Get a Grip, Man

1

It didn't take long for me to realize that I'd traded in my old problems with Juli Baker for a whole new set of problems with Juli Baker.

2

I could feel her anger a mile away.

3

It was actually worse having her mad at me than having her?

harass

?me.

harass /h??r?s/ vt.?使煩惱

4

Why? Because I'd?

screwed up

, that's why.

screw up?搞砸了

5

I had egg all over my face, and?

blaming

?it on her yard had done nothing to?

wash it off

.

blame /ble?m/ vt.?歸咎于

wash off?洗刷掉

6

The way she ignored me, or so obviously avoided me, was a screaming loud reminder to me that I'd been a?

jerk

.

jerk /d???rk/ [美，非正式]?壞蛋

7

A?

royal

?cluck-faced jerk.

royal /?r???l/ adj.?（用于強(qiáng)調(diào)某人或某物極度糟糕）極其的

8

Then one day I'm coming home from hanging out with Garrett after school, and there's Juli in her front yard,?

hacking

at a?

shrub

.

hack /h?k/ vt. & vi.?劈,?砍

shrub /?r?b/ n.?灌木

9

She is?

thrashing

?on the thing.

thrash /θr??/ vi.?毆打

10

Branches are flying over her shoulder, and clear across the street I can hear her?

grunting

?and?

growling

?and saying stuff like,

grunt /ɡr?nt/ vt.?咕噥著說(shuō)

growl /ɡra?l/ vt.?低聲咆哮著說(shuō)

11

“No…you… don't! You are coming… off… whether you like it or …not!”

12

Did I feel good about this? No, my friend, I did not.

13

Yeah, their yard was a mess, and it was?

about time

?someone did something about it, but c'mon — where's the dad? What about Matt and Mike? Why Juli?

about time?該......的時(shí)候了

14

Because I'd embarrassed her into it, that's why.

15

I felt worse than ever.

16

So I snuck inside and tried to ignore the fact that here's my desk and here's my window, and right across the street from me is Juli, beating up a bush.

17

Not?

conducive

?to concentration.

conducive /k?n?du?s?v/ adj.?有助于…的

18

No?

siree

, Bob.

siree /s??ri/ n.?先生

19

I got all of zero homework done.

20

The next day at school I was trying to get up the nerve to say something to her, but I never even got the chance.

21

She wouldn't let me get anywhere near her.

22

Then on the ride home I had this thought.

23

It kind of?

freaked

?me out at first, but the more I played with it, the more I figured that, yeah, helping her with the yard would?

make up

?for my having been such a jerk.

freak /frik/ v. [非正式]（使）不安

make up v.?彌補(bǔ)

24

Assuming

?she didn't?

boss

?me too much, and assuming she didn't decide to get all?

gooey-eyed?

or something stupid like that.

assume /??su?m/ v.?裝出

boss /b??s/ v.?對(duì)…指手畫(huà)腳

goo eyes?含情脈脈地注視

25

No, I'd go up and just tell her that I felt bad for being a jerk and I wanted to make it up to her by helping her cut back some bushes.

26

Period

. End of story.

period /'p?r??d/ adv. [美]?到此為止

27

And if she still wanted to be mad at me after that, then fine.

28

That was her problem.

29

My problem was, I never got the chance.

30

I came?

trekking

?down from the bus stop to find my grandfather doing my?

good deed

.

trek /trek/ vi.?艱苦跋涉

good deed?好事

31

Now, jump back.

32

This was not something I could immediately absorb.

33

My grandfather did not do yard work.

34

At least, he'd never offered to help me out.

35

My grandfather lived in house slippers — where'd he get those work boots? And those jeans and that flannel shirt — what was up with those?

36

I crouched behind a neighbor's hedge and watched them for ten or fifteen minutes, and man, the longer I watched, the?

madder

?I got.

mad /m?d/ adj.?惱火的

37

My grandfather had already said more to her in this little slice of time than he'd said to me the whole year and a half he'd been living with us.

38

What was his deal with Juli Baker?

39

I took?

the back way

?home, which?

involved

?climbing two fences and kicking off the neighbor's stupid little?

terrier

, but it was worth it, considering I avoided the garden party across the street.

the back way?后門(mén)

involve /?n?vɑ?lv/ vt.?包含

terrier /'t?r??/ n.?一種活潑的小狗

40

Again I got no homework done.

41

The more I watched them, the madder I got.

42

I was still a cluck-faced jerk, while Juli was laughing it up with my grandfather.

43

Had I ever seen him smile? Really smile? I don't think so!

44

But now he was?

knee-high

?in?

nettles

, laughing.

knee-high /?ni?ha?/ adj.?高到膝的

nettle /?netl/ n.?蕁麻

45

At dinner that night he'd showered and changed back into his regular clothes and house slippers, but he didn't look the same.

46

It was like someone had plugged him in and turned on the light.

47

“Good evening,” he said as he sat down with the rest of us. “Oh, Patsy, that looks delicious!”

48

“Well, Dad,” my mom said with a laugh, “your?

excursion

?across the street seems to have done you a world of good.”

excursion /?k?sk??r?n/ n.?短途旅行

49

“Yeah,” my father said.

50

“Patsy tells me you've been over there all afternoon. If you were?

in the mood

?for home improvement projects, why didn't you just say so?”

in the mood?興致勃勃

51

My father was just joking around, but I don't think my grandfather took it that way.

52

He helped himself to a?

cheese-stuffed

?potato and said, “Pass the salt, won't you, Bryce?”

cheese-stuffed?奶酪餡的

53

So there was this?

definite

?

tension

?between my father and my grandfather, but I think if Dad had dropped the subject right then, the?

vibe

?would've vanished.

definite /?def?n?t/ adj.?一定的

tension /?ten?n/ n.?緊張局勢(shì)；緊張關(guān)系

vibe /va?b/ Ⅰn. (一地的)氣氛

54

Dad didn't drop it, though.

55

Instead, he said, “So why's the girl the one who's finally doing something about their place?”

56

My grandfather salted his potato very carefully, then looked across the table at me.

57

Ah-oh, I thought. Ah-oh.

58

In a flash I knew those stupid eggs were not?

behind

?me.

behind /b?'ha?nd/ prep.?成為(某人的)過(guò)去

59

Two years of?

sneaking

?them in the trash, two years of avoiding discussion of Juli and her eggs and her chickens and her early-morning visits, and for what?

sneak /sni?k/ v.?私運(yùn)

60

Granddad knew, I could see it in his eyes.

61

In a matter of seconds he'd crack open the truth, and I'd be as good as fried.

62

Enter a miracle.

63

My grandfather?

petrified

?me for a minute with his eyes but then turned to my father and said, “She wants to, is all.”

petrify /?petr?fa?/ vi.?使麻木

64

A raging river of sweat ran down my?

temples

, and as my father said, “Well, it's about time someone did,”

temple /?templ/ n.?太陽(yáng)穴

65

my grandfather looked back at me and I knew—he was not going to let me forget this.

66

We'd just had another conversation, only this time I was definitely not dismissed.

67

After the dishes were cleared, I retreated to my room, but my grandfather came right in, closed the door behind him, and then sat on my bed.

68

He did this all without making a sound.

69

No squeaking, no?

clanking

, no?

scraping

, no breathing …I swear, the guy moved through my room like a ghost.

clanking /'kl??ki?/ n.?發(fā)出丁當(dāng)聲

scraping /?skrep??/ n.?刮擦聲

70

And of course I'm?

banging

?my knee and dropping my pencil and?

deteriorating

?into a?

pathetic

?

pool

?of?

Jell-O

.

bang /b??/ v. (意外地)撞擊

deteriorate /d??t?ri?re?t/ vi.?惡化

pathetic /p??θet?k/ adj.?可憐的

pool /pu?l/ n. (液體等的)一灘，一片

jell-o /?d??lo/ n.?〈美〉吉露果子凍

71

But I tried my best to sound cool as I said, “Hello, Granddad. Come to check out the?

digs

?”

72

He?

pinched

?his lips?

together

?and looked at nothing but me.

pinch /p?nt?/ v.?抿(嘴唇)

together /t?'ɡ?e?/ adv.?緊挨地

73

I?

cracked

.

crack /kr?k/ v.?崩潰

74

“Look, Granddad, I know I?

messed up

. I should've just told her, but I couldn't.

mess up?搞砸了

75

And I kept thinking they'd stop. I mean, how long can a chicken lay eggs? Those things hatched in the fifth grade! That was like, three years ago! Don't they eventually run out?

76

And what was I supposed to do? Tell her Mom was afraid of salmonella poisoning? And Dad wanted me to tell her we were allergic—c'mon, who's going to buy that?

77

So I just kept, you know, throwing them out. I didn't know she could've sold them. I thought they were just extras.”

78

He was nodding, but very slowly.

79

I sighed and said, “Thank you for not saying anything about it at dinner. I owe you.”

80

He pulled my curtain?

aside

?and looked across the street.

aside /??sa?d/ adv.?到(或向)一邊

81

“One's character is set at an early age, son. The choices you make now will affect you for the rest of your life.”

82

He was quiet for a minute, then dropped the curtain and said, “I?

hate

?to see you swim out so far you can't swim back.”

hate /he?t/ v.?不愿

83

“Yes, sir.”

84

He frowned and said, “Don't yes-sir me, Bryce.”

85

Then he stood and added, “Just think about what I've said, and the next time you're faced with a choice, do the right thing. It hurts everyone less?

in the long run

.”

in the long run?從長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)來(lái)看

86

With that,?

poof

, he was gone.

poof /p?f/ n.?吹熄蠟燭的聲音

87

The next day I went to?

shoot some hoops

?at Garrett's after school, and when his mom?

dropped me off

?later that afternoon, my granddad didn't even notice.

shoot hoops?打籃球

drop off?讓......下車(chē)

88

He was too busy being Joe?

Carpenter

?in Juli's front yard.

carpenter /?kɑ?rp?nt?r/ n.?木匠

89

I tried to do my homework at the breakfast bar, but my mom came home from work and started being all?

chatty

,

chatty /?t??ti/ adj.?愛(ài)閑聊的

90

and then Lynetta appeared and the two of them started fighting about whether Lynetta's?

makeup

?made her look like a?

wounded

?

raccoon

.

makeup /?mek?p/ n.?化妝品

wounded /?wund?d/ adj.?受傷的

raccoon /r?'kun/ n.[動(dòng)]浣熊

91

Lynetta. I swear she'll never learn.

92

I packed up my stuff and escaped to my room, which, of course, was a total waste.

93

They've got a?

saw

?

revving

?and?

wailing

?across the street, and in between cuts I can hear the?

whack

, whack, whack! whack, whack, whack! of a hammer.

saw /s??/ n.?鋸

rev /r?v/ vi.?加快轉(zhuǎn)速

wail /wel/ n.?呼嘯

whack /w?k/ n.?重?fù)袈?/p>

94

I look out the window and there's Juli,?

spitting

?out?

nails

?and slamming them in place.

spit /sp?t/ vt. & vi.?吐出

nail /ne?l/ n.?釘子

95

No kidding.

96

She's got nails lined up between her lips like?

steel

?cigarettes, and she's swinging that hammer full-arc, way above her head, driving nails into?

pickets

?like they're going into butter.

steel /sti?l/ n.?鋼

picket /'pikit/ n. [建]尖木樁

97

For a split second there, I saw my head as the?

recipient

?of her hammer, cracking open like?

Humpty Dumpty

.

recipient /r??s?pi?nt/ n.?接受者

Humpty Dumpty n.?一旦損壞就無(wú)法修復(fù)的東西

98

I shuddered and dropped the curtain,?

ditched

?the homework, and headed for the TV.

ditch /d?t?/ vt.[俚]丟棄

99

They?

handymanned

?all week.

handyman /?h?ndim?n/ n.?雜務(wù)工

100

And every night Granddad would come in with?

rosy

?cheeks and a huge?

appetite

?and?

compliment

?my mom on what a great cook she was.

rosy /?ro?zi/ adj.?膚色紅潤(rùn)的

appetite /??p?ta?t/ n.?食欲

compliment /?kɑ?mpl?m?nt/ vt.?贊美

101

Then Saturday happened.

102

And the last thing I wanted was to spend the day at home while my grandfather?

churned

?up dirt and helped plant Juli's yard.

churn /t??n/ v.?打破(地的)表面

103

Mom tried to get me to do our own yard, but I would have felt?

ridiculous

?

micromowing

?our grass with Granddad and Juli making real changes right across the street.

ridiculous /r??d?kj?l?s/ adj.?荒謬的

micromowing?微割草

104

So I locked myself in my room and called Garrett.

105

He wasn't home, and everybody else I called had stuff they had to do.

106

And?

hitting up

?Mom or Dad for a ride to the movies or the?

mall

?was?

hopeless

.

hit up?請(qǐng)求

mall /m??l/ n.?商場(chǎng)

hopeless /?ho?pl?s/ adj.?無(wú)望的

107

They'd tell me I was supposed to be doing the yard.

108

What I was, was stuck.

109

And what I wound up doing was looking out the stupid window at Juli and my grandfather.

110

It was a totally?

lame

?thing to do, but that's what I did.

lame /le?m/ adj.?差勁的

111

I got?

nailed

?doing it, too. By my grandfather.

nail /ne?l/ n.?揭露

112

And he, of course, had to point me out to Juli, which made me feel another two inches shorter.

113

I dropped the curtain and?

blasted

?out the back door and over the fence.

blast /bl?st/ vi.?猛攻

114

I had to get out of there.

115

I swear I walked ten miles that day.

116

And I don't know who I was madder at — my grandfather, Juli, or me.

117

What was wrong with me?

118

If I wanted to?

make it up to

?Juli, why didn't I just go over there and help?

make it up to?和某人和好

119

What was stopping me?

120

I wound up at Garrett's house, and man, I'd never been so glad to see anyone in my life.

121

Leave it to Garrett to get your mind off anything important.

122

That dude's the?

master

.

master /?m?st?r/ n.?大師

123

We went out back and shot hoops, watched the tube, and talked about hitting the water slides this summer.

124

And when I got home, there was Juli,?

sprinkling

?the yard.

sprinkle /?spr??kl/ vi.?噴灑

125

She saw me, all right, but she didn't wave or smile or anything.

126

She just?

looked away

.

look away?移開(kāi)視線

127

Normally what I'd do in that situation is maybe pretend like I hadn't seen her, or give a quick wave and charge inside.

128

But she'd been mad at me for what seemed like?

ages

.

age /ed?/ n. [非正式]?很長(zhǎng)時(shí)間

129

She hadn't said word one to me since the morning of the eggs.

130

She'd completely?

dissed

?me in math a?

couple

?days before when I'd smiled at her, trying to tell her I was sorry.

dis /d?s/ vt.?表示對(duì)某人的輕視、不敬、小看

couple /?k?pl/ n.?一些,?幾個(gè)

131

She didn't smile back or nod or anything.

132

She just turned away and never looked back.

133

I even waited for her outside the classroom to say something, anything, about her fixing up the yard and how bad I felt, but she ditched me out the other door,

ditch /d?t?/ v. [非正式]?擺脫

134

and after that anytime I got anywhere near her, she'd find some way to?

skate

?around me.

skate /sket/ v.?回避（skate over/round）

135

So there she was, watering the yard, making me feel like a jerk, and I'd had enough of it.

136

I went up to her and said, “It's looking real good, Juli. Nice job.”

137

“Thanks,” she said without smiling. “Chet did most of it.”

138

Chet? I thought. Chet?

139

What was she doing, calling my grandfather by his first name?

140

“Look, Juli,” I said, trying to?

get on with

?why I was there.

get on with?繼續(xù)干

141

“I'm sorry for what I did.”

142

She looked at me for a second, then went back to watching the water spray across the dirt.

143

Finally she said, “I still don't get it, Bryce. Why didn't you just tell me?”

144

“I…I don't know. It was?

dumb

. I should have. And I shouldn't have said anything about the yard, either. It was, you know,?

out of line

.”

dumb /d?m/ adj.?愚蠢的

out of line?錯(cuò)誤得越出常規(guī)

145

I was already feeling better. A lot better.

146

Then Juli says, “Well, maybe it's all for the better,” and starts bouncing up and down on the?

balls of her feet

, acting more like her old self.

ball of foot?前腳掌

147

“Doesn't it look great? I learned so much from Chet it's amazing. You are so lucky. I don't even have grandparents anymore.”

148

“Oh,” I said, not knowing what to say.

149

“I do feel sorry for him, though. He sure misses your grandmother.” Then she laughs and shakes her head, saying, “Can you believe it? He says I remind him of her.”

150

“What?”

151

“Yeah,” she laughs again. “That's what I said. But he meant it in a nice way.”

152

I looked at Juli and tried to picture my grandmother as an eighth grader.

153

It was hopeless.?

154

I mean, Juli's got long,?

fluffy

?brown hair and a nose full of?

freckles

, where my grandmother had always been some variety of blond.

fluffy /?fl?fi/ adj.?蓬松的

freckle /'fr?kl/ n.?雀斑

155

And my grandmother had used?

powder

.?

Puffy

?white powder.

powder /?pa?d?r/ n.?美容粉

puffy /'p?fi/ adj.?松軟潔白的

156

She'd put it on her face and in her hair, in her slippers and on her chest…. That woman powdered everything.

157

I could not see Juli?

coated

?in powder.

coat /kot/ vt.?為某物涂抹

158

Okay, maybe?

gun powder

, but the white?

perfumy

?stuff? Forget it.

gun powder?火藥

perfumy?香味

159

I guess I was staring, because Juli says, “Look, I didn't say it, he did. I just thought it was nice, that's all.”

160

“Yeah, whatever. Well, good luck with the grass. I'm sure it'll come up great.” Then I totally surprised myself by saying, “Knowing you, you'll get 'em all to hatch.”

161

I didn't say it mean or anything, I really meant it.

162

I laughed, and then she laughed, and that's how I left her—sprinkling her soon-to-be?

sod

, smiling.

sod /sɑd/ n.?草皮

163

I hadn't been in such a good mood in weeks.

164

The eggs were finally behind me.

165

I was?

absolved

.?

Relieved

. Happy. It took me a few minutes at the dinner table to realize that I was the only one who was.

absolve /?b?zɑ?lv/ vt.?宣告…無(wú)罪

relieve /r??li?v/ v.?解救

166

Lynetta had on her usual?

pout

, so that wasn't it.

pout /pa?t/ n.?悶悶不樂(lè)

167

But my father's idea of saying hello was to?

lay into

?me about the lawn.

lay into?痛斥

168

“

No sweat

,” I told him. “I'll do it tomorrow.”

no sweat?不用擔(dān)心

169

All that got me was a?

scowl

.

scowl /ska?l/ n.?愁容

170

Then Mom says to my granddad, “You tired tonight, Dad?”

171

I hadn't even noticed him sitting there like a stone.

172

“Yeah,” my father?

tosses down

?the table at him. “That girl working you too hard?”

toss down?一飲而盡

173

My grandfather?

straightens

?his fork on his?

napkin

?and says, “‘That girl’ is named Juli, and no, she isn't ‘working me too hard,’ as you so?

callously

?put it.”

straight /stret/ adv.?直接地

napkin /?n?pk?n/ n.?餐巾紙

callous /?k?l?s/ adj.?無(wú)情的

174

“Callous? Me?” My dad laughs and says, “Developed quite?

a soft spot

?for that girl, haven't you?”

a soft spot?情有獨(dú)鐘

175

Even Lynetta let her?

pout

?go for a minute.

pout /pa?t/ n.?撅嘴

176

These were?

fighting words

?and everyone knew it.

fighting words?挑起爭(zhēng)端的言詞

177

Mom?

nudged

?Dad with her foot, but that only made things worse.

nudge /n?d?/ vt.?用肘輕推

178

“No, Patsy! I want to know why your father has the energy and?

inclination

?to befriend a complete stranger when he's never done so much as toss a baseball around with his own grandson!”

inclination /'?nkl?'ne??n/ n.?愛(ài)好

179

Well, yeah! I thought.

180

But then I remembered — I owed my grandfather. Owed him big-time.

181

Without thinking, I said, “Take it easy, Dad. Juli just reminds him of Grandma.”

182

Everyone?

clammed up

?and stared at me.

clam up v.?保持沉默

183

So I looked at my grandfather and said, “Uh … isn't that right, Granddad?”

184

He nodded and?

rearranged

?his fork some more.

rearrange /?ri?'rend?/ vt.?重新布置

185

“Of Renée?” My father looked at my mother and then at Granddad. “She can't possibly!”

186

My granddad closed his eyes and said, “It's her spirit that reminds me of Renée.”

187

“Her spirit,” my father says. Like he's talking to a?

lying

?

kindergartner

.

lying /'la???/ adj.?說(shuō)謊的

kindergartner?幼兒園里的小孩

188

“Yes, her spirit.” My grandfather's quiet for a minute, then asks, “Do you know why the Bakers haven't fixed up the yard until now?”

189

“Why? Sure. They're trash, that's why. They've got a?

beat-up

?house, two beat-up cars, and a beat-up yard.”

beat-up /?bit??p/ adj.?破舊的

190

“They are not trash, Rick. They are good, honest, hardworking people — ”

191

“Who have absolutely no pride in how they?

present

?themselves to the rest of the world.

present /?preznt/ vt.?展現(xiàn)

192

We've lived across the street from those people for over six years, and there is no?

excuse

?for the state they're in.”

excuse /?k?skjuz/ n.?理由

193

“No?” My grandfather takes a deep breath and seems to?

weigh

?things in his mind for a few seconds.

weigh /we?/ vt.?權(quán)衡

194

Then he says, “Tell me this, Rick. If you had a brother or sister or child who had a?

severe

?mental or physical?

handicap

, what would you do?”

severe /s??v?r/ adj.?嚴(yán)重的

handicap /?h?ndik?p/ n. (生理或智力上的)缺陷

195

It was like my granddad had?

passed gas

?in church.

pass gas?放屁

196

My father's face pinched, his head shook, and finally he said, “Chet, what does that have to do with anything?”

197

My grandfather looks at him for a minute, then quietly says, “Juli's father has a?

retarded

?brother, and—”

retarded /r??tɑ?rd?d/ adj.?弱智的

198

My father interrupts him with a laugh. “Well, that explains a lot, doesn't it!”

199

“Explains…a lot?” my grandfather asks. Quietly. Calmly.

200

“Sure! It explains why those people are the way they are … !”

201

He grins around the table at us. “Must?

run in the family

.”

run in the family?世代相傳

202

Everyone looks at him.

203

Lynetta's?

jaw

?drops, and for once she's?

speechless

.

jaw /d???/ n.?下巴

speechless /'spit?l?s/ adj. (由于強(qiáng)烈的感情)說(shuō)不出話的

204

My mother says, “Rick!”

205

but all my father can do is laugh a nervous kind of laugh and say,

206

“It was just a joke! I mean, obviously something's wrong with those people. Oh, excuse me, Chet. I forgot. The girl reminds you of Renée.”

207

“Rick!” my mother says again, only this time she's mad.

208

“Oh, Patsy, please. Your father's being?

overly

?

dramatic

, trying to make me feel bad for criticizing our neighbors because there's a retarded?

relative

?someplace.

overly /'ov?li/ adv.?過(guò)度地

dramatic /dr??m?t?k/ adj.?激動(dòng)人心的

relative /?rel?t?v/ n.?親戚

209

Other people have family troubles and still manage to mow their lawn. They should have a little pride in ownership,?

for cryin' out loud

!”

for cryin' out loud?真是豈有此理

210

My grandfather's cheeks are seriously?

flushed

, but his voice is rock-steady as he says,

flushed /fl ??t/ adj.?激動(dòng)的

211

“They don't own that house, Rick. The?

landlord

?is supposed to?

maintain

?the?

premises

, but he doesn't.

landlord /?l?ndl??rd/ n.?房東

maintain /me?n?te?n/ v.?保養(yǎng)

premise /?prem?s/ n.?房屋建筑及附屬場(chǎng)地

212

And since Juli's father is responsible for his brother, all their?

reserves

?go to his?

care

, and obviously it doesn't come cheap.”

reserve /r??z??rv/ n.?儲(chǔ)備

care /k?r/ n.?照料

213

Very quietly my mom asks, “Don't they have government?

facilities

?for that kind of thing?”

facility /f??s?l?ti/ n.?設(shè)施

214

“I don't know the details, Patsy. Maybe there are no government facilities?

nearby

. Maybe they thought a?

private

facility was a better place for him to be.”

nearby /?n?r?ba?/ adv.?在附近

private /?pra?v?t/ adj.?私人的

215

“Still,” my dad says,

216

“there are government facilities?

available

, and if they don't want to go that?

route

, that's their choice.

available /??ve?l?bl/ adj.?可用的

route /ru?t/ n.?途徑

217

It's not our fault their family had some sort of?

chromosomal

?

abnormality

, and I refuse to feel?

guilty

?for?

wanting

?— ”

chromosomal /'kr?um?s?um?l/ adj.?染色體的

abnormality /??bn?r'm?l?ti/ n.?異常

guilty /?ɡ?lti/ adj.?內(nèi)疚的

wanting /'w?nt??/ adj. (非正式)弱智的

218

My grandfather slams his hand on the table and half-stands as he says, “It had nothing to do with chromosomes, Rick! It was caused by a?

lack

?of?

oxygen

?at birth.”

lack /l?k/ n.?缺乏

oxygen /?ɑ?ks?d??n/ n.?氧氣

219

He brings his voice down, but it makes his words seem even more forceful.

220

“Juli's uncle had the?

umbilical cord

?wrapped around his neck. Twice. One minute he was a perfect little baby, just like your son, Bryce, and the next he was?

irreversibly

?damaged.”

umbilical cord n.?臍帶

irreversibly adv.?不可逆地

221

My mother was suddenly?

hysterical

.

hysterical /h??ster?kl/ adj.?歇斯底里般的

222

In seconds she was?

bawling

?her eyes out, wailing, and my father was all over her, trying to calm her down.

bawl /b??l/ vi.?放聲痛哭

223

It was no use.

224

She basically dissolved right there?

on the spot

.

on the spot?當(dāng)場(chǎng)

225

Lynetta threw her napkin down and muttered, “This family is a joke,” and took off.

226

Then my mother?

bolted

?out of the room, sobbing into her hands, and my father raced after her, throwing my grandfather the?

wickedest

?look I'd ever seen.

bolt /bo?lt/ vi.?沖出

wicked /?w?k?d/ adj.?惡劣的

227

That left Granddad and me and a table full of cold food.

228

“Wow,” I finally said. “I had no idea.”

229

“You still don't,” he told me.

230

“What do you mean?”

231

He sat there like?

granite

?for a minute, then leaned across the table toward me and said, “Why do you suppose that upset your mother so much?”

granite /'gr?n?t/ n.?花崗巖

232

“I…I don't know.” I gave a?

halfhearted

?grin and said, “Because she's female?”

halfhearted /?h?f?hɑrt?d/ adj.?心不在焉的

233

He smiled, but just barely. “No. She's upset because she knows that she could very well be standing?

in Mr. Baker's shoes

?right now.”

in one's shoes?處于某人的位置

234

I thought about it a minute and finally asked, “Did her brother have the cord around his neck when he was born?”

235

He shook his head.

236

“Well, then …”

237

He leaned forward even farther and whispered, “You did.”

238

“I did?”

239

He nodded. “Twice.”

240

“But …”

241

“The doctor who delivered you?

was on the ball

, plus apparently there was some?

slack

?in the cord, so he was able to?

loop

?it off as you came out.

be on the ball?精明能干的

slack /sl?k/ adj.?松(弛)的

loop /lu?p/ v.?使繞成圈

242

You didn't?

hang yourself

?coming into the world, but it could very easily have gone the other way.”

hang oneself?自殺

243

If I'd been told years or even weeks ago that I'd come down the?

chute

?

noosed

?and ready to?

hang

,

chute /?ut/ n.?（人或物可順勢(shì)滑下的）斜槽

noose /nu?s/ vt.?用套索捉

hang /h??/ v. (被)絞死

244

I'd have made some kind of joke about it, or more likely I'd have said, Yeah, that's nice; now can you?

spare

?me the discussion?

spare /sp?r/ vt.?免去

245

But after everything that had happened, I was really?

freaking out

, and I couldn't escape the questions tidal-waving my brain.

freak out?崩潰

246

Where would I be if things had been different?

247

What would they have done with me?

248

From the way my dad was talking, he wouldn't have had much use for me, that's for sure.

249

He'd have?

stuck

?me in a?

nuthouse

?somewhere, any where, and forgotten about me.

stuck /st?k/ v.?把......放(某處)

nuthouse /'n?tha?s/ n.?精神病院

250

But then I thought, No! I'm his kid. He wouldn't do that … would he?

251

I looked around at everything we had — the big house, the white?

carpet

, the?

antiques

?and?

artwork

?and stuff that was everywhere.

carpet /?kɑ?rp?t/ n.?地毯

antique /?n?ti?k/ n.?古董

artwork /'ɑrt'w?k/ n.?藝術(shù)品

252

Would they have given up all the stuff to make my life more pleasant?

253

I doubted it, and man, I doubted it big-time.

254

I'd have been an embarrassment. Something to try to forget about.

255

How things looked had always been a?

biggie

?to my parents.

biggie /'b?ɡi/ n.?重要的事情

256

Especially to my dad.

257

Very quietly my granddad said, “You can't?

dwell

?on what might have been, Bryce.”

dwell /dwel/ v.?老是想著

258

Then, like he could read my mind, he added, “And it's not fair to?

condemn

?him for something he hasn't done.”

condemn /k?n?dem/ vt.?譴責(zé)

259

I nodded and tried?

to get a grip

, but I wasn't doing a very good job of it.

get a grip?控制

260

Then he said, “

By the way

, I appreciated your?

comment

?before.”

by the way?順便說(shuō)一下

comment /?kɑ?ment/ n.?說(shuō)明

261

“What?” I asked, but my throat was feeling all?

pinched

?and?

swollen

.

swollen /'swol?n/ adj.?腫脹的

pinched /p?nt?t/ adj.?收縮的

262

“About your grandmother. How did you know that?”

263

I shook my head and said, “Juli told me.”

264

“Oh? You spoke with her, then?”

265

“Yeah. Actually, I apologized to her.”

266

“Well…!”

267

“And I was feeling a lot better about everything, but now … God, I feel like such a jerk again.”

268

“Don't. You apologized, and that's what matters.”

269

He stood up and said, “Say, I'm?

in the mood for

?a walk. Want to join me?”

in the mood for?對(duì)某事有心情

270

Go for a walk? What I wanted to do was go to my room, lock the door, and be left alone.

271

“I find it really helps to clear the mind,” he said, and that's when I realized that this wasn't just a walk — this was an invitation to do something together.

272

I stood up and said, “Yeah. Let's get out of here.”

273

For a guy who'd only basically ever said Pass the salt to me, my granddad turned out to be a real?

talker

.

talker /?t?k?/ n.?健談?wù)?/p>

274

We walked our neighborhood and the next neighborhood and the next neighborhood, and?

not only

?did I find out that my granddad knows a lot of stuff, I found out that the guy is funny.

not only?不僅

275

In a?

subtle

?kind of?

dry

?way.

subtle /?s?tl/ adj.?微妙的

dry /dra?/ adj.?冷面幽默的

276

It's the stuff he says, plus the?

way

?he says it.

way /we/ n.?方式

277

It's really, I don't know, cool.

278

As we were?

winding

?back into our own?

territory

, we passed by the house that's going up where the sycamore tree used to be.

wind /w?nd/ v.?蜿蜒而行

territory /?ter?t??ri/ n.?領(lǐng)土

279

My granddad stopped, looked up into the night, and said, “It must've been a?

spectacular

?view.”

spectacular /spek?t?kj?l?r/ adj.?引人入勝的

280

I looked up, too, and noticed for the first time that night that you could see the stars.

281

“Did you ever see her up there?” I asked him.

282

“Your mother pointed her out to me one time as we drove by. It scared me to see her up so high, but after I read the article I understood why she did it.”

283

He shook his head. “The tree's gone, but she's still got the?

spark

?it gave her. Know what I mean?”

spark /spɑ?rk/ n.?活力

284

Luckily I didn't have to answer.

285

He just grinned and said,

286

“Some of us get?

dipped

?in flat, some in?

satin

, some in?

gloss

….” He turned to me. “But every once in a while you find someone who's?

iridescent

, and when you do, nothing will ever?

compare

.”

dip /d?p/ vt.?浸

satin /'s?tn/ n.?緞子

gloss /ɡl?s/ n.?光澤

iridescent /??r??desnt/ adj.?彩虹色的

compare /k?m?per/ vi.?相比

287

As we walked up to our front porch, my grandfather put his arm around my shoulder and said, “It was nice walking with you, Bryce. I enjoyed myself very much.”

288

“Me too,” I told him, and we went inside.

289

Right away we knew we'd stepped into a?

war zone

.

war zone?戰(zhàn)區(qū)

290

And even though no one was yelling or crying, from the look on my parents' faces I could tell there'd been a major?

meltdown

?while my granddad and I were out.

meltdown /'m?ltda?n/ n.?崩潰

291

Granddad whispered to me, “I've got another fence to?

mend

, I'm afraid,” and headed into the dining room to talk to my parents.

mend /mend/ vt.?修理

292

I wanted?

nothing to do with

?that vibe.

nothing to do with?與......無(wú)關(guān)

293

I went straight to my room, closed the door, and flopped through the darkness onto my bed.

294

I lay there?

awhile

?and let the dinner?

disaster

?

play

?through my mind.

awhile /?'wa?l/ adv.?片刻

disaster /d??z?st?r/ n.?災(zāi)難

play /ple/ vi.?上演

295

And when I'd totally burned a?

fuse

?thinking about it, I sat up and looked out the window.

fuse /fju?z/ n.?導(dǎo)火線

296

There was a light on somewhere inside the Bakers' house and the streetlights were glowing, but the night still seemed really?

dense

.

dense /dens/ adj.?濃厚的

297

Like it was darker than usual and, I don't know, heavy.

298

I leaned closer to the window and looked up into the sky, but I couldn't see the stars anymore.

299

I wondered if Juli had ever been in the sycamore at night. Among the stars.

300

I shook my head. Flat,?

glossy

, iridescent. What was up with that?

glossy /?ɡlɑ?si/ adj.?虛有其表的

301

Juli Baker had always seemed just?

plain

?

dusty

?to me.

plain /ple?n/ adj.?樸素的

dusty /'d?sti/ adj.?枯燥無(wú)味的

302

I?

snapped on

?my desk lamp and?

dug

?the newspaper with the article about Juli out of the drawer where I'd tossed it.

snap on?啪地打開(kāi)燈

dig /d?ɡ/ v.?搜尋

303

Just like I thought — they made it sound like Juli was trying to save?

Mount Rushmore

?or something.

Mount Rushmore n.?拉什莫爾山（美國(guó)總統(tǒng)紀(jì)念公園）

304

They called her a “strong voice in an urban?

wilderness

”

wilderness /?w?ld?rn?s/ n.?荒野

305

and “a?

radiant

?

beacon

,?

shedding

?light on the need to?

curtail

?continued overdevelopment of our once?

quaint

?and?

tranquil

?community.”

radiant /?re?di?nt/ adj.?光芒四射的

beacon /?bi?k?n/ n.?燈塔

shed /?ed/ v.?發(fā)出(光)

curtail /k??r?te?l/ vt.?限制

quaint /kwe?nt/ adj.?古色古香的

tranquil /?tr??kw?l/ adj.?安靜的

306

Spare

?me.

spare /sp?r/ vt.?饒恕

307

I mean, what's wrong with letting a guy cut down a tree on his own property so he can build a house?

308

His lot, his tree, his decision.?

End of story

.

end of story (非正式)就是這個(gè)樣子

309

The piece in the paper was?

gag

-me?

gush

.

gag /g?g/ vi.?作嘔

gush /ɡ??/ n.?噴出

310

Except. Except for the places where they?

quoted

?Juli.

quote /kwo?t/ vi.?引證

311

Maybe it was just in?

contrast

?to the reporter's?

slant

?or something, but Juli's parts didn't?

come off

?oh-

woe

-is-me like I was expecting.

contrast /?kɑ?ntr?st/ n.?對(duì)比

slant /sl?nt/ n. (有傾向性的)觀點(diǎn)

come off?成為

woe /wo?/ n.?悲哀

312

They were, I don't know, deep.

313

Sitting in that tree was seriously philosophical to her.

314

And the odd thing is, it all made sense to me.

315

She talked about what it felt like to be up in that tree, and how it, like,?

transcended

?

dimensional

?space.

transcend /tr?n?send/ vt.?超越

dimensional /d?'m?n??nl/ adj.?緯度的

316

“To be held above the earth and?

brushed

?by the wind,” she said, “it's like your heart has been kissed by beauty.”

brush /br??/ v.?拂去

317

Who in junior high do you know that would put together a sentence like that? None of my friends, that's for sure.

318

There was other stuff, too, like how something can be so much more than the parts it took to make it,

319

and why people need things around them that lift them above their lives and make them feel the miracle of living.

320

I wound up reading and re-reading her parts, wondering when in the world she started thinking like that.

321

I mean, no kidding, Juli Baker's smart, but this was something way beyond?

straight

?A's.

straight /stret/ adj.?成績(jī)?nèi)珒?yōu)的

322

A month ago if I'd read this article, I would have chucked it in the trash as complete garbage, but for some reason it made?

sense

?to me now.

sense /s?ns/ n.?意義

323

A lot of sense.

324

A month ago I also wouldn't have paid any attention to the picture of Juli, but now I found myself staring at it.

325

Not the one of the whole scene — that was more?

emergency

?rescue?

equipment

?than Juli. The other one, on the bottom half of the page.

emergency /i?m??rd??nsi/ n.?緊急情況

equipment /??kw?pm?nt/ n.?裝備

326

Someone must've used a?

killer

?

telephoto

?lens, because you can tell that she's in the tree, but it's?

mostly

?from the shoulders up.

killer /?k?l?r/ n.?殺手锏

telephoto lens n.?長(zhǎng)焦鏡頭

mostly /?mo?stli/ adv.?主要地

327

She's looking off into the distance and the wind is blowing her hair back like she's at the?

helm

?of a ship or something, sailing into the sun.

helm /h?lm/ n.?舵

328

I'd spent so many years avoiding Juli Baker that I'd never really looked at her, and now?

all of a sudden

?I couldn't stop.

all of a sudden?出乎意料地

329

This weird feeling started?

taking over

?the?

pit

?of my stomach, and I didn't like it. Not one bit.

taking over?占領(lǐng)

pit /p?t/ n.?深坑

330

To tell you the truth,?

it scared the Sheetrock out of me

.

scare the shit out of sb?嚇?biāo)滥橙艘惶?/p>

331

I buried the paper under my pillow and tried to remind myself of what a?

pain

?Juli Baker was.

pain /pe?n/ n. [非正式]?討厭地人(或事)

332

But my mind started to wander again, and pretty soon I had that stupid paper out from under my pillow.

333

This was?

insane

! What was I doing?

insane /?n?se?n/ adj.?精神病的

334

I made myself shut out the light and go to bed.

335

I was?

slipping

, man, and it was definitely time to?

get a grip

.

slipping /'slipi?/ adj.?〈美俚〉漸漸松馳的

get a grip (使自己)鎮(zhèn)靜下來(lái)

336

I was?

slipping

, man, and it was definitely time to?

get a grip

.

337