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1 Analysis of&...
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2 Mother's emo...
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3 Mother's emo...
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4 课文详解
A child’s clutter awaits an adult’s return
儿时百宝箱老大归家梦
*Meaning beyond words: Here the word clutterrefers to the many small personal items collected by children in the course oftheir growing up. All these things are important and dear memories to them. Nomatter where they are or how far away they are from home, the clutter remains abond between them and the family, representing a happy childhood.
Usage note: await, wait
这两个词都是动词，都有“等候；期待”之意，但用法却有所不同：
1) await 是及物动词，后面直接跟宾语，用法比较正式； wait 一般用作不及物动词，常与 for，till， until 等词连用。
2) 一般来说， await 的宾语大多为抽象名词，如 decision，reply，arrival， return，announcement等；而wait for的宾语一般是人或事物。例如：
They were awaiting the birth of their first child. 他们在等待着他们第一个孩子的降生。
He’ s awaiting trial, which is expected to beginnext month. 他在等候审判，预计下个月开始。
I have been waiting for her for an hour at the busstop. 我已经在公共汽车站等了她一个小时了。
She has been waiting nervously for news of her sonin the army. 她一直在紧张地等候她在部队里的儿子的消息。
3) await 之后可以接动名词；wait 之后接动词不定式。例如：
We shall await hearing further from them. / We shallwait to hear further from them. 我们等待他们进一步的消息。
Understanding
* I watch her back her new truck out of thedriveway. The vehicle is too large, too expensive. She’d refused to consider apractical car with good gas efficiency and easy to park. It’s because of me, Ithink. She bought it to show me that she could.
我看着她在车道上倒着她的新卡车。车太大，而且太贵。她就是不愿意考虑买辆开起来省油、停起来省心的实用型汽车。我想，原因在我。她买这辆车就是为了让我看看她的能耐。
I watch her back her new truck out of the driveway.(Para. 1)
Note: Notice that the mother is telling a story thathappened in the past. She uses the past tense to describe the events thathappened before her daughter left home. But when she describes the events thathappened after her daughter left, she uses the present tense. By manipulatingthe past tense and the present tense, the author achieves immediacy in time,and produces the effect of great vividness. This use of the present tense todescribe past events is referred to as “the narrative present” or “the dramaticpresent”
The vehicle is too large, too expensive. (Para. 1)
Meaning beyond words: Here with too large and tooexpensive, the mother expresses her disagreement with her daughter’s decisionto buy such a large and expensive truck.
She’d refused to consider a practical car with goodgas efficiency and easy to park. (Para. 1)
Meaning: She had refused to think about buying apractical car which used less gas and was easy to park.
It’s because of me, I think. She bought it to showme that she could. (Para. 1)
Meaning beyond words: Here the mother tries to showthat the daughter, eager to be independent, is purposefully acting against herwishes.
* "I’m 18," she’d told me so often that myteeth ached. "I am an adult!"
I thought, is that true? Just yesterday you watchedsome cartoons. What changed between yesterday and today?
“我 18 岁了，”她经常这样对我说，以至于听得我牙都疼了。“我是成年人了！”
我心想,真的吗？昨天你还在看动画片呢。今天和昨天又能有多大的变化？
Understanding
“I’m 18,” she’d told me so often that my teethached. (Para. 2)
Meaning beyond words: By saying repeatedly that shewas 18, the daughter was constantly reminding her mom that she had grown upinto an adult, old enough to make her own decisions.This made the mother unhappy and annoyed.
Note: Here the mother uses “my teeth ached” to showextreme annoyance, comparable to the sharp pain of an aching tooth. Forexample: I hate the scrape of chalk on the blackboard; it makes my teeth ache. 我讨厌粉笔在黑板上的刮擦声，听得我牙疼。
Just yesterday you watched some cartoons. Whatchanged between yesterday and today? (Para.3)
Meaning beyond words: When someone likes watchingcartoons, we tend to think that they are still a child. What the mother meanshere is that her daughter is still a child, though she kept saying she wasalready an adult.
*Today she’s gone, off to be an adult far away from me. I’m glad she’s gone. It means she made it, and that I’m finally free of 18years of responsibilities. And yet I wonder if she could take good care ofherself.
今天她走了，远离我去寻求成年人的独立。我很高兴她离开了。这意味着她成功了，而我也终于可以从18年的责任中脱身了。但是我还是担心她能不能照顾好自己。
Today she’s gone, off to be an adult far away fromme. I’m glad she’s gone. It means she made it, and that I’m finally free of 18years of responsibilities. And yet I wonder if she could take good care ofherself. (Para. 4)
Meaning beyond words: This shows that the mother isbetween two minds. On the one hand, she is happy her daughter is gone becausethis means her daughter starts to be independent and she can be free ofresponsibilities for her daughter; on the other hand, she is worried aboutwhether her daughter could take good care of herself. In the mother’s mind, herdaughter is still a child.
Understanding
*She left a mess. Her bathroom is an embarrassmentof damp towels, rusted shaving blades, hair in the sink, and nearly empty tubesof toothpaste. I bring a box of big black garbage bags upstairs. Eye shadow,face cream, nail polish — all go into the trash. I dump drawers, sweep shelvesclear and clean the sink. When I am finished, it is as neat and impersonal as ahotel bathroom.
她留下的是一片狼藉。她的卫生间真是凌乱不堪，有没拧干的毛巾，有生锈的剃刀片，散落在面盆里的头发，还有几支快挤空了的牙膏。我拿了一盒大号的黑色垃圾袋上了楼。眼影、面霜、指甲油——这些统统扔进垃圾袋。我把抽屉清空，把架子打扫干净，还把面盆擦洗干净。我打扫完后，卫生间就像酒店里的那样井井有条，丝毫没有人情味儿。
She left a mess. Her bathroom is an embarrassment ofdamp towels, rusted shaving blades, hair in the sink, and nearly empty tubes oftoothpaste. (Para. 5)
Meaning beyond words: Here the mother describes howmessy her daughter’s bathroom is. It is so messy that she thinks it is anembarrassment.
Eye shadow, face cream, nail polish — all go intothe trash. (Para. 5)
Meaning: Eye shadow, face cream, and nail polish areall put into the garbage bag.
Note: The word go as in all go into the trash means“be put in the position where it is supposed to be”. Another example can befound in Paragraph 10: Donations to charity go into the trunk of my car; trashgoes to the curb. 要捐给慈善机构的都放在我汽车的后备箱里；要扔掉的都放在路边。
I dump drawers, … (Para. 5)
Meaning: I get rid of the things in the drawers.
When I am finished, it is as neat and impersonal asa hotel bathroom. (Para. 5)
Meaning: When I finished cleaning the bathroom, itbecomes tidy and shows no personal features, just like a hotel bathroom.
impersonal: a. used about a place that does not seemfriendly because there are no personal features（地方）无人情味的，不够人性化的
Hospitals always seem such impersonal places — rowsof identical beds in dull gray rooms. 医院这种地方看起来总是那么没有人情味——单调的灰色房间里放着一排排一模一样的床。
Note: Here by using impersonal, the motheremphasizes the lack of personal connection in the bathroom since she has thrownaway most of her daughter’s personal stuff. After the bathroom is cleaned, itlooks nothing special, just like a hotel bathroom.
*In her bedroom I find mismatched socks under herbed and purple pants on the closet floor. Desk drawers are filled with schoolpapers, filed by year and subject. I catch myself reading through poems andessays, admiring high scores on tests and reading her name, printed or typedneatly in the upper right-hand corner of each paper. I pack the desk contentsinto a box. Six months, I think. I will give her six months to collect herbelongings, and then I will throw them all away. That is fair. Grown-ups payfor storage.
在她的卧室里，我发现床下有不配对的袜子，壁橱底板上扔着紫色的裤子。书桌的抽屉里满是学校的卷子，按照年份和科目归了类。我发现自己竟然在翻看她的诗歌和作文，欣赏着考卷上的高分，端详着每张考卷右上角她用印刷体工工整整书写的或是打印的她的名字。我把书桌里的东西收拾到一个盒子里。六个月，我心想。如果过了六个月她还不来拿她的东西，我就会把它们一股脑儿全扔了。这算讲道理了吧。成年人存放东西是要付费的。
Desk drawers are filled with school papers, filed byyear and subject. (Para. 6)
Meaning: Desk drawers are full of my daughter’sschool papers, which are kept in order according to year and subject.
file: vt. keep papers, documents, etc. in aparticular place so that you can find them easily 把…归档/存档
Please file those letters by arrival date. 请将那些信件根据寄达时间归档。
Understanding
I catch myself reading through poems and essays,admiring high scores on tests and reading her name, printed or typed neatly inthe upper right-hand corner of each paper. (Para. 6)
Meaning: Suddenly I realize I am reading the poemsand essays written by my daughter, looking at her excellent test scores withpride, and reading her name which is printed or typed tidily and carefully inthe upper right-hand corner of each paper.
admire: vt. look at sth. and think how beautiful orimpressive it is 欣赏；观赏
They stopped at the top of the hill to admire thescenery. 他们在山顶上停下来欣赏风景。
print: v. write words by hand without joining theletters 用印刷体书写
Please print your name clearly in the top right-handcorner of the page. 请在这一页的右上角用印刷体清楚地写上你的名字。
Usage note: Pay attention to the expression upperright-hand corner (右上角). Other similar expressions include:
upper left-hand corner 左上角
lower left-hand/right-hand corner 左下角/右下角
bottom left-hand/right-hand corner 左下角/右下角
top left-hand/right-hand corner 左上角/右上角
I pack the desk contents into a box. Six months, Ithink. I will give her six months to collect her belongings, and then I willthrow them all away. That is fair. Grown-ups pay for storage. (Para. 6)
Meaning beyond words: Paragraph 6 describes how themother is between two minds —annoyance and love. She is much annoyed that herdaughter leaves the room in a mess. However, while she is reading and admiringher daughter’s poems and essays, high scores on tests, etc., she feels proud ofher. She decides to keep her daughter’s things for six months, and then shewill throw them into the trash if her daughter does not come back and collectthem by then. The mother thinks she is right in handling her daughter’s stuffin this way. Her daughter, an adult now, should pay for storage cost. At thispoint, the mother shows again her doubt and scorn for her daughter’s claim tobe an adult.
content: n. (~s) [pl.]
the things that are inside a box, bag, room, etc. 所容纳之物；内容
I emptied the contents of the fridge into boxes. 我把冰箱里的东西全都倒在了盒子里。
the things that are written in a letter, book, etc.（信、书等的）内容
She kept the contents of the letter a secret. 她对这封信的内容秘而不宣。
a list at the beginning of a book or magazine,showing the parts in which the book or magazine is divided （书或杂志的）目录
I can’ t find it in the contents. 我在目录里找不到它。
Understanding
*I have to pause at the books. Comic books, teenfiction, romantic novels, historical novels, and textbooks. A lifetime ofreading; each book beloved. I want to be practical, to stuff them in papersacks for the used bookstore. But I love books as much as she does, so I stackthem onto a single bookshelf to deal with later.
轮到整理书的时候，我有些犹豫了。连环漫画册、青少年小说、言情小说、历史小说，还有课本。阅读是一辈子的事；每本书都是心爱之物。原本我想现实一点，把这些书塞进纸袋，然后送到旧书店。但是我跟女儿一样爱书如命，于是我把她的这些书归置到一个单独的书架上，等日后再作处理。
Understanding
I have to pause at the books. (Para. 7)
Meaning beyond words: The mother has to think aboutthe books before she decides what to do with them. We do not know exactly whythe mother pauses, but one thing is for sure: Books are different from damptowels, rusted shaving blades, mismatched socks, etc., which can be thrown awaywithout any hesitation. As we read on, we will find that all the books areimportant to both the daughter and the mother because they are bothbook-lovers.
Comic books, teen fiction, romantic novels,historical novels, and textbooks. (Para. 7)
Note: Comic books are not only for children. Theyare also read, collected, and traded at comic book fairs by adults of all ages.Some famous comic books are Superman, Wonder Woman, and James Bond.
Understanding
Usage note: historical, historic
1 historical 表示“基于史实的；（有关）历史的；历史上的；历史（学）的”等意义。常见的
表达包括： historical event（历史事件）、 historical novel（历史小说）、 historical context（历史背景）、 historical research（史学研究）、 historical material（史料）、 historical gure（历史人物）、 places of historicalinterest（历史名胜）。例如：
The book I bought yesterday is based on historicalfacts. 我昨天买的那本书是根据历史事实编著的。
Could you name two historical events on October 1? 你能不能说出在 10 月 1 日这天发生的两个历史事件呢？
Understanding
historic 表示“历史性的；有重大历史意义的；（地方或建筑）古老的”等意义。常见的表达包括： historic moment（历史性时刻）、 historic progress（历史性的进步）、 historic leap（历史性的飞跃）、 historic level（历史水平）、 historic meeting（具有历史意义的会议）、 historic event（有历史意义的事件）、 historic building（历史/古老建筑）。例如：
From the perspective of mankind’s achievements, themoon landing was a historic event. 从人类成就的角度来说，登月是一次具有历史意义的事件。
More people hope to travel into space after thehistoric flight of Dennis Tito, who paid 20 millions of dollars to travel intospace. 丹尼斯•蒂托花了两千万美元遨游太空。这一历史性飞行之后，越来越多的人希望能实现太空之旅。
Understanding
A lifetime of reading; each book beloved. (Para. 7)
Meaning: Reading is something that lasts a lifetime;each book is a treasure for those who love reading.
I want to be practical, to stuff them in paper sacksfor the used bookstore. (Para. 7)
Meaning: I want to deal with the books in apractical way: to put them in paper bags and take them to a bookstore whichsells used books.
Understanding
But I love books as much as she does, so I stackthem onto a single bookshelf to deal with later. (Para. 7)
Meaning: Like my daughter, I love books very much,so I pile all of them neatly on one bookshelf to handle later.
Note: Paragraph 7 describes the daughter’s joy ofreading. Many people in the US who love reading purchase books and then saveevery book they’ve ever read, as a way of cherishing the sweet memories ofreading. Some readers make notes so as to return to a book and re-read theirfavorite passages. Others re-read their favorite books from time to time. Bylisting the various books in her daughter’s bedroom, the mother indicates herdaughter’s engagement with books. “I love books as much as she does” impliesthat the mother is probably the model for her child’s love of reading. Therefore,the mother puts her daughter’s books onto a single bookshelf, rather than sellthem at a used bookstore.
Understanding
*I go for her clothes. Dresses, sweaters, and shoesshe hasn’t worn since seventh grade are placed into garbage bags. I am a plagueof locusts emptying the closet. Two piles grow to clumsy heights: one forcharity, the other trash.
接下来，我着手整理她的衣服。那些她从七年级起就不再穿的裙子、毛衣和鞋子都被装进了垃圾袋。就像蝗虫洗劫一样，我清空了壁橱。理出高高的、乱蓬蓬的两大堆东西：一堆捐给慈善机构，另一堆扔掉。
I go for her clothes. (Para. 8)
Meaning: I go to deal with her clothes.
I am a plague of locusts emptying the closet. (Para.8)
Note: Here “ I am a plague of locusts” is a metaphor(暗喻), meaning that themother is like a plague of locusts clearing everything in the closet.
Understanding
Two piles grow to clumsy heights: one for charity,the other trash. (Para. 8)
Meaning: The two piles of clothes are large andheavy: One pile is to be given away for donation, while the other pile is to bethrown away.
Note: In the sentence, “one for charity, the othertrash” means “one for charity, the other for trash”. In “the other trash”, foris left out to avoid redundancy. For another example: I bought two pairs ofjeans, one for $19, the other $25. 我买了两条牛仔裤，一条 19 美元，另一条 25 美元。
Understanding
*There are more shoes, stuffed animals, large andsmall posters, hair bands, and pink hair curlers. The job grows larger thelonger I am at it. How can one girl collect so much in only 18 years?
可是还有更多的鞋子、填充动物玩具、大大小小的招贴画、发箍和粉红色的卷发夹。我越理，要理的东西就越多。一个小姑娘怎么能在短短的18年里收集了这么多东西？
There are more shoes, stuffed animals, large andsmall posters, hair bands, and pink hair curlers. (Para. 9)
stuffed animal: n. [C] (AmE) a toy animal coveredand filled with soft materials （填充松软材料的）动物玩具
The job grows larger the longer I am at it. (Para.9)
Meaning: The longer I am dealing with the clutter inthe room, the more work there seems to be.
Note: Here “at” is used to say what event oractivity someone is taking part in. For example: I’ m sorry the manager is notavailable as she is at lunch now. 我很抱歉，经理现在不在，她去吃午饭了。
Understanding
*I stuff the garbage bags until the plastic strains.I haul them down the stairs, two bags at a time. Donations to charity go intothe trunk of my car; trash goes to the curb. I’m earning myself sweat and soreshoulders.
我把东西往垃圾袋里塞，直到塑料袋快要被撑破了。我把垃圾袋拽下楼梯，一次拽两个。要捐给慈善机构的都放在我汽车的后备箱里；要扔掉的都放在路边。我弄得浑身是汗，肩膀酸痛。
I stuff the garbage bags until the plastic strains.(Para. 10)
Meaning: I put as many things as possible into thegarbage bags until the bags are about to burst.
Understanding
Donations to charity go into the trunk of my car;trash goes to the curb. (Para. 10)
Meaning: The items to be given away to charity areput into the trunk of my car; the items to be thrown away are placed at theedge of the road.
I’m earning myself sweat and sore shoulders. (Para.10)
Meaning beyond words: Here the mother uses asarcastic tone(讽刺的语气)to indicate that she should have deserved something good for her hard work; butinstead, all she has got is that she is sweating all over and her shoulders arepainful.
earn sb. sth.: get sth. as a result of sb.’ sefforts or behavior 博得；赢得；获得
Mother Teresa earned herself worldwide fame by heruntiring work for the poor. 特蕾莎修女为穷人孜孜不倦地工作，因而举世闻名。
.
Understanding
*She left the bedroom a ridiculous mess, thecomforter on the floor, the sheets tossed aside. I strip off the comforter,blanket, sheets, and pillows. Once she starts feeding coins into laundrymachines, she’ll appreciate the years of clean clothes I’ve provided for free.
她把卧室弄得乱到匪夷所思的地步，盖被掉在地板上，床单掀到一边。我把床罩、毯子、床单和枕套都拆了下来。等到她开始投币洗衣的那一天，她就会感激我这些年来为她无偿提供的干净衣服了。
She left the bedroom a ridiculous mess, thecomforter on the floor, the sheets tossed aside.(Para. 11)
Meaning: Her room is extremely untidy: The quilt isdropped on the floor, and the sheets are thrown to one side.
comforter: n. [C] (AmE) a cover for a bed that isfilled with a soft warm material, such as feathers盖被
Understanding
Note: Besides toss sth. aside, anotherfrequently-used expression of toss is toss and turn, which means “keep changingyour position in bed because you cannot sleep (因睡不着在床上翻来覆去 )” . For example:
I’ve been tossing and turning all night. 我一整夜在床上翻来覆去睡不着。
Sentence structure note:
句中 the comforter on the floor 和 the sheets tossed aside 是独立结构。独立结构一般由“名词+形容词/分词/介词短语”构成。例如：
The children were building a snowman in the yard,their breaths white in the cold air.?孩子们正在院子里堆雪人，在寒冷的空气中哈出一团团白气。
He left the room, his nose bleeding, his handsshaking. 他走出房间，鼻子里流着血，双手颤抖着。
The teacher came into the classroom, a book in hishand. 老师走进教室，手里拿着一本书。
.
Understanding
I strip off the comforter, blanket, sheets, andpillows. (Para. 11)
Meaning: I remove the comforter, blanket and sheetsfrom the bed, and take the pillow cases off the pillows.
Once she starts feeding coins into laundry machines,she’ll appreciate the years of clean clothes I’ve provided for free. (Para. 11)
Meaning: Once she has to spend money having herclothes washed, she will feel grateful that I have helped her with her laundryfree of charge all these years.
Note: People can use coin-operated washing machinesto wash their clothes. These machines can be found in apartment buildings orthe local self-service laundries. They work similarly to regular washingmachines except that they require coins to work.
feed sth. into sth.: put sth. into sth. else, esp.gradually and through a small hole （尤指通过一个小孔慢慢地）把…放进/塞进
The workers are carefully feeding the materials intothe machine. 工人们正小心翼翼地把材料放进机器里。
for free: without having to pay for sth. that youwould normally have to pay for 免费地
I wasn’ t expecting you to do it for free. 我没打算让你无偿做这件事情。
Understanding
*I will turn her room into a crafts room. Or createthe fancy guest room I’ve always wanted.
I turn the bed over. A large brown envelope ismarked "DO NOT THROW AWAY." I open it. More papers. I dump thecontents onto the floor. There are old family photographs, letters, greetingcards, and love notes from us to her. There are comics clipped from newspapersand magazines. Every single item in this envelope has passed from our hands tohers. These are all things that we gave her. Suddenly, I feel very emotional.
"DO NOTTHROW AWAY".
我打算把她的房间改作手工室，或者改成一间我一直想要的漂亮客房。
我把床翻了个个儿，只见一个棕色的大信封，上面写着“不要扔掉”。我打开一看，又是纸。我把信封里的东西都倒在地板上。其中有家里的老照片、书信、贺卡、我们写给她的爱心留言，还有从报纸和杂志上剪下的漫画。信封中的每一样东西都是我们亲手给她的。我们以前给她的东西都在这里了。刹那间，我心潮起伏。
“不要扔掉”。
Understanding
There are comics clipped from newspapers and magazines.(Para. 13)
Meaning: There are comics that were cut fromnewspapers and magazines.
Every single item in this envelope has passed fromour hands to hers. (Para. 13)
Meaning: Each one of the things in this envelope hasbeen given to our daughter by my husband and me.
every single: used to emphasize that you are talkingabout every person or thing 每一个（用于强调）
You don’ t need to write down every single word Isay. 你不必把我说的每一个字都记下来。
Suddenly, I feel very emotional. (Para. 13)
Meaning beyond words: Suddenly, the mother isoverwhelmed with strong feelings. The mother starts the narration with a sortof conflicting mind. All the old family photographs, letters, greeting cards,and love notes have been kept by her daughter in a big envelope marked with “DONOT THROW AWAY”. This deeply moves the mother. This can be taken as a turningpoint of the narration,
which is proved in the forthcoming paragraphs.
Understanding
*My kid — my clutter bug — knows me too well. As Iread through the cards and notes, I think maybe the truck wasn’t such a badidea, after all. Maybe it helps her to feel less small in a big world.
我的孩子——我那爱收集小玩意儿的收藏迷——对我太了解了。我一边翻看着卡片和留言，一边想：也许她买那辆卡车也不算什么太糟糕的主意。也许这能让置身于大千世界中的她不至于感到太渺小。
Understanding
My kid — my clutter bug — knows me too well. As Iread through the cards and notes, I think maybe the truck wasn’t such a badidea, after all. Maybe it helps her to feel less small in a big world. (Para.15)
Meaning beyond words: Here we have more evidence ofhow the mother is changing her ideas. The daughter knows her mother so wellthat she put down the note “DO NOT THROW AWAY” to remind her mother not tothrow away the envelope. The more the mother reads the cards and notes, themore she gets to understand her daughter: It may be not a bad idea for her tobuy a big truck, for she might be feeling more powerful with the big truck.
Note: Clutter bug is a common idiom used to refer tosomeone who has an obsessive hobby of collecting clutter. Often, the items aclutter bug keeps are small personal items that hold important memories. Thisis probably why the daughter has marked “DO NOT THROW AWAY” on the envelope.
Understanding
*I reverse myself and bring back the garbage bagsfrom the car and the curb. Clothes and shoes go back into the closet. I remakethe bed and pile it with stuffed animals. My husband comes home and calls upthe stairs.
我改变了主意，把垃圾袋从车里和路边又拿了回来。衣服和鞋子放回壁橱。重新铺好床，再堆上填充动物玩具。我丈夫回家了，对着楼上喊我。
I reverse myself and bring back the garbage bagsfrom the car and the curb. (Para. 16)
Meaning: I change my mind and bring back the garbagebags I have put in the car and at the curb.
Understanding
I remake the bed and pile it with stuffed animals.(Para. 16)
Meaning beyond words: Compare what we read inParagraph 5 and Paragraph 11 with what we read now in Paragraph 16. InParagraph 5 “When I am finished, it is as neat and impersonal as a hotelbathroom” means that the mother is happy to make her daughter’s bedroom cleanand tidy. In Paragraph 11, “I strip off the comforter, blanket, sheets, and pillows.”But after the mother sees the envelope marked with “DO NOT THROW AWAY” and allthe items inside, she changes her mind. As described in Paragraph 16, sherearranges her daughter’s bed and puts her daughter’s stuffed animals on thebed. In this way, the mother makes her daughter’s room appear as if she werestill living at home.
make the/one’ s bed: tidy the bed’ s covers afterone has slept in it 整理好床铺
Jimmy’ s mother asked him to make his bed when hewas only four. 吉米只有四岁的时候他妈妈就叫他自己整理床铺了。
Understanding
*"Just straightening up," I tell him."Can you find some boxes for her stuff?"
He brings up boxes from the basement.
"She left a mess," he says.
"I don’t mind," I reply. Silence.
Then he says softly, "She’s not comingback." I feel my throat tighten at the sadness in his voice. I try hard tokeep back my tears.
My little baby, my dependent child, isn’t comingback. But someday my daughter, the independent woman, will return home. Tokensof her childhood will await her. So will we, with open arms.
“我把房间稍微整理一下，”我告诉他。 “你能找些盒子来装她的东西吗？”
他从地下室拿上来几个盒子。
“她弄得真乱啊，”他说。
“我不介意，”我回答。沉默。
然后他轻轻地说道：“她不会回来了。” 他伤感的语气让我喉头一紧。我努力克制，不让眼泪流下来
我的小宝贝儿，那个什么都让我操心的孩子，不再回来了。但是有一天，我的女儿，那位独立的女士，会回来的。家里有她童年的纪念品在等着她。我们也在等着她，张开双臂等她回来。
Understanding
* “Just straightening up,” I tell him. “Can you findsome boxes for her stuff?” (Para. 17) / He brings up boxes from the basement.(Para. 18) / “She left a mess,” he says. (Para. 19) / “I don’t mind,” I reply.Silence. (Para. 20) / Then he says softly, “She’s not coming back.” I feel my throattighten at the sadness in his voice. I try hard to keep back my tears. (Para.21)
Meaning beyond words: From Paragraph 17 to Paragraph21, the conversation between husband and wife clearly tells us that both ofthem feel at a loss when their daughter has finally left home and they are sadthat their daughter is not coming back. Actually, when the father speaks in asad voice, the mother feels sad too. She tries her best not to cry. The motheris no longer complaining; she just wants to deal with the messy room now.
tighten: v. become stiff or make a part of your bodybecome stiff （使）（身体的某一部分）变得僵硬，变得僵直
His mouth tightened into a thin, angry line. 他的嘴抿成一条缝，一副生气的样子。
vt. close or fasten sth. firmly by turning it 使变紧；使更牢固
The number plate on the car came loose and had to betightened. 这辆车的车牌松了，需要紧一紧。
Understanding
*My little baby, my dependent child, isn’t comingback. But someday my daughter, the independent woman, will return home. (Para.22)
Meaning: My little baby, who has depended on me allthese years, has left home. But there is no place like home, and she will comeback someday, as an independent grown-up.
Understanding
*Tokens of her childhood will await her. So will we,with open arms. (Para. 22)
Meaning: The things my daughter collected as a childcarry her childhood memories and they will be there waiting for her. We willalso be happy to welcome her back home.
Sentence structure note:
“ so + be/have/do/will/其他助动词+sb./sth.”结构主要用来说明前面所说人或物的情况同样也适用于后面的其他人或物，意为“…也一样”。这种句型也是英语中倒装句的一种。例如：
Next week, he will fly to New York and attend ameeting there. So will I. 他下周要飞往纽约去开会，我也一样。
Jane can dance beautifully, and so can her littlesister. 简的舞跳得很好，她妹妹的舞跳得也很好。
如果前面是否定句，则可以用“ nor+be/have/do/will/其他助动词+sb./sth.”结构来说明前面所说的情况同样也适用于后面的其他人或物，意为“…也不…”。例如：
I don’ t think he is clever. Nor is his littlesister. 我觉得他不聪明，他妹妹也不聪明。
I don’t know who objects to the plan. Nor doesanybody else. 我不知道谁反对这项计划，别人也同样不知道。
