My Most Unforgettable Character
By N. Joseph & M.D. Michelotti
1 Mama's face was radiant with pride. I knew that everything we had achieved or would achieve was because of my parents. When we were young children, my mother was, especially, our mentor. Not until I became an adult did I realize how special she was. 2 Delight in Devotion. My mother was born in a small town in northern Italy. She was three when her parents immigrated to this country in 1926. They lived on Chicago'sSouth Side1, where my grandfather worked making ice cream. 3 Mama thrived in the hectic urban environment.2At 16, she graduated first in her highschool class, went on to secretarial school, and finally worked as an executive secretary for a railroad company. 4 She was beautiful, too. When a local photographer used her pictures in his monthly window display, she was flattered.3 Her favorite portrait showed her sitting by Lake Michigan4, her hair windblown, her gaze reaching toward the horizon. My mother always used to say that when you died, God gave you back your "best self". She'd show us that picture and say, "This is what I'm going to look like in heaven." 5 5 My parents were married in 1944. Dad was a quiet and intelligent man who was 17 when he left Italy. Soon after, a hit-and-run accident left him with a permanent limp. Dad worked hard selling candy to Chicago office workers on their break. He had little formal schooling. His English was self-taught. Yet he eventually built a small, successful wholesale candy business. Dad was generous, handsome and deeply religious. Mama was devoted to him. 6 After she married, my mother quit her job and gave herself to her family. In 1950, with three children, Dad moved the family to a farm 40 miles from Chicago. He worked the land and commuted to the city to run his business. Mama said good-by to her parents and friends and traded her busy city neighborhood for a more isolated life. But she never complained. By 1958, our modest white farmhouse6was filled with six children, and Mama was delighted.
| radiant with pride洋溢着自豪 mentor导师 thrive in在...中茁壮成长 flattered感到荣幸 be devoted to对...忠诚 quit her job辞去工作 give oneself to全心全意投入 live a simple life过着简朴的生活 think big心怀大志 bolster confidence增强信心 be infectious有感染力 be a blessing是一种祝福 accomplish取得成就 self-taught自学的 hit-and-run accident肇事逃逸事故 permanent limp永久性跛脚 modest简朴的 self-esteem自尊心 potential潜力 praise称赞 remind提醒 educational toys教育玩具 field trip实地考察 scholarship奖学金 financial aid经济援助 |
1. On Chicago's South Side: on the southern part of Chicago, a city in Illinois, on Lake Michigan. Selected as a terminal for the new Illinois and Michigan canal, Chicago developed in the 19th century as a major grain market and food-processing centre. 2. in the hectic urban environment: in the environment of Chicago which was full of incessant or frantic activity e.g. We are used to the hectic urban life. 3. …shewas flattered: … she felt honored and pleased, because her pictures were used in the photographer’s monthly window display. E.g. I was flattered by her compliments. 4. Bordered by Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana,Lake Michigan is the only lake of the five Great Lakes that lies wholly within the US. 5. in heaven: in a place regarded in various religions as the abode of God or the gods and angels, and of the good after death, often traditionally depicted as being above the sky 6. …our modest white farmhouse: … our house on the farm was painted white, and it was not very large, elaborate, or luxurious at all. | |
7 Think Big. My mother never studied books on parenting. Yet she knew how to raise children. She heightened our self-esteem and helped us reach our potential. 8 One fall day, I sat at the kitchen table while Mama peeled potatoes. She spied Dad out the window on his tractor7and smiled. "Your father has accomplished so much," she said proudly. "He really is somebody." 9 My mother wanted each of us to be somebody, too. "Your challenge is to be everything you can. Mine is to help," she always said. 10 She read to us every day and used homemade flash cards8 to teach us phonics. She bolstered our confidence, praising even our most ordinary accomplishments. When I was ten, I painted a stack of wooden crates white and nailed them together to make a wobbly bookcase. "It's wonderful!" Mama exclaimed. "Just what we need." She used it for many years. 11 In the dining room are two paint-by-number pictures9 that my sister Gloria and brother Leo did as kids. Several years ago, Leo commented that the pictures weren't very good and offered to take them down. But Mama wouldn't hear of it. "They are there to remind you how much you could accomplish even as children," she said. 12 From the very beginning, she urged us to think big.10 One day, after visiting our grandparents on the South Side, she made Dad detour past the Prudential Building construction site. Mama explained that when finished, the 41-story building would be Chicago's tallest. "Maybe someday one of you can design a building like this," she said. 13Her confidence in us was infectious. When my sister Carla was 12, she announced she was going to be a lawyer. 14"You can do that," Mama said. "You can do anything you put your mind to."
| think big心怀大志 heighten self-esteem提升自尊心 reach potential发挥潜力 be proud感到自豪 be somebody成为了不起的人 bolster confidence增强信心 paint-by-number pictures数字油画 accomplish取得成就 urge敦促，鼓励 be infectious有感染力 announce宣布 put one's mind to专心致志于 |
1. She spied Dad out the window on his tractor: By careful observation through the window, my mother recognized Dad, who was on his tractor. // By looking out of the window, she discerned... 2. flash cards: cards containing a small amount of information, held up for pupils to see, as an aid to learning e.g. Kindergarten teachers teach children by using flashcards. 3. paint-by-number pictures: a child’s pictures marked out in advance into sections which are numbered according to the color to be used 按照数字填色的儿童图片 4. …sheurged us to think big: … she encouraged us to become ambitious. Here, the word big is used as an adverb. Similarly, to talk big means to talk boastfully. To think big, to talk big, and to make it big are, of course, informal expressions.
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15 Tour Guide. To Mama, education was a key part of her blueprint for success. Four of us went to a nearby, one-room schoolhouse. My mother made up for its shortcomings by getting us educational toys, talking to us about history, politics and current events, and helping with homework. The best part of getting a good report card was her unstinting praise. 16 When I was in the third grade, she urged our teacher to organize a field trip to Chicago museums. My mother helped the teacher rent a bus and plan the trip. She even served as tour guide, pointing out landmarks and recounting local history. 17 When it came time to think about college, there was never a question that we'd all go. Inspired by our parents' sacrifice, we studied hard to earn scholarships, and applied for grants and financial aid. We also took jobs to earn money for school. Working in a grocery store, I learned the value of a dollar. "Work is a blessing11,"Mama always reminded us. 18 My mother was a thrifty woman and lived a very simple life. She never bought expensive or fancy dresses for herself; she went occasionally to buy some inexpensive and high-quality clothes12 for us. She never went to luxurious restaurants to enjoy expensive meals. She never asked for anything for herself. "You don't have to buy me a birthday present," she said one time. "Instead write me a letter about yourself. Tell me about your life. Is anything worrying you? Are you happy?"...(890 words)
| blueprint for success成功的蓝图 make up for shortcomings弥补不足 educational toys教育玩具 unstinting praise无条件的赞扬 field trip实地考察 rent a bus租巴士 tour guide导游 think about college考虑上大学 earn scholarships获得奖学金 apply for grants and financial aid申请助学金和经济援助 work is a blessing工作是一种祝福 thrifty节俭的 live a simple life过着简朴的生活 inexpensive and high-quality便宜但高质量的 ask for anything for oneself为自己要求任何东西 |
1. Work is a blessing: Work is a beneficial thing for which we are grateful. // Work is something that brings us happiness and wellbeing. E.g. It is a blessing that we are alive. 2. inexpensive and high-quality clothes: clothes that are not expensive but of good quality It is a fact that there are inexpensive and high-quality products available. | |
