thefacts听力原文（双语阅读TheRifle）

thefacts听力原文（双语阅读TheRifle）我真是烦透了。我不仅没有得到来复枪作为圣诞礼物，现在爸爸居然还要把我拽出门到冰天雪地里去，鬼才知道是怎么回事呢。但我知道爸爸叫人做什么事的时候，对拖拖拉拉的人是没什么耐心的，于是我站起来，套上靴子，把帽子、外套和手套都穿戴好。我打开门出去的时候，妈妈冲我神秘地一笑。一定有什么事，只是我不知道而已。I was really upset. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas now Dad was dragging me out in the cold and for no earthly reason that I could see. But I knew Dad was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do someth

The Rifle

平安夜的来复枪

It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted so badly that year for Christmas.

1881年的平安夜，我才15岁，却感觉好像整个世界都坍塌在我身上，因为我非常渴望那年圣诞节能收到一支来复枪作礼物，可是家里却没有足够的钱。

After supper Dad bundled up and went outside. Soon he came back in. It was a cold night out and there was ice in his beard. "Come on Matt " he said. "Bundle up. It's cold out tonight."

晚饭后，爸爸便穿戴严实出了门。很快他又回来进了屋。外面很冷，他胡子上都有了冰碴。“快点，马特，”他说，“穿暖和点。今天晚上外面很冷。”

I was really upset. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas now Dad was dragging me out in the cold and for no earthly reason that I could see. But I knew Dad was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do something so I got up and put my boots on and got my cap coat and mittens. Mum gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up but I didn't know what.

我真是烦透了。我不仅没有得到来复枪作为圣诞礼物，现在爸爸居然还要把我拽出门到冰天雪地里去，鬼才知道是怎么回事呢。但我知道爸爸叫人做什么事的时候，对拖拖拉拉的人是没什么耐心的，于是我站起来，套上靴子，把帽子、外套和手套都穿戴好。我打开门出去的时候，妈妈冲我神秘地一笑。一定有什么事，只是我不知道而已。

There in front of the house was the work-team already hitched to the big sled .When I was on Dad pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. Dad went in and came out with an armload of wood. "Dad " I asked "what are you doing?"

屋前停着一队整装待发的马匹，已经套到了大雪橇上。我坐上 去，爸爸拉着雪橇，绕过房子，停在柴房前。他走进去，抱着一抱木柴出来了。“爸爸，”我问道，“你在干什么？”

You've been by the widow Jensen's lately? he asked.

“你最近路过詹森寡妇家了吗？”他问我。

The widow Jensen lived two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year before and left her with three children. Sure I'd been by but so what?

詹森寡妇住在沿路两英里远的地方。她丈夫一年前死了，留下她和三个孩子。我当然路过了，但那又怎么样呢？

Yeah I said. "Why?"

“是的，”我说，“怎么了？”

I rode by just today Dad said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood Matt."

“我今天驾雪橇刚路过她家，”爸爸说，“小杰基在外面的木柴堆里东挖西挖，想找些碎木片。他们没有木柴了，马特。”

And then he went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him.

然后他回到柴房又抱了一抱木柴。我也跟着他去抱。

We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Then we went to the smoke house and Dad took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand. "What's in the little sack?" I asked.

我们把木柴装进雪橇，堆得老高，我都开始担心马儿们能不能拉得动。接着我们来到熏烤室，爸爸取下了一大块火腿和一块咸肉。他把火腿和咸肉递给我，让我拿到雪橇上等着。他回来时，右肩上扛着一袋面粉，左手拎着一小袋东西。“小袋子里是什么？”我问道。

Shoes. They're out of shoes. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy.

“鞋子。他们没有鞋子穿了。我还给孩子们带了点糖果。没点儿糖果那还能叫圣诞节吗？”

We rode to widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Dad was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards. Of course we did have a big woodpile; we also had meat and flour so we could spare that but I knew we didn't have any money so why was Dad buying them shoes and candy? Really why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us. It shouldn't have been our concern.

我们驾着雪橇前往詹森寡妇家，一路上几乎一句话也没说。我努力想弄明白爸爸到底在干什么。按世俗标准来看，我们并不富裕。的确，我们家有一大堆木柴，也有肉和面粉，所以我们可以分出一些 来。但是我知道，家里穷得一分钱都没有，为什么爸爸还要给这家人买鞋子和糖果呢？说真的，他为什么要这么做？詹森寡妇有比我们离得更近的邻居。这本不该是由我们去关心的事儿。

We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door. We knocked. Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in.

我们来到詹森家的房屋后面，尽可能轻地卸下木柴，然后拿着熏肉、面粉和鞋子走到门口。我们敲了敲门。詹森寡妇打开门，让我们进了屋。

We brought you a few things Ma'am Dad said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Dad handed her the sack with shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Dad like she wanted to say something but it wouldn't come out.

“夫人，我们给您带了点儿东西。”爸爸一边说，一边放下那袋面粉。我把肉放到桌子上。然后爸爸把装着鞋的袋子递给她。她有些迟疑地打开袋子，一双接一双地把鞋子拿出来。有一双鞋是给她的，孩子们也是一人一双。她紧咬着不住颤抖的下唇，满眼泪水夺眶而出， 顺着脸颊滑落。她抬头看着爸爸，欲言又止。

We brought a load of wood too Ma'am Dad said then he turned to me and said "Matt go bring enough in to last for a while. Let's get that fire up and heat this place up."

“夫人，我们还带来了一车木柴。”爸爸说道，然后转身对我说，“马特，去多拿些木柴进来好好烧上一会儿。我们把火烧起来， 让屋里暖和点。”

I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing widow Jensen standing there with tears running down her cheeks and so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak. My heart swelled within me and a joy filled my soul that I'd never known before.

当我再到屋外取木柴时，就像换了一个人似的。我也变得喉咙哽咽，满眼泪水。我脑海中不断浮现这一情景：詹森寡妇站在那儿，泪流满面，满怀无限感激，却一句话也说不出来。我心潮澎湃，一阵前所未有的快乐在心头荡漾。

I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Dad handed them each a piece of candy and widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time.

我很快就把火烧旺了，大家的情绪也随之高涨。爸爸给孩子们每人发一颗糖果，他们都咯咯地笑了起来。詹森寡妇看着这一切，脸上露出了那可能已经久违的笑容。

Tears were running down widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave.

当我们起身离开时，詹森寡妇的泪水又一次顺着脸颊流了下来。

Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold. When we had gone a long way Dad turned to me and said "Matt I want you to know something. Your Mum and I have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you but we didn't have quite enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square . Your Mum and I were real excited thinking that now we could get you that rifle and I started into town this morning to do just that. But on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunnysacks and I knew what I had to do. So son I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand."

坐在屋外的雪橇上，我感到一股暖流从心底涌出，我甚至一点儿也不觉得冷了。走了很长一段路，爸爸转过头对我说：“马特，我想告诉你一件事。我和你妈妈一年来紧紧巴巴攒了点钱，想给你买那支来复枪，可钱还是不够。有个人欠了我们一点钱已经很多年，昨天他过来把这笔钱还清了。我和你妈妈真的很高兴，心想现在可以给你买来复枪了，于是今天一早我就动身进城去给你买枪。但是在路上，我看见小杰基脚上裹着粗麻布袋，在外面的木柴堆里翻来拣去，那时我就知道该怎么做了。就这样，儿子，我用这笔钱给孩子们买了鞋子和一点儿糖果。我希望你能够理解。”

I understood very well and I was so glad Dad had done it. Just then the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities . Dad had given me much more than a rifle that night—he had given me the best Christmas of my life.

我非常理解，而且很高兴爸爸这么做了。此时此刻，来复枪对我来说似乎一点儿也不重要了。那天晚上爸爸给予我的远非一支来复枪所能比，他给了我这一生中最好的圣诞节。