Malik Had a House
美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习
Malik sailed the basketball into the hoop as if it had wings: Swoosh!
马利克将篮球驶入球场,好像它有翅膀: 嘘!
All of the guys slapped his palms—Bryan, Deonne, even Sean, Malik’s younger brother.
他的弟弟Sean也一样。
Malik liked how everyone shot hoops in his yard after school—something that couldn’t happen back when his family lived in a cramped apartment.
Malik喜欢大家放学后在院子里打篮球,
There was no place to shoot hoops there except in the street, where drivers yelled, “Move, before you get run over!”
除了街上司机喊道“在被撞倒之前,
Two years ago, Malik, Sean, and their mom moved to a house just a few blocks away from his friends.
两年前,马利克,肖恩, 他们的妈妈搬到一个房子 离他的朋友只有几条街。
Ever since, the guys came by to b-ball in his yard.
从那时起,他们就来他院子里玩B了
On rainy days, they played video games in Malik’s very own bedroom, twice the size of the room he and Sean had shared in their apartment.
在雨季,他们在马利克自己的卧室里玩电子游戏,比他和肖恩在公寓里共用的房间大一倍.
“My hungry stomach and my homework are calling my name,” said Malik, “so let’s pick it up again tomorrow.”
Malik说,“我饿肚子和功课都在叫我的名字,”因此,我们明天再来拿。 “
Once Bryan and Deonne had headed home, Malik joined Sean in the kitchen.
布莱恩和德昂回家后,马利克与肖恩一起进厨房.
Sean stood at the counter making a sandwich with tuna, mayonnaise, whole wheat bread, leafy green lettuce, and tomato slices.
Sean站在柜台边 做了个三明治 有金枪鱼、蛋黄酱、全麦面包、多叶绿色生菜和番茄片
It surprised Malik to see Mom in the kitchen, too.
看到妈妈在厨房里 马利克也很惊讶
He grabbed an apple from a bowl of fruit on the table and took a big bite.
他从桌上一碗水果中取出一粒苹果并大吃一顿.
“Hey, Mom, you’re early,” he said.
“妈妈,你来早了,”他说:
Malik could tell from her face that something was wrong.
马利克从她的脸上可以知道 出事了
Sean looked up at his mother, noticed it, too, and stopped spreading mayonnaise on his bread.
肖恩抬头看着他的母亲,也注意到了这一点,并停止在他的面包上传播蛋黄酱.
“Sit down, boys,” she said, and in silence, the three of them took seats around the kitchen table.
她说,“坐下,孩子们”,他们三人默默地坐在厨房桌旁。
“I’ve lost my job,” she announced.
“我失业了”,
Malik heard his mother’s words, but they didn’t seem real.
Malik听到他母亲的话,
For as long as he could remember, she had worked at a department store called Deal Mart.
只要他记得,她曾在一家叫"交易马特"的百货公司工作过.
They liked her so much, they’d even promoted her.
他们非常喜欢她,
“They said business has been too slow to keep all of us,” she said.
她说,“他们说生意太慢,不能让我们所有人留下来。”
“But you’re a manager,” Malik said, wondering how his mother’s job—something that had always seemed like a part of normal life— could be gone just like that.
“但你是一个经理人,”马利克说,他想知道他母亲的工作——这似乎一直是正常生活的一部分——怎么会就这样消失。
“Other managers have worked there longer than I have,” said Mom, “and some of them have been let go, too.
“其他管理人员在那里工作的时间比我长,”妈妈说,“有些管理人员也被解雇了。
The bad economy is catching up with everybody.”
经济不景气 赶上每个人。 “
“What’s an economy?”
“什么是经济? “
asked Sean.
问肖恩。
Malik’s mom gave a heavy sigh and gazed around the kitchen as though she might find an answer there.
Malik的妈妈叹了口气,
“It’s all about money and jobs,” she explained.
她解释说,
“When lots of people have jobs and lots of people are spending money, that’s a good economy.
“当许多人有工作, 许多人花钱时,
Right now, in many countries, including ours, the economy is bad.
现在,在包括我国在内的许多国家,经济是坏的。
People don’t have money to spend, which means businesses that make and sell things make less money.
人们没有钱可以花,这意味着制造和出售物品的企业赚的钱更少。
Then workers at those businesses make less money or lose their jobs, like I just lost mine.”
然后这些企业的工人赚得更少,或者失去工作,就像我刚刚失去我的一样. “
Malik’s mom looked gloomier than he’d ever seen her.
马利克的妈妈看起来比他见过的她还光荣.
“You’ll find another job,” he said.
他说, " 你会找到另一份工作 " 。
“I will,” she agreed, “but when?”
她同意“我会的”,但何时? “
Three months had passed since their mom lost her job at Deal Mart, and she’d been looking for work ever since.
三个月后,
When she could, she worked at what she called “odds and ends” jobs that only lasted a day or two.
当她能够工作时,她从事她所谓的 " 零活和结束活 " 的工作,这些工作只持续一两天。
Malik and Sean still shot hoops in their yard with the guys, but the snacks they ate afterward had changed.
马利克和肖恩仍然在他们的院子里同男生们一起打篮球,但之后他们吃的零食已经变了.
Now when Malik peered into the kitchen cabinet, it was almost bare.
当马利克进入厨房柜子时,它几乎是赤裸的。
“I guess it’s peanut butter and jelly again,” he said.
「我想又是花生酱和果冻了,
“Yeah,” said Sean, “we’ve been eating so much peanut butter, sometimes I think I’m turning into a peanut.”
“是的,”肖恩说,“我们一直在吃花生酱,有时我觉得我正在变成花生。 “
“Well,” said Malik, “at least we don’t have to pack PB&J for lunch anymore.”
“好吧,”马利克说,“至少我们不必再为午餐包装PB&J了。 “
Last week, their mom had signed them up for free meals at school.
上周,他们的妈妈 签了他们在学校免费吃饭。
Until last week, Malik hadn’t even known the school offered free meals.
直到上周, Malik还不知道学校提供免费膳食。
if you were poor enough to need them.
如果你够穷,需要他们。
The brothers were still at the table chewing their PB&J sandwiches when their mom walked through the door.
兄弟们还在桌子上咀嚼他们的PB&J三明治,当时他们的妈妈走进门来.
“Hey, you two.”
"嘿,你们两个。 “
She sounded dead tired.
她听起来很累
“Hi, Mom,” Malik said.
“嗨,妈妈,”马利克说。
“Where did you work today?”
“你今天在哪里工作? “
She dropped into a kitchen chair as if a thousand-pound weight pressed down on her.
她掉入厨房的椅子上 好像有一千磅重的重量压在她身上
“Well, boys, I got my exercise today, that’s for sure.
“嗯,孩子们,我今天有锻炼,这是肯定的。
I delivered grocery store flyers to houses for seven hours straight.
我把杂货店的传单直接送到了7小时的房屋里.
If I got paid a dollar for every house I visited, we’d be rich.”
如果我每次参观的房子都得到一块钱, “
Malik knew his mother made less money at odds-and-ends jobs than she used to make at Deal Mart.
马力克知道母亲在困难和末日的工作上赚的钱比在"交易马特"时赚的钱少.
“At least it wasn’t raining,” she said wearily, sorting through the day’s mail and tossing letters aside until the last one.
她表示「至少不是下雨,
She opened this one and ran her eyes across it, then made a noise in her throat.
她打开了这只眼睛穿过它 然后喉咙发出声音
“What is it, Mom?”
“这是什么,妈妈? “
Malik asked.
马利克问。
“It’s our mortgage bill,” she said, then noticed their blank faces.
她说,“这是我们的抵押贷款账单,”然后注意到他们的空白面孔。
“That’s the money we owe the bank for our home.”
“这就是我们欠银行的家钱。 “
“I thought we owned our home,” Malik said.
“我以为我们拥有我们的家园,”马利克说。
“Actually, Malik, the bank owns our home.
“实际上,Malik银行拥有我们的家。
Each month, I pay the bank a certain amount until I’ve paid off the mortgage.”
直到我还清抵押贷款。 “
“So the bank is like the landlord we paid when we lived in the apartment?”
“所以银行就像我们住在公寓时付的房东? “
asked Sean.
问肖恩。
“No, the bank gave me a loan so I could buy our house from the woman who used to own it.
“不,银行给了我贷款,以便我能够从曾经拥有房子的妇女那里购买房子。
The mortgage is what I borrowed from the bank, plus interest—lots of interest.
抵押贷款是我从银行借的 加上利息 利息
If I can pay off the mortgage, then we really will own this house.”
如果我能还清抵押贷款 那这房子就归我们了 “
“If?”
“如果?”
asked Malik.
问马利克。
Mom didn’t respond.
妈妈没有回应。
“How long will it take to pay off the mortgage?”
“偿还抵押贷款需要多长时间? “
asked Sean.
问肖恩。
“Thirty years,” she said.
她说,“30年,”
“It’s supposed to take thirty years.”
“这要花上30年。 “
“But you’ll be old by then,” Sean said.
Sean说, “但到那时你就会老了。”
Mom didn’t respond to this, either, but that same worried look shadowed her face—the one they saw a lot lately.
妈妈也没有回应此事,
Holding the letter, she shuffled away toward the bathroom and closed the door behind her.
她拿着信跑去洗手间 关了后面的门
Malik and Sean went back to eating their sandwiches, this time without any peanut butter jokes.
马利克和肖恩回去吃他们的三明治,这次没有任何花生酱笑话.
Malik wondered if his little brother could hear what he heard—their mother’s sobs coming from behind the bathroom door.
Malik想知道他弟弟能否听到他听到的声音,
Saturday morning, Malik’s family stood in a ragged line outside the church three blocks from their home.
Malik的家人在离家三条街的教堂外站着一条被堵住的线路。
“Why do we have to come here?”
“我们为什么要来这里? “
Sean asked.
肖恩问。
“I told you,” said his mom.
他妈妈说:“我告诉过你,”
“The food bank gives out free food.”
“粮食库免费提供粮食。 “
“But this place is for poor people,” Malik whispered, not wanting the men and women standing in line to hear him.
Malik悄悄地说, “但这里是穷人的好地方,”他不希望男女站在一起听到他的声音。
Some of them wore tattered clothes; some of them smelled as if they hadn’t bathed; some of them looked as though they’d been using illegal drugs for years and years.
其中一些人穿着破烂的衣服;有些闻起来好像没有洗澡;有些看起来像是使用非法毒品多年了。
As he kept stealing looks at the people in line, though, Malik realized that some of the others looked like him.
不过,当他不断偷东西时, 马利克意识到, 其他人看起来很像他。
An hour later, Malik helped load three bags into the trunk of their car.
一个小时后,马利克帮助将三袋装入他们的车厢.
At least they’d gotten a box of Fruity Puffs—their mom never bought those.
至少他们得到了一盒水果馅饼,
“Hey, Malik!”
"嘿,马利克!"
Malik recognized the voice right away and froze.
马利克马上认出声音 并冻结。
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
“嘿,你在这里做什么? “
Bryan asked.
布莱恩问。
He and Deonne straddled their bikes, waiting for an answer.
他和德昂骑着他们的自行车 等待答案
“Oh, I— I—“ Malik stammered while his mother and Sean watched.
" 哦,我 -- -- 我 -- -- " Malik在他母亲和Sean看时僵持不下。
“We were just picking up stuff to take to my mom’s friend.”
" 我们只是拿起东西给我妈的朋友。 “
Then he remembered the time the refrigerator in their apartment broke down and lied some more.
后来他想起了他们公寓里的冰箱破了几回并撒谎.
“Her refrigerator got busted and everything spoiled, and she asked if we would come here and grab her some food, so we did.”
她问我们是否愿意来这里拿些食物, “
“Oh,” Bryan said.
" 哦,"布莱恩说。
Malik wasn’t sure if they believed his lie or not, but they let it go.
Malik不确定他们是否相信他的谎言,
“Want to play some ball later?”
“以后要不要打一球? “
asked Deonne.
问德昂.
“How about another day?”
“再过一天如何? “
Malik asked.
马利克问。
“I’m a little behind in my homework and need to catch up.”
“我功课有点落后, “
That, too, was a lie—Malik had done all of his homework.
这也是一个谎言——马利克做了他的作业。
Getting caught at the food bank and lying to Bryan and Deonne had ruined his day, though.
在食品库被抓 和骗布莱恩和德昂 他的一天,虽然。
He just wanted to be alone.
他只是想独处
On the ride home, Malik was glad that neither his mom nor Sean mentioned his behavior at the church.
在回家的路上,马利克很高兴他的母亲和肖恩都没有提到他在教堂的行为.
Instead, they listened to some news show on the radio.
相反,他们听了电台的一些新闻节目。
A man’s voice droned on about the bad economy, mortgages, and unemployment.
一个人的呼声对糟糕的经济、抵押贷款和失业无动于衷。
“Bo-ring.”
“双环”。
Malik reached out to change the station, but his mom grabbed his hand.
马力克伸出手来换站口,却被他妈妈抓住了手.
“Everything that man is talking about is happening to us.”
“这个人所说的一切都发生在我们身上。 “
She sounded angry, but her eyes were bright with tears.
她听起来很生气,但眼中却流出泪来.
Malik stared at her a moment.
马利克一直盯着她看
“Mom,” he asked slowly, “do we have enough money to keep paying the mortgage?”
“妈妈,”他慢慢问:“我们有足够的钱继续支付抵押贷款吗? “
The car pulled into the driveway, but nobody got out.
车开进车道 但没人下车
The boys sat and waited for her answer.
孩子们坐着等待她的回答
“When Deal Mart made me a manager, I made more money—enough money to pay the monthly mortgage on this house.
“当交易时 Mart让我当经理 我赚了更多钱 足够付这房子的每月抵押贷款
Once I lost my job, I started getting unemployment benefits from the government.
一旦失业,我开始从政府领取失业津贴。
But even with that and my odds- and-ends jobs, I still don’t have enough money for the bank; I’ve missed two payments already.”
但即便如此,还有我的工作机会,我仍然没有足够的钱给银行;我已经错过了两笔付款。 “
“Don’t worry,” Malik said.
“别担心,”马利克说。
“We’ll move into a smaller house.”
" 我们将搬入一个更小的房子。 “
“Yeah,” Sean said.
“是的,”肖恩说。
“Malik and I can share a room again.”
“马利克和我还可以再共用一个房间。 “
Their mom smiled sadly.
他们的妈妈笑了
“We bought our house at the wrong time, boys.
“我们是在错误的时间买到房子的,孩子们。
The house is worth less now than when we bought it.”
房子现在比我们买房子时还值钱 “
“Why?”
“为什么?”
Malik asked.
马利克问。
“We’ve taken care of it.”
“我们已经处理了。 “
“It’s not our fault,” she said.
「这不是我们的错」,
“Nobody’s house is worth as much now as before the economy went downhill.
“现在没有人的房子比经济走下坡路之前更值钱。
Too many people bought houses they thought they could afford.
太多人买下他们认为可以买得起的房子。
Now that many people have lost their jobs, the banks took their houses back from them.”
现在许多人失业,银行收回了他们的房子. “
“That’s wrong,” Malik said.
“这是错误的,”马利克说。
“That’s business,” she said.
她说, " 这是生意 " 。
“Remember, the bank owns the home until the mortgage is paid off.
“记住,银行拥有住房,直到抵押贷款付清。
Lots of people can’t pay their mortgages now.
许多人现在无法支付抵押贷款。
The bank takes back those houses—it’s called foreclosure—and sells them to someone else, but for less money this time.”
银行收回这些房屋(这叫做赎回权), “
“That’s not fair,” Sean said.
「这不公平」,
A few days later, Malik collected the mail from the mailbox and spotted another letter from the bank.
几天后,马利克从邮箱中收取了邮件并发现了银行的另一封信.
He hid the letter on top of the refrigerator so his mom wouldn’t see it.
他把信藏在冰箱上,
At dinner, the three of them sat eating canned green beans and instant tuna noodles, all from the church’s free food bank.
在晚餐时,他们三人坐着吃罐头绿豆和即时金枪鱼面,全部来自教堂的自由食品库.
Malik missed the fresh fruit and the salads he used to eat every day.
马利克错过了每天吃到的新鲜水果和沙拉.
His mom put down her fork, looked from Malik to Sean, and placed the letter from the bank on the table.
他妈妈放下了她的叉子,从马利克看到肖恩,把银行的信放在桌上.
“That’s business, too,” she said.
她说, " 这也是生意。
“With so many cheap houses for sale now, none of the houses are worth as much, including ours.
包括我们的房屋。
I owe more money for our house than anybody now would ever pay to buy it.
我欠我们的房子的钱 比现在任何人都要花钱买它。
When you owe the bank more money than your house is worth, it’s called an ‘underwater mortgage.’
当你欠银行的钱超过你的房子价值时, " ; "
Even if we sold the house for whatever someone else was willing to pay for it, I’d still have to pay back the rest of our loan.
即使我们把房子卖了,
And we don’t have the money to pay off the bank.”
我们没有钱还银行。 “
Malik stared up at their house—the front porch, the basketball hoop, his bedroom window.
马利克盯着他们的房子——前门廊,篮球场,他的卧室窗户.
He didn’t believe the bank would take their house, but Mom seemed to believe it, and that had him worried.
他不相信银行会抢走他们的房子,
“We can’t afford to sell the house,” she said, “and we can’t afford to keep it.
“我们买不起房子,”她说,“我们买不起房子。
If I keep missing payments, the bank can foreclose on our home just like they’ve foreclosed on other people’s homes.
银行可以取消对我们家的赎回权,
That’s what I’m afraid will happen to us if I don’t start making more money soon.”
如果我不尽快开始赚钱, “
She pocketed the keys, opened her door, and stepped onto the driveway.
她把钥匙藏了起来 打开了门 然后踩到车道上
“Let’s get these groceries inside,” she said.
“让我们把这些杂物放进去,”她说。
She found the letter, he thought.
他以为她找到信了
“Boys,” said his mother, “we’ve got to move.”
“孩子们,”他母亲说,“我们必须行动。 “
“Back to the apartment?”
“回到公寓去? “
asked Malik.
问马利克。
“To my parents’.
" 为我父母.
That’s all we can afford.”
这就是我们所能负担的。 “
“How can we live at Big Mama’s and Granddaddy’s?”
“我们怎么能住在大妈和外公家? “
asked Sean.
问肖恩。
“They don’t have space for us.”
“他们没有空间给我们。 “
“We’ll live in their attic.”
我们住在他们的阁楼里。 “
“But how will we get to school,” asked Malik, “when they live way across town?”
“但是,我们如何上学呢?” 马利克问道,“当他们住在镇上的另一边时, “
“You’re going to have to go to the school where they live.”
“你必须去他们居住的学校。 “
Malik’s heart dropped to his stomach.
马利克的心跳到肚子上。
It was all so unfair—they were worse off now than they’d ever been.
他们现在比以前更糟。
“It’ll just be temporary,” she said, as if she knew what Malik was thinking,“ just until I can get back on my feet.”
她表示:「这只是暂时的, “
Malik nodded and tried to smile, but the smile felt tight and phony.
马利克点头并试图微笑,但微笑感觉紧凑而虚伪.
From where Malik stood right now, life was the worst it had ever been.
从马利克现在所处的位置来看 生活是最糟糕的
One week later, Malik’s mom loaded a final box into the moving trailer.
一周后,马利克的妈妈将一个最后的盒子装入了移动的拖车.
The trailer was hooked to the back of their car and packed from top to bottom.
拖车被挂到他们的车后部,从上到下打包.
Sean sat on the front porch, looking around their yard one last time.
肖恩坐在前门廊上 最后一次在院子周围看
Bryan and Deonne had stopped by to shoot a few last “see you later” hoops.
Bryan和Deonne过来拍了几回“回头见”,
“I’ll come by your new house, Malik,” said Bryan.
Bryan说,“我到你的新家去,马利克。”
“I’ll take the bus.”
" 我会坐公交车。
“Yeah, I’ll come by, too,” said Deonne.
Deonne说,
“Okay,” said Malik, but he wondered if he and the guys would really stay friends.
“好吧,”马利克说,但他想知道他和这些人是否真的会成为朋友。
Even if they visited him, there would be nowhere to shoot hoops in his grandparents’ yard.
即使他们去探望他,他祖父母的院子里也无处可去。
“Come on, boys!”
"来吧,孩子们!"
their mom called from the car.
他们的妈妈从车里打来
“I don’t want to be charged extra for renting this trailer.”
我不想因租这辆拖车而额外收费。 “
Malik climbed in the backseat and shut the door.
马利克爬上后座并关闭了门.
He waved to his friends, then turned and gazed back at the home he had thought would be theirs forever.
他向朋友挥手,然后转过身,然后在他认为永远属于他们的家中凝视。
“Well,” Sean said, as they pulled out onto the street, “at least now we get to eat Big Mama’s cooking.
“嗯,”肖恩说,当他们拉出街边时,“至少我们现在可以吃大妈做的饭了。
And I don’t have to worry about turning into a peanut.”
我不必担心变成花生。 “
“Speak for yourself,” said Malik, still looking back.
Malik说,“为自己说话,”仍然回头看。
“I’d make a fine-looking peanut.”
" 我会做一个漂亮的花生。 “
Their mom didn’t speak until the house had passed from view.
他们的妈妈直到房子从风景中经过才说话。