书城外语双语学习丛书-岁月之海
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第13章 Arnold, My Bosom Friend阿诺德,我的密友(2)

只要他感觉你就在他的身边,就会放心地打他的呼噜睡他的觉;但是一旦你想离开,他会马上醒来。我们会在他沉睡时玩个游戏,在他那扁鼻子上摆个像盐瓶那样的小玩意而要保持平衡不倒,这样一玩就是几个小时,大家玩得十分尽性。

在我们那五英亩地大的乡下,我做什么家务阿诺德都会给我帮忙。只要他挨着你的脚跟,兴致勃勃地看你忙碌,就足以让最索然无味的家务变得有趣起来。

他在外面溜达觅食时,只要你喊他的名字,他就会以最快的速度向你跑来,一路“鼾鼾”地叫着,到离你不远的地方他又会跟你玩迷藏,左转右转地走着,绕着圈,一副凯旋归来的模样,然后才静下来慢慢走到你跟前,摇摇尾巴,好像眨着眼跟你说:“哈,找到你啦!”

He even helped me build a kit aircraft and a customized trailer to haul it around in. I was planning on taking him flying with me some day. He loved to play with my sockets and rolled them around on the shop floor.

Just as I would struggle and get frustratedfrustrated adj.失败的, 落空的 with some difficult task, Arnold would show up underneathunderneath adv.在下面prep.在……的下面 the trailer, with his wet nose in my ear and honking—seeming to say, “take a break and laugh with me for a while, that should make it all better.”

And it did, every time.

Gods marvelousmarvelous adj.引起惊异的, 不可思议的, 非凡的 creationscreation n.创造,创作物 minister to us in the most special ways if we can just stop for a few moments and observe them. God used Arnold to teach us this very important lesson in life which we will never forget.

他还曾和我一起组装了一架小型的飞机和一辆运载飞机的特制拖车。我打算哪天把他带上,跟我一起在蓝天上飞翔。他很喜欢玩那些插座零部件,在工场里将它们推来推去。

每当我为一些高难度的工作绞尽脑汁、灰心丧气时,阿诺德就会从拖车下钻出来,湿漉漉的鼻子伸到我的耳边,“鼾鼾”地似乎对我说:“休息一下,跟我玩一会儿,然后什么事都好办啦!”

果真有效,而且每次都是这样。

只要我们能停一下,仔细想想,就会发现上帝绝妙的创造物总以最特别的方式照顾我们。上帝让阿诺德给我们上了人生中十分重要的一课,我们永生难忘。

My wife and two daughters began to say that Arnold and I were so close that he had become the son that I never had in our family. It seemed that we could no longer have any kind of conversation in our family or with our friends without Arnold being a main topic. The neighbourhood kids would make appointments to come visit Arnold and couldnt wait to come over and play with him.

Arnold went most everywhere with us—Pets Mart, WalMart, birthday parties, Christmas vacation to Grandmas. He loved riding in the car/shopping basket and was a big hit everywhere he went.

Arnold had become such an important part of our life that when we found out that our family would have to move to another state, we insisted that the contract on our new house be contingent on the homeowners—association approvalapproval n.赞成, 承认, 正式批准 of Arnold in writing before we would agree to purchasing in our prestigious neighbourhood.

我太太和两个女儿都说阿诺德跟我亲密得如同我的儿子一样,一个我们家里一直缺少的角色。家里聊天或和朋友聊天都似乎离不开阿诺德这个主题。邻居的小孩会提前预约来我们家拜访,急切地要来和阿诺德玩耍。

我们去哪里,阿诺德几乎都和我们在一起——宠物用品超市、沃尔玛超市与生日派对,圣诞假期他还会和我们一起到奶奶家去。他喜欢坐在手推车或购物篮里,所到之处都大受欢迎。

阿诺德已经在我们的生活当中占据了一个重要的位置,所以当我们要搬到另一个州买房子居住时,我们都坚持要在合同里附加上街坊邻居的联合书面承诺,同意让阿诺德在该社区居住生活,这样我们才会考虑在那些著名社区里买房子。

On the day we left our old home town, we had a going away lunch with our friends from church. Everyone there just had to go out to the truck where Arnold and all our other pet were and say goodbye. Arnold trusted me to take care of him and get him to his new home.

Tragicallytragically adv.悲剧地, 悲惨地 , along the way, the wind blastblast vt.损害 ,爆炸, ,毁灭, 使枯萎 n.一阵(风), 一股(气流), 爆炸, 冲击波 from a semi knocked our trailers out of control and pushed our truck off a 40bridge.

We lost a big part of our family that day when our pets Arnold, Sweeti and Leanna were killed. I feel terrible for not being able to protect Arnold the way he trusted me to. However, I will be forever grateful for the fond memories of him which I will cherishcherish vt.珍爱, 怀抱(希望等) forever.

离开老家的那一天,我们和教友一起吃了顿饯行的午餐。在场的每个人都来到货柜车旁边,跟里边的阿诺德和我们的其他宠物告别。

可悲的是,在路上一辆半拖车呼啸着穿过,产生的强烈的侧风气流使我们的拖车失去控制,货柜随之被抛到40英尺的桥下面。

那天家中的成员损失惨重,我家里的宠物阿诺德、甜甜和莲娜都离开了我们。阿诺德如此地信任我,我却没有办法保护他,我真的十分难受。不过,我将永久珍藏和他在一起的深情片断,感谢他带给我的这段美好记忆。

人类与动物之间的情感故事总是能够打动我们的心灵,因为我们都有一颗向善与热爱生命的心。本文通过作者与一头名叫“阿诺德”的宠物猪在生活当中的趣闻乐事,表达了对自己“朋友”的眷恋,同时这种感情也打动了我们。