My Mother

My mother is a kind and gentle woman. She is very busy from morning till night. As a teacher she works very hard and very well. As a mother, she takes good care of us and gives us every comfort . I have an elder brother. He and I both love her dearly , as she loves us.

My mother teaches maths at a middle school in my hometown. She goes to the school early in the morning and does not come back home until late in the afternoon. She loves her students, cares for them, and teaches them well. And that is why she is loved by all her students.

My mother lives a busy yet simple life . As soon as she comes back from school, she begins doing housework . Besides, she prepares nice dishes for us to eat. She seems to be on the go all the time. But she looks as happy as ever.

Often she says to us,“Work while you work, and play while you play. That is the way to be happy and gay. If you do not work, you will become lazy and of no use to society .”What a piece of good advice this is ! My mother is great indeed, and I always feel proud of her.

New Words and Expressions（生词和短语）

-gentle ［'ʤentl ］ adj. 温柔的，温和的

-comfort ［'kʌmfət ］ n. 舒服，舒适，安逸

-dearly ［'dɪəli ］ adv. 深情地，由衷地

-housework ［'haʊswɜ:k ］ n. 家务劳动

-lazy ［'leɪzi ］ adj. 懒惰的，懒散的；懒洋洋的

-society ［sə'saɪəti ］ n. 社会

-advice ［əd'vaɪs ］ n. 忠告，忠言，劝告

live a busy yet simple life 过着忙碌而简单的生活

prepare nice dishes 做美味佳肴，准备好吃的菜肴

be on the go 忙个不停，忙忙碌碌

Sentence Patterns（句型练习）

What a piece of good advice this is! 多好的忠告啊！

What a funny story it is! 多么好笑的故事啊！

What a fine day it is! 多么好的天气啊！

参考翻译

我的妈妈

我的妈妈是一位心地善良、性情温和的女性。她从早到晚忙个不停。作为老师，她工作努力，表现突出；作为妈妈，她细心照顾我们，对我们体贴入微。我有一个哥哥，我们兄妹俩深深地爱妈妈，她也爱我们。

我妈妈在我家乡的一所中学教数学。她清晨去学校，下午很晚才回家。她热爱学生，关心学生，教得很好。因此，她受到所有学生的爱戴。

她过着繁忙而简单的生活。她从学校一回来就着手做家务。她还做好吃的菜给我们。她似乎时时刻刻都在忙这忙那，但她脸上总是洋溢着欢乐和幸福。

母亲经常对我们说：“工作的时候就好好工作，玩乐的时候就痛快玩乐，这才是幸福快乐之道。人不干活就会变得懒惰，对社会毫无用处。”多好的忠告啊！我妈妈的确很伟大，我经常为有这样的母亲感到自豪。

鼹鼠和它的妈妈 The Mole and His Mother

A MOLE, a creature blind from birth, once said to his Mother:  "I am sure than I can see, Mother!"  In the desire to prove to him his mistake, his Mother placed before him a few grains of frankincense, and asked, "What is it?'  The young Mole said, "It is a pebble."  His Mother exclaimed:  "My son, I am afraid that you are not only blind, but that you have lost your sense of smell. “

传说鼹鼠的眼睛是瞎的，可小鼹鼠却对妈妈说他能看得见。妈想试验他一下，便拿来一小块香喷喷的食物，放在他面前，并问他是什么。他说是一颗小石头。母亲说：“啊，不幸的孩子，你不但眼睛看不见，连鼻子也没用了。”

这故事是说，那些爱吹牛说大话的人，常常夸海口能做大事，却在一些微不足道的事情上暴露了本质。

The Song of the Old Mother 母亲之歌

William Butler Yeats

威廉•巴特勒•叶芝

I rise in the dawn, kneel and blow, till the seed of fire flicker and glow.

我在清晨起床，跪在火炉旁用力吹着炉膛 直到点点火星燃起，摇曳着红光。

and then i must scrub and blake and sweep, till stars are beginning to blink and peep.

然后，擦洗器具，烘烤食物，打扫庭院 直到群星满布，在天空眨眼窥探。

and the young lie long and dream in their bed of the matching of ribbons for bosom and head.

孩子们睡到很晚，沉迷梦乡 为美丽的人儿整理华装。

and their day goes over idleness, and they sigh if the wind but lift the tress.

他们的日子在虚空中流淌， 只为那风吹散的长发留一声喟叹。

while i must work, because i am old, and the seed of the fire gets feeble and cold.

而我必须要劳作，因为我老了， 那燃烧的火种也渐渐微弱，冷却了。