读点好英文:Mother’s Hands　妈妈的手

Mother’s Hands　妈妈的手

·Louisa Godissart McQuillen·

Night after night, she came to tuck me in, even long after my childhood years. Following her longstanding custom, she'd lean down and push my long hair out of the way, then kiss my forehead.

I don't remember when it first started annoying me-her hands pushing my hair that way. But it did annoy me, for they felt work-worn and rough against my young skin.Finally, one night, I lashed out at her，“Don't do that anymore-your hands are too rough！”She didn't say anything in reply.But never again did my mother close out my day with that familiar expression of her love.Lying awake long afterward, my words haunted me.But pride stifled my conscience, and I didn't tell her I was sorry.

Time after time, with the passing years, my thoughts returned to that night. By then I missed my mother's hands, missed her goodnight kiss upon my forehead.Sometimes the incident seemed very close, sometimes far away.But always it lurked, hauntingly, in the back of my mind.

Well, the years have passed, and I'm not a little girl anymore. Mom is in her mid-seventies, and those hands I once thought to be so rough are still doing things for me and my family.She's been our doctor, reaching into a medicine cabinet for the remedy to calm a young girl's stomach or soothe a boy's scraped knee.She cooks the best fried chicken in the world……gets stains out of blue jeans like I never could……and still insists on dishing out ice cream at any hour of the day or night.

Through the years, my mother's hands have put in countless hours of toil, and most of hers were before automatic washers！

Now, my own children are grown and gone. Mom no longer has Dad, and on special occasions, I find myself drawn next door to spend the night with her.So it was that late on Thanksgiving Eve, as I drifted into sleep in the bedroom of my youth, a familiar hand hesitantly stole across my face to brush the hair from my forehead.Then a kiss, ever so gently, touched my brow.

In my memory, for the thousandth time, I recalled the night my surIy young voice complained，“Don't do that anymore-your hands are too rough！”Catching Mom's hand in my hand, I blurted out how sorry I was for that night. I thought she'd remember, as I did.But Mom didn't know what I was talking about.She had forgotten-and forgiven-long ago.

That night, I fell asleep with a new appreciation for my gentle mother and her caring hands. And the guilt I had carried around for so long was nowhere to be found.

路易莎·岗得萨特·麦克奎林

夜复一夜，她总是帮我盖被子，即使我早已长大成人。这是妈妈的长期习惯，她总是弯下身来，拨开我的长发，在我的额上一吻。

不知从何时起，她拨开我头发的举动令我非常不耐烦。但的确，我讨厌她因长期操劳而变得粗糙的手摩擦我细嫩的皮肤。终于，一天晚上，我冲她吼道：“别再这样了——你的手太粗糙了！”她什么也没说，可她再也没有这样表达过她的爱。那晚我久久未眠，常常想起我的那些话。但自尊占了上风，我没有告诉妈妈我很后悔。

时光流逝，我又想到了那个晚上。我想念妈妈的手，想念她晚上在我额上的一吻。这幕情景有时似乎很近，有时又似乎很遥远。但它总是潜伏着，时常浮现，出现在我的意识中。

一年年过去，我也不再是小女孩，妈妈也有75岁了。那双我认为很粗糙的手依然为我和我的家庭忙碌着。她是我们家的医生，为我女儿在药橱里找胃药或在我儿子擦伤的膝盖上敷药。她能炸出世界上最美味的鸡……将牛仔裤弄干净，而我却永远不能……而且在任何时候都能为我们端出冰激凌来。

这么多年来，妈妈的手做了多少家务！而且在自动洗衣机出现以前，她已经操劳了好长时间。

现在，我的孩子都已经长大，离开了家。爸爸去世了，有时候，我睡在妈妈隔壁的房间。一个感恩节前夕的深夜，我睡在年轻时住过的卧室里，一只熟悉的手有些犹豫地、悄悄地掠过我的脸，拨开我额头上的头发，然后一个吻轻轻地印在我的眉毛上。

记忆中，我无数次想起那晚我粗暴、年轻的声音：“别再这样了——你的手太粗糙了！”我抓住妈妈的手，将对那晚的后悔之情脱口而出。我以为她想起来了，像我一样。但妈妈却不知道我在说些什么，她很久以前就已经忘了这回事，并早已原谅了我。

那晚，我带着对温柔的母亲和她体贴的双手的感激入睡。我多年来的负罪感在此刻已经消失无踪了。

Practising&Exercise　实战提升篇

核心单词

tuck[tʌk]v.把……塞进，把……藏入

custom['kʌstəm]n.习俗，惯例

haunt[hɔ：nt]v.萦绕在……心头；使困扰

remedy['remidi]n.治疗；治疗法；药物

soothe[su：ð]v.安慰；使平静

surIy['sə：li]adj.粗爆的；乖戾的

实用句型

And the guiIt I had carried around for so Iong was nowhere to be found.我多年来的负罪感在此刻已经消失无踪了。

①guilt后省略了that。

②nowhere任何地方都不。类似的词还有no way等。

翻译练习

1.他们猛烈抨击大学的招生制度。（lash out）

2.我仍坚持我的观点。（insist on）

3.如果没有重力，我们就无法平稳地站在地面上。（no longer）