新視野大學英語讀寫教程第二冊unit5-c What Is in Larry's Mind?
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Section C
What Is in Larry's Mind?
The day my son Larry started kindergarten（幼兒園） he gave up trousers with bibs（圍嘴）and began wearing blue jeans with a belt. I watched him go off the first morning with the older girl next door, seeing clearly that a stage of my life was ended. My nursery-school（托兒所）child with the sweet voice was replaced with a confident character in long trousers, who forgot to stop at the corner and wave good-bye to me.
He came home the same way, the front door flying open, his cap on the floor, and the voice, suddenly rough, shouting, "Isn't anybody here?"
At lunch he spoke impolitely（不禮貌地）to his father, spilled his baby sister's milk, and remarked that his teacher said we were not to take the name of the Lord in vain（濫用上帝的名義）.
"How was school today?" I asked, acting very casual.
"All right," he said.
"Did you learn anything?" his father asked.
Larry regarded his father coldly. "I didn't learn nothing," he said.
"Anything." I said. "Didn't learn anything."
"The teacher spanked（打）a boy, though." Larry said, while eating his bread and butter. "For being fresh," he added, with his mouth full.
"What did he do?" I asked. "Who was it?"
Larry thought. "It was Charles," he said. "He was fresh. The teacher spanked him and made him stand in a corner. He was awfully（非常）fresh."
"What did he do?" I asked again, but Larry slid off his chair, took a cookie（餅干）, and left, while his father was still saying. "See here, young man."
The third day — it was Wednesday of the first week — Charles banged a see-saw （翹翹板）on to the head of a little girl and made her bleed, and the teacher made him stay inside all during morning break. Thursday Charles had to stand in a corner during story-time because he kept pounding his feet on the floor. Friday Charles could not use the blackboard because he threw chalk.
On Friday of that week things were back to normal. "You know what Charles did today?" Larry demanded at the dinner table, in a voice slightly amazed. "He told a little girl to say a word and she said it and the teacher washed her mouth out with soap and Charles laughed."
"What word?" his father asked unwisely, and Larry said, "I'll have to whisper it to you; it's so bad." He got down off his chair and went around to his father. His father bent his head down and Larry whispered joyfully. His father's eyes grew larger.
"Did Charles tell the little girl to say that?" he asked in a serious tone.
"She said it twice," Larry said. "Charles told her to say it twice."
"What happened to Charles?" my husband asked.
"Nothing," Larry said. "He was passing out the crayons（蠟筆）."
Monday morning Charles forgot about the little girl and said the bad word himself three or four times, getting his mouth washed out with soap each time. He also threw chalk.
Then it was the first Parent-Teachers meeting, and I wanted very much to meet Charles's mother.
My husband came to the door with me that evening as I set out for the P.T.A. meeting. "Invite her over for a cup of tea after the meeting," he said. "I want to get a look at her."
"If only she's there," I said in hope.
"She'll be there," my husband said. "I don't see how they could hold a P.T.A. meeting without Charles's mother."
At the meeting I sat restlessly, scanning each comfortable mother's face, trying to determine which one hid the secret of Charles. None of them looked stressed enough to me. No one stood up in the meeting and apologized for the way her son had been acting. No one mentioned Charles.
After the meeting I identified and sought out Larry's kindergarten teacher. She had a plate with a cup of tea and a piece of cake; I had a plate with a cup of tea and a piece of cake. We were cautious as we moved toward one another, and smiled.
"I've been so anxious to meet you," I said. "I'm Larry's mother."
"We're all so interested in Larry," she said.
"Well, he certainly likes kindergarten," I said. "He talks about it all the time."
"We had a little trouble adjusting, the first week or so," she said rigidly, "but now he's a fine little helper. With occasional mistakes, of course."
"Larry usually adjusts very quickly," I said. "I suppose this time it's Charles's influence."
"Charles?"
"Yes," I said, laughing, "you must have your hands full in that kindergarten with Charles."
"Charles?" she said. "We don't have any Charles in the kindergarten."
勞里在想什么？
開始上幼兒園的那一天，我兒子勞里扔掉了帶圍涎的褲子，開始穿起束皮帶的牛仔褲。 第一天早晨，我看著他和鄰居家年齡比他大的小女孩一起出發(fā)，心里很清楚，我生活中的一個階段已經結束了。 我那個嗓音悅耳、上托兒所的孩子成了一個穿長褲、很自信的人了。這孩子忘了在拐角處停下來和我揮手告別。
他當天回家，撞開前門，把帽子扔在地板上，用突然變粗的嗓子叫喊著："家里有人嗎？"
吃午飯時, 他對他爸爸說話很不禮貌，把還是嬰兒的妹妹的牛奶打翻了，還說他的老師講過，我們不可以白白使用上帝的名字。
"今天學校上課怎么樣？"我裝作漫不經心地問他。
"很好，"他說。
"你學到了些什么？"他父親問。
勞里冷冷地看著他父親。"什么也沒學到，"他說。
"嗯。"我說，"什么也沒學到。"
"不過老師打了一個男孩。"勞里說, 一邊吃面包和黃油。 "因為他不懂禮貌," 他又加了一句, 嘴里塞得滿滿的。
"他干了些什么？"我問。"是怎么會事？"
勞里想了想。"是查爾斯，"他說。"他沒有禮貌。 老師打了他，還叫他立壁角。他非常無禮。"
"他干了些什么？"我又問。但是勞里從椅子上滑下來，拿了一塊餅干就走了，而他的父親還在說："喂，小伙子。"
第三天 -- 這是第一周的星期三 -- 查爾斯玩翹翹板時砸到了一個小女孩的頭，她的頭流了血，因此老師命令他在早晨休息的時候一直呆在教室里面。 星期四查爾斯不得不在講故事的時候立壁角，因為他一直在地板上跺腳。 星期五查爾斯就被禁止使用黑板，因為他扔粉筆。
那周的星期五情況又恢復正常了。 "你知道查爾斯今天干了些什么?" 吃晚飯時，勞里以一種稍帶驚奇的嗓音問道。 "他教一個女孩說一個字，她說了這個字，老師用肥皂把她的嘴徹徹底底地洗了一番，查爾斯哈哈大笑。"
"什么字？"他父親不知趣地問。勞里說："我必須悄悄告訴你，太下流了。" 他下了椅子，繞到他爸爸跟前。 他爸爸低下頭，勞里開心地、悄悄地說出了這個字。他的父親瞪大了眼睛。
"查爾斯真的教那女孩說這個字了嗎？"他以嚴肅的語氣問道。
"她講了兩次。" 勞里說。"是查爾斯叫她說兩次的。"
"后來查爾斯怎么了？" 我丈夫問道。
"沒什么，"勞里說。"他還給同學發(fā)蠟筆。"
星期一早晨，查爾斯已忘了那個小女孩，而且是他自己說了這個下流字三、四次，每一次都被用肥皂洗嘴巴。他還扔粉筆。
接著是開第一次家長會，我非常想見見查爾斯的媽媽。
那天晚上，我準備出發(fā)去參加家長會，我和丈夫一起走到了門口。 他說："開完會后請她到家里來喝杯茶，我很想見見她。"
"只要她來參加會議。"我信心十足地說。
"她會去開會的。" 我丈夫說。"如果沒有查爾斯的母親參加，我不明白他們怎么可能召開家長會。"
開會時，我不安地坐著，掃視著每一位母親安詳的臉，想確定哪一張臉能解開有關查爾斯的秘密。 依我看，沒有哪一張臉上有緊張的神情。 會上沒人站起來為自己兒子的行為表示道歉。也沒有人提到過查爾斯。
會后我認出并找到了勞里的幼兒園老師， 她拿著一個盤子，盤子上有一杯茶和一塊蛋糕。 我也拿著一個盤子，盤子上也是一杯茶和一塊蛋糕。 我們彼此走近時，都小心翼翼，面帶笑容。
"我一直很想見見你，"我說。"我是勞里的媽媽。"
"我們都很喜歡勞里。"她說。
"哦，他當然很喜歡幼兒園，"我說。"他老是講幼兒園的事。"
"在開始的一、兩個星期里，我們在彼此適應的過程中遇到了一些小麻煩，"她不自然的說。" 但現在他是一個很乖的小幫手了。 當然，偶爾也會犯一些錯誤。"
"通常勞里的適應能力是很強的，" 我說。"我猜想這次可能是因為受了查爾斯的影響吧。"
"查爾斯？"
"是的，"我笑著說。"幼兒園里有了個查爾斯你肯定是忙得不可開交了。"
"查爾斯？"她說。"我們幼兒園里可沒有什么叫查爾斯的孩子。"
