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A Friend to Remember 友谊诚可贵

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

My mother and her friend both had daughters very close in age. As we grew up, Shane and I often saw each other at celebrations, barbecues, weddings and regular visits. We have about a hundred snapshots to prove it: two girls squeezed together on a tree branch; a duo of teenagers with torn jeans; two women in their thirties laughing and falling over each other.

我母亲和她的朋友都有年龄相近的女儿。成长过程中，我与夏恩常在庆祝活动、烤肉、婚礼、固定拜访中碰面。我们有百来张合照可兹证明：两个女孩挤在一根树枝上；一对少女穿着有破洞的牛仔裤；两个三十来岁的女人倚着彼此开怀大笑。

When I was about thirty-three, Shane came to live with me for a year during a separation from her husband in France. As housemates, we got along well. We chomped popcorn and giggled while watching science fiction movies and playing board games. We talked late into the night about anything – our pasts, our futures, and of course, our lives.

我33岁左右时，夏恩在与她法国丈夫分居期间搬来和我同住了一年，成为室友的我们相处融洽。我们边看科幻电影、玩棋盘游戏，边大口吃着爆米花、咯咯地笑。我们聊天到深夜，无所不谈，包括我们的过去、未来，当然，也会谈到爱情生活。

Shane was a born comedienne. She could imitate anyone, from her French husband to the U.S. President. She was also a great cook. When I whined “there’s nothing to eat here,” she would whip up something delicious with whatever we had in kitchen. “You’re amazing!” I told her. “Yeah, yeah.” She said, smiling a big toothy smile.

夏恩是天生的喜剧演员。她能模仿任何人，从她的法国丈夫到美国总统。她也是个很棒的厨师，每当我哀嚎：「这里没东西吃！」的时候，她总能利用厨房现有的东西迅速变出美味佳肴。「妳真厉害！」我对她说，「是啊、是啊。」她回道，给了我的露齿微笑。

We had a lot of fun that year. Soon after, Shane went back to France, where her life took a downward turn. She divorced her husband. Her career wasn’t going anywhere. She discovered she was pregnant and moved back to the U.S. with her mother. There she fell into a deep depression. Only a month after her baby was born, Shane took her own life with her mother’s pistol.

那年，我们过得愉快极了。没多久以后，夏恩返回法国。在那儿，夏恩的生活情况急转直下，她与丈夫离婚，事业也不顺遂。她发现自己有了身孕，因此搬回美国和母亲同住。夏恩的情绪极度低落。小孩才诞生不过一个月，夏恩使用她母亲的手枪结束了自己的生命。

Vocabulary

单词发音

snapshot [ˋsnæp͵ʃɑt] n. 快照

duo [ˋduo] n. 二人组

separation [͵sɛpəˋreʃən] n. 分离

giggle [ˋgɪg!] v. 咯咯地笑

whine [hwaɪn] v. 嘀咕，发牢骚

take a… turn  发生某种变化

divorce [dəˋvors] v. 离婚

pregnant [ˋprɛgnənt] adj. 怀孕的，怀胎的

fall into  陷入(某种状态) drop in  

depression [dɪˋprɛʃən] n. 沮丧

More Information

单词发音

squeeze [skwiz] v. 挤

housemate [ˋhaʊs͵met] n. 住在同一房屋中之人; 室友

chomp [tʃɑmp] v. 大声地嚼

comedienne [kə͵midɪˋɛn] n.【过时】女喜剧演员; 女滑稽演员

imitate [ˋɪmə͵tet] v. 模仿

whip [hwɪp] up 【口】匆匆做(饭等)  to prepare, create, or put something together

toothy [ˋtuθɪ] adj.（微笑时）露出牙齿的

课文讲解

After Shane’s suicide, I tried to pinpoint the exact moment when I could have said or done something to stop her. Feelings of anger at her for leaving and a terrible sadness rose up in me. As time went by, the pain slowly faded away. I began to come to terms with the fact that she was gone, and was able to forgive us both.

夏恩自杀后，我试着找出我可以说或做些什么来阻止她自杀的确切时间点。因为她的离开，我感到愤怒又悲伤。随着时间流逝，痛苦渐渐消退。我开始面对她已离去的事实，并且能够原谅我们彼此。

I knew that I alone could not have saved Shane from herself. However, I also realized there are ways I could have been a better friend, and I resolved that in all of my other friendships I would be the best friend I could be. Shane’s death had a profound impact on my life.

我知道单靠我一人无法阻止夏恩自杀，但也了解当时仍有别的方式能使我当个更好的朋友。因此我下定决心，要在其他友谊里尽己所能成为益友。夏恩的死深刻影响了我的人生。

I used to nurse a negative thought for days or weeks if a friend did something I didn’t like. Now I realized that holding a grudge is a complete waste of time and energy. Today I choose instead to tell my friends how I feel. I’ve become more tolerant and patient, choosing to focus more on the positive instead of the negative.

过去，若有朋友做了我不喜欢的事情，我心里的负面想法可能会延续好几天或好个星期。现在我明白，怀恨在心根本是浪费时间及精力。如今，我选择告诉朋友我的感受。我变得更加容忍、更有耐性，且更专注于正面而非负面的想法。

When I am happy for my friends or proud of them, I tell them. If they help me in any way, I express my gratitude by saying “Thank you.” I find different ways to tell them how much they mean to me. These are all things I didn’t use to think very important. Through it all, I have learned that friendship is precious, and life is fleeting. I must cherish them both, and not take either for granted.

当我替朋友感到快乐或骄傲时，我会告诉他们。如果他们帮了我任何忙，我会说声谢谢表达感激之意。我用不同的方式让他们知道，他们对我有多重要。而这些都是以往我认为无举足轻重的事。历经了这一切，我体认到友谊无价且生命短暂。我必须珍惜友谊及生命，不再将它们视为理所当然。

−by Amy Gittelson

Vocabulary

单词发音

suicide [ˋsuə͵saɪd] n. 自杀，自杀行为

pinpoint [ˋpɪn͵pɔɪnt] v. 准确地确定（位置，范围，性质，程度等）

fade away  消退, 逐渐衰弱 become weaker

come to terms with 妥协；让步 to start to accept and deal with a difficult situation

nurse [nɝs] v. 怀有，抱着（想法等）

grudge [grʌdʒ] n. 怨恨

tolerant [ˋtɑlərənt] adj. 宽恕的; 容忍的

gratitude [ˋgrætə͵tjud] n. 感激之情，感恩

fleeting [ˋflitɪŋ] adj. 转瞬间的；短暂的

take… for granted  认为…是理所当然的

More Information

单词发音

resolve [rɪˋzɑlv] v. 决心，决定

Reading Questions

1.  This article is mainly about _____.

A.  the reasons that led to Shane’s suicide

B.  the way Shane and the author communicated

C.  the impact of Shane’s death on the author

D.  letting go of people who passed away

2.  What is meant by Shane being a “born comedienne”?

A.  She was born with a strange condition.

B.  She was born to parents with different nationalities.

C.  She was talented at cooking.

D.  She had been funny since birth.

3.  According to the article, which of the following is NOT true?

A.  The author thinks it is not very important to tell friends how she feels.

B.  The author thinks that saying angry at people is a waste of time.

C.  The author and Shane have a lot of photographs documenting their friendship.

D.  Shane’s career was not progressing and that contributed to her depression.

4.  What is the writer’s main purpose for writing this article?

A.  To warn people that they must pay more attention to their friends.

B.  To share her insights about the importance of friendship.

C.  To spotlight the relationship between Shane and her husband.

D.  To pinpoint the exact moment she could have saved Shane.

Answer