LESSON 7 THE TRUANT 逃学者

1.James Brown was ten years old when his parents sent him to school.It was not far from his home, and therefore they sent him by himself.

2.But, instead of going to school, he was in the habit of playing truant.He would go into the fi elds, or spend his time with idle boys.

3.But this was not all.When he went home, he would falsely tell his mother that he had been to school, and had said his lessons very well.

4.One fi ne morning, his mother told James to make haste home from school, for she wished, after he had come back, to take him to his aunt’s.

5.But, instead of minding her, he went off to the water, where there were some boats.There he met plenty of idle boys.

6.Some of these boys found that James had money, which his aunt had given him; and he was led by them to hire a boat, and to go with them upon the water.

7.Little did James think of the danger into which he was running.Soon the wind began to blow, and none of them knew how to manage the boat.

8.For some time, they struggled against the wind and the tide.At last, they became so tired that they could row no longer.

9.A large wave upset the boat, and they were all thrown into the water.Think of James Brown, the truant, at this time!

10.He was far from home, known by no one.His parents were ignorant of his danger.He was struggling in the water, on the point of being drowned.

11.Some men, however, saw the boys, and went out to them in a boat.They reached them just in time to save them from a watery grave.

12.They were taken into a house, where their clothes were dried.After a while, they were sent home to their parents.

13.James was very sorry for his conduct, and he was never known to be guilty of the same thing again.

14.He became regular at school, learned to attend to his books, and, above all, to obey his parents perfectly.

【中文阅读】

1.詹姆斯·布朗十岁那年，父母送他去学校读书。学校离家不远，所以父母让他自己去上学。

2.但是，他并没有按时去学校，反而养成了逃学的坏习惯。他要么去田野里玩，要么跟一些游手好闲的孩子在一起消磨时光。

3.不仅逃学，当他回家时，他还跟他妈妈撒谎，说自己去上学了，而且课程非常精彩。

4.一天早上，天气晴朗，妈妈告诉詹姆斯放学后赶紧回家，因为想带他一起去姨妈家。

5.然而，他没有将妈妈的叮嘱放在心上，而是独自去了海边，那里有一些船，他还遇到了几个无所事事的小男孩。

6.其中几个男孩发现詹姆斯身上有钱，这可是姨妈以前给的零花钱。詹姆斯被他们诱导着去租了一条小船，与大家一起驶向大海。

7.詹姆斯根本没有意识到他将面临的危险。不久，水面上刮起了大风，他们都不知道如何控制小船。

8.有那么一小会儿，他们挣扎着逆风而行。很快，他们都精疲力竭，再也划不动船桨了。

9.一个大浪打来，船翻了，他们都落入了水中。现在，可想而知，詹姆斯——这个逃学的家伙，是什么境遇！

10.他已经离家很远了，没有人认识他。他的父母根本不知道他正处在危险之中。他在水中挣扎，几乎要被淹死。

11.幸好一些大人看见了这些孩子，赶快乘船来救他们。大人们及时赶到，把他们从死亡的边缘救了回来。

12.他们被带进了一所房子，将湿衣服烘干。过了一会儿，他们被送回了各自的家中。

13.詹姆斯为自己的行为感到很难过，他从此再也没有犯过类似让他内疚的错误。

14.他成了一个按时上学、认真听课的孩子。更重要的是，他完全听父母的话了。