Before You Read
阅读准备

Sue 苏

I'm just a poor artist living with my best friend Johnsy. It's getting really cold, and Johnsy has come down with pneumonia. The doctor doesn't give Johnsy much hope of surviving. This breaks my heart!

我是个穷艺术家，和我的好朋友约翰茜住在一起。现在天气变得好冷啊，约翰茜得了肺炎。医生觉得她活下去的希望很渺茫。我的心都要碎了！

Johnsy 约翰茜

I feel so sick and I'm tired. I know I will die soon. I just want to hold on until the last leaf of the ivy branch falls. Soon the last leaf will fall, and I too will die.

我觉得很难受，疲惫不堪。我知道自己快要死了。我只想坚持到常春藤上最后一片叶子落下。那片叶子就快掉了，我也就要死了。

Behrman 贝尔曼

What is this nonsense? The little girl thinks she will die when a leaf falls from a vine? This is crazy! I must do something to protect the poor little thing.

这是什么鬼话！那个小姑娘认为常春藤的最后一片叶子一落，她就要死了？这真是荒唐！我得做点儿什么来保护这个小可怜儿。

Soapy 索皮

Brr! I guess it's time for me to arrange my annual winter trip to the Island. No, no, it's not an island in the Caribbean. It's the Island near New York City where the prison is. I just have to figure out how to get there.

哎哟哟！我觉得是时候了——我得安排一下，到岛上去过每年的冬假了。不，不是的，我说的可不是加勒比海上的岛屿，而是纽约市附近的那个岛，监狱就在那儿。我得好好合计一下，怎么才能去那儿呢？

Jimmy 吉米

Twenty years! That's how long it's been since I last saw my childhood friend. But tonight, we will meet again. That's right, we made an appointment to meet at the very restaurant where we parted ways 20 years ago. It's a hardware store now. Wait, there's someone at the doorway.

二十年了！我和儿时的伙伴都分开这么久了！不过今晚我们就要重逢了。是的，二十年前分道扬镳时，我们曾约定，要在分手的这家饭店再会。现在这里已经成了一家五金店了。等等，门口有个人。

Bob 鲍勃

Hey there. Do you know a guy named Jimmy Wells? I'm supposed to meet him right here, at 10 o'clock p.m. I wonder if Jimmy changed. I certainly have changed a bit myself. And I did pretty well.

你好，你认识一个叫吉米·韦尔斯的人吗？今晚十点，我要在这儿跟他见面。我不知道吉米有没有变化，我自己当然是已经变了不少，而且还混得挺不错。 CcDuN1rYhvdJkMTYzFFdLIJ3gyzABP6YkQaLHbSb2IbFUKhx9mVE+m/+4+T1FywT