(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Mother let no one touch the tomatoes. Why? was a mystery to me. I watched her working in the tomato patch. Her sun-browned hands seemed to touch each plant, each green leaf lovingly, as if it were a newborn child. I was worried. She spent so much time in the hot sun. I decided to speak to her about it. This was not easy. Since father's death, she liked to be alone. She was withdrawn most of the time. "Mother," I asked, "why do you tire yourself out like a young farmhand, you have plenty of help." "Oh, Jimmy," she said it in a slow breath as she rose to her feet. She brushed some damp hair from her cheek and breathed deeply for a moment. I had never seen her so short of breath. I had also noticed that she seemed always tired around the house. "Shoo..!" she said, "Isn't it a hot day for the end of June, a real scorcher?" "You should stay indoors," I answered, "there is no reason to waste your strength out here." She smiled and let me lead her back to the house holding my arm. "You must not worry about me, Jimmy!" she walked beside me with slow careful steps. "You have your law studies to worry about. Besides, what do you know about running a farm?" "Well, not much, I guess." My arm stiffened. She must have sensed that I was hurt, because she quickly talked about something else.
"Are you sure they will not object to the college you staying home, I mean?" "No, father's funeral was so near the end of the class term, there is no reason to go back. They'll mail my marks. Besides, I like being here with you. I never seem to be with you enough." "Yes, yes, it is nice," she said, entering the kitchen. "Now, you sit down and let me get you some lemonade. I know how you used to love lemonade when you were little." I smiled and shook my head at her, "I always hated lemonade, mother, it was Jenny who loved it!" My sister Jenny died at ten when we were both children. "Uh, Heavens above," she laughed, "I'm going to be a joke around the farm soon, an absent-minded old woman." She went to the sink and washed her red tomato-colored hands. "The tomatoes are good this year, Jimmy, big and firm and lots of them ripe already." "Yes, I saw them. And I've seen you out in that field everyday since the funeral. Why don't you let the help worry about the tomatoes, you have enough to do in the house." She turned and looked at me. "Jimmy," she said firmly, "don't interfere with my work on the farm, I know you mean well. But there is so little you understand about things. I'm trying to learn to live with my loneliness, Jimmy, I must do it in my own way." She was close to tears. I said nothing more. She walked hurriedly out of the kitchen.
I sat for a long time without moving. I did not know what to do. My thoughts were all mixed up. I knew I had interfered and did not blame her for telling me not to. But this only made me feel even more useless. Every attempt I made to understand her problem only drove us further apart. I'd never been a part of the farm really. Father gave up trying to teach me how to farm early in my life. He saw how much I loved books. I was given small jobs around the farm and no more was expected from me. When business began to get better, seasonal farm workers were used and even my small jobs were taken away from me. That seemed to be the final break with the farm, then there was school, college. Jenny was mother's pride and delight. She would always be outdoors, running between the roads of vegetables and fruits, laughing and asking questions. She was everything my parents could have wished for during her ten years of life. Now, mother was left with only a son, who was a stranger, and an empty house, full of memories of father's deep laughter and lively footsteps of my sister. I felt bad and left the kitchen and walked through the hallway and upstairs to my room. Later, mother came to the door and looked in. "Mrs. Austrimv was just visiting, Jimmy, she is such a nice woman. Remember when she used to bring you a cake when you had the chickenpox?" "I remember. But it was Jenny who had the chickenpox." I laughed.
"Yes, yes, of course, it was Jenny." She was lost in her thoughts for a moment, but checked herself when she saw I was watching her. "Well, I'm going to take a nice nap; I'll pick some of those tomatoes later." I found it hard to read my book that afternoon. I kept wondering about mother. I was puzzled. Why did she give so much of herself to the tomatoes? It was almost dinner time when I went downstairs. Mother was not in the kitchen and dinner had not been started. The house was empty. I left the house and began to walk around the farm. The ground seemed strange under my feet. I tried to make myself realize that this was where I was born and grew up. But it was impossible. The farm seemed to be part of someone else's life, someone I knew, but who was not me. I walked toward the tomato patch. I knew where mother was. She was at the farthest end of the patch, too far from the house for me to have seen her before. A large basket of tomatoes lay on the ground. She was on her knees beside it, her face was buried in her hands, her body was shaking. She looked small, smaller than she usually did. I went to her. When she realized she was not alone, she began to wipe her eyes and shame.
"I know I'm interfering again, mother," I said softly, "but I must know how I can help. Please tell me why you spend all your time out here when it makes you so unhappy?" She was silent for a long time. "Jimmy," she said finally, not looking at me but staring straight ahead, "your father planted these tomatoes." "Father? But he was so ill." She put out a hand, gently touching the bush in front of her. "He was too ill to work. But he would not let the walls of sickroom shut him in and smother him to death. He loved the fresh air and sun and working in the ground. You could not stop him from doing something. I tried to talk him out of it and he promised not to tire himself. And so, everyday he came out and planted a few tomato seeds. And these plants are the only part of the crop that was his. I feel there the only part of him I have left still living. And they will be gone at the end of the summer." I got on my knees beside her and put her head on my shoulder. "Mother, I know I've never been much use to you here." "But you're going to be a lawyer, Jimmy. I always wanted you to live the life you chose for yourself."
"I know mother, but this is part of my life too. I regret not taking more of an interest, I feel so unnecessary. I want to spend part of my time here even after I begin working as a lawyer. Think you could teach me a little about farming?" She did not answer. "It sounds foolish to talk this way after all these years, doesn't it? But mother, there is more of father still living than these tomatoes. You have to realize that. There is a part of father that will live after this summer and the next." Slowly, she drew away from me. Our eyes met and a change came over her face. Her expression showed surprise at what I said, she touched my cheek. "Jimmy," she cried, "Oh Jimmy, I'm such an old fool." And she stood up and with the youthful energy I always remember in her, got her basket before I could take it and walked sharply ahead of me to the house. Later, at the dinner table while pouring me a second cup of coffee, she said, "You know Jimmy, the profit on tomatoes is higher all the time. Next year, I think I'll have a bigger and better crop." She smiled over the coffee pot. "If you spend your vacation here, would you like to help with it?"
重点解析
1.plenty of 许多；大量的
I had plenty of space to write and sew.
我有足够的空间进行写作和缝纫。
2.no reason 没有理由；没有原因
I have no reason to quarrel with him.
我没有跟他口角的理由。
3.worry about 发愁；担忧
Don't worry about me; I'm very well.
别为我担心，我很好。
4.stand up 站起来；起立
I tried to stand up, but I was completely exhausted.
我企图站起来，可是已经筋疲力尽了。
参考译文
《西红柿》。妈妈不让任何人碰西红柿。为什么？对我来说是个谜。我看着她在番茄地里干活，她那晒成褐色的手，仿佛在爱抚每一株植物，每一片绿叶，仿佛那是新生儿一样。我很担心，她在烈日下待了那么久。我决定和她谈谈这件事。这并不容易。自从父亲去世后，她喜欢独处，大部分时间都很孤僻。“妈妈，”我问，“你为什么像一个年轻的农场主一样疲惫不堪，你可以获得很多帮助。”“哦，吉米，”她站起身来，慢吞吞地说。她拂去脸颊上的湿头发，深深地吸了一口气。我从未见过她如此呼吸短促，我也注意到她在家里总是很累。“嘘……”她说：“六月底是不是很热，真的很热？”“你应该待在家里，”我回答说，“你没有理由在外面浪费力气。”她笑了笑，让我牵着她的手臂把她领回房子。“你不要为我担心，吉米！”她迈着缓慢而谨慎的步子走在我旁边。“你要担心自己的法律学业。再说，你对经营农场了解多少？” “嗯，我想不多。”我的胳膊僵硬了。她一定感觉到我不高兴了，因为她很快就谈论别的事情。
“你确定他们不会反对你呆在家里，不回大学吗？”“不，父亲的葬礼接近期末，没理由回去了。他们会给我寄成绩单。另外，我喜欢和你在一起，和你在一起似乎永远不够。”“是的，是的，很好，”她走进厨房说，“现在，你坐下，我给你拿些柠檬水。我知道你小时候喜欢喝柠檬水。”我微笑着对她摇摇头，“我一直讨厌柠檬水，妈妈，是珍妮喜欢！”妹妹珍妮在十岁时去世了，那时我们还都是孩子。“啊，天哪，”她笑着说，“我很快就会成为农场里的笑柄了，一个心不在焉的老太太。”她走到水池边，洗了洗她那红得像西红柿一样的手。“吉米，今年的西红柿很好，又大又结实，很多都已经熟了。”“是的，我看见了。自从葬礼后，我每天都看到你在那块地里。你为什么不找些帮手来处理西红柿，你在家里要做的事够多的了。”她转过身来看着我。“吉米，”她坚定地说，“别妨碍我在农场工作，我知道你是好意。但是你对情况了解的太少了。吉米，我正在努力学会忍受孤独，我必须用自己的方式去做。”她差点哭出来，我什么也没说，她匆匆走出厨房。
我一动不动地坐了很久，我不知道该做什么，思绪混乱。我知道我插手了，也没有责怪她叫我不要这么做，但这只会让我觉得更没用。我每一次试图了解她的问题，只会使我们更加疏远，我从来都不是农场的一员。父亲在我早年就放弃了教我如何种田，他看到我非常喜欢读书。他们让我在农场里做些小活，没人指望我做更多的工作。生意开始好转时，就雇佣季节性的农场工人，我连小活都不用做了。那似乎使我最终从农场分开，然后去学校，读大学。珍妮是母亲的骄傲和喜悦，她总待在户外，在种蔬菜和水果的路上奔跑，笑着问问题。她是我父母十年来所希望的一切。现在，母亲只剩下一个陌生的儿子和空荡荡的房子，里面满是父亲深沉的笑声和妹妹活泼的脚步声。我觉得很不舒服，就离开厨房，穿过走廊，上楼到我的房间。后来，妈妈来到门口往里看。“奥斯特里姆夫人刚刚来看你，吉米，她真是个好女人。还记得你得水痘时，她给你带蛋糕吗？”“我记得。但那是珍妮得了水痘。”我笑了。
“是的，当然是，是珍妮。”她一时想不起来了，但当她看到我在看她时，她克制住了自己。“好吧，我要好好睡个午睡；一会儿我去摘些西红柿。”那天下午，我发现很难读进书。我一直在想妈妈，我很困惑，她为什么那么关注西红柿？我下楼时差不多是晚饭时间了。妈妈不在厨房，晚餐也没开始。房子空着，我离开了房子，开始在农场里走来走去。我脚下的地面似乎很奇怪，我试图让自己意识到这就是我出生和成长的地方，但这是不可能的。农场似乎是别人生活的一部分，一个我认识的人，但却不是我。我朝西红柿地走去，我知道妈妈在哪儿。她在地里最远的一头，离房子太远，我之前都没看见她。地上放着一大篮子西红柿，她跪在旁边，脸埋在手里，身体在颤抖。她看上去瘦小，比平时要小很多，我过去去找她。她意识到自己并不是一个人时，开始擦眼睛，感到羞愧。
“我知道我又在干涉你了，妈妈，”我轻轻地说，“但我必须知道我怎么能帮上忙。请告诉我，为什么你在这里花了这么多时间，而这让你如此不开心？”她沉默了许久。“吉米，”她最后说，没有看着我，而是直视前方，“你父亲种了这些西红柿。”“父亲？但是他病得很重。”她伸出一只手，轻轻触摸面前的灌木丛。“他病得很重，无法干活。但是他不肯待在病房里，那样会把他憋死。他喜欢新鲜的空气和阳光，喜欢在地上工作。你不能阻止他，我试着劝他不要这样做，他答应不累着自己。所以，每天他都出来种一些西红柿种子。这些植物是他的庄稼里唯一的作物，我觉得他只有这部分还留在我身边，它们将在夏天结束时消失。”我跪在她旁边，把她的头靠在我肩上。“妈妈，我知道我在这里对你没什么用。”“但你要当律师，吉米，我一直希望你过自己选择的生活。”
“我知道妈妈，但这也是我生活的一部分。我很遗憾没有多加注意，我觉得没必要。我想在这里度过一部分时间，甚至在我开始做律师之后。你能教我一点农活吗？”她没回答。“这么多年过来了，说这样的话听起来很蠢，不是吗？但是妈妈，除了这些西红柿，父亲还留下很多东西，你必须意识到这一点。父亲的一部分将在今年夏天和明年夏天之后继续留在这儿。”她慢慢地离开我，我们的目光相遇，她的脸上出现了变化。她对我说的话表示惊讶，她摸了摸我的脸颊。“吉米，”她喊道，“噢，吉米，我真是个老傻瓜。”她站起来，带着我一直记得的年轻活力，抢在我前面拿起篮子，在我前面大步朝家走去。后来，她在饭桌上给我倒了第二杯咖啡后说：“吉米，西红柿的利润一直都很高。明年，我想收成会更多、更好。”她对着咖啡壶微笑着说，“如果你来这儿过假期，你愿意帮忙吗？”
