讀點好英文:Lady, Are You Rich?太太，您富有嗎？

Lady, Are You Rich?太太，您富有嗎？

They huddled inside the storm door-two children in ragged outgrown coats.

“Any old papers, lady?”

I was busy. I wanted to say no-until I looked down at their feet.Thin little sandals, sopped with sleet.

“Come in and I'll make you a cup of hot cocoa.”

There was no conversation. Their soggy sandals left marks upon the hearthstone.I served them cocoa and toast with jam to fortify against the chill outside.Then I went back to the kitchen and started again on my household budget.

The silence in the front room struck through to me. I looked in.The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it.The boy asked in a flat voice，“Lady……are you rich?”

“Am I rich?no！”I looked at my shabby slipcovers. The girl put her cup back in its saucer-carefully.

“Your cups match your saucers.”

Her voice was old, with a hunger that was not of the stomach. They left then, holding their bundles of papers against the wind.They hadn't said thank you.

They didn't need to. They had done more than that.Plain blue pottery cups and saucers.But they matched.

I tested the potatoes and stirred the gravy. Potatoes and brown gravy, a roof over our heads, my man with a good steady job-these things matched, too.

I moved the chairs back from the fire and tidied the living room. The muddy prints of small sandals were still wet upon my hearth.I let them be.I want them there in case I ever forget again how very rich I am.

他們蜷縮著相互偎依在擋風(fēng)門洞里——兩個衣衫襤褸的孩子，他們的衣服小得不能再小了。

“太太，請問您有舊報紙嗎？”

當(dāng)時我正忙著，本來想對他們說沒有，直到我看到他們腳上只穿著一雙被冰雪浸濕得再單薄不過的鞋。

“進屋來吧，我來給你們煮一杯熱可可?！?/p>

他們默默地跟我進了屋，爐邊他們浸濕的便鞋留下了一串腳印。我給他們端上可可和果醬面包，我想這能幫助他們抵御外面的風(fēng)寒。然后我回到廚房，繼續(xù)為生活而精打細(xì)算。

前屋里沒有一點兒聲音，這讓我感到很奇怪。我向屋里望去，小女孩手里正端著那個已經(jīng)喝完了的杯子，認(rèn)真地凝視著?！疤?，您富有嗎？”男孩子語氣平緩地問道。

“我富有嗎？不！”我看了看那寒酸的沙發(fā)套。這時，那個小女孩非常小心地把杯子放回到茶碟里。

“您的杯子和茶碟非常相配?！?/p>

她說話的聲音聽起來不像是個孩子，帶著一種對食物以外的東西的渴望。然后，他們抱著舊報紙，頂著風(fēng)雪離開了。他們甚至沒有說一聲“謝謝”。

他們沒有必要說，實際上他們所做的比道謝更重要。非常平常的一對藍(lán)色陶瓷杯碟，但它們確實很相配。

我看了一下鍋里煮著的土豆，然后又?jǐn)嚢枇藥紫氯庵Ｓ型炼购妥厣鉁梢猿?，有房子可以住，我的丈夫有一份很好很穩(wěn)定的工作——這一切的一切同樣也很匹配。

我把椅子從爐邊向后拉開些，然后把起居室整理干凈?；馉t旁留下的小泥腳印還沒干。我想讓它們留在那里，提醒我不要忘了我是多么的富有。

Practising&Exercise 實戰(zhàn)提升篇

單詞注解

wise[waiz]a.明智的，英明的

naughty['n?：ti]a.頑皮的，不聽話的

shabby['??bi]a.衣著破舊的

match[m?t?]v.相配，相稱

gravy['greivi]n.肉醬，肉汁

實用句型

All the children used to come back and ask her questions.

孩子們經(jīng)常來問她問題。

I moved the chairs back from the fire and tidied the living room.

我把椅子從爐邊向后拉開些，然后把起居室整理干凈。

智慧點津

Let others to choose sometimes is a sensible option.

把選擇的權(quán)利交給他人，其實是一種更明智的抉擇。

A person who is rich lies on he has a content heart, not on his money. Seeing from different aspects, happiness and welfare differ from each other.

一個人富有不在于他擁有得多，而在于他計較得少。在不同人的眼中，幸福和富有的概念截然不同。