PART FIVE
BOYS AND GIRLS OF OTHER LANDS
第五部分
其他国家的男孩女孩们
 
To Every Child of Every Land
MADELINE BRANDEIS
To every child of every land
Little sister, little brother,
As in this book your lives unfold
May you learn to love each other.
 
致每一片土地上的每一个小朋友
玛德琳.布兰德斯
致每一片土地上的每一个小朋友
小姐妹，小兄弟，
你们的生活将在这本书中展开
愿你们学会彼此关爱。
 
 
Book Can Take Us Traveling
Books can take you traveling to lands far across the sea. In your own home, in a comfortable chair, you can explore places where very few men have ever been. You can live among people whose language you cannot speak, and who could not understand you if you talked to them. You can watch them work and play. You will be surprised at the strange things they do. Some of their ways of living will seem almost funny to you. Then, you will be just as surprised to learn that these people of far-away lands are in many ways like the people in our own land. The boys and girls have their lessons to learn; they have holidays to celebrate; they like to play and have good times.
 
书籍可以带我们去旅行
书籍可以带着你漂洋过海去遥远的国度旅行。在你自己家里，坐在舒适的椅子上，你就可以到那些人迹罕至的地方去探险啦。你可以跟你不认识的人住在一起，尽管你们听不懂彼此的语言。你可以观察他们如何工作或玩耍。你或许还会对他们做出的奇怪事情感到吃惊。他们有些人的生活方式在你看来可能非常有趣。之后，你会非常吃惊地发现，这些居住在遥远国度的人很大程度上和我们国家的人非常相像。这些国家的男孩和女孩也要上课学习；他们也有节日需要庆祝；他们也喜欢玩耍并且拥有美好时光。
 
 
Of course, it would be much more fun to travel and see these things ourselves. But not many of us can do so. Even in a lifetime we could not visit all the places and learn all the things that we find in travel books.
You have already been traveling in this book—with Admiral Byrd at the South Pole; on the snowy trail from Nenana to Nome; in Africa on a midnight lion hunt. Now you are going to read four more stories of other lands. Mrs. Crew will tell you, of Mario, Fioretta, Annina, and Tino Bernado, whose land she has often visited; Caroline Mabry writes of Esteban and holiday celebrations in Porto Rico; Eunice Tietjens tells of Abdul Aziz, an Arab boy of North Africa; and Margaret Morley will take you high up in the Alps Mountains in Austria, and show you wood-carvers at work making toy horses, wagons, and dolls.
 
当然，如果亲自去旅游，亲眼看到这些东西的话，你会得到更多的乐趣。但是我们中间有很多人却做不到这一点。即使穷尽一生，我们也不可能游遍所有的地方，将游记里面记载的东西全部体验一遍。
你已经在这本书里旅游了——跟着伯德上将去了南极；在雪地上从内尼拉到诺姆；在非洲草原上午夜猎狮。现在你将要读到其余四篇关于其他国家的故事。克鲁夫人会向你讲述马里奥、菲奥蕾塔、安妮娜以及帝诺.伯纳多的故事——她经常去他们的国家旅行；卡洛琳.马布里写了埃斯特班的故事以及波多黎各庆祝节日的方式；尤妮斯.蒂金斯为我们讲述了一名北非阿拉伯男孩阿卜杜勒.阿齐兹的故事；玛格丽特.莫利则会带着你去奥地利，爬上高高的阿尔卑斯山脉，向你展示木雕师雕刻玩具马、小手推车以及娃娃的过程。
 
 
GRANDMOTHER’S TRIP TO NAPLES
HELEN COALE CREW
Mrs. Crew, who wrote this story especially for this book, has many times traveled in countries across the sea, and she has always been interested in what the boys and girls of those lands do. She has written many stories about them.
Mrs. Crew is herself a grandmother ; so she probably knows just how happy the grandmother in this story was over what the children did for her.
I
Ugo and Margaretta Bernado had four children. There was Mario, the eldest, who was fifteen; grave Annina, who was thirteen; twelveyear-old Fioretta, gay and laughter-loving; and Tino, who was ten and full of mischief.
 
祖母的那不勒斯之旅
海伦·科尔·克鲁
克鲁夫人特意为本书写的这篇故事。她很多次漂洋过海到其他国家去旅行，而且她一直都对其他国家小孩子的所作所为很感兴趣，于是写了很多关于他们的故事。
克鲁夫人自己也是一位祖母，所以，她能够体会到故事中的祖母因为自己的孙儿为自己做的事情所感受到的幸福。
一
乌戈和玛格丽塔.伯纳多夫妇有四个孩子。最大的叫马里奥，已经十五岁了；老二是严肃的安妮娜，十三岁；老三是十二岁的菲奥蕾塔，爱玩爱笑；还有十岁的帝诺，一肚子鬼点子。
 
 
“Wife,” said Ugo, seeing the four busy about their work and happy about their play, “I think we have wonderful children.”
“Husband,” said Margaretta, laughing, “did I not only yesterday hear you calling Tino a lazy little good-for-nothing? And last week did you not complain that Fioretta was always tearing her clothes?”
At this, Ugo began to talk about something else, and then went out to do some work upon the farm. It was a good farm, left to him by his grandfather, and not more than four miles from Florence, that lovely city of Italy that is strung like a pearl upon the Arno River, and lies in a jewel-case of green hills whose lid is the sky.
Ugo was fortunate in owning his own farm, when so many of the farmers in Italy could only hire themselves out for farm work. A small
 
“老婆子，”乌戈看着四个孩子忙忙碌碌地干活，快快活活地玩耍，禁不住说道， “我想我们的孩子都很棒。”
“老头子，”玛格丽塔笑着说，“昨天我不是还听到你说帝诺是个一无是处的懒虫？上个星期你还抱怨菲奥蕾塔总会撕破自己的衣服呢。”
听到这话，乌戈赶紧岔开了话题，然后就到农场上忙活去了。这是个各方面条件都很好的农场，是乌戈祖父留给他的，距离佛罗伦萨不到四英里。佛罗伦萨是一座美丽的意大利城市，如果把四周的青山比作一个以天空为盖的珠宝盒，那么佛罗伦萨就是镶嵌在亚诺河上的一颗珍珠。
乌戈很幸运能拥有自己的农场，因为在意大利，很多农夫都只能到别人的农场上打
 
 
stream ran through it; a little hill on which grew a few chestnut and mulberry trees rose up in one corner; and the earth gave good harvests of wheat and barley. The farmhouse was of stone, whitewashed over, and before it lay an old stone threshing-floor. The upper story held the big kitchen and two bedrooms, and below were the stables and barn.
 
工。农场中间有一条小溪潺潺流过，农场的一个角上有一座小山拔地而起，山上长着一些栗子树和桑树。农场的土地肥沃，每年都能收获大量的小麦和大麦。农舍是用石头砌的，用石灰刷得雪白。农舍前面是一个石头铺就的打麦场。农舍上层有一个大厨房和两间卧室，下面是马厩和谷仓。
 
 
Two creamy oxen with spreading horns stood in the stalls; these oxen were the pride of Ugo’s heart. With them he plowed his land, drew the wheat in his farm-cart from field to threshing-floor, and occasionally took the family to Florence. They always went, for example, to the Cathedral on Easter Day, each carrying a little pot of new-springing wheat, as a symbol of life in the springtime. Or they went at Christmas, to see the little wax image of the Christ Child in the manger and to sing carols, standing in the huge aisles.
Besides themselves and their children, there was Grandmother, old and bent, bright-eyed and busy, as she sat in her chair in the kitchen. There were six stools about the table, and one chair, an American rocking-chair sent over as a present to Grandmother by Uncle Matteo who had gone to America to live. Anyone might sit
 
畜栏里站着两头长着长长牛角的奶油色公牛。这两头牛可是乌戈的心尖子。他用它们耕地；用它们把装在农用拖车上的小麦从麦地拉到打麦场上去；有时候还会让它们拉着全家去佛罗伦萨。比方说，他们总是会在复活节那天去大教堂，每人手里捧一小碗新麦，作为春季生命的一个象征。圣诞节他们也去，去看出生在马槽里的圣婴的小蜡像，并且站在巨大的走廊里面唱颂歌。
除了伯纳多夫妇和孩子们，还有老祖母。她年纪很大了，背是弯的，但是眼睛很亮。她整天坐在厨房的椅子上忙碌着。桌子旁边有六个凳子，一把椅子。椅子是那种美式摇椅，是已经在美国定居的马提欧叔叔给祖母寄回来的礼物。每个人都可以
 
 
on any of the six stools, but only Grandmother sat in the rocking-chair.
II
There came an April when something seemed to be wrong with Grandmother.
She still knitted stockings and mended garments, peeled potatoes for the stew and sliced apples for drying, but somehow she wasn’t happy. For Grandmother to be unhappy was all wrong. It wouldn’t do at all! Her eyes that had been so sharp and bright now quite frequently held tears, and there was a woebegone look on her deeply-wrinkled face.
It was one evening at the supper table that she asked suddenly, “Ugo, do you think Naples is still there?”
“Still where, Grandmother?”
“By the sea.”
 
随便坐这六个凳子，但是只有祖母才可以坐那把摇椅。
二
进入四月之后，老祖母看上去有些不对劲。
她仍然忙着织袜子、补衣服、削好做炖菜的土豆、切好用来晒苹果干的苹果，但是不知为何她总是闷闷不乐。祖母若不高兴可是件大事！可不能让这种情况发生！她那双原本明亮有神的眼睛里现在经常含着眼泪，愁云笼罩在布满皱纹的脸上。
一天晚上，吃晚饭的时候她突然问道：“乌戈，你认为那不勒斯还在那里吗？”
“还在哪里呀，奶奶？”
“在海边。”
 
 
“Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I dream about the sea,” said Grandmother.
It was at breakfast the next morning that she asked, “Margaretta, you don’t think, do you, that Mount Vesuvius is gone?”
“Gone where, Grandmother?”
“Well” said Grandmother dreamily, “gone... away.”
“Grandmother!” put in Mario, laughing. “To be sure it is still there! And the Bay of Naples is still there, and all of Italy, and Sicily, too!”
“I haven’t seen the place where I was born for years and years,” continued Grandmother wistfully. Then they knew. Grandmother was homesick. And why should she not be, indeed? It was sixty years since she had left Naples as a bride, and in all that time there was no money that could be spared to take her home for a visit.
 
“是的，当然还在。怎么会不在那里？”
“我梦到了海。”祖母说道。
第二天早晨吃早饭的时候她又问道：“玛格丽塔，维苏威火山，是不是没有了？”
“没有了会去哪啊，奶奶？”
“哦，”祖母就像做梦一样，说道：“就是不见了。”
“奶奶！”马里奥大笑：“它绝对还在原地！那不勒斯湾也在原地，整个意大利，还有西西里，也都在！”
“我已经很多年没有回到我的出生地去看看了。”祖母的声音里充满了渴望。这下大家都明白了。祖母是想家了。要说也是，她怎么会不想家呢？六十年前，她还是一个新娘子的时候离开了那不勒斯，从那之后，因为总是没有多余的钱来当路费，就再也没有回去过。
 
 
“If I had not bought the oxen last spring—” began Ugo, but again Margaretta shook her head. But if only they could send her, with one of the children to look after her, to spend a week or two with Uncle Tony and his family in Naples! But where would the money come from? It really couldn’t be done.
Next morning, when the children went to the spring with buckets to fetch water, they talked it over.
III
“Why,” said Mario, “it is the simplest thing in the world. Put the oxen to the cart and put Grandmother in the cart, and presto! I’ll drive her myself to Naples, just as easy!”
“Not at all,” said Annina, who was practical. “Where’s the geography?”
 
“如果我去年春天没买那头牛——”乌戈开口道，但是话未说完，玛格丽塔就朝他摇了摇头。如果他们能送她到那不勒斯，与托尼叔叔和他的家人一起住上一两个星期多好！还要让一个孩子同行以便照顾她。可是钱从哪里来？这事肯定行不通。第二天早晨，孩子们拎着桶到泉水边汲水时，就这事展开了讨论。
三
“这有什么啊，”马里奥说，“这简直是世界上最简单的事情了。套上牛，让奶奶坐在车子上，一转眼就到了！我会亲自为她赶车，一直到那不勒斯，这简直太简单了！”
“一点也不简单，”安妮娜比较讲究实际，“你知道路吗？”
 
 
Fioretta, the book-lover, ran back to the house on nimble feet and got the geography. They gathered about the map of Italy eagerly. Alas, Naples was nearly, or quite, or even more than, three hundred miles away, and the map between Florence and Naples was well-sprinkled with mountains and snaky black rivers.
Well, then, it would have to be by train. But where was the money for the tickets?
“We must earn the money,” said Annina.
“But how?” asked the rest in chorus.
Four young foreheads became wrinkled with anxious thought.
‘‘Tino and I might raise silkworms and sell the cocoons,” said Mario. “There are the mulberry trees, and there is the little silkworm house where Mother used to raise them.”
“But it is such hard work,” said Fioretta.
 
爱读书的菲奥蕾塔，用敏捷的步伐急匆匆地跑回家找到了地图。孩子们急切地围在意大利地图周围。哎哟，那不勒斯几乎在三百英里开外，不，得超过三百英里。佛罗伦萨和那不勒斯之间遍布高山和曲曲折折的黑色河流。
好吧，看来只能乘火车了。但是买票的钱从哪里来呢？
“我们必须去挣钱。”安妮娜说。
“怎么挣？”其他孩子异口同声问道。
四个小脑袋皱着眉头陷入思考。
“我和帝诺可以养蚕卖茧，”马里奥说，“山上有桑树，我们还有妈妈以前用来养蚕的一小间蚕房。”
“但是这项工作太辛苦了。”菲奥蕾塔说。
 
 
“But it brings in good money.” replied Mario.
“Annina and I can weave straw into hat braid and sell it at old Nello’s shop. Grandmother knows how, and can teach us,” said Fioretta.
“But it will scratch and cut your hands,” objected Mario.
“But it brings in good money!” said Fioretta with a saucy Laugh at Mario.
All right then, they would begin as soon as school closed. Of course it could be done!
When they told their plans to Margaretta, she approved promptly. “It will not be any too easy,” she warned them, “for you boys must help your father in the busy summer season, and the girls must help me as usual. We will say nothing to Grandmother yet, until we see how things are going to turn out.”
 
“可是能挣好多钱啊！”马里奥回答。
“我和安妮娜可以用稻草编织草帽辫，然后卖给老尼洛。奶奶知道怎么编，可以教我们。”菲奥蕾塔说。
“但是这会划伤你们的手。”马里奥抗议道。
“可是能挣好多钱啊！”菲奥蕾塔向马里奥俏皮一笑。
就这么定了。等到学校一放假，他们就开始执行计划。他们当然能做到！
他们把自己的计划告诉玛格丽塔时，她立刻表示赞同。“这么做肯定会很辛苦，”她警告他们，“因为农忙时男孩子们肯定还要帮父亲干活，女孩子们肯定也还要像往常那样帮我做家务。这件事我们先不让祖母知道。等看看结果怎么样再说。”
 
 
That very afternoon Margaretta wrote to Uncle Tony at Naples, asking if they would take in Grandmother and one of the children for a week or two in early September. She told him how homesick Grandmother was, and how she longed to see Naples again. After she had signed her name, she held her pen poised over the letter for some time. Then she wrote, a little shame-facedly, “If Vesuvius isn’t there, Grandmother will be disappointed.”
When, some days later, a reply came, Uncle Tony said they would be much pleased to have Grandmother and one of the children visit them. He, too, added a sentence after his name—“If Vesuvius isn’t there, I’ll fetch up Mount Aetna from Sicily; Grandmother shall not be-disappointed.” Ah, that rascal Uncle Tony was laughing at her.
 
那天下午，玛格丽塔给那不勒斯的托尼叔叔写了一封信，问他九月初的时候，祖母和自己的一个孩子能否在他们家住上一两个星期。她告诉他，祖母有多么想家，她多么想再看一眼那不勒斯。签过名之后，她又拿着笔思索了好久，然后有点不好意思地在信上又添了一句话：“如果维苏威火山不在了，祖母会非常失望的。”
几天之后，他们收到了回信。托尼叔叔在信里说，他们非常欢迎祖母和他们家的一个孩子到自己家里来。他也在自己的名字后面加了一句话——“如果维苏威火山不在了，我就把埃特纳火山从西西里搬过来，祖母是不会失望的。”哈，这个爱开玩笑的托尼叔叔在逗她呢。
 
 
IV
At once the boys set about giving the silkworm house—a tiny place with broad shelves along two walls—a thorough cleaning, whitewashing it inside and out. On the shelves they laid clean papers, and put a piece of netting at the window. There were a few bricks piled in one corner. Should a day threaten to be chilly, these would be heated in the kitchen oven and placed below the shelves to warm the air slightly. For silkworms are tender creatures, and must be cared for as though they were fretful babies.
Then the four, barefooted and bareheaded, and in their simple, home-made clothes, patched but clean, walked the four miles to Florence to buy both silkworm eggs and straw for the braiding. The eggs they bought at a little shop not far from the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest of the bridg-
 
四
男孩们立刻开始对蚕房——其实就是一个两边靠墙摆满了架子的小地方，进行全面清理，里里外外用石灰水刷了一遍。他们在架子上铺了一层干净的纸，又在窗户上装了一层纱窗。蚕房的角落里还堆了几块砖头。若是气温突然降低，就可以把这几块砖放在厨房的炉子上面加热一下，放到架子下面，稍微提升点温度。因为蚕宝宝是一种很娇贵的生物，一定要像对待喜怒无常的婴儿一样小心加以看护。
然后，这四个光着头、赤着脚的孩子，穿着样式简单、整洁干净、有补丁的家织衣服，步行四英里去佛罗伦萨购买蚕种和编织草帽辫的稻草。他们在距离维琪奥桥不远的一个小店里买的蚕种，维琪奥桥可是这条河上最古老的一座桥，桥两头一路上
 
 
es over the river—the one that has a row of shops clinging on each side all the way across. For the straw, they went to the New Market, which, in spite of its name, is centuries old.
What a fascinating place it is, to be sure, with its arches holding up a great roof above its rows of stalls! And what a rainbow of colors is spread upon these stalls: purple of cabbages and plums, silver of onions and turnips, scarlet of tomatoes and peppers, green of beans and lettuce, white of celery, yellow of squash and pumpkins, earthy brown of potatoes. To the women and girls who go to market, there is a great charm in the straws of all colors tied up in neat bundles. These they may make into long pieces of braid and sell at the hat shop, where old Nello is so crabbed and yet so honest in his dealings with them.
 
开了很多家商店。为了买稻草，他们去了新集——这个地方虽然叫新集，却也已经有几百年的历史了。
这是个非常令人着迷的地方——一个个拱形门托起巨大的屋顶，下面是一排排的货摊！摆放在货摊上的东西构成了一道彩虹：紫色的是卷心菜和李子，泛着银光的是洋葱和萝卜，鲜红的是番茄和辣椒，绿色的是青豆和生菜，白色的是芹菜，黄色的是葫芦和南瓜，棕褐色的是土豆。对于那些到市场上来的大姑娘和小媳妇来说，吸引力最大的莫过于扎成一束束的各色稻草。她们可以把这些稻草编成长长的草帽辫，卖给老尼洛的帽子店。他虽然脾气暴躁，但是和她们做生意的时候却很公道。
 
 
The children, on the other hand, are equally pleased with the stalls where sticky sugar-candy is sold, and the fountain, where a great bronze boar spouts a lively stream of water from his mouth. His bronze back has been polished by generations of small boys and girls who climb upon it and slide joyously off.
Home again over the four lovely miles, the Bernado children passed by great houses behind handsome wrought-iron gates; by stone walls over which April had thrown cascades of blossoming vines; by broad meadows carpeted with flowers; by stone pines and dark, pointed cypresses; across little streams over the round arches of ancient bridges; and at last reached the farm.
 
另外，孩子们对那些出售黏糊糊的糖果的摊点也很感兴趣；当然还有那个喷泉，是
一只巨大的青铜野猪欢快地从嘴里喷出水柱。多少年来，一辈又一辈的小孩子兴奋地在它背上爬上爬下尽情玩耍，所以野猪的脊背被磨得锃亮。
然后他们又走了四英里的路回家。伯纳多家的四个孩子经过了漂亮的锻铁大门后面的高房大屋；经过了因为四月的到来而铺满瀑布般盛开的藤蔓的石墙；经过了开满鲜花的宽阔草原；经过了一些五针松以及一些尖头的墨绿色柏树；在一座古老石桥的圆拱上面跨过了一条小溪流，最后终于回到了农场。
 
 
V
Now their work began in earnest. The silkworm eggs, which all winter had been kept in a cool place, now were put in a warm place to hatch, which they did in a few days. At this Tino hurried off to the hill and brought back a basketful of the youngest and tenderest of the mulberry leaves. At once the tiny jaws began to eat, and the worms grew so fast that one could almost see them growing. Could their skins stand the strain? No, they couldn’t. Twice they shed their too-tight skins, but not for long were the new ones loose and baggy; the little gluttons soon filled them up. The sound of their many little mouths chewing was like the sound of scratching on silk.
Meanwhile the girls, seated on the veranda, braided the rather brittle straws, which from time to time they moistened in bowls of water to keep them from splitting. Grandmother, in her
 
五
现在他们的工作正式开始。过去的一整个冬天，蚕种都被保存在凉爽的环境里。现在要把它们放在温暖的地方孵化，没过几天，就孵出了蚕宝宝。帝诺立刻跑到山上，带回来一篮子最嫩的桑叶。那些小嘴巴立刻扑上去大吃起来。蚕宝宝长得很快，你几乎可以看到它们在慢慢变大。它们的皮肤能承受住这样的张力吗？不能。它们会将太紧的皮肤蜕掉两次，但是新换的皮肤不会松垮太久，这些贪吃鬼很快就
会把它们撑起来。这么多小嘴巴一起咀嚼，听上去就像摩擦丝绸发出的声音。
与此同时，女孩们坐在走廊上，开始编那些很脆的稻草。为了避免稻草折断，她们编的时候，还要时不时把它们放在一个盛了水的碗里浸一下，使其保持湿润。祖母
 
 
rocking-chair near by, gave directions and was deeply interested. If she found a lumpy place, or a place too wide or too narrow, the girls would have to take it out and do it over better. There were some tears at first, and hands with many scratches, but as days passed, their braid grew smooth and even.
It was in the midst of all this busy work that Margaretta said that the one of the three older children doing the most faithful work and getting the best results should be the one to take Grandmother to Naples. This increased both care and speed, and Tino, who was too young to take care of Grandmother on the trip, and who might, therefore, if he wished, shirk his work, was faithful and eager in going four times daily to the mulberry trees to get fresh leaves for the little spoiled darlings of silkworms.
 
坐在旁边的摇椅上，时不时指点一下，并且对她们做的事情很感兴趣。如果她发现有一段不平整，或者编得太松、太紧，女孩们就把它挑出来重新编。最初她们还流了不少泪，因为双手多处被剐伤。但是随着时间的流逝，她们的草帽辫也越来越平整顺滑。
就在大家各自忙得热火朝天的时候，玛格丽塔宣布，三个大孩子中，工作最努力，而且劳动成果最显著的那个才可以陪着祖母去那不勒斯。这一决定使得大家在干活的时候更加小心翼翼，更加重视速度。帝诺因为年纪太小，无法在旅途中照顾祖母，因此，如果他愿意的话，完全可以躲开这项工作。然而，他干起活来更加卖力了，每天为那些被他们宠坏的蚕宝宝摘回四次新鲜的桑叶。
 
 
Both boys, indeed, worked so hard and fast that their mother reminded them of an old saying:
Of a mulberry leaf and a little patience silk is made. Patience indeed! Nothing else would bring those tiny, spoiled little creatures to the point of spinning their co-coons. Mother said that silkworms had even been known to go on hunger strikes. Ah, what uncertain creatures they were!
In mid-July when cocoon-spinning time was approaching, the boys arranged branches and twigs upon the shelves, so that the silkworms might have something to which they could attach their silken threads. This was an anxious time, and, moreover, it was the time of wheat harvest, when Ugo, having cut the golden grain, needed the help of the boys to put it into shocks.
 
实际上，两个男孩子干起活来都非常努力，非常急切。后来，他们的母亲告诉他们一句谚语：
丝绸从何来？桑叶和耐心。是的，耐心！其他任何方式都不可能让这些娇贵的小生物立刻开始结茧。母亲说，有些蚕宝宝甚至闹过绝食。啊，它们是多么难伺候的小东西呀！
七月中旬，吐丝结茧的时刻即将来临。男孩们在架子上插了许多嫩枝条，这样蚕宝宝就可以依附在上面结茧了。这是个让人焦虑的时刻，而且，恰逢小麦收割的时节。乌戈割断金黄色的麦秆之后，需要男孩们把它们打成捆。玛格丽塔在阳光明媚
 
 
Margaretta, too, gave a helping hand in the field one warm, sunny morning. The harvesters all sang as they worked; the two girls, busily braiding straw on the veranda, could hear the harvest song.
Very suddenly dark clouds massed themselves in the sky; thunder rolled along overhead. Following two vivid flashes of lightning, there came two heavy crashes of thunder. The boys hurried to the silkworm house. The worms were very much excited, and wove their lifted heads to and fro, refusing to eat. In a day or two some grew ill and died. This was a blow to Mario. He would not have as many cocoons as he had expected. And how he had longed to go to Naples and “see the world”!
 
的清晨也会到麦田里搭把手。这些收割者一边干活一边唱歌。在走廊上忙着编草帽辫的两个女孩子都能听到他们的丰收歌。
突然间天空中聚起了乌云；轰隆隆的雷声从头顶上滚过。两道刺眼的闪电之后，紧跟着又是两声炸雷。两个男孩匆忙赶往蚕房。蚕宝宝们焦躁不安，来回摇晃着脑袋，拒绝进食。一两天之后，有些蚕宝宝就生病死掉了。这对马里奥来说是个巨大的打击。他不可能收获到期待中的那么多蚕茧了。而他又是多么渴望有机会去那不勒斯“见见世面”啊！
 
 
Annina, by this time, had become almost perfect through care and practice. Her braid was even and firm, with no gaps in it. She could see very well that her work was better than Fioretta’s. But Fioretta sang happily as she worked, or broke out into delighted accounts of what she would do and see in Naples if she were the fortunate one.
“Ah, that Vesuvius! I hope he will be spitting forth his smoke and fire and lava while I am there. That Bay of Naples! I wonder if it is really so beautiful. But no, there’s nothing so beautiful there as our Giotto’s Tower in Florence! I will tell my Uncle Tony and my Aunt Vanna about that, how lovely it is, rising up beside the Cathedral like a finger pointing heavenward.”
 
这个时候，安妮娜经过不懈练习，技术日趋完美。她编的草帽辫结实平滑，上面不会出现缺口。她也能看出来自己的作品要比菲奥蕾塔的好。但是菲奥蕾塔会一边干活一边唱歌，或者突然间就兴高采烈地告诉大家，如果自己是幸运的那个人，那么到了那不勒斯之后自己会做哪些事情，会到哪里去参观。
“啊，维苏威火山！希望我在那里的时候它会喷出烟火和岩浆。还有那不勒斯海湾！我真想知道它是不是像传说中的那样漂亮。不，没有什么能比我们佛罗伦萨的乔托钟楼更美丽！我会告诉托尼叔叔和瓦娜婶婶它有多么可爱，在大教堂边上拔地而起，就像是一根指向天空的手指。”
 
 
VI
When at last in August the cocoons had been carefully loosened from the delicate threads that held them tied to the twigs, and when each girl had neatly rolled and wrapped up her straw braid, they all went again to Florence. Annina said not a word in all the four lovely miles, ripe with the ripeness of the late summer, but listened to the gay and excited talk of Mario and Fioretta, both so anxious for the trip to Naples. But was not she herself just as eager to go? Yes, but......
When they sat down, in view of the lovely Giotto’s Tower, to rest a moment, with their bundles on the ground beside them, Annina had made up her mind to something. Very carefully, she exchanged her bundle for Fio-
 
六
到了八月份，男孩们小心翼翼地将被细丝缚在树枝上的蚕茧取下。女孩子也都分别将自己的草帽辫整理好包装起来。他们再一次去了佛罗伦萨。在整个愉快的四英里路程中，经过了一个夏季因而更显成熟的安妮娜一个字都没有说，只是默默听着马里奥和菲奥蕾塔兴高采烈地讲述着那不勒斯之行。他们俩都很想去那里。难道她自己不也和他们一样渴望去那不勒斯吗？是的，但是……
看到乔托钟楼的时候，他们坐下来休息了一会，各人的包袱就放在自己身边的地上。安妮娜终于下定决心要采取行动了。她将自己和菲奥蕾塔的包袱交换了一下，
 
 
retta’s, and Fioretta, so gay and lively, never knew it. So it happened that when grumpy old Nello examined the two bundles of braid, he gave Fioretta the larger sum of money, saying that her braid was better than her sister’s. And, since Mario had fewer cocoons to show for his summer’s work than he had hoped to have, why, there you were! It was Fioretta who was to go!
By this time, of course, Grandmother knew what the children were doing for her, and her little brown face was once more a happy one. When she heard that old Nello had thought Fioretta’s braid better than Annina’s, she was surprised. She had watched those pieces of braid growing. She knew which was the better piece. She spoke to Margaretta about it, but neither of them mentioned it to the girls.
 
而兴奋不已的菲奥蕾塔根本没有注意到她的动作。所以，后来坏脾气的老尼洛检查过她们各自的草帽辫之后，给了菲奥蕾塔更多的钱，说她的草帽辫要比她姐姐的好得多。因为马里奥的蚕茧出现了预料之外的减产，所以，结果出来了！可以去那不勒斯的那个人是菲奥蕾塔！
当然，到了这个时候，祖母已经知道了孩子们为她做的一切。她那张小小的棕色面孔又开始露出了笑容。当她听说老尼洛居然认为菲奥蕾塔的草帽辫比安妮娜的好时，她大吃一惊。那些草帽辫都是她亲眼看着编出来的。她知道哪些更好。她跟玛格丽塔谈论了这件事，当然，她们都没有向两个女孩提起。
 
 
The day came at last when Ugo brought the oxen and cart to the door to take Grandmother and Fioretta to the station at Florence. Annina looked a little pale, but she cheerfully helped Grandmother and Fioretta into the cart and handed Fioretta the bundle, wrapped in an old shawl, which held her rather skimpy wardrobe. Then, with a laugh, Fioretta jumped out !
“Me,” she cried, “I’m not going at all! Do not think it. I have packed Annina’s clothes into the bundle. It is Annina that is going. Me, why should I leave the Giotto’s Tower? Naples would look shabby to me. Annina may go and see that Vesuvius and that......”
For just a moment Annina could not speak. Then she said, “But our Mario, he is the oldest; he could take the best care of Grandmother. Me, I shall not go. I shall kneel in the Cathe-
 
那一天终于来了。乌戈套上牛，将车子赶到门口，准备送祖母和菲奥蕾塔到佛罗伦萨的火车站。安妮娜脸色有些苍白，但她还是高高兴兴地扶着祖母和菲奥蕾塔上了车，将菲奥蕾塔的包袱递给她。那实际上是条旧围巾，里面包着她为数不多的几件衣服。突然间，菲奥蕾塔一边大笑，一边跳下了车。
“我，”她叫道，“我才不要去呢！想也不要想。包袱里面我装的是安妮娜的衣服。要去的人是安妮娜。我，为什么要离开乔托钟楼？那不勒斯我就没看在眼里。安妮娜可以去，去看看维苏威火山什么的……”
安妮娜一时间什么也说不出来。过了一会儿，她说道：“但是我们的马里奥，他是老大，他能最好地照顾祖母。我，我也不去。到了星期天，我可以跪在大教堂里，
 
 
dral on Sunday and pray for a safe journey for Grandmother and Mario.”
Then there followed those shouts and gestures that always accompany an argument in Italy, in which all are talking at the same time. And in the end it was Mario, shy and gloriously happy, who went with Grandmother to Naples.
 
为祖母和马里奥祈祷，希望他们一路平安。”
然后就是一阵在意大利常见的伴随着争论而来的喊叫与手势——所有的人都同时说话。最后，终于决定，让有点不好意思却又难掩兴奋的马里奥护送祖母去那不勒斯。
 
NOTES AND QUESTIONS
1. Tell in one sentence just what this story is about. You might begin this way: “This is a story about four Italian children who...”
2. The parts of this story have numbers but not titles. Write the numbers I to VI on your paper, and after each number write a title for that part. Your first title might be: I. The Bernados and Their Home.
3. Make up a title for each of the three pictures in the story.
4. Make a list of all the people in the story, and in a word or two tell who each one was, like this: I. Ugo Bernado, the father.
5. What name belongs where each letter is?
….(a)…. was thoughtful and unselfish.
….(b)…. was a happy but careless worker.
 
问题与注释
1．用一句话来概括这篇故事的内容。你可以这样开始：“This is a story about four Italian children who...”
2．本文的各个部分都标出了序号，但是没有标题。请在纸上从一写到六，然后为每一部分拟一个标题。第一部分可以是：The Bernados and Their Home.
3．为故事里的三张图片各拟一个题目。
4．把出现在故事里的人列一张名单，并用一两个字说明他的身份，比如：乌戈.伯纳多，父亲。
5．在空白处填上出现在故事中的人的名字。
(a) was thoughtful and unselfish.
(b) was a happy but careless worker.
 
 
….(c)…. was faithful in doing his share even though he could not go.
6. If you went to Florence, what three things might you see that are told about in this story?
7. On a map of Italy find Florence, Naples, Sicily, Mount Vesuvius, Mount Aetna. Be ready to show them on the wall map.
 
(c) was faithful in doing his share even though he could not go.
6．如果你去佛罗伦萨，你会看到故事中提到的哪三样东西？
7．在意大利地图上找到佛罗伦萨、那不勒斯、西西里、维苏威火山、埃特纳火山。看看能不能在挂图上标出它们。
 
 
EATEBAN, PAGE TO A CARNIVAL QUEEN
CAROLINE MABRY
American boys and girls are not the only ones who have holidays to celebrate. But the boys and girls of other nations have many different holidays from ours, and they celebrate them in different ways. This story tells how Three Kings’ Day and Ash Wednesday are celebrated on the island of Porto Rico.
 
Esteban was proud of his school garden. In the Porto Rican school of San Juan each child had been awarded a garden plot, and Esteban had tended his with such care that it was trimmer and finer than any of the others. He wanted it to be like the gardens in the United States, for to her Porto Rican children the United States
 
埃斯特班——狂欢王后的花童
卡洛琳·马布里
并不是只有美国的孩子们才过节。其他国家的孩子们也都有各种不同于我们的节日，他们以各种不同的方式庆祝这些节日。这篇故事讲述了在波多黎各岛上人们是如何庆祝三王节和圣灰星期三的。
 
学校的花园是埃斯特班的骄傲。在圣胡安的学校里，花园被分成小块包给学生。埃斯特班对自己的那块地悉心照料，所以他种出来的植物比其他人的更好、更整齐。他希望自己的那块地能像美国花园那样，因为对于波多黎各的孩子来说，美国就如
 
 
is a wonderland. Today Esteban was especially happy because a friend of his teacher’s from the United States had come to visit the school.
She sat smiling at the scholars in history class, and when Esteban was called upon to tell how Columbus had landed on this island, the boy’s heart beat with pride. He told the story in glowing words, while he looked at the visitor out of the corner of his eye to see whether she was watching him. It was here in Porto Rico that Columbus had found his new world. It was here that he had set the Spanish flag. Esteban was almost sorry for the visitor to think that his little island had been so honored, and that Columbus had never seen New York. where the visitor lived.
 
同仙境一般。今天埃斯特班特别高兴，因为老师的一个来自美国的朋友到他们学校访问来了。
历史课上，她坐在那里对小学者们露出微笑。当老师要求埃斯特班讲述一下哥伦布如何来到这座岛屿上时，强烈的自豪感使得这个男孩儿的心怦怦直跳。他用热情洋溢的语言讲述了这个故事，并且一边讲，一边用眼角的余光看来访者是否在看自己。哥伦布发现新大陆时最先发现的是波多黎各。他是在这儿升起了西班牙国旗。埃斯特班几乎要替来访者难为情了，因为他们这个小小的岛屿居然承载了这么高的荣誉。来访者来自纽约——哥伦布可从来没有见过纽约是什么样子。
 
 
When she came out later to look at the school gardens, Esteban tried to think of some way to make her forget that the great Columbus had not set foot on her native soil. She stood praising the gardens. Now the prize object in Esteban’s garden was a large red tomato that had grown bigger than any of the others. It was fine and smooth, and it hung from its vine as round and red as the morning sun. When the visitor spoke of it, Esteban was so proud that he plucked it for her and pressed it into her hands.
“Like the United States?” he asked, looking up shyly.
“It’s the finest tomato I ever saw,” she said. “It will make three salads.”
Esteban stood beaming even after she had gone. And then his joy was suddenly turned to dismay. He had been so busy caring for his garden that he had not heard the other boys plan-
 
后来她到户外去参观学校的花园，埃斯特班极力想找到一个办法让她忘记伟大的哥伦布从来没有到过她的家乡。她站在那儿，夸赞着他们的花园。这个时候，埃斯特班的责任区里长得最好的是一个又大又红的西红柿。它个头比其他西红柿都要大，水嫩光滑，挂在枝头像朝阳一样又红又圆。当来访者提到它的时候，埃斯特班非常自豪，将西红柿摘下来，塞到她手里。
“像美国的西红柿吗？”他害羞地抬头看着她。
“是我见过的最好的西红柿，”她说道，“起码能做三份沙拉。”
她离开之后，埃斯特班仍然兴奋不已。但是他的高兴突然转为沮丧。三王节前夜，孩子们要一起唱颂歌，但是他光顾着照看自己的花园了，没有参与他们对角色的分
 
 
ning the part each would take when they sang carols the night before Three Kings’ Day. The Porto Rican children do not have gifts on Christmas, but their gifts come on Three Kings’ Day, which is January the sixth. The kings are said to ride on camels, and every child gathers grass for the camels and puts a little box of it under his bed so that they will find it when they bring the kings with their gifts.
On the night before the kings come, bands of children throng the streets, singing carols. They stop before many houses, and the night rings with their music. The part each child wants is that of a king. There are two white kings and one black one, and now it was that Esteban learned how the other boys had been chosen for the part of the white kings, and the part left for him was that of the black king. He would have to blacken his face and his hands with burnt cork.
 
配。波多黎各的孩子们在圣诞节是没有礼物的，但是到了一月六号的三王节，他们可以得到礼物。据说三位国王的坐骑是骆驼，于是每个小孩都把为骆驼准备的青草装进一个小盒子里，然后再把盒子放到床底下，这样国王骑着骆驼来送礼物的时候他们就会发现。
在国王们降临的前一夜，小孩子们组成乐队涌到大街上开始唱颂歌。他们在各家房前驻足，他们的歌声在夜色中回荡。每个孩子都想扮演国王。三王中两个是白国王，一个是黑国王。直到这时埃斯特班才得知大家已经选了其他孩子来扮演白国王，给他留下的角色是黑国王。他必须用烧过的软木把手、脸抹黑。
 
 
When the night came, Esteban made himself black, and wrapped around him the Spanish cloak that had been his grandfather’s. It swept the ground, but Esteban small as he was, wore it gracefully, for many of his forebears had worn such cloaks not only for warmth, but for adornment. The little band of singers went first to the governor’s palace. It was a beautiful palace of
 
等到夜幕降临，埃斯特班把自己抹黑之后，便披上了他爷爷的西班牙斗篷。斗篷拖到地面上。埃斯特班虽然个头小，却把斗篷穿得很优雅，因为他的祖上穿斗篷不仅仅是为了保暖，更是为了好看。他们这些小歌手组成的乐队先去了总督府。这个漂
 
 
more than thirty rooms, and for many years it had been the pride of Porto Rico. And yet the children sang for its household one of the simple, kindly songs which they also sang at humble doorways:
The house we stand before,
Has kindly doors of wood
And those who live within
Are generous arid good.
As they sang, the palace door opened, and the children were invited to come into the courtyard, where they were given sweet cakes, as was the custom in Porto Rico. They had their cakes and trooped out happily to sing before the next house. This house had an iron balcony facing the street, and there stepped out on the balcony the loveliest girl Esteban had ever seen. Her black hair shone above big dark eyes, which smiled
 
亮的府邸有三十多个房间，很多年来一直是波多黎各的骄傲。然后孩子们开始为住在里面的人唱一首简单、亲切的歌——他们在穷人家门口唱的也是同一首歌：
我们站在房子旁，
木门闪闪亮。
住在房子里的人，
慷慨又善良。
他们唱过之后，府邸大门打开，主人家邀请孩子们到院子里去，并且按照波多黎各的风俗，为他们提供甜蛋糕。他们拿到蛋糕之后，又高高兴兴地跑到另一座房子前面去唱歌。这座房子有一个临街的铁艺阳台，阳台上出现了一个埃斯特班平生见过的最可爱的姑娘。她有着乌黑油亮的头发和一双黑色的大眼睛，正微笑着向孩子们
 
 
on the children in welcome. Esteban had heard it whispered that she was to be chosen queen of the next carnival which would take place the day before Ash Wednesday, as it did every year. He hoped she would be the queen, for he was sure no carnival ever had a queen more beautiful. When she invited the children into the house for more cakes, Esteban’s heart beat proudly. As she put the cakes into his hands, she stopped to talk with him, and he was very happy.
“I could hear your voice above the others,” she whispered. “It is clear and sweet.”
The singers trooped on to other houses. The Three Kings came with their gifts. Esteban was not forgotten. The day to which all the children had looked forward passed, as happy days will.
 
表示欢迎。每年的圣灰星期三前一天都要举行一次狂欢节，埃斯特班听到有人小声说这个姑娘参加了今年的狂欢王后选拔。他希望她能够当选，因为他确定之前任何一年的狂欢王后都不会比她更漂亮。当她邀请孩子们到家里多吃点蛋糕时，埃斯特班激动得心跳加速。当她把蛋糕递到他手里时，特意停下脚步跟他说话，这让他非常开心。
“我能透过别人的声音听到你的歌声，”她小声对他说道，“清脆甜美。”
这些小歌手们继续前往别人家。三个国王终于带着礼物降临了。当然，埃斯特班并没有被忘记，也得到了自己的礼物。孩子们盼望已久的这一天，和大多数快乐时光一样，就这样过去了。
 
 
February came, and now they were enjoying the merry whirl of the carnival. Gay crowds thronged the streets, hurling confetti and paper ribbons. There were mischievous boys spraying a powder into the air that made everyone sneeze. It was all part of the fun.
Esteban was very busy, for he needed to earn some money. He had hired himself as a messenger boy to a jeweler in San Juan. And there were so many balls at carnival time that Esteban was very busy delivering bright trinkets to the grand houses. But he performed his duty faithfully, and because he had proved himself trustworthy, he was given the queen’s crown to deliver. As he took the box, he noticed the name on the cover. It was her name—that of the beautiful girl he had hoped would be queen. And so proud was he of his errand that he stopped to wash his face and smooth his hair. He couldn’t carry the crown, looking like a ragamuffin.
 
进入二月，人们开始享受狂欢节带来的快乐旋风。大街上挤满了欢乐的人群。人们到处抛撒五彩纸屑和纸带。还有一些小淘气会把面粉撒入空中，让周围的人打喷嚏。这也是乐趣的一部分。
埃斯特班非常忙，因为他需要挣钱。他受雇于圣胡安一个珠宝商，做他的送货员。因为在狂欢节期间会有很多舞会，所以埃斯特班一直忙于向那些大宅子里面送一些闪闪发光的假首饰。但是，他工作起来一直尽职尽责。因为他证实了自己的可靠，所以为狂欢王后送王冠的活儿就交给了他。他接过盒子之后，注意到了上面的名字。就是她——那个他希望能够成为狂欢王后的漂亮姑娘。他为能执行这次任务而感到骄傲，因此临行前特意洗了脸，梳了头。自己的仪表也要配得上手中的王冠才行。
 
 
As he hurried through the streets with his precious package, there were many sights to take his mind from it. A parade was passing. There were strange figures with big plaster heads and gay costumes. They danced through the streets. But Esteban held his treasure fast and did not stop to see all of them. He must take the queen her crown.
As he passed the capitol with its high white pillars of marble, which had been brought all the way from Georgia, he saw a group of boys playing about the long seat built in the sea wall that faces the capitol. Marble lions guarded the seat, and almond trees shaded it. The boys called to Esteban, and he was tempted to join them. He paused; then holding the package close, he shook his head and went on. The queen must have her crown.
 
当他手中捧着宝贵的包裹穿过街道时，街上有很多能够吸引他注意力的事情。一支游行队伍正从旁边经过。队伍里面有很多奇怪的人，他们戴着大大的石膏头套，穿着颜色艳丽的服装，一路跳着舞走过。但是埃斯特班紧紧地抱着自己的宝贝，都没有停下来看他们一眼。他必须得先把王冠送到王后手中。
经过国会大厦时——前面那些高大的白色大理石柱子都是从佐治亚州运过来的——他看到一群男孩正在大厦对面的防波堤上围着那些长凳玩耍。凳子周围有大理石狮子在守护，头顶还有杏树遮阴。那些孩子开始叫埃斯特班，而且他也很想跟他们一起玩。他甚至停住了脚步。之后，他紧紧抱着包裹，摇了摇头，继续往前走。王后还在等着自己的王冠。
 
 
A servant opened her door for him, and he asked to see the queen, for the crown must be delivered into her own hands. When she came, Esteban was sorry to see a troubled look on her face. He had expected to find it happy and shining. Perhaps the crown would bring the glad light into her eyes. He wanted to wait and see.
“My master would know if the crown pleases,” Esteban said, for his master had put his finest work on it.
The queen untied the box and lifted out the sparkling crown. For a moment her eyes shone like the jewels, and then the same troubled look came again into her face. Esteban could not leave until he knew what caused this look in the queen’s eyes.
“You like it?” he asked, pointing to the crown.
“Yes—yes,” she answered quickly. “It is the most beautiful crown I’ve ever seen.”
 
一名仆人给他开了门。他要求亲自见到狂欢王后，因为王冠必须交给她本人。她来了以后，埃斯特班却很不安地发现她脸上流露出一丝担忧的表情。他本以为她会开开心心，神采奕奕。或许王冠会让快乐的光芒重新回到她的眼睛里。他想等着看到这一幕。
“我老板想知道王冠是否合您心意。”埃斯特班说道，因为他老板在王冠上展示了自己的最佳才华。
王后打开盒子，捧出闪闪发光的王冠。她的眼睛立刻像珠宝一样亮了起来，但是快乐的神情转瞬即逝，之前那种担忧的表情又重新回到了她脸上。他必须在搞清楚究竟是什么造成王后眼中这种表情之后才能离开。
“你喜欢它吗？”他指着王冠问道。
“是的——喜欢，”她急匆匆回答，“这是我见过的最漂亮的王冠。”
 
 
“Then—why doesn’t it make you glad?” Esteban burst forth.
“It does,” she said, “but I haven’t any page to carry my train when I walk up to the throne. The train is three yards long and very heavy, for it has golden palm, leaves embroidered on it. My nephew was to carry it, and today he’s all broken out with measles. He looks like a little boiled lobster. Can you imagine? Measles! At carnival time, too.”
Esteban’s heart was beating fast. He had played he was a king. He could carry her train with princely grace. He knew it. And his longing was so great that his heart grew bolder. “Let me be your page,” he cried.
She looked into his eager eyes. He was so glad he had washed his face. It was shining as he stood before her, his heart trembling with hope.
 
“那么——它为什么没能让你高兴起来呢？”埃斯特班终于问了这个问题。
“它的确使我高兴了，”她说，“但是当我走向王座的时候，没有花童为我托裙拖。裙拖有三码长，而且很重，因为上面用金线绣满了棕榈叶。原本是要我侄子来做这件事情的，但是今天他居然出麻疹了，整个人看起来就像是个煮熟了的小龙虾。你能想象吗？麻疹！而且还是在狂欢节期间。”
埃斯特班的心急速跳了起来。他以前扮演过国王。他可以像个王子一样优雅地托着她的裙拖。他知道该怎么做。因为他极其渴望做这件事，所以胆子也大了起来。 “让我做你的花童吧！”他叫道。
她望着他充满了渴望的眼睛。他真庆幸自己来之前洗了脸，所以现在才能脸上泛着光站在她面前，一颗心也因为满怀希望开始颤抖起来。
 
 
She hesitated. “You are just his size,” she murmured, and then she beckoned Esteban to follow her. “Come, and we’ll see if the page’s costume fits you.”
She led him into a room hung with silken curtains. She showed him the satin suit that had been intended for her nephew. It had short white trousers and a blue velvet coat with crystal buttons. Its blue hat had a long feather trailing from it.
“Try it,” she said, leaving the room.
Esteban slipped into the gleaming satin trousers. He put on the blue velvet coat, and when he stood before the mirror, he looked so grand that he had to sing to make sure that it was himself he saw. His burst of song recalled the queen.
“You’re the boy who played the black king, aren’t you? I remember your voice.”
 
她迟疑不决。“你们俩身高倒是差不多。”她喃喃自语，然后示意埃斯特班跟她走，“来，我们去看看花童的衣服你穿上是否合适。”
她带着他走进一间悬挂着丝绸窗帘的房间，把打算给她侄子穿的丝绸套装拿给他看。套装包括：一条白色短裤、一件钉着水晶纽扣的蓝色天鹅绒外套。蓝色的帽子上面还有一根长长的羽毛摇曳生姿。
“试一试。”说完后她离开了房间。
埃斯特班穿上那条闪闪发光的绸缎裤子，然后又穿上那件蓝色天鹅绒外套。当他站到镜子跟前时，看到镜中人竟然如此华丽高贵。他必须得通过唱歌来证明镜中的那个人就是自己。他的歌声唤起了狂欢王后的回忆。
“你就是那个扮演黑国王的小孩，是不是？我记得你的声音。”
 
 
“Yes,” he gasped, “but I didn’t think you’d know me.”
“But I do know you,” she said. “And the costume fits you beautifully. You wear it like a real prince—and indeed I don’t imagine any other carnival queen has had a king to carry her train for her.”
“I will be your Majesty’s slave,” said Esteban, bowing before her.
 
“是的，”他吸了口气，“但是我没想到你会认出我。”
“但是我确实认出你了。”她说，“而且这套服装你穿上非常漂亮。穿着它你就像是个真正的王子——而且，我认为，没有哪个狂欢王后能让一个国王为她们托裙拖。”
“我将成为陛下的仆人。”埃斯特班向她鞠了一躬，说道。
 
 
That night was the happiest of Esteban’s life. In the gay ballroom, the beauty of San Juan had gathered. The queen had twenty ladies-in-waiting, and as her court gathered about her, it had no more loyal subject than her page, Esteban. The aisle up which she was to walk toward the throne was lined with eager faces. The band played to announce her coming. She started up the aisle, and stepping proudly behind her, Esteban walked in glory.
 
那天晚上是埃斯特班最快乐的时光。在欢快的舞厅里，圣胡安的漂亮姑娘齐聚一堂。王后有二十名侍女。当王宫成员聚集在她身边时，没有哪个臣民能比她的小花童埃斯特班更为忠心。通往王座的长廊两边全是热切的面孔。乐队奏乐宣布王后驾到。她沿着长廊向前走去，骄傲地跟在她身后的，是行走在荣耀中的埃斯特班。
 
 
NOTES AND QUESTIONS
1. What word or words belong where the letters are?
In Porto Rico the people give presents on ....(a).... This comes in the month of ....(b).... The ....(c).... take the place of our Santa Claus, and ....(d).... take the place of Santa’s reindeers. Instead of hanging up stockings, the children put a box of ....(e).... for the ....(f).... On the night before, the children go through the streets ....(g).... A great carnival is held to celebrate ....(h)....
2. From this story, what do you learn about the difference in weather between Porto Rico and the United States?
3. What is the capital city of Porto Rico?
4. Which two of the following reasons were most important in helping Esteban to be page?
 
问题与注释
1．将合适的词语填写在空白处：
In Porto Rico the people give presents on (a) This comes in the month of ( b) The ( c) take the place of our Santa Claus, and (d) take the place of Santa's reindeers. Instead of hanging up stockings, the children put a box of ( e) for the ( f) On the night before, the children go through the streets (g) A great carnival is held to celebrate (h)
2．从这篇故事里，你能不能看出在天气方面，波多黎各和美国有哪些不同？
3．波多黎各的首都是哪座城市？
4．下列原因中哪两个是帮助埃斯特班成为花童的重要因素？
 
 
(a) The American lady’s visit.
(b) Being messenger for the jeweler.
(c) Being the black king.
(d) Being a good singer.
(e) The nephew’s illness.
5. Which reason tells why Esteban wanted to be page?
(a) To have a pretty costume.
(b) To have a part in the grand celebration.
(c) To serve the beautiful queen.
 
(a) The American lady's visit.
(b) Being messenger for the jeweler.
(c) Being the black king.
(d) Being a good singer.
(e) The nephew's illness.
5．下列哪一个是埃斯特班想成为一名花童的原因？
(a) To have a pretty costume.
(b) To have a part in the grand celebration.
(c) To serve the beautiful queen.
 

引入本套教材的初衷，是让国内的英语学习者，尤其是初学者，从一开始就接触正宗的美式英语，透过美国原版教材，近距离接触美国原味文化。
这是一套完整系统的原版美国小学教材读本，全套教材提供了一系列生动有趣的故事，故事的情节和长度，以及句子的长短表述方式，随着阅读者年龄的增长呈现出一定的梯度。孩子们循序渐进地阅读学习下去，会在不知不觉中大大提高英语水平，同时通过故事增长很多知识，获得许多乐趣，并在潜移默化中滋养了情感。
这是一套美国成功教材的典范，曾经在上世纪被长时间广泛使用，影响了几代美国人。作为语言教材，它具有非常严谨的规范性、科学性和系统性，而里面的故事又非常活泼有趣，因此它非常适合孩子们阅读和学习，也很受他们们欢迎。

随着年龄的增长，孩子们的心智越来越成熟，他们越来越多地将眼光投向大自然和现实世界。本级读本继续提供不同类型、不同领域的故事，所选故事多为一流作家的作品。孩子们在精彩故事的吸引下，尽情享受着阅读的快乐。大量的阅读使学习语言、吸取知识、培养情感等成为潜移默化的过程。
本级全部故事被分成了8 个主题单元， A 册和B 册各包含4 个单元。

埃尔松，美国教育界权威性人物，教育理论家,教育实践家,小学语文教材的主要编写者。
格莱，美国教育理论与实践研究工作者，有丰富的教材编写和出版经验。

目 录
 
PART FIVE
BOYS AND GIRLS OF OTHER LANDS
第五部分 其他国家的男孩女孩们.................................................... 1
 
To Every Child of Every Land
致每一片土地上的每一个小朋友.................................................................. 2
Book Can Take Us Traveling
书籍可以带我们去旅行............................................................................... 3
 
GRANDMOTHER’S TRIP TO NAPLES
祖母的那不勒斯之旅.................................................................................. 5
EATEBAN, PAGE TO A CARNIVAL QUEEN
埃斯特班——狂欢王后的花童..................................................................... 30
ABDUL AZIZ, A BOY OF THE DESERT
沙漠男孩——阿卜杜勒. 阿齐兹.................................................................. 46
JOHN GOES DOWN TO TOY VALLEY
约翰去了玩具谷........................................................................................ 65
 
A Backward Look
内容回顾.................................................................................................. 88
 
 
PART SIX WORKERS AND THEIR WORK
第六部分 工人和他们的工作..............................................................91
 
The Clock Calls to Work
时钟叫你去工作........................................................................................ 92
Machines Are Our Servants
机器是我们的仆人..................................................................................... 93
 
CYRUS HALL McCORMICK INVENTS THE
REAPING MACHINE
赛勒斯. 霍尔. 麦考密克发明了收割机......................................................... 95
THE STORY OF BREAD
面包的故事............................................................................................ 110
DONALD’S VISIT TO THE WOOLEN MILLS
唐纳德的毛纺厂之行................................................................................ 123
HOW CANDY MINTS ARE MADE
如何生产薄荷糖...................................................................................... 142
 
A Backward Look
内容回顾................................................................................................ 149
 
 
PART SEVEN FAMOUS HEROES OF LONG AGO
第七部分 昔日英雄........................................................................ 151
 
Arabian Nights
天方夜谭................................................................................................ 152
Some Stories Never Grow Old
永不过时的故事...................................................................................... 153
 
ALADDIN, OR THE WONGERFUL LAMP
阿拉丁与神灯.......................................................................................... 156
ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES
阿里巴巴与四十大盗................................................................................ 195
ROBINSON CRUSOE
鲁滨孙漂流记......................................................................................... 241
 
A Backward Look
内容回顾................................................................................................ 298
 
 
PART EIGHT HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS
第八部分 假期与节日......................................................................301
 
Every Day’s A Little Year
每一天都是一小年................................................................................... 302
What Is A Holiday
什么是节日............................................................................................. 303
 
DICK’S THANKSGIVING SNOWSHOES
迪克的感恩节雪鞋................................................................................... 305
CHRISTMAS BELLS
圣诞钟声................................................................................................ 326
PAT SANTA’S THRILLING RIDE
圣诞老人派特的惊险之旅.......................................................................... 328
SOMEBODY’S MOTHER
某人的母亲............................................................................................. 348
THE LITTLE FLAGS
小小的旗帜............................................................................................. 351
A MILE AT A TIME
一次一英里............................................................................................. 353
A MAY DAY PRINCESS
五月节公主............................................................................................. 363
 
A Backward Look
内容回顾................................................................................................ 376
 
GLOSSARY
难词表................................................................................................... 378