A Fish for Benny 班尼的鱼
文章来源:未知 文章作者:enread 发布时间:2011-09-16 02:28 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

"Rats!" I groaned1. "Is he coming along?"

I stared disgustedly at my new stepbrother, Benny, sitting in the back seat of Dad's car. Benny is eight, short and thin with beady eyes(警惕) and big ears. Now that Mom and Dad are divorced, I only see Dad every other weekend, and Benny is always horning in. He ruins everything.

The time we went hiking, he got a blister2(水疱) . The zoo made him sneeze. At the baseball game he got a peanut up his nose. If Dad had to remarry, I don't see why he picked Benny's mother. I mean, she's OK. It's just too bad that Benny was included in the deal.

Today Dad and I were going deep-sea fishing for the first time. Now it was spoiled.

"Joe," Dad said in his patient voice, "Benny's your brother—"

"Some brother!"

"We'll have a good time," Dad promised. "Better bring a jacket."

"What for?" I glanced at the steel-colored Florida sky. "It's hot today."

The fishing boat was a scabby(脏兮兮的) old tub, but when you're only paying 15 dollars a person for three hours of fishing, you don't get the Queen Elizabeth II. There were several people on board, sitting on benches on each side of the deck. A few were in the cabin.

The captain's mate gave each of us a rod and reel and a bucket of bait(诱饵) before we cast off.

"We're making up a jackpot for whoever catches the biggest fish," the mate said. "If you guys want in on it, it will cost you a buck3 a piece."

Dad gave him three dollars. I figured paying for Benny was wasted money. He probably wouldn't even bait his hook.

I was right. The kid stared suspiciously into the bucket and made a face.

"This stuff stinks5! What is it?"

"Dead fish," I told him.

"Do I have to touch it?"

"If you want to bait your hook, you do."

"Here, Benny," Dad said, "take my rod. The hook's baited and in the water. I'll use yours."

"OK!" said Benny. He gripped the handle of the rod as if his life depended on it.

A breeze had sprung up, and the waves were choppy(波涛汹涌的) . Some clouds slid over the sun. Nobody caught anything.

Then Benny said, "Something's jerking my line. What should I do?"

"Jerk back!" I told him. I reached for his rod. "I'll get it for you!"

"Let him do it, Joe," Dad said. "Pull, Benny, and hang on tight!"

Wouldn't you know it? Benny caught the first fish—ttle snapper—and he acted as if it were a prize marlin(枪鱼) .

Meanwhile the sky had grown dark, and the breeze had turned into a stiff wind, The waves rose higher. Drops of rain slapped our faces, the temperature dropped, and thunder rumbled6 in the distance. The boat rocked like a runaway7 cradle.

Dad's face turned green.

"I think I'll go below," he said as he handed me his rod. "Look after Benny."

He staggered across the deck and bent8 over the rail.

I had expected Benny to get seasick9, but not Dad. Well, the kid would probably be next.

The waves were really high now. One second the boat seemed to be standing10 on a hilltop, and the next it would plunge11 into a valley. I clung to the rail and watched the waves rise and fall.

My stomach suddenly heaved, and a bitter taste rose into my throat. I leaned over the rail and lost my lunch. I'd never been so sick in all my life—and I was freezing! Goosebumps(鸡皮疙瘩) stood out on my arms like grapefruits. Why hadn't I worn a jacket? Why had I even come? Who needed to go deep-sea fishing anyway? I suddenly realized I hated fish—especially the dead ones in the bait buckets. The stink4 of them filled my nose, my head—my stomach! Breakfast followed lunch.

"Maybe you'd better go inside the cabin, Joe," said Benny. "I'll help you."

"I don't need any help!"

But I did. I was so weak my legs trembled. I could never have crossed that squirming deck if Benny hadn't supported me. The kid was stronger than he looked. He helped me down the steps and steered12 me to the bench where Dad was sitting with his head drooping13 on his chest.

Dad briefly14 stared at us with bleary eyes before closing them again. I knew just how he felt.

It was warmer in the cabin, but I kept shivering while I tried to keep my stomach from crawling into my mouth.

Benny took off his windbreaker and draped it over my shoulders. "You'd better lie down on the bench and put your head on my lap," he said.

I lay there for the rest of that miserable15 voyage. When I finally tottered16(蹒跚,踉跄) off the boat, I said I'd never step off solid ground again. Dad said he felt the same way.

I thanked Benny for his jacket—and for his skinny thighs17, which had made a pillow for my woozy(虚弱的) head.

"No problem!" Benny grinned. "What are brothers for?"

"To make money!" I pointed18 at the bundle of dollar bills he was carrying. Because of the storm, nobody else had caught a fish, so Benny had won the jackpot.

He deserved it.



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 groaned 1a076da0ddbd778a674301b2b29dff71     
v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦
参考例句:
  • He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
  • The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 blister otwz3     
n.水疱;(油漆等的)气泡;v.(使)起泡
参考例句:
  • I got a huge blister on my foot and I couldn't run any farther.我脚上长了一个大水泡,没办法继续跑。
  • I have a blister on my heel because my shoe is too tight.鞋子太紧了,我脚后跟起了个泡。
3 buck ESky8     
n.雄鹿,雄兔;v.马离地跳跃
参考例句:
  • The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
  • The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。
4 stink ZG5zA     
vi.发出恶臭;糟透,招人厌恶;n.恶臭
参考例句:
  • The stink of the rotten fish turned my stomach.腐烂的鱼臭味使我恶心。
  • The room has awful stink.那个房间散发着难闻的臭气。
5 stinks 6254e99acfa1f76e5581ffe6c369f803     
v.散发出恶臭( stink的第三人称单数 );发臭味;名声臭;糟透
参考例句:
  • The whole scheme stinks to high heaven—don't get involved in it. 整件事十分卑鄙龌龊——可别陷了进去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The soup stinks of garlic. 这汤有大蒜气味。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
6 rumbled e155775f10a34eef1cb1235a085c6253     
发出隆隆声,发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 轰鸣着缓慢行进; 发现…的真相; 看穿(阴谋)
参考例句:
  • The machine rumbled as it started up. 机器轰鸣着发动起来。
  • Things rapidly became calm, though beneath the surface the argument rumbled on. 事情迅速平静下来了,然而,在这种平静的表面背后争论如隆隆雷声,持续不断。
7 runaway jD4y5     
n.逃走的人,逃亡,亡命者;adj.逃亡的,逃走的
参考例句:
  • The police have not found the runaway to date.警察迄今没抓到逃犯。
  • He was praised for bringing up the runaway horse.他勒住了脱缰之马受到了表扬。
8 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
参考例句:
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
9 seasick seasick     
adj.晕船的
参考例句:
  • When I get seasick,I throw up my food.我一晕船就呕吐。
  • He got seasick during the voyage.在航行中他晕船。
10 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
11 plunge 228zO     
v.跳入,(使)投入,(使)陷入;猛冲
参考例句:
  • Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
  • That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。
12 steered dee52ce2903883456c9b7a7f258660e5     
v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 );操纵;控制;引导
参考例句:
  • He steered the boat into the harbour. 他把船开进港。
  • The freighter steered out of Santiago Bay that evening. 那天晚上货轮驶出了圣地亚哥湾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 drooping drooping     
adj. 下垂的,无力的 动词droop的现在分词
参考例句:
  • The drooping willows are waving gently in the morning breeze. 晨风中垂柳袅袅。
  • The branches of the drooping willows were swaying lightly. 垂柳轻飘飘地摆动。
14 briefly 9Styo     
adv.简单地,简短地
参考例句:
  • I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
  • He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。
15 miserable g18yk     
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的
参考例句:
  • It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他,这是可耻的。
  • Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。
16 tottered 60930887e634cc81d6b03c2dda74833f     
v.走得或动得不稳( totter的过去式和过去分词 );踉跄;蹒跚;摇摇欲坠
参考例句:
  • The pile of books tottered then fell. 这堆书晃了几下,然后就倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The wounded soldier tottered to his feet. 伤员摇摇晃晃地站了起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 thighs e4741ffc827755fcb63c8b296150ab4e     
n.股,大腿( thigh的名词复数 );食用的鸡(等的)腿
参考例句:
  • He's gone to London for skin grafts on his thighs. 他去伦敦做大腿植皮手术了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The water came up to the fisherman's thighs. 水没到了渔夫的大腿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
TAG标签: fish father brother
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