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The Mixed Exam喜忧参半的考试 |
012
历史对于我来说一直是个弱项，每每考试将近时，我都会有点忧心忡忡，这不，最近最令我头疼的考试又要来了。
01 The nearer the examination is, the more nervous I feel .
离考试越近我越觉得紧张。
02 Although the exam means the winter vacation is not far away, but I’m very worried that the result will not be good.
尽管考试意味着寒假即将来临，但是我却担心会考砸。
03 Every time after the exam I will be afraid of failing the exams.
每当考完试我就害怕会考不及格。
04 My math is poor, so I’m worried that the test will be failed again.
我的数学不好，所以总担心这次考试又考砸了。
05 The examination results came out. My achievement was good, and the heart of the stone finally fell
这次考试成绩出来了，我的成绩还不错，心里的石头总算落下了。
06 He was afraid that he would let his parents down, so he was very anxious about this test .
他担心会让父母失望，所以对这次考试非常焦虑。
07 I’m so happy today, because I learned that I passed the exam.
因为知道我考试通过了，所以我现在很开心。
You Look Happy Today!
Jasmine : You look happy today!
Jim : I am happy. I just learned that I passed my physics exam.
Jasmine : Congratulations! I’m glad that somebody’s happy.
Jim : Why? What’s the matter?
Jasmine : Oh, I’m just worried. I guess I have to take a history exam next week.
你今天看起来很高兴！
茉莉： 你今天看起来很高兴！
吉姆： 我确实很高兴，我刚得知我物理考试及格了。
茉莉： 祝贺你！我庆幸有人很高兴。
吉姆： 怎么啦？你有什么事犯愁吗？
茉莉： 噢，我想我只是有些担忧，下星期我要参加历史考试。
★ physics n. 物理，物理学
★ history n. 历史，史学，历史书；履历；病历，病史
Angel on Canvas
Brush es and paint were spread around me in my den .
I laid the first layer of blue paint across the paper, a “wash” I remembered my teacher calling it. I closed my eyes and tried to envision what it was I wanted to paint. But all I could see was a vast dark void , swirling , menacing storm clouds that seemed to envelop me. My mind was full of anger, fear, panic .
My eleven—year marriage was over. Our finances, I’d discovered, were in shamble s. In a few days I would have to leave this house, the place I’d hoped to make a home for my children and husband. Everywhere I looked I was reminded of failure, of cherish ed dreams that hadn’t turned out the way I’d planned.
Like this painting, I thought. A few shapeless stroke s on a piece of paper. I stared at it, trying to imagine a scene, someplace far away, something soothing . It was no use.
I’d been an actress all my life, but painting was new to me. I’d only had two one—hour lessons from an artist who had offered to teach me the basics of watercolor . I’d happily accepted, eager for anything that could take my mind away from court filin s and financial documents.
“ Visualize the details of what you’re painting,” my instructor said. “See the shapes and colors, the whites and darks. Sometimes it’s what you don’t see that’s most important.”
★brush [brʌʃ] n. 刷子；画笔；毛笔；争吵 vt. 刷；画 vi. 刷；擦过；掠过
★den [den] n. 贼窝，私室；兽穴，窝巢；小房间 vi. 藏到洞里；住在肮脏简陋的小房间里 vt. 把……赶进洞穴
★layer [‘leiə] n. 层，阶层；地层 vt. 用压条法培植；把……堆积成层 vi. 借助压条法生根繁殖
★envision [in’viʒən] vt. 想象；预想
★void [vɔid] adj. 空的；无效的；无人的 n. 空虚；空间；空隙 vt. 使无效；排放
★swirling [swə:liŋ] n. 漩涡；涡流 adj. 打旋的 v. 打旋；眩晕；使成漩涡（swirl的现在分词形式）
★menacing [‘menəsiŋ] adj. 威胁的；险恶的 v. 威胁（menace的ing形式）；恐吓
★panic [‘pænik] n. 恐慌，惊慌；大恐慌 adj. 恐慌的；没有理由的 vt. 使恐慌 vi. 十分惊慌
★shamble [ʃæmbl] vi. 蹒跚地走；摇晃不稳；摇摇晃晃地走 n. 蹒跚；摇晃的脚步
★cherish [‘tʃeriʃ] vt. 珍爱；怀抱
★shapeless [‘ʃeiplis] adj. 不成形的；不定形的；不像样的
★stroke [strəuk] n. 中风；冲程；笔画；打击；尝试；轻抚 vt. 抚摸；敲击；划尾桨；划掉 vi. 击球；作尾桨手
★soothing [‘su:ðiŋ] adj. 抚慰的；使人宽心的 v. 安慰；减轻痛苦（soothe的现在分词）
★watercolor [‘wɔ:tə,kʌlə, ‘wɔ-] n. 水彩画，水彩；水彩颜料 adj. 水彩的，水彩画的
★filin [‘failiŋ] n. 文件归档；锉；锉屑 vt. 锉（file的现在分词）
★visualize [‘vizjuəlaiz] vt. 形象，形象化；想象，设想 vi. 显现
★instructor [in’strʌktə] n. 指导书；教员；指导者
帆布上的“天使”
在我的小书房里，画笔和颜料散落在我周围。
我在纸上用蓝色颜料涂上第一层，记得我的老师把这称为“底色”。我闭上眼睛，试着去想象我要画的东西。但是，我所能看到的只有巨大的黑洞，令人压抑的重重乌云如漩涡翻涌，仿佛要将我吞噬。我脑子里满是愤怒、恐惧、惊慌。
我十一年的婚姻破裂了。我们的财务状况，我发现，也是一团糟。我必须在几天内搬离这所房子——这个我一直想要为我的丈夫和孩子营造一个“家”的地方。我目所能及的每处地方都会让我回想起挫败，回想起那些没有按照我的计划去实现的美梦。
我的生活就像这幅画一样，我心想。在一张纸上，只有那么不像样的几笔。我凝视着它，试着去想象一幅场景，某个遥远的地方，以及一些抚慰人心的事，只是，这样做毫无用处。
我当了一辈子的演员，绘画对我而言却是一种新体验。之前有一位艺术家主动要教我水彩画基础知识，我只上了两堂一小时的课程。我很乐意让他教我，一心想着要找些东西让自己的思想从法庭文件及财务文件中抽离出来。
“想象一下你将要画的事物的细节，”我的导师说道，“看看它们的形状及颜色，所有的白色及深色。有些时候，你看不到的东西才是最重要的。”