“缺课”的托马斯：不分心 便是最佳学习秘籍
52fw.cn 05-07 次遇见
Thomas and the Trapdoor
“缺课”的托马斯
(By Tony Crowley)
(托尼·克罗利)
Thomas was always doing silly things in the classroom for a laugh. He only behaved when Miss Battleaxe was around. We all behaved when Miss Battleaxe was around. She was very large and very strict, and had the kind of voice that could stop traffic. In the middle of her classroom floor was a large trapdoor which could be lifted. We had never seen what lay below the trapdoor.
为了逗乐大伙儿，托马斯总会在教室里干些傻事儿。只有当“战斧”小姐出现时，他才会规矩一点。“战斧”小姐在的时候，我们都会变得很乖。“战斧”小姐是个大块头，对我们特别严厉，说起话来嗓门极大，一嗓子就能让来往的车辆停下。在她教室中央的地板上，有一扇可以打开的大活板门，我们从不知道下面放的是什么。
On one particular day, we came back from play to find Thomas pushing away the desk above the trapdoor and lifting it up. When it was raised, we all peered into the darkness but saw nothing more than a large square hole, at the bottom of which lay a pile of old books. Before we could stop him, Thomas had climbed down into the hole and sat at the bottom grinning up at us. The next thing I knew was that a couple of boys had shut the trapdoor and replaced the desk above it.
有那么一天，我们玩耍回来，看见托马斯正把活板门上面的课桌推到一边，要打开活板门。门打开后，我们全都使劲地朝底下的黑暗中看，却只瞧见一个大方洞，洞底放着一摞旧书。我们还没来得及制止呢，托马斯就已经爬到了下面的洞里，还坐在洞底冲我们咧着嘴 笑。突然，我还没反应过来，就有几个男生把活板门关上了，并把课桌推回了原位。
Let me out! yelled Thomas, but we all stood there laughing.
“放我出去！”托马斯大声喊着，但我们只是站在那里哈哈大笑。
Quiet! shouted Miss Battleaxe who had appeared from nowhere and we all ran back to our desks, except, of course, for Thomas.
“安静！”不知道从哪儿冒出来的“战斧”小姐吼了一声，我们赶紧跑回座位上，当然，托马斯除外。
Good Morning, children, boomed Miss Battleaxe.
“孩子们，早上好。”“战斧”小姐低沉的声音隆隆作响。
Good Morning, Miss, we replied.
“老师，早上好。”我们回答道。
Today, she continued, "we are going to learn about the Romans and how they changed the lives of so many ..." At this point, Miss Battleaxe paused and asked, "Where's Thomas?"
“今天，”她接着说，“我们将要学习古罗马人以及他们是如何改变那么多人的生活……”说到这，“战斧”小姐停了下来，问道：“托马斯上哪儿去了？”
We all looked at his empty desk and waited for a small voice to cry "I'm down here", but there was only silence. Fred Frisbie then suggested that Thomas may have been unwell and had gone home. Winnie Wickers thought that he might have had to run an errand for the head teacher. No one suggested that Miss Battleaxe might be standing one meter above his head.
我们都看向托马斯空空的座位，等着下面传来一声微弱的哭喊“我在这底下呢”，然而什么声音也没有。于是弗雷德·弗里斯比便向老师暗示说托马斯可能觉得不舒服就回家了。温妮·威克斯认为他可能是给校长跑腿去了。可没人告诉“战斧”小姐她自己可能就站在离托马斯头顶一米高的地方。
Well, said Miss Battleaxe, "we'll have to continue the lesson without him and you all better pay attention because next week we shall have a test to see how much you remember."
“好吧，”“战斧”小姐说，“虽然他不在，咱们也还得继续上课。你们最好都专心听讲，因为下周会有测验，看看你们掌握得怎么样。”
Miss Battleaxe probably told us lots of interesting facts about how the Romans got here, when and where they landed, what they wore and what they ate. Unfortunately, most of it went in one ear and out of the other because all we could think about was Thomas sitting there in the dark under the trapdoor.
“战斧”小姐很可能给我们讲了很多有趣的史实，比如古罗马人如何来到这里，在何时何地登陆，他们吃什么穿什么等等。可惜，对于大部分内容我们都是左耳进右耳出，因为大家满脑子想的都是托马斯被关在活板门下面、坐在一片黑暗之中。
Suddenly, as Miss Battleaxe was describing the construction of Roman roads, the sound of a book falling came from under the floor boards. Almost immediately, Jasmin Juxtapose pushed a book off her desk. "Sorry Miss," she said as she picked it up and received a cold stare from Miss Battleaxe.
当“战斧”小姐给我们讲述古罗马道路的修建情况时，突然从地板下面传来一本书掉落的声音。几乎就在同时，贾丝明·贾克斯塔波斯把一本书从自己的课桌上推了下去。“对不起，老师，”她边说边把书从地上捡起。“战斧”小姐冷冷地瞪了她一眼。
A little later, as Miss Battleaxe was showing us a picture of a Roman centurion and explaining how he tied his toga , there came a loud sneeze from the underworld. Within a second or two, several pupils were all sneezing together and disturbing Miss Battleaxe's presentation.
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