轻松英语电子报第十一期07/08/01

busy a.忙碌的；繁忙的；占用着的	burst v.爆炸，使爆炸；突然发生，突然发作
as busy as a bee 极忙碌	burst forth 爆发
get busy 开始工作，干起来	burst into tears/laughter 号啕大哭/哄堂大笑
be busy doing 忙于做	burst out 爆发
be busy with 忙于	burst out doing 突然...干起

middle 指空间或时间上与两端等距离的部分，也可指中等程度。

A: I've been told you might have a vacant room.
听说您有空房间。
B: Yes, I have a spare room.
　是的，我有一间空房。
A: Would it be ok to look at the room now?
　现在能看看房子吗？
B: Could you come here in 20 minutes? We're right in the middle of dinner.
　你 20 分钟后过来好吗？我们正好在吃晚饭呢。

C: This apartment looks nice.
　这个房子不错。
A: Yes, it has two bedrooms. That's convenient. And the living room is larger than I expected.
　是的，有两间卧室，这比较方便。还有，客厅比我原先想的要大。
A: The living room is really large, isn't it!
　这个客厅真大呀！
B: Yes, about forty square meters.
　是的，大约有 40 平方米。
A: The bathtub is large enough for two people.
　这个浴缸很大，足够两个人同时使用了。
C: Great. We can give our two children a bath together.
　太好了，我们可以给两个孩子一起洗澡了。
C: Can I open the window and air out the room?
　我能打开窗户，给房间通通风吗？
B: Sure.
　当然可以。
A: It's a nice apartment.
　这套房子挺让人喜欢的。
B: As you can see, the apartment has been recently renovated and comes completely furnished.
　正如你所看到的，这房子已经装修过了，而且其他家具也都齐备。
A: How much is the rent?
　房租多少钱？
B: 2500 yuan a month.
　一个月 2500 元。
C: Are the utilities included in the rent?
　房租中包括水、电和煤气费吗？
B: Only gas is included. You have to pay for the electricity and water.
　只包括煤气。你需要支付水电费。
A: When can we move in?
　我们什么时候可以搬进来？
B: Next Wednesday, if you like.

　　If the Dream is Big Enough I used to watch her from my kitchen window, she seemed so small as she muscled her way through the crowd of boys on the playground. The school was across the street from our home and I would often watch the kids as they played during recess. A sea of children, and yet to me, she stood out from them all. I rememberd the first day I saw her playing basketball. I watched in wonder as she ran circles around the other kids. She managed to shoot jump shots just over their heads and into the net. The boys always tried to stop her but no one could. I began to notice her at other times, basketball in hand, playing alone. She would practice dribbling and shooting over and over again, sometimes until dark. One day I asked her why she practiced so much. She looked directly in my eyes and without a moment of hesitation she said, “I want to go to college. The only way I can go is if I get a scholarship. I like basketball. I decided that if I were good enough, I would get a scholarship. I am going to play college basketball. I want to be the best. My Daddy told me if the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.” Then she smiled and ran towards the court to recap the routine I had seen over and over again. Well, I had to give it to her—she was determined. I watched her through those junior high years and into high school. Every week, she led her varsity team to victory. One day in her senior year, I saw her sitting in the grass, head cradled in her arms. I walked across the street and sat down in the cool grass beside her. Quietly I asked what was wrong. “Oh, nothing,” came a soft reply. “I am just too short.” The coach told her that at5’5”she would probably never get to play for a top ranked team—much less offered a scholarship—so she should stop dreaming about college. She was heartbroken and I felt my own throat tighten as I sensed her disappointment. I asked her if she had talked to her dad about it yet. She lifted her head from her hands and told me that her father said those coaches were wrong. They just did not understand the power of a dream. He told her that if she really wanted to play for a good college, if she truly wanted a scholarship, that nothing could stop her except one thing — her own attitude. He told her again, “If the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.” The next year, as she and her team went to the Northern California Championship game, she was seen by a college recruiter. She was indeed offered a scholarship, a full ride, to a Division I, NCAA women’s basketball team. She was going to get the college education that she had dreamed of and worked toward for all those years. It’s true: If the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.

　　我以前常常从厨房的窗户看到她穿梭于操场上的一群男孩子中间，她显得那么矮小。

学校在我家的街对面，我可以经常看到孩子们在下课时间打球。尽管有一大群的孩子，但我觉得她跟其他的孩子截然不同。

　　我记得第一天看到她打篮球的情景。看着她在其他孩子旁边兜来转去，我感到十分惊奇。她总是尽力地跳起投篮，球恰好越过那些孩子的头顶飞入篮筐。那些男孩总是拼命地阻止她，但没有人可以做得到。

　　我开始注意到她有时候一个人打球。她一遍遍地练习运球和投篮，有时直到天黑。有一天我问她为什么这么刻苦地练习。她直视着我的眼睛，不加思索地说:“我想上大学。只有获得奖学金我才能上大学。我喜欢打篮球，我想只要我打得好，我就能获得奖学金。我要到大学去打篮球。我想成为最棒的球员。我爸爸告诉我说，心中有目标，风雨不折腰。”说完她笑了笑，跑向篮球场，又开始我之前见过的一遍又一遍的练习。

　　嘿，我服了她了——她是下定了决心了。我看着她这些年从初中升到高中。每个星期，她带领的学校篮球代表队都能够获胜。

　　高中那会儿的某一天，我看见她坐在草地上，头埋在臂弯里。我穿过街道，坐到她旁边的清凉的草地上。我轻轻地问出什么事了。“哦，没什么，”她轻声回答，“只是我太矮了。”原来篮球教练告诉她，以五英尺五英寸的身材，她几乎是没有机会到一流的球队去打球的——更不用说会获得奖学金了——所以她应该放弃想上大学的梦想。

　　她很伤心，我也觉得自己的喉咙发紧，因为我感觉到了她的失望。我问她是否与她的爸爸谈过这件事。

　　她从臂弯里抬起头，告诉我，她爸爸说那些教练错了。他们根本不懂得梦想的力量。他告诉她，如果真的想到一个好的大学去打篮球，如果她真的想获得奖学金，任何东西也不能阻止她，除非她自己不愿意。他又一次跟她说：“心中有目标，风雨不折腰。”

　　第二年，当她和她的球队去参加北加利福尼亚州冠军赛时，她被一位大学的招生人员看中了。她真的获得了奖学金，一个全面资助的奖学金，并且进入美国全国大学体育协会其中一队女子甲组篮球队。她将接受她曾梦想并为之奋斗多年的大学教育。