第四十四讲

    Text Study
    Para. 11 Devastated, I limped back to college. By midterms my grades weren’t looking good. I called my father. “Dad, I might not be able to hang on to my scholarship.”
    Para. 12 My father said, “David, I’ll do everything I can to keep you in school. But you’ve got to be able to look me in the eye and say ‘I did my best.’” He knew I hadn’t.
    Translation
    Para. 11 我备受打击，无精打采地回到了学校。到期中考试时，我的成绩很糟。我给父亲打了电话，对他说，“爸爸，我大概无法保住奖学金了。”Para. 12 父亲回答说，“大卫，我会竭尽全力让你继续读书，但是你必须能看着我的眼睛并对我说‘我已经尽力了。’” 他知道我并没有全力以赴。

    midterm
    adj. 中间的，（学期）期中的
    e.g.
    There is going to be a midterm examination next week.
    下周将进行期中考试。
    n. 期中考试，midterms: 一系列的期中考试
    e.g.
    The teacher praised us for having done quite well in the midterms.
    老师表扬我们在期中考试中发挥出色。

    devastate
    vt. 毁坏；压倒，击垮
    e.g.
    a. A storm devastated the island.
    一场暴风雨使这个岛遭到彻底破坏。
    b. They intended to devastate the town at one stroke.?
    他们企图一举摧毁全城。

    limp
    vi. 跛行，蹒跚
    e.g.
    a. He walks with a limp.
    他走路一瘸一拐的。
    b. It would always limp. It would always be lame.?
    它永远都要一瘸一拐的走路，它是个瘸子。

    Text Study
    Para. 13 It was humbling. I sat down and cracked the books. My grades went up and I kept the scholarship. I was the first Suzuki in the clan to graduate from university.

    Translation
    Para. 13 这件事真让人丢脸。我静下心来，拿起书本开始用功。我的成绩终于上去了，保住了奖学金。我是我们铃木家族第一个大学毕业生。

    crack
    vt. 打开；( 使) 破裂
    e.g.
    But at last the shells cracked, one after another.
    最后, 蛋壳一个接着一个地裂开了。
    n. 裂缝；噼啪声
    e.g.
    There's a crack in this cup.
    这个杯子上有个裂缝。

    Para. 13
    14. I sat down and cracked the books. (Para. 13)
    我坐下来，拿起书本开始用功。
    crack a book: 翻阅书本, 钻研书本
    常用短语：
    hit the books （美式口语）啃书本, 用功；
    dip into a book 浏览一本书, 随便翻阅