名著阅读

Beth had her troubles as well as the others, and not being an angel but a very human little girl, she often 'wept a little weep' as Jo said, because she couldn't take music lessons and have a fine piano. She loved music so dearly, tried so hard to learn, and practiced away so patiently at the jingling old instrument, that it did seem as if someone (not to hint Aunt March) ought to help her. Nobody did, however, and nobody saw Beth wipe the tears off the yellow keys, that wouldn't keep in tune, when she was all alone. She sang like a little lark about her work, never was too tired for Marmee and the girls, and day after day said hopefully to herself, "I know I'll get my music some time, if I'm good."

贝思像她的姐妹一样也有自己的烦恼，她并非什么天使，也是个食人间烟火的小姑娘。用乔的话来说，她常常"哭鼻子"，因为不能去上音乐课，因为家里没有一架好钢琴。她酷爱音乐，学得异常用功，并极有耐心地用那架丁当作响的钢琴练习弹奏，似乎真该有人（并非暗指马奇婶婶）来帮她一把。然而没有人帮她，也没有人看到她悄悄把落在五音不全的黄色琴键上的眼泪抹掉。她像只小云雀般为自己的工作歌唱，为妈咪和姐妹们伴奏，永不言累，每天都满怀希望地对自己说：“我知道有一天我一定会学好音乐，只要我乖。”

There are many Beths in the world, shy and quiet, sitting in corners till needed, and living for others so cheerfully that no one sees the sacrifices till the little cricket on the hearth stops chirping, and the sweet, sunshiny presence vanishes, leaving silence and shadow behind.

世界上有许许多多个贝思，腼腆平静，默默居于一角，需要时才挺身而出，乐于为别人而牺牲自己。人们只看到她们脸上的笑容，却没有意识到她们所作出的牺牲，直到炉边的小蟋蟀停止了吟唱，和美的阳光消逝而去，空剩下一片寂静和黑暗。

If anybody had asked Amy what the greatest trial of her life was, she would have answered at once, "My nose." When she was a baby, Jo had accidently dropped her into the coal hod, and Amy insisted that the fall had ruined her nose forever. It was not big nor red, like poor 'Petrea's', it was only rather flat, and all the pinching in the world could not give it an aristocratic point. No one minded it but herself, and it was doing its best to grow, but Amy felt deeply the want of a Grecian nose, and drew whole sheets of handsome ones to console herself.

如果有人问艾美生活中最大的痛苦是什么，她会立即回答：“我的鼻子。”当她还是婴孩时，乔一次不小心把她摔落在煤斗里头。艾美认定那次意外永远毁掉了她的鼻子。她的鼻子既不大也不红，只是有点扁。无论怎样捏怎样夹也弄不出个贵族式的鼻尖儿，除了她自己外，并没有人在意，而且鼻子的长势也极好，但艾美总认为自己的鼻梁不够直，便画了一大堆美鼻画儿聊以自慰。

"Little Raphael," as her sisters called her, had a decided talent for drawing, and was never so happy as when copying flowers, designing fairies, or illustrating stories with queer specimens of art. Her teachers complained that instead of doing her sums she covered her slate with animals, the blank pages of her atlas were used to copy maps on, and caricatures of the most ludicrous description came fluttering out of all her books at unlucky moments.

“小拉斐尔"正如她的姐姐们所称，无疑极有绘画天分。她最大的幸福莫过于摹绘鲜花、设计小仙女，或用古怪的艺术形象说明故事。她的老师抱怨说她的写字板不是用来做算术，而是画满了动物，地图册上的空白版面被她摹满了地图，她的书本一不小心便会弄出许多荒唐滑稽的漫画。

She got through her lessons as well as she could, and managed to escape reprimands by being a model of deportment. She was a great favorite with her mates, being good-tempered and possessing the happy art of pleasing without effort. Her little airs and graces were much admired, so were her accomplishments, for besides her drawing, she could play twelve tunes, crochet, and read French without mispronouncing more than two-thirds of the words. She had a plaintive way of saying, "When Papa was rich we did so-and-so," which was very touching, and her long words were considered 'perfectly elegant' by the girls.

她的学习成绩就个人能力而言已属不俗，其行为举止也被大家视为楷模，并因此而逃过数次惩戒。她脾性随和，深谙取悦别人之道，因此在学校深得人心。她姿态略有点做作，但多才多艺，除绘画外，还会弹十二首曲子，善钩织，读法文时读错的字不超过三分之二，令人十分羡慕。她说"爸爸有钱的那个时候我们如何如何"这句话时，悲哀婉转，令人感动，她拖长了的发音也被姑娘们视为"绝顶优雅"。
　
词汇释义

1.jingling adj. 叮当响的，发叮当声的 动词jingle的现在分词形式

Stop jingling your keys like that!
别把钥匙弄得叮当乱响。

2.cricket['krikit] n. 板球，蟋蟀 vi. 打板球

He plays cricket professionally.
他以打板球为职业。

3.chirp n. 喳喳声，唧唧声 v. 吱喳而鸣

I was awakened by the chirps of the birds this morning.
今天早晨我被鸟叫声唤醒。

4.vanish vi. 消失，不见了，绝迹 vt. 消失

Many types of animals have now vanished from the earth.
很多种类的动物现在已经从地球上绝迹了。

5.trial adj. 尝试性的; 审讯的 n. 尝试，努力，试验，试用，讯问，审讯 n. 讨厌的事，人

Her child is a trial to his teachers.
她的孩子让老师很伤脑筋。

6.hod n. 砖斗，煤斗

7.pinch n. 捏，一撮，少量，困苦，偷窃 vt. 掐，使 ... 困苦，偷窃

The new shoes pinched my toes.
这双新鞋紧得夹脚趾。

8.aristocratic[ adj. 贵族的，贵族政治的

His aristocratic manners seemed ridiculous in this poor area.
在这个贫穷的地区，他的贵族气派显得很可笑。

9.console vt. 安慰，慰藉 n. 仪表盘，操控台，(游戏)平台

I tried to console her, but in vain.
我试着去安慰她，但是无效。

10.slate[sleit] n. 板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单 adj. 暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的 vt. 用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订

I've no change, could you put these eggs on the slate?
我没零钱，能把这些蛋钱记在帐上吗？

11.caricature n. 讽刺画，漫画，讽刺描述法，笨拙的模仿 v. 画成漫画，讽刺，使滑稽化

Caricature is the tribute that mediocrity pays to genius.
笨拙的模仿，是凡人对天才呈献的赞词。

12.reprimand['repri.mænd] v. & n. 训诫，谴责 vt. 责难 n. 申诉

The principal reprimand the student for his chronic lateness.
校长斥责那个学生不该接二连三地迟到。

13.deportment n. 风度，举止

Young ladies used to have lessons in deportment.
少女以前要上仪态课。

14.crochet n. 编织器，钩针织物 v. 用钩针编织

I asked her to crochet a shawl for me.
我请求她给我钩一条围巾。

15.plaintive['pleintiv] adj. 哀伤的，可怜的

The song has plaintive melody.
这首歌曲的曲调悲伤。

难句解析
　　
1. Beth had her troubles as well as the others, and not being an angel but a very human little girl, she often 'wept a little weep' as Jo said, because she couldn't take music lessons and have a fine piano.

【难句解析】as well as "和...一样"， as well as用作连词引出比较从句，其义为“和…一样”。因此，“He speaks Spanish as well as English．”应译作：“他说西班牙语像说英语一样好”。语意的重点依旧在前部，不在后半部。

【句子翻译】贝思像她的姐妹一样也有自己的烦恼，她并非什么天使，也是个食人间烟火的小姑娘。用乔的话来说，她常常"哭鼻子"，因为不能去上音乐课，因为家里没有一架好钢琴。

2.No one minded it but herself, and it was doing its best to grow, but Amy felt deeply the want of a Grecian nose, and drew whole sheets of handsome ones to console herself.

【难句解析】no one...but意思是“除了...谁也不...”；

【句子翻译】除了她自己外，并没有人在意，而且鼻子的长势也极好，但艾美总认为自己的鼻梁不够直，便画了一大堆美鼻画儿聊以自慰。