小故事

A Boy with a Mission
男孩的使命
In 1945, a 12-year-old boy saw something in a shop window that set his heart racing. But the price—five dollars—was far beyond Reuben Earle's means. Five dollars would buy almost a week's groceries for his family.
1945年，一个12岁的男孩在一家商店橱窗里看到一样令他心动的东西，但是——5美元——远不是鲁本·厄尔能付得起的。5美元几乎够买全家一周的食品呢。
Reuben couldn't ask his father for the money. Everything Mark Earle made through fishing in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland, Canada. Reuben's mother, Dora, stretched like elastic to feed and clothe their five children.
鲁本不能向父亲要钱。马克·厄尔的每一分钱都是靠在加拿大纽芬兰的罗伯茨湾捕鱼挣来的。鲁本的母亲多拉，为了不让五个孩子冻着饿着，差不多是一个钱当两个钱用。
Nevertheless, he opened the shop's weathered door and went inside. Standing proud and straight in his flour-sack shirt and washed-out trousers, he told the shopkeeper what he wanted, adding, "But I don't have the money right now. Can you please hold it for me for some time?"
尽管如此，鲁本还是推开商店那扇久经风雨的门走了进去。他穿着面粉袋改做的衬衫和洗得褪了色的裤子，站得笔直，丝毫不觉困窘。他告诉了店主他想要的东西，又加上一句：“可我现在还没有钱买它，您能为我预留一段时间吗？”
"I'll try," the shopkeeper smiled. " Folks around here don't usually have that kind of money to spend on things. It should keep for a while."
“我尽量吧，”店主微笑着说，“这儿的人买起东西来，一般不会花那么大一笔钱的，一时半会儿卖不出去 。”

Reuben respectfully touched his worn cap and walked out into the sunlight with the bay rippling in a freshening wind. There was purpose in his loping stride. He would raise the five dollars and not tell anybody.
鲁本很有礼貌地碰了碰他的旧帽沿儿，走出店外。阳光下清新的微风吹得罗伯茨湾的海水泛起阵阵涟漪。鲁本迈着大步，下定决心：他要凑齐那5美元，而且不告诉任何人。
Hearing the sound of hammering from a side street, Reuben had an idea.
听到街边传来的铁锤声，鲁本有了主意。
He ran towards the sound and stopped at a construction site. People built their own homes in Bay Roberts, using nails purchased in Hessian sacks from a local factory. Sometimes the sacks were discarded in the flurry of building, and Reuben knew he could sell them back to the factory for five cents a piece.
他循声跑过去，来到一处建筑工地。罗伯茨湾的人喜欢自己建房，用的钉子是从本地一家工厂买的，都用麻袋来装。有时干活时忙乱中麻袋就被随手丢弃，而鲁本知道他可以 5分钱一条把麻袋再卖给工厂。

重点讲解

重点讲解：
1. beyond one's means
超出财力；入不敷出；
eg. The more gifts she received, the more she craved, until he was living beyond his means.
得到的礼物越多，她的胃口就越大，直到他捉襟见肘为止。
eg. The price went beyond their means.
这个价格超过了他们的财力。
2. stretch to
刚能够节约下来（或支付）；
eg. She suggested to me that I might like to start regular savings and I said Well, I don't know whether I can stretch to that.
她建议我可以开始定期存钱，我说我还不知道钱是不是够花呢。
eg. I need a new car, but my savings won't stretch to it.
我需要一辆新车，但我的积蓄不够。
3. washed-out
（颜色）暗淡的，没有光泽的；
eg. She was wearing a washed-out old t-shirt and jeans.
她穿了一身洗褪了色的旧T恤衫和牛仔裤。
eg. He stared at me out of those washed-out blue eyes.
他用暗淡无神的蓝眼睛盯着我看。