第6章 我最好的朋友阿诺德My Best Friend Arnold

佚名 /Anonymous

I recently lost my best friend Arnold in an automobile accident while moving my family to our new home in Arizona. Arnold was an 8-month-old potbelly who taught me so much about love, devotion and companionship. I am devastated by his loss, but thank God for blessing me with the joy of having Arnold for his short life.

Arnold didn't know he was a pig-he thought he was just another member of our family-modeling his behavior through observing me, my wife, my two daughters and our beagles. He was convinced he was loved by all; and he was, even when he was ornery trying to just get our attention.

He loved to sleep on your lap as you sat on the couch watching TV. He didn't care if he grew to weigh 45 lbs, he still expected you to hoist him onto your lap at precisely 8:00 pm every evening where he would fall fast asleep within seconds after snuggling his wet nose between your neck and shoulder. If you didn't respond to his initial “honks” letting you know it was his nap time, he would bump your legs with his nose until you picked him up. With his weight as it was, you couldn't hold him all evening as he preferred, so you had to slide him off onto the couch next to you where he would sleep for hours with all four legs and his nose sticking straight up in the air. He would snore as long as he could feel you next to him but would immediately wake up if you tried to leave the couch. We had hours of fun balancing objects like a salt shaker on his f lat nose while he slept soundly.

Arnold helped me in all my chores around our f ive acres in the country. Just being there at my feet, interested in what I was doing made even the most mundane tasks enjoyable. When he was out roaming and foraging and you would call out his name, he would come running at top speed, honking the whole way until he got close to you where he would dodge you, zigzagging around before settling down and calmly walking up to you with his tail wagging as if to say “hah, got-cha.”

My wife and two daughters began to say that Arnold and I were so close that he had become the son that I never had in our family. It seemed that we could no longer have any kind of conversation in our family or with our friends without Arnold being a main topic. The neighborhood kids would make appointments to come visit Arnold and couldn't wait to come over and play with him.

Arnold went most everywhere with us-Pet's Mart, Wal-Mart, birthday parties, and Christmas vacation to Grandma's. He loved riding in the car/shopping basket and was a big hit everywhere he went. Arnold had become such an important part of our life that when we found out that our family would have to move to another state, we insisted that the contract on our new house be contingent on the homeowners’ association approval of Arnold in writing before we would agree to purchasing in our prestigious neighborhood.

On the day we left our old home town, we had a going-away lunch with our friends from church. Everyone there just had to go out to the truck where Arnold and all our other pets were and say goodbye. Arnold trusted me to take care of him and get him to his new home. Tragically, along the way, the wind blast from a semi knocked our trailers out of control and pushed our truck off a 40’ bridge. We lost a big part of our family that day when our pets Arnold, Sweeti and Leanna were killed. I feel terrible for not being able to protect Arnold the way he trusted me to. However, I will be forever grateful for the fond memories of him which I will cherish forever.

在我们搬家到亚利桑那州的途中发生了交通意外，从此我失去了我最好的朋友阿诺德。阿诺德是一只八个月大的宠物猪，是它令我更懂得爱，懂得投入和维系情谊。它的离去令我伤心欲绝，不过我还是常感谢上帝赐予我与阿诺德相处的那段短暂却快乐的时光。

阿诺德并不知道自己是一头猪，它认为自己就是家庭中的一员，常常会观察模仿我、我妻子、我两个女儿以及家里那只小猎犬的举动。它相信我们都爱它；的确，我们都爱它，即使它有时为了引起我们的注意，会耍些小性子。

当你坐在沙发上看电视时，它喜欢在你的大腿上打盹。它完全不顾自己已经重达45磅，依旧会期待每晚准时八点钟时，你能把它抱起放在大腿上。它会用湿湿的鼻子依偎着你的脖子和肩膀，但片刻间就进入了梦乡。如果最初它 “哼哼”着提醒你它要睡觉，而你不理睬时，它就会用鼻子拱你的腿，直到你抱起它为止。它这么重，你根本无法像它期待的那样整夜抱着它，因此你得轻轻将它滑下放在旁边的沙发上，接下来的几个小时内它就会四蹄朝上、挺着鼻子呼呼大睡。当感觉到你在身边时，它就会呼呼大睡，而你一想离开，它立马就会醒来。我们常在它熟睡时，把盐瓶那样的小东西摆在它扁平的鼻子上，并使其保持平衡，一玩就是几个小时。

在我们乡下面积约五英亩的地盘上，无论什么家务杂事，阿诺德都会给我帮忙。只要它徘徊在我脚旁，就算我正做着的活儿是世界上最平淡无聊的，也会因此而变得有趣。它在外面闲逛找食吃时，只要你一喊它的名字，它就会以最快的速度飞奔而来，一路上哼哼叫着，快到你跟前时又会捉迷藏似地躲来躲去，最后才安静地走到你跟前，摇着小尾巴仿佛在说：“哈，我可找到你了。”

妻子和两个女儿说，阿诺德跟我这么亲，简直就像是我的儿子，那是我们家一直缺少的角色。无论是我们家还是和亲戚朋友，只要聊起天来，话题好像都离不开阿诺德。邻居家的小孩常会约好来看阿诺德，一来就要和它玩。

不管我们去哪儿，都会带着阿诺德，宠物用品超市、沃尔玛、生日聚会以及去奶奶家过圣诞节。他喜欢坐在车里或是购物篮里，而且所到之处总会引起一阵轰动。阿诺德已经成为我们家里重要的一分子，所以当我们要搬到另一个州买房子时，我们都坚持要在合同里附上街坊邻居的联合书面允诺，同意让阿诺德在该区生活，这样我们才会考虑在那些知名社区里买房。

离开老家的那天，我们和教友一起吃了饯行午餐。在场的每个人都走到货柜车旁边，跟里面的阿诺德和我们的其他宠物告别。不幸的是，在路上一辆半拖车呼啸而过，强烈的侧风气流使我们的拖车失控，货柜继而被抛到四十英尺的桥下。那天家中成员损失惨重，我们的宠物阿诺德、甜甜和莲娜都离开了我们。阿诺德如此地信任我，我却没法保护他，我真的很难受。不过，我将永远珍藏和他一起的深情片段，感激他带来的这段美好回忆。

记忆填空

1.Arnold didn't know he was a_______-he thought he was just another_______of our family-modeling his behavior_______observing me, my wife, my two daughters and our beagles. He was convinced he was_______ by all; and he was, even when he was ornery trying to_______ get our attention.

2.He_______snore as long as he could feel you_______to him but would immediately wake up if you_______to leave the couch. We had_______of fun balancing objects like a salt shaker on his flat nose while he slept_______ .

佳句翻译

1.他的离去令我伤心欲绝，不过我还是常感谢上帝赐予我与阿诺德相处的那段短暂却快乐的时光。

译_______________________________________________________________

2.言语是无法描绘这种关系的，只有亲身经历才能充分体会。

译_______________________________________________________________

3.阿诺德如此地信任我，我却没法保护他，我真的很难受。

译_______________________________________________________________

短语应用

1.He would snore as long as he could feel you next to him but would immediately wake up if you tried to leave the couch.

wake up：醒来；振作起来

造_______________________________________________________________

2.It seemed that we could no longer have any kind of conversation in our family or with our friends without Arnold being a main topic.

no longer：不再

造_______________________________________________________________