新概念一生必读的英语经典美文第11篇：小小的谎言

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[00:00.40]11. A fib 小小的谎言
[00:06.81]I was six years old and my sister, Sally Kay, was a submissive three.那一年我6岁，听话的妹妹萨利凯只有3岁。
[00:13.88]For some reason, I thought we needed to earn some money. 出于某种原因，我认为我们需要挣一些钱。
[00:18.80]I decided we should "hire out" as maids. 我觉得我们应该去“打工”做女佣。
[00:22.22]We visited the neighbors, offering to clean houses for them for a quarter cents.  于是，我们去拜访邻居们，提出为他们打扫房子，开价25美分。
[00:27.63]Reasonable as our offer was, there were no takers. 虽然我们的提议合情合理，但是却没有人愿意雇用我们。
[00:33.16]But one neighbor telephoned Mother to let her know what Mary Alice and Sally Kay were doing. 并且还有一位邻居打电话给我们的母亲，告诉她玛丽艾丽丝和萨莉凯所做的事情。
[00:38.95]Mother had just hung up the phone when we came bursting through the back door, into the kitchen of our apartment.我们推开后门走进自家厨房的时候，母亲刚刚挂上电话。
[00:46.74]"Girls," Mother asked, "Why were you two going around the neighborhood telling people you would clean their houses?"  “姑娘们，”母亲问道，“你们俩为什么告诉邻居们想给他们打扫房子？”
[00:55.31]Mother wasn't angry with us. 母亲并未生我俩的气。
[00:58.64]In fact, we learned afterwards, she was amused that we had come up wih such an idea. 我们后来才知道，事实上，她为我们冒出那样的想法而觉得有趣。
[01:05.48]But, for some reason, we both denied having done any such thing. 但不知为何，我俩一致否认做过这样的事情。
[01:12.90]Shocked and terribly hurt that her dear little girls could be such "bold-faced liars," 没有想到两个可爱的小女儿竟然会是“厚颜无耻的撒谎精”，母亲大为震惊和伤心。
[01:18.64]Mother then told us that Mrs. Jones had just called to tell her we had been to her house and said we would clean it for a quarter.  然后，她告诉我琼斯太太刚刚打过电话来，告诉她我们去过她家并提出25美分为她打扫房子。
[01:27.72]Faced with the Truth, we admitted what we had done. 在事实面前，我们只好承认自己的所作所为。
[01:32.33]Mother said that we had "fibbed."母亲说我们“撒谎”了。
[01:35.24]We had not told the Truth. 我们没有说真话。
[01:37.35]She was sure that we knew better. 她相信我们是无心之过。
[01:40.26]She tried to explain why a fib hurt but she didn't feel that we really understood.  她尽量向我们解释为什么撒谎会伤害别人，但是她觉得我们并未真的明白。
[01:46.40]Years later, she told us that the "lesson" she came up with for trying to teach us to be truthful would probably have been frowned upon by child psychologists. 数年之后，母亲告诉我们，儿童心理学家们对她随后的诚实教育的做法很可能是不赞同的。
[01:58.51]The idea came to her in a flash... and our tender-hearted mother told us it was the most difficult lesson she ever taught us. 她当时也是突发奇想......温柔的母亲告诉我们，那是她对我们的教导中最困难的一次。
[02:08.25]It was a lesson we never forgot.   也是我们终生难忘的一课。
[02:11.87]After admonishing us, Mother cheerfully began preparing for lunch. 在告诫完我们之后，母亲开始饶有兴致地做午餐。
[02:17.91]As we munched on sandwiches, she asked, 当我们大口咬着三明治的时候，她问我们：
[02:21.76]"Would you two like to go to th moives this afternoon?"  “今天下午，你们俩愿意去看电影吗？”
[02:25.93]"Wow! Would we ever!"“哇！我们当然愿意！”
[02:28.37]We wondered what movie would be playing. 我们猜想要去看什么电影。
[02:31.57]Mother said The Matinee. Oh, fantastic! 母亲说是《马蒂尼》。奥，太棒了！
[02:36.69]We would be going to The matinee! Weren't we lucky? 我们要去看《马蒂尼》了！我们不是很幸运吗？
[02:40.99]We got bathed and all dressed up. It was like getting ready for a birthday party. 我们洗了澡，穿戴整齐，就像去赴一个生日宴会一样。
[02:47.90]We hurried outside the apartment, not wanting to miss the bus that would take us downtown. 我们迅速出了门，去赶开往市区的公共汽车。
[02:54.56]On the landing, Mother stunned us by saying, 到了车站，母亲的一句话把我们惊呆了：
[02:58.79]"Girls, we are not going to the movies today."  “姑娘们，我们今天不去看电影了。”
[03:02.50]We didn't hear her right. "What?" we objected. 我们一下没反应过来。“什么？”我们抗议道。
[03:07.17]"What do you mean? Aren't we going to The Matinee? “什么意思？我们不去看《马蒂尼》了吗？
[03:11.20]Mommy, you SAID we were going to go the The Matinee!"  妈妈，你过说要带我们去看《马蒂尼》的！”
[03:14.98]Mother stooped and gathered us in her arms. 母亲弯下了腰，搂住我俩。
[03:19.22]I couldn't understand why there were tears in her eyes. 我不明白她的眼睛里为什么会有泪。
[03:23.48]We still had time to get the bus. 我们还有时间坐公共汽车。
[03:26.37]But hugging us, she gently explained that this was what a fib felt like.  但是，她拥抱着我们，轻声解释说这就是被谎言欺骗的感觉。
[03:32.31]"It is important that what we SAY is TRUE," Mother said, " I fibbed to you just now and it felt awful to me.  “说真话是非常重要的，”母亲说。“我刚才对你们撒了谎，我觉得糟透了。
[03:42.39]I don't ever want to fib again and I'm sure you don't want to fib again either. 我不愿意再撒谎了，我相信你们也不愿意再撒谎了。
[03:49.80]People must be able to believe each other. Do you understand?"人与人之间必须互相信任。你们明白了吗？”
[03:54.32]We assured her that we understood. We would never forget.  我们向她保证我们明白了。我们永远也不会忘记。
[03:59.60]And since we had learned the leeson. Why not go on to The Matinee? There was still time.  既然我们已经接受了思想教育，为什么不接着去看《马蒂尼》呢？我们还有时间。
[04:07.40]"Not today," Mother told us. We would go another time.  “不是今天，”母亲告诉我们。我们改天去。
[04:13.13]That is how, over fifty years ago, my sister and I learned to be truthful. 这便是50多年前我和妹妹如何学会了诚实。
[04:20.11]We have never forgotten how much a fib can hurt.   我们从未忘记一个谎言会造成多大的伤害。

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新概念一生必读的英语经典美文第11篇：小小的谎言