming them with special lotions. 他们具有采用特种药物洗剂防止尸体腐烂的专门知识。 来自辞典例句
12 trotting cbfe4f2086fbf0d567ffdf135320f26a     
小跑,急走( trot的现在分词 ); 匆匆忙忙地走
参考例句:
  • The riders came trotting down the lane. 这骑手骑着马在小路上慢跑。
  • Alan took the reins and the small horse started trotting. 艾伦抓住缰绳,小马开始慢跑起来。
13 shrieked dc12d0d25b0f5d980f524cd70c1de8fe     
v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She shrieked in fright. 她吓得尖叫起来。
  • Li Mei-t'ing gave a shout, and Lu Tzu-hsiao shrieked, "Tell what? 李梅亭大声叫,陆子潇尖声叫:“告诉什么? 来自汉英文学 - 围城
14 eyebrows a0e6fb1330e9cfecfd1c7a4d00030ed5     
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
  • His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。
15 downwards MsDxU     
adj./adv.向下的(地),下行的(地)
参考例句:
  • He lay face downwards on his bed.他脸向下伏在床上。
  • As the river flows downwards,it widens.这条河愈到下游愈宽。
16 whittles f84417560e8b801811d4e057bd43283b     
v.切,削(木头),使逐渐变小( whittle的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
17 tarnished e927ca787c87e80eddfcb63fbdfc8685     
(通常指金属)(使)失去光泽,(使)变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 ); 玷污,败坏
参考例句:
  • The mirrors had tarnished with age. 这些镜子因年深日久而照影不清楚。
  • His bad behaviour has tarnished the good name of the school. 他行为不轨,败坏了学校的声誉。
18 aluminum 9xhzP     
n.(aluminium)铝
参考例句:
  • The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
  • During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段,它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。
19 swap crnwE     
n.交换;vt.交换,用...作交易
参考例句:
  • I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
  • This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。
20 ascertaining e416513cdf74aa5e4277c1fc28aab393     
v.弄清,确定,查明( ascertain的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • I was ascertaining whether the cellar stretched out in front or behind. 我当时是要弄清楚地下室是朝前还是朝后延伸的。 来自辞典例句
  • The design and ascertaining of permanent-magnet-biased magnetic bearing parameter are detailed introduced. 并对永磁偏置磁悬浮轴承参数的设计和确定进行了详细介绍。 来自互联网
21 verge gUtzQ     
n.边,边缘;v.接近,濒临
参考例句:
  • The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
  • She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。
22 cleaved 1e6c79da0ae16aef67ef5f9d2ed570f9     
v.劈开,剁开,割开( cleave的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • His spade cleaved the firm sand with a satisfying crunch. 他的锹凿开了坚实的砂土,发出令人舒心的嘎扎声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Eagles cleaved the sky. 鹰击长空。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
23 finch TkRxS     
n.雀科鸣禽(如燕雀,金丝雀等)
参考例句:
  • This behaviour is commonly observed among several species of finch.这种行为常常可以在几种雀科鸣禽中看到。
  • In Australia,it is predominantly called the Gouldian Finch.在澳大利亚,它主要还是被称之为胡锦雀。
24 erased f4adee3fff79c6ddad5b2e45f730006a     
v.擦掉( erase的过去式和过去分词 );抹去;清除
参考例句:
  • He erased the wrong answer and wrote in the right one. 他擦去了错误答案,写上了正确答案。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He removed the dogmatism from politics; he erased the party line. 他根除了政治中的教条主义,消除了政党界限。 来自《简明英汉词典》
25 stark lGszd     
adj.荒凉的;严酷的;完全的;adv.完全地
参考例句:
  • The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
  • He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。
26 meditative Djpyr     
adj.沉思的,冥想的
参考例句:
  • A stupid fellow is talkative;a wise man is meditative.蠢人饶舌,智者思虑。
  • Music can induce a meditative state in the listener.音乐能够引导倾听者沉思。
27 itch 9aczc     
n.痒,渴望,疥癣;vi.发痒,渴望
参考例句:
  • Shylock has an itch for money.夏洛克渴望发财。
  • He had an itch on his back.他背部发痒。
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