Writing on the Wall
美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习
Trisha pushed piles of blankets and clothing aside.
Trisha把一堆被子和衣服推到一边。
She was searching for her winter coat on the disorganized shelves of her bedroom closet.
她正在她的卧室衣柜里 寻找她的冬衣
As a stack of folded sweaters tumbled off the shelf, Trisha noticed a series of faint markings on the wall.
当一叠叠叠起的毛衣从货架上倒出后,特丽莎注意到了墙上的一系列微弱的标记.
She paused her search and peered into the shadows.
她暂停了她的搜索 并进入了阴影。
She could barely make out the markings, but it seemed as though it could be writing.
她几乎无法辨别出标记, 但似乎可能是写作。
This was definitely more interesting than finding her coat.
这绝对比找到她的外衣更有趣
Trisha grabbed a flashlight so she could look more closely.
Trisha抓住了手电筒 这样她才能更仔细地看
Off to sea in ’43— I won’t miss you, so don’t miss me.
在43年,
—MJ Trisha’s family had moved to the Bronx from Brooklyn, another borough of New York City, earlier that year.
MJ Trisha的家人从布鲁克林搬到布朗克斯,
They had remodeled their entire apartment, but this section of wall had apparently survived.
他们改造了整个公寓,但这块墙显然幸存了下来。
Trisha’s neighborhood was changing quickly.
Trisha的邻居变化很快。
Almost every week, it seemed as though a new family was moving in and renovating another apartment.
几乎每个星期,似乎有一个新的家庭搬进来,翻修了另一所公寓。
Everywhere she looked, she saw shiny new buildings and businesses, but here was a little piece of history.
她所看到的每一个地方, 她都看到了闪亮的新建筑和企业, 但这里是一个小历史。
Who was MJ?
MJ是谁?
Trisha thought of her great- grandmother, who had immigrated to the United States from Ireland as a young girl.
特里沙想起她的曾祖母,她从爱尔兰移民到美国,还是个年轻女孩.
Maybe MJ’s experience was similar.
也许MJ的经历类似。
Trisha read the message again and imagined it was written by a young Irish girl named Margaret Josephine, who had arrived in the United States in 1843.
特丽莎再次阅读了这个信息并想象它是一个名叫玛格丽特·约瑟芬的爱尔兰少女所写的,她于1843年抵达美国.
What would it feel like to cross an ocean to live in a new and unfamiliar country?
跨越海洋生活在陌生的新国家会是什么感觉?
Would it seem like a thrilling adventure or a terrifying unknown?
它看起来像一个令人兴奋的冒险 还是一个可怕的未知?
Trisha imagined that MJ loved living in New York and that the message in the closet was a goodbye poem to her previous life.
特里莎想象出MJ喜欢住在纽约,衣柜里的信息是她前生的一首告别诗.
That weekend, Trisha went to the public library to research the history of her neighborhood.
当周末,特丽莎去公共图书馆研究她所在街区的历史.
Old photos showed horses walking down her street, and a steel mill had been where the new skyscraper stood now.
旧相片显示马走下她的街道, 一个钢铁厂 曾经是现在的新摩天大楼。
There had been Irish immigrants.
有爱尔兰移民。
Later, mostly Latin Americans lived there.
后来,大多数拉美人住在那里.
Trisha imagined another story for MJ.
Trisha为MJ想象出另一个故事.
This time, she pictured MJ as a thirteen-year-old boy named Marcos Juarez, who was originally from Puerto Rico.
这一次,她把MJ描绘成一个名叫马科斯·华雷斯的13岁男孩,他原本来自波多黎各.
A kid from Puerto Rico, Trisha thought, would probably hate the freezing temperatures and dirty snow in New York.
一个来自波多黎各的孩子,特丽莎认为,可能会讨厌纽约的寒冷温度和肮脏的雪.
Maybe he hated the bustling city and wanted nothing more than to return to Puerto Rico— in 1943, when he was old enough to go on his own.
也许他讨厌这个繁忙的城市,只想回到波多黎各——1943年,当时他已经够大,可以自己去。
That night at dinner, Trisha asked her parents about their building.
当晚吃晚饭时,特丽莎向她的父母询问了他们的建筑.
“Who lived here before us?”
“在我们之前谁住在这里? “
“It was a rental unit, so lots of different people probably lived here,” Mom answered.
“这是一个租房,所以可能有许多不同的人住在这里。”
“How old is the building?”
“该建筑多大? “
“Oh, maybe a hundred years old,” Mom said.
“哦,也许一百岁,”妈妈说。
Trisha quickly did the math in her head.
特丽莎很快就在她脑子里做了数学
“It must be 1943,” she murmured.
“必须是1943年”,她抱怨。
“What’s 1943?”
“1943年是什么? “
Dad asked.
爸爸问。
“The message on my wall.”
“我墙上的信息。 “
Her parents were instantly curious, so they all left the dinner table and squeezed into the closet together.
她的父母立刻好奇,于是他们都离开餐桌一起挤入衣柜.
“Forty-three—that’s World War II,” Mom said.
" 四十三 -- -- 这是二战, " 妈妈说。
“It could be someone who enlisted in the Navy,” Dad suggested.
“可能是在海军服役的人,”
“Can we look up people who joined the Navy in 1943?”
“我们可以查查1943年加入海军的人吗? “
Trisha asked.
翠沙问.
The three of them gathered around Mom’s computer to research military records.
他们三人聚集在妈妈的电脑周围研究军事记录.
Immediately, her parents’ excitement faded.
她父母的兴奋立即消退。
“Wow, eighty-six thousand people!
“哇,八万六千人!
Mom said.
妈妈说。
Trisha was determined to find MJ.
Trisha决心找到MJ.
“Can I look?”
“我可以看看吗? “
she asked.
她问。
“Be my guest.”
“请便。 “
Trisha clicked, scrolled, and skimmed hundreds of names until bedtime, then past bedtime.
Trisha点击了,滚动了, 并滑动了数百个名字 直到睡觉, 然后过去睡觉的时间。
She found an old census, which listed every household by address.
她发现了一个旧的人口普查,其中按地址列出了每个家庭.
The census didn’t include apartment numbers, though.
但这次人口普查不包括公寓号码。
She read scans of handwritten documents until her eyes glazed over.
她看了手写文件的扫描,直到她的眼睛被擦过。
Her back ached, and her fingers felt stiff.
她的背痛了,她的手指很僵硬
Finally, she counted six families who had lived in her building and had last names beginning with J.
最后,她统计出曾住过她所住的建筑中的6个家庭,并有姓从J起.
Suddenly, Trisha saw the name Mary Johnson, and then a few minutes later, Marcus Jones.
突然,特丽莎看到了玛丽·约翰逊这个名字,再过几分钟,马可斯·琼斯(Marcus Jones).
They had both enlisted in 1943, and they had both lived in her building.
他们在1943年入伍,两人都住在她的大楼里。
Without apartment numbers, though, there was no way to determine which one had written the poem.
没有公寓的号码, 无法确定是谁写的诗。
Trisha wondered if Mary Johnson was her MJ.
特里莎想知道玛丽·约翰逊是否是她的MJ.
She thought of Mary as a nineteen- year-old who had just enlisted.
她把玛丽当成一个刚入伍的十九岁小孩
Mary would have been proud to serve her country, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t nervous about her future.
但这并不表示她对未来并不紧张。
Trisha imagined Mary’s fingers trembling as she wrote the message on the wall.
特丽莎想象中 在墙上写下留言时,
Maybe she wrote it to convince herself to be brave.
也许她写它是为了说服自己勇敢.
The next day, Trisha searched for Mary Johnson.
次日,特丽莎找来玛丽·约翰逊.
She could still be alive, and Trisha wanted to know why she had written the message.
她可能还活着,而特丽莎想知道她为什么要写这个留言.
Almost as soon as she began her search, Trisha groaned.
几乎在她开始寻找时,特丽莎呻吟.
Mom peered into the room.
妈妈进来了
“Hit a dead end?”
“死路一条? “
“There are thousands of Mary Johnsons!”
“有上千名玛丽·约翰逊!”
Trisha complained.
特丽莎抱怨。
“What about Marcus Jones?”
“马库斯·琼斯怎么办? “
Mom asked, pointing at Trisha’s notes.
妈妈问,指着Trisha的笔记。
As Trisha typed the name, her shoulders slumped.
当Trisha打出名字时 她的肩膀就缩了
There were thousands of results for that name, too.
这个名字也有上千个结果。
Mom looked over her shoulder for a few minutes.
妈妈在她肩膀上看了几分钟
She pointed to one of the results.
她指出了结果之一。
“This one’s just south of here, in Harlem,” she said.
她说,“这个就在哈莱姆的正南方。”
Trisha was doubtful.
特丽莎很怀疑
Still, she decided to write a letter.
她还是决定写封信
Dear Mr.
亲爱的先生
Jones, My name is Trisha Alden, and I am eleven years old.
琼斯 我叫特丽莎·奥尔登 我11岁了
I just moved to 601 East 138th Street in the Bronx.
我刚搬到布朗克斯东138街601号
Does that address sound familiar to you?
你觉得这个地址熟悉吗?
I live in apartment 4C, and I found a message in my closet that I think you might have written.
我住在4C公寓 我发现我衣柜里有条信息 我想你可能已经写好了
Trisha Alden Two weeks passed, then three.
特里沙阿尔登 两周过去了,然后是三周
Where had MJ gone?
MJ去哪了? 说不定他已经走了
Trisha tried to picture Marcus Jones.
特丽莎试图想象出马可斯·琼斯.
She couldn’t imagine what it might feel like to leave behind her home and family to go to war, not knowing whether she would ever return.
她无法想象离开家和家人去打仗会有什么感觉,
Was there anything that could prepare someone for that moment?
有什么东西可以让别人为那个时刻做好准备吗?
Finally, Trisha came home to find an envelope on the kitchen counter addressed to her.
最后,特里莎回家在厨房柜台上找到一个寄给她的信封.
Dear Miss Alden, I do indeed recognize that address—I was a young man in that very apartment.
亲爱的小姐 奥尔登,我确实承认这个地址... 我是一个年轻人 在公寓里。
I sometimes imagined the person who might find my message, but I never imagined that person would find me.
我有时会想到有人会找到我的消息 但我从未想过那个人会找到我
I have photographs of that time, if you would like to visit me.
我有那段时间的照片 如果你想来看我的话
Trisha knew exactly what to do.
Trisha知道该怎么做
Trisha cradled a wrapped package while her mom checked in at the retirement home where Mr.
Trisha摇篮了包裹 当她妈妈在退休之家登记的时候,先生。
Jones had invited them to visit.
琼斯邀请他们去拜访
After a few moments, a nurse led them to a small, sunny room where a slim man in his nineties was standing by the window.
过了几分钟,一名护士带领他们来到一个小而阳光明媚的房间,一个90多岁的瘦子站在窗边.
The nurse introduced them, and Mr.
护士介绍的,先生
Jones gestured for Trisha and her mom to sit on the low sofa.
琼斯为特丽莎和她妈妈在低地沙发上作姿态.
An album of old photos lay open on a table.
一张老相册放在桌子上
“I found some pictures from that old building.”
“我从那所旧建筑中找到一些照片。 “
He gently touched one of the photos.
他轻轻地摸了其中一张照片。
“Here’s me in my uniform.”
我穿着制服, “
The young man in the picture stood straight, and his face was somber.
画面中那个年轻人站直了,他的脸很沉闷.
The stoop of their building looked just the same.
他们大楼的楼梯看起来也一样
Trisha didn’t know what to ask first.
Trisha不知道首先该问什么。
“You didn’t miss home?”
“你没有想念家? “
she blurted.
她模糊了。
“ Actually, I missed it every day,” Mr.
“...... 实际上,我每天都错过了,“
Jones laughed.
琼斯笑了
“That isn’t what you wrote, though,” Trisha said, handing him the package.
”Trisha说,
Mr.
先生,请问...
Jones peeled back the paper and gasped.
琼斯剥回了纸和油气。
It was a framed photo of the message from Trisha’s closet.
照片来自Trisha的衣柜。
Mr.
先生,请问...
Jones traced the letters with his finger, and his eyes grew distant.
琼斯用手指来追踪信件,他的眼睛渐渐变得遥远.
“Before the war, I had never been outside New York,” Mr.
“在战争之前,我从未在纽约以外。”
Jones explained.
琼斯解释。
“ All I wanted to do was leave the Bronx and see the rest of the world.
“...... 唯想出出婆罗门而去相见.
After the war, I realized that I did miss the Bronx.
战后,我意识到我确实怀念布朗克斯号.
No other place had that energy—no other place was home.”
没有其他地方有这种能量 没有其他地方有家 “
“I hear things are changing, and lots of young families are moving in.”
“我听说情况正在发生变化,许多年轻家庭正在搬入。 “
Mr.
先生,请问...
Jones looked at Trisha.
琼斯看着Trisha。
“How does the old neighborhood seem?”
“老街坊看起来如何? “
Trisha smiled.
特丽莎笑了
“Like home.”
“就像家一样。 “
Glossary borough (n.)
词汇区 (n.)
a town or section of a larger city that has its own government (p.
拥有自己的政府(p.
4) bustling (adj.)
4)打出(adj.
moving in a rushed, noisy manner (p.
动作仓促而吵闹(p.
5) census (n.)
5) 人口普查(n.
an official count of the people living in an area (p.
居住在一个地区的人口的官方统计(p.
8) convince (v.)
8)说服(五.
to talk someone into doing something; to cause someone to believe the truth of something (p.
让别人相信某事的真相(p.
9) enlisted (v.)
9) 参军(五.
signed up for; enrolled in a branch of the armed services (p.
登记参加;在武装部队的一个分支注册(第2页)。
7) immigrated (v.)
7) 移民 (五.