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.
【中文译文】:
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,小男孩擦伤的膝盖时,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,母亲却不知我再说些什么-----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。
A Boy and His Tree
A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it every day. He climbed to the tree top, ate the apples, took a nap under the shadow… He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him.
Time went by…The little boy had grown up and he no longer played around the tree.
One day, the boy came back to the tree and looked sad. “Come and play with me,” the tree asked the boy.
“I am no longer a kid, I don’t play around trees anymore.” The boy replied, “I want toys. I need money to buy them.” “Sorry, but I don’t have money…but you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have money.” The boy was so excited. He picked all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy didn’t come back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad.
One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited. “Come and play with me.” The tree said. “I don’t have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?” “Sorry, but I don’t have a house. But you can cut off my branches to build your house.” So the boy cut all the branches of the tree and left happily.
The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy didn’t appear since then. The tree was again lonely and sad. One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was delighted. “Come and play with me!” the tree said.
“I am sad and getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?” “Use my trunk to build the boat. You can sail and be happy.” So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and did not show up for a long time.
Finally, the boy returned after he left for so many years. “Sorry, my boy. But I don’t have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you.” the tree said. “ I don’t have teeth to bite.” The boy replied. “ No more trunk for you to climb on.” “I am too old for that now.” the boy said. “I really want to give you something…the only thing left is my dying roots.” The tree said with tears. “I don’t need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years.” The boy replied. “Good! Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest. Come here, please sit down with me and have a rest.” The boy sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears…
This is a story of everyone. The tree is our parent. When we were young, we loved to play with Mom and Dad… When we grow up, we leave them, and only come to them when we need something or when we are in trouble. No matter what, parents will always be there and give everything they could to make you happy. You may think that the boy is cruel to the tree but that's how all of us are treating our parents.
很久以前有一棵苹果树。一个小男孩每天都喜欢来到树旁玩耍。他爬到树顶,吃苹果,在树荫里打盹……他爱这棵树,树也爱和他一起玩。
随着时间的流逝,小男孩长大了。他不再到树旁玩耍了。
一天,男孩回到树旁,看起来很悲伤。“来和我玩吧!”树说。
“我不再是小孩了,我不会再到树下玩耍了。”男孩答到,“我想要玩具,我需要钱来买。”
“很遗憾,我没有钱……但是你可以采摘我的所有苹果拿去卖。这样你就有钱了。”男孩很兴奋。他摘掉树上所有的苹果,然后高兴地离开了。自从那以后男孩没有回来。树很伤心。
一天,男孩回来了,树非常兴奋。“来和我玩吧。”树说。“我没有时间玩。我得为我的家庭工作。我们需要一个房子来遮风挡雨,你能帮我吗?”很遗憾,我没有房子。但是,你可以砍下我的树枝来建房。“因此,男孩砍下所有的树枝,高高兴兴地离开了。
看到他高兴,树也很高兴。但是,自从那时起男孩没再出现,树有孤独,伤心起来。
突然,在一个夏日,男孩回到树旁,树很高兴。“来和我玩吧!”树说。
“我很伤心,我开始老了。我想去航海放松自己。你能不能给我一条船?” “用我的树干去造一条船,你就能航海了,你会高兴的。”于是,男孩砍倒树干去造船。他航海去了,很长一段时间未露面。
许多年后男孩终于回来了。“很遗憾,我的孩子,我再也没有任何东西可以给你了。没有苹果给你……”树说。“我没有牙齿啃。” 男孩答到。“没有树干供你爬。”“现在我老了,爬不上去了。” 男孩说。“我真的想把一切都给你……我唯一剩下的东西是快要死去的树墩。” 树含着眼泪说。“现在,我不需要什么东西,只需要一个地方来休息。经过了这些年我太累了。”男孩答到。 “太好了!老树墩就是倚着休息的最好地方。过来,和我一起坐下休息吧。” 男孩坐下了,树很高兴,含泪而笑……
这是一个发生在每一个人身上的故事。那棵树就像我们的父母。我们小的时候,喜欢和爸爸妈妈玩……长大后,便离开他们,只有在我们需要父母亲,或是遇到了困难的时候,才会回去找他们。尽管如此,父母却总是有求必应,为了我们的幸福,无私地奉献自己的一切。你也许觉得那个男孩很残忍,但我们何尝不是这样呢?
My Dreams
I want to be a teacher when I listen to my teacher carefully. I think I can be a teacher when I grow up. I can help many students learn things well. I can play with my students, too. So we are good friends. I want to be a doctor when I see many doctors save their patients. To be a doctor is really great. I think I can be a doctor when I grow up. Then I can help many people out of danger. I will be the happiest girl in the world. I want to be a reporter when I watch TV every evening. We can get lots of important information from them. They make the world smaller and also make us happy. I would like to be a reporter when I grow up. And I can learn a lot about China and the other countries around the world. I can meet many superstars as well. I have lots of dreams. I think my dreams can come true one day, because there’s an old saying “where there is a will, there is a way.”
三个都不错 希望符合要求啊~~
But the teacher cried
The six-year-old John was terribly spoiled . His father knew it, but his grandma doted on him. He hardly left her side. And when he wanted anything, he either cried or threw a temper tantrum. Then came his first day of school, his first day away from his grandmother's loving arms.
When he came home from school his grandma met him at the door.
"Was school all right?" she asked, "Did you get along all right? did you cry?"
"Cry?" John asked. "No, I didn't cry, but the teacher did!"
可是老师哭了
六岁的约翰娇生惯养。他的父亲知道这一点,可他的祖父母仍然宠着他。这孩子几乎寸步不离他的祖母。他想要什么不是哭,就是闹。他第一天上学才离开祖母的怀抱。
约翰放学了,他奶奶在门口接他并问道:“学校怎么样?你过的好吗?哭了没有?”
“哭?”约翰问,“不,我没哭,可老师哭了。”
She kindled a third match. Again shot up the flame; and now she was sitting under a most beautiful Christmas tree ,far larger, and far more prettily decked out, than the one she had seen last Christmas eve through the glass doors of the rich merchant's house. Hundreds of wax-tapers lighted up the green branches, and tiny painted figures, such as she had seen in the shop-windows, looked down from the tree upon her. The child stretched out her hands towards them in delight, and in that moment the lights of the match warm quenched; still, however, the Christmas candles burned higher and higher, she beheld them beaming like stars in heaven; one of them fell, the lights streaming behind it like a long, fiery tail.
“Now some one is dying,” said the little girl, softly, for she had been told by her old grandmother, the only person who had ever been kind to her, and who was now dead that whenever a star falls an immortal spirit returns to the God who gave it.
She struck yet another match against the wall; it flamed up, and surrounded by its light, appeared before her that same dear grandmother, gentle and loving as always, but bright and happy as she had never looked during her lifetime.
她擦着了第三根火柴,又冒出了火焰。现在她觉得正坐在非常美丽的圣诞树下面,比上次圣诞节透过那富商家的玻璃门看到的那株还要大、还要美。这株树的绿枝上点燃着许许多多的蜡烛,颜色瑰丽的图画,就象橱窗里挂着的那些一样漂亮,仿佛在向她眨眼。小姑娘把两只手伸过去,火柴又熄灭了。然而圣诞树上的烛光越升越高。她看到它们变成了明亮的星星,有一颗落下来,在天上划出一道长长的火丝。
“现在又有一个什么人死了。”小姑娘说。因为她的老祖母——一个唯一待她好的人,现在已经死了,曾经告诉过她,天上落下一颗星,地上就有一个灵魂回到曾赋于他生命的上帝那里去。
她在墙上又擦了一根火柴,火光把四周照亮了。在亮光里,亲爱的和生前一样的祖母出现了。她依然是那么的慈爱和温和,然而那快活和幸福的样子却是她生前从未有过的
One hot summer day a fox was walking through an orchard. He stopped before a bunch of grapes. They were ripe and juicy.
"I'm just feeling thirsty," he thought. So he backed up a few paces, got a running start, jumped up, but could not reach the grapes.
He walked back. One, two, three, he jumped up again, but still, he missed the grapes.
The fox tried again and again, but never succeeded. At last he decided to give it up.
He walked away with his nose in the air, and said“I am sure they are sour.”
狐狸和葡萄
●一个炎热的夏日,狐狸走过一个果园,他停在一大串熟透而多汁的葡萄前。
●狐狸想:“我正口渴呢。”于是他后退了几步,向前一冲,跳起来,却无法够到葡萄。
●狐狸后退又试。一次,两次,三次,但是都没有得到葡萄。
●狐狸试了一次又一次,都没有成功。最后,他决定放弃,他昂起头,边走边说:“葡萄还没有成熟,我敢肯定它是酸的。”