“It’s perfect for church，我也已经被警察学院录取了。尽管很不情愿，我还是穿上了它。”
我说：“哇，太好了！”我就一直跟他聊着，一会儿就一起走到了停车场。我记得，丹尼斯在此之后就与我约会了。
我们上大学的时候一直在谈恋爱，最后终于结为夫妻。结婚几个月后，” I said.
“That’s great，我问丹尼斯是否记得第一次向我发出约会邀请的事情。
他答道：“当然记得，在学校的时候，你不爱说话，表现得几乎有点儿冷漠。但是， Lord，我明白，妈妈花费了很长时间才做成这条裙子，只有这个世界上最不懂得感恩的女儿才会拒绝穿上它。所以，我认为你是一个没什么意思的女孩子。然而， Dennis was right beside me.
礼拜一结束，我快速地逃向教堂门口。然而， let me get out of here without anyone seeing me. Especially Dennis Pearce，我不得不站在教堂的台阶上等候，因为父母正在跟朋友聊天。 and eventually got married. Months after our wedding I asked Dennis if he remembered the day he had first asked me out.
I started gabbing a mile a minute，在教堂的台阶上，你跟我谈话时是那么活泼愉快，这使我不由地想更多地了解你。”或许，那条斑马纹的黄裙子并不是我想选择的。然而，那一天， Dennis had never taken any notice of me.
At the end of the service I bolted for the door. But I had to wait on the steps while my parents chatted with their friends. Just a little while longer... Then out of the corner of my eye I saw the Pearce approaching. Before I could escape，它就是我最理想的选择。
心灵小语
也许，你曾讨厌看到她的身影；也许，你曾对她的关爱无动于衷；也许，你还曾对她的谆谆教诲、句句嘱托充耳不闻，更把她的简朴当做迂腐。过分浓烈的颜色，华而不实的莱茵石纽扣，锃亮的漆皮皮带，还有早已过时的蓬起的裙摆，然而，1. She gathered up her wallet and keys.
gather up：收集；拾起
造_______________________________
在教堂做礼拜时，我一直祈祷：“上帝，” Dennis replied. “I got accepted to the police academy.”
2. How were they paid for？
pay for：为……而付钱
造_______________________________
好运斑马裙
Well Dressed
我开始和他不停地聊天，只是为了他不要注意到我那条糟糕的裙子。我对他说：“九月份，我就要去大学报到了。”
玛丽？安？佩奇？皮尔斯 / Mary Ann Pecci Pearce
One Sunday morning in June 1959 my mother walked into my room. “Surprise！” she said，我怎么能对妈妈说，那是我见过的最难看的裙子呢？
妈妈继续高兴地说道：“穿着这条裙子去教堂真是太棒了，我多么希望别人也能够为我缝制一条这样的裙子呀！”
我心想，这条裙子太糟糕了，实在无法穿出去。请别再这样了， hoping if I kept it up he wouldn’t notice my horrible dress. “I’m going to college in September，因为母亲永远是我们最好的老师，尽管她的某些做法会随着岁月的流逝而显得有些迂腐，然而母亲的关爱一如既往，就像一盏明灯，为我们指明前方的道路。
记忆填空
1959年6月，在一个星期日的早晨，妈妈来到我的房间，自豪地举起一条带黑白条纹的黄色连衣裙说：“给你一个惊喜！这是我亲手为你量身缝制的，你觉得怎么样？”
1. Too____ you can’t wear it， I thought.____I knew Mom had_____a lot of time on the dress. Only the world’s most ungrateful daughter would_____. Reluctantly I put it on.
2. At the_____of the service I bolted for the door. But I had to___ on the steps while my parents chatted____their friends. Just a little while longer... Then out of the____of my eye I saw the Pearce approaching. Before I could_____，” my mother continued blithely.“I wish somone had made a dress like this for me.”
Too bad you can’t wear it， Dennis was right beside me.
佳句翻译
1. 然而，我怎么能对妈妈说，那是我见过的最难看的裙子呢？
“You bet I do，” he said. “You were always quiet in school， almost standoffish. I didn’t think you’d be much fun. But you were so animated when we talked on the church steps， the gaudy rhinestone buttons， I wanted to get to know you better.” Maybe that zebra-striped yellow dress wasn’t what I would have chosen， but that day it was the perfect dress for me.
译________________________________
2. 我开始和他不停地聊天，只是为了他不要注意到我那条糟糕的裙子。
译________________________________
3. 或许，那条斑马纹的黄裙子并不是我想选择的。然而， the shiny patent leather belt，那一天，它就是我最理想的选择。
译________________________________
我忍住了， the boy I had a crush on. He was one of the cutest guys at Neptune High. Although we were in some of the same classes，没说话。我等了好一会儿……正在那时，我用眼角的余光瞥见皮尔斯一家人正向我这边走来。就在我要躲到一边的时候，丹尼斯站在了我的身旁。
短语应用
1. Reluctantly I put it on.
put on：穿上
造_______________________________
2. You bet I do...
you bet：一定；当然；的确
“Wow！” I said. Somehow I kept the conversation going. Soon we were walking to the parking lot together. The next thing I knew Dennis had asked me out on a date！
造_______________________________
埃玛的鸭子
Emma’s Ducks
保罗？卡勒 / Paul Karrer
The winter of 1966 hit our university in upstate New York with a ferocity unrivaled in decades. For 3 days straight， the snow swirled and billowed， burying the isolated campus. Here and there stray groups of students struggled single file against the weather， like ducklings following their mother across a road. The female students in dormitory B were confronted with the same problem plaguing the general population of the university.
“How are we going to get to the cafeteria？” asked one.
“We’re not， proudly holding up a yellow dress with black and white stripes. “I made it just for you. What do you think？”
I bit my tongue. How could I tell Mom it was the most hideous dress I had ever seen？ The too-intense colors，” answered another.“Everything out there is white. You can’t see anything.”
A gleam came into the eye of the 3rd girl. She shushed the others' whining， saying triumphantly， “Emma could do it.”
The whining turned to murmur of excitement.“Emma！”“She even manages through the city.” “We could follow her.” “You’re a genius！”
丹尼斯说：“太棒了， the hopelessly out-of-style billowy skirt.
The girls whooped， yelled and clapped for joy. They bundled up and excitedly trooped down the hall to Emma’s room. They found her in the hallway and cornered her before she could even open her door.
“What’s all the excitement？” she asked， smiling.
“Can we follow you to the cafeteria？ We’re blind in this storm.”
They all laughed.
“I suppose so. I’ll go first， I thought. But I knew Mom had spent a lot of time on the dress. Only the world’s most ungrateful daughter would refuse. Reluctantly I put it on.
We courted through college，请你保佑我在离开这里之前不被任何人看到，尤其是丹尼斯？皮尔斯。”他是内普丘恩高中最帅的男生之一，是我暗恋的男孩子。他从来没有注意到我，尽管有些课我们在同一个班级上。
All through church I prayed， and you could hold on to each other’s shoulders.”
“Can we go now？” one girl begged. “I’m starving.”
Emma smiled again. “Sure， let me just get Missy ready.”
She went into her room and returned moments later with a dog on a harness. The girls lined up obediently at the front door， ready to face the cold. They each placed their hands on the shoulders of the girl in front of them.
Emma opened the door to lead them out. “I guess，” she smiled， “you could call this the blind leading the seeing.”