24.Miss Stacy and Her Pupils Get Up a Concert准备音乐会-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《绿山墙的安妮Anne of Green Gables》下

Chapter XXIV Miss Stacy and Her Pupils Get Up a Concert It was October again when Anne was ready to go back to school. Anne drew a long breath of happiness as she sharpened her pencil and arranged her picture cards in her desk. In the new teacher she found another true and helpful friend. Miss Stacy was a bright, sympathetic young woman with the happy gift of winning and holding the affections of her pupils and bringing out the best that was in them mentally and morally{①. "I love Miss Stacy with my whole heart, Marilla. She is so ladylike and she has such a sweet voice." "Mrs. Lynde says it made HER blood run cold to see the boys climbing to the very tops of those big trees on Bell's hill after crows' nests last Friday,"said Marilla. "I wonder at Miss Stacy for encouraging it." “But we wanted a crow's nest for nature study,"explained Anne. "That was on our field afternoon. Field afternoons are splendid, Marilla. And Miss Stacy explains everything so beautifully. We have to write compositions on our field afternoons and I write the best ones." "It's very vain of you to say so then. You'd better let your teacher sayit." .250· 第二十四章 准备音乐会 等到安妃伤愈返校时已经又是十月份了。她 削好铅笔,把图片在书桌里放整齐,快活地深深 吸了口气。 安呢又找到了一位真诚有益的朋友,这就是 新老师斯塔西小姐。她是个头脑聪明、善解人意 的年轻姑娘,颇有能力赢得学生们的爱戴,展现 他们精神风貌中的闪光点 “我对斯塔西小姐的爱是全心全意的,玛丽 ① morally /'mo:ral/ ad. 道德 拉。她的一举一动都那么文雅,说话的声音特别 上地,道义上地 好听。” “林德太太说,上个星期五她看见那些男孩 子爬到贝尔家山上的大树顶上去拘乌鸦窝,那才 让她不寒而栗呢,”玛丽拉说,“我真奇怪斯塔 西小姐怎么会鼓励他们这么干。” “可是我们上自然课要用一个乌鸦窝,”安婉 解释说,“是在下午实习课上用。实习课棒极 了,玛丽拉。斯塔西小姐每样东西都讲解得妙极 了。我们得写实习课的作文,我写得最好。” “你自己这么说是自夸,这话最好由老师来 说。” .251· Anne of Green Gabfes “But she DID say it, Marilla. And indeed I'm not vain about it. How can I be, when I'm such a dunce at geometry? Miss Stacy makes it so clear. Still, I'll never be good at it and I assure you it is a humbling{①} reflection. But I love writing compositions. Next week we are to write a composition on some remarkable person. It's hard to choose among so many remarkable people who have lived. I think when I grow up I'll be a trained nurse and go with the Red Crosses to the field of battle as a messenger of mercy. We have physical culture exercises every day, too. They make you graceful and promote digestion②." "Promote fiddlesticks!" said Marilla, who honestly thought it was all nonsense. But all the field afternoons and recitation Fridays and physical culture contortions③paled④} before a project which Miss Stacy brought forward in November. This was that the scholars of Avonlea school should get up a concert and hold it in the hall on Christmas Night, for the laudable② purpose of helping to pay for a schoolhouse flag. The pupils one and all taking graciously to this plan, the preparations for a program were begun at once. And of all the excited performers-elect none was so excited as Anne Shirley, who threw herself into the undertaking heart and soul, hampered {} as she was by Marilla's disapproval. Marilla thought it all rank foolishness. "It's just filling your heads up with nonsense and taking time that ought to be put on your lessons,"she grumbled. “But think of theworthy object," pleaded Anne. "A flag will cultivate a spirit of patriotism^{}, Marilla." "Fudge{}! There's precious little patriotism in the thoughts of any of you. All you want is a good time." “Well, when you can combine patriotism and fun, isn't it all .252. 绿山墙的安婉 “可她是这么说的,玛丽拉,我真的没自夸。 我的几何学得这么糟糕,我怎么会自夸呢?斯塔 西小姐讲解得很清楚。不过我对这门课永远不会 ① humbling /'hamb (o)ltn/ a. 精通的,我向您保证,这想法让我自卑。不过我 令人羞辱的 爱写作文。下周我们要写一篇关干某个名人的作 文。留存在人们记忆中的名人这么多,要挑选一 个来写可真不容易。我想我长大后要当一名受过 训练的护土,和红十字会一起作为仁爱的使者到 ② digestion /dr'd3estfan/ n. 战场上服务。我们每天还上体育课,它会使人变 消化,吸收 得举止优雅,还能促进消化。” “促进个鬼!”玛丽拉说,她打心眼儿里觉得 这全是胡闹。 ③ contortion /kan'to:fan/ n. 扭 然而,到了十一月份,斯塔西小姐提出了一 弯,扭曲 ④pale /petl/ v.变得苍白,黯然 项新计划,这项计划使周五的实习课、朗诵课以 失色 及每天的体育锻炼都黯然失色:埃文利学校的学 生们要准备一场音乐会,圣诞之夜在礼堂演出。 5 laudable /'lo:dobol/ a. 值得 称赞的 目的是值得称赞的--为学校集资做面国旗。学 graciously /qrerfaslr/ ad. 仁 生们全都虔诚地执行这个计划,立刻开始准备 慈地,和葛庄重地 节目了。在被选中参加表演的激动不已的学生 当中,没有谁比安呢更兴奋了,尽管玛丽拉不 hamper /haempa/v. 阻止 赞成这个活动还阻拦安呢参加,安呢还是全身 妨碍 心地投入到准备工作中。玛丽拉认为这一切都 愚蠢透顶。 “这种事只会让你胡思乱想,把应当用于学 习的时间都浪费了。”玛丽拉哪嚷着。 ③ patriotism /paetriatizam/ “可是您想想这事多有价值呀,”安妃恳求 爱国主义,爱国心 道, fudge /fad/ n. 胡言 “国旗可以激发爱国精神呀,玛丽拉。” “胡扯!你们才不是为了爱国呢,你们就是 想玩儿。” “哦,要是能又爱国又开心,这不是挺好的 ·253· Anne of Green Gabfes right? Of course it's real nice to be getting up a concert. I just tremble when I think of it, but it's a nice thrilly①kind of tremble. And we're to have a tableau②at the last-'Faith, Hope and Charity'. Don't be alarmed if you hear me groaning. I have to groan heartrendingly in one of them, and it's really hard to get up a good artistic groan, Marilla. I'm to have a wreath of white roses on my hair and Ruby Gillis is going to lend me her slippers because I haven't any of my own. It's necessary for fairies to have slippers, you know. We are going to decorate the hall with creeping{③} spruce and fir mottoes^{④}with pink tissue-paper} roses in them. And we are all to march in two by two after the audience is seated, while Emma White plays a march on the organ. Oh, Marilla, I know you are not so enthusiastic about it as I am, but don't you hope your little Anne will distinguish herself?" “All I hope is that you'll behave yourself. I'll be heartily glad when all this fuss is over and you'll be able to settle down." Anne sighed and betook herself to the back yard, where Matthew was splitting。 wood. Anne perched herself on a block and talked the concert over with him, sure of an appreciative and sympathetic listener in this instance at least. "Well now, I reckon it's going to be a pretty good concert. And I expect you'll do your part fine," he said, smiling down into her eager, vivacious^{} little face. Anne smiled back at him. Those two were the best of friends and Matthew thanked his stars many a time and oft that he had nothing to do with bringing her up. That was Marilla's exclusive duty: if it had been his he would have been worried over frequent conflicts between inclination}and said duty. As it was, he was free to,"spoil Anne"-Marilla's phrasing-as much as he liked. But it was not such a bad arrangement after all; a little "appreciation" sometimes does quite as much good as all the conscientious{}"bringing up" in the world. ·254· 绿山墙的安婉 吗?当然啦,准备音乐会真是太好了。我一想到 ① thrilly /ril/a.令人兴奋的 这个就发抖,不过是激动的颤抖。最后我们还要 ②tableau /taebla/n. 画面,戏 做个舞台造型一一忠诚、希望和仁慈'。要是听 剧性局面 见我哀叹,别大惊小怪。有一声哀叹必须令人柔 肠寸断。要发出一声艺术水平很高的哀叹真不容 易,玛丽拉。到时候我在头上戴一个白玫瑰花 环,鲁比要把她的拖鞋借给我,因为我自已没 ③ creeping /kri:pin/a. 爬行 有。仙女必须穿拖鞋,您知道的。我们要用云杉 的 藤和冷杉枝装饰礼堂,还要在上面挂满粉红色的 ④motto/mptan.题词,警句 纸玫瑰花。观众落座以后,我们就踏着进行曲一 tissue-paper 纸巾 对一对地入场,埃玛·怀特用风琴给我们伴奏 噢,玛丽拉,我知道您对这些事不像我那么感兴 趣,可是难道您不希望您的小安呢拔尖出众吗?” “我只希望你规矩点。等这些乱七八糟的事完 了,你能安下心来了,那我才打心眼儿里高兴呢。” 安呢叹了口气,起身来到后院,马修正在院 split/spht/v.分离,分开. 中壁柴。安呢坐在一块木头上跟马修聊起了音乐 开 会的事,她相信至少这下有了个理解欣赏她的听 众。 “嗯,我想这场音乐会会相当不错,我希望 你能演好。”马修低头瞧着安娓那热情活泼的小 vivacious /y'yefas/ . 活 脸儿,笑眯眯地说。安娓也对他笑了笑。他们俩 泼的 是最好的朋友,马修常常感谢老天爷,安婉用不 着他来管教,玛丽拉全都包了。如果让马修来做 这事的话,那他常常会很为难一是让安婉随心 ③ inclination /anklt'neifon/ n. 所欲呢还是履行管教她的职责呢?实际上,用玛 倾向,意愿,爱好 丽拉的话说,他是想怎么“娇惯”安呢就怎么 conscientious /konft'enfas “娇惯”。不过这么个管法倒也不错,在世上,适 a. 勤勉认真的:一丝不苟的 当的“欣赏”对于培养孩子有时可以和认真谨慎 的“管教”一样有益。 ·255·