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在成长的过程中，我们会遇到许多不如意的事，而在这个时候遇到一位善解人意的好老师将是多么幸运的事。琳达就是这样一个幸运的女孩。
“Shame on you! A sixth-grader and still acting like a barbarian1!” Mrs Brimm snarled2, shoving me into the office.
Nobody even cares about my side! I thought, pushing back a burst anger. John and those guys can trip3/ me and call me names all year, and every time I start to pay someone back, Mrs Brimm, with a very fierce look on her face, shows up.
“When are you going to grow up and behave like a young lady...” Mrs Brimm yakked4 on endlessly, while I tried covertly5 to inspect what was left of my right upper arm. It was the same arm that punched John and his friends when they called me “Pole”, “Bamboo”, “Cucumber”.
I was the first to admit that I was not beauty. I had sprouted to my present unenviable height of five-foot-eight, leaving me “as scrawny6 as a plucked crow”, as my grandma was fond of saying. Braces on both upper and lower teeth, corrective shoes and the hated glasses did nothing to improve the picture. Although I hunched my shoulders and stooped to look smaller, I was still the tallest kid in the whole school, quite alien to the other girls.
This was the third time since school began that I’d been caught by Mrs Brimm for fighting. She wouldn’t spare me and told my parents about it. Following a scolding and a grim7 trip with my parents to John’s house, where I was made to “apologize”. Now I stood outside the classroom, hesitating at the thought of seeing all the smug8 faces of my classmates.
A hand touched my shoulder and Mrs Peterson’s friendly voice said, “There you are! My goodness, I’ve missed you, Linda.” I looked up into her crinkling eyes. “I’ve been thinking that our room needs some beautification. Perhaps a mural of horses you can sketch well? You’re tall enough to make it fill the bulletin board. Would you come over to my desk when the class settles down and I’ll explain what I have in mind in more detail?” I nodded, feeling warmed and honored as always by her attention.
Alice grinned and poked me as I walked into the classroom. Suddenly, from behind me I heard some whispers. “Hey, the pole.” That was Cherri. I’ll get you after school, I thought fiercely. “Cucumber, cucumber,” singsonged Wardie under his breath, and John’s voice came ranting, “Here’s the advertisement. Did you lose your bamboo?”The laughter boiled up, making my whole body turn into a highly explosive boiler.
Then came another voice, resonant9 and musical, dousing10 the whispers and laughter instantly. “Bamboo?” asked Mrs Peterson. “Did someone call our Linda a bamboo?” she asked again, incredulously.
Our Linda! Mrs Peterson made me almost stop breathing with amazement. “Why, I always think of our Linda as our Powers model.”All uncomprehending faces looked at her blankly. “Why, the Powers Modeling Agency has the most famous models in the world,” she continued to her rapt11 audience. “All of their models are required to be at least six feet tall.” A little gasp from the class, including me. A few pairs of eyes glanced at me appraisingly, but this time, instead of slouching12 at their gaze, I stood straighter, wishing for the first time in my life that I was even taller.
“Do you know why these models have to be so tall?” she asked. A slow shake of the corporate head. “Why, it’s because tall women are slender and statuesque13, which makes clothing hang more beautifully, gracefully and smoothly.”
Beautifully, gracefully and smoothly! With these words. I walked regally14 to my desk. The kids in the aisle, even John, hastily squeezed aside to clear a path. I had a lot of thinking to do. For example, how should I develop my artistic talents before I become a great model? I sat down in the seat, savoring the conception15 of a horse. A slender and statuesque horse cavorting16 beautifully, gracefully and smoothly!
“真替你害臊！都上六年级了，还这么野蛮！”布里姆夫人将我推进办公室时大声咆哮道。
没有人为我着想！我强压住心头的怒火，愤愤不平地想。这一年，约翰和那些家伙一直在挑我的毛病，给我起绰号，而每一次我开始向某人回击的时候，面带凶相的布里姆夫人就会出现。
“你什么时候才能长大，才能像一个淑女……”当布里姆夫人喋喋不休地说话时，我则在暗地里察看她刚才推我时在我的右上臂留下的红印子。当约翰和他的朋友们叫我“长杆子”“竹竿子”和“黄瓜”时，我就是用这条胳膊奋力还击的。
我从一开始就知道自己长得不漂亮。我现在已经长到惹人嘲笑的5.8英尺（相当于1.77米），让我“瘦得像一只拔了毛的乌鸦”，正如奶奶常说的那样。戴着矫正满嘴牙齿的牙套、穿着矫正鞋戴着讨厌的眼镜并不能让我的形象有所改善。虽然尽量垂肩躬腰，以便让自己看起来矮一点，但我仍然是全校最高的孩子，与其他同学格格不入。
这是开学后我第三次因打架而被布里姆夫人逮住了。她不愿意原谅我，将此事告诉了我父母。我受到了父母的数落，还要在他们的带领下去约翰家向他道歉。如今，我站在教室外面，迟迟不敢进去，害怕看见同学们那些洋洋得意的脸。
一只手碰了碰我的肩膀，耳边响起了彼德森夫人友好的声音：“你在这儿！我的天哪，我一直在找你，琳达。”我抬起头，看着彼德森夫人那布满皱纹的眼睛。“我打算美化一下教室。你擅长画马，也许可以画一幅马来做壁画。你个子又高，可以把整个公告牌都画满。你愿意放学后到我办公室来一下吗？我跟你详细谈谈这幅画的构思。”我点点头，心里感到一阵温暖，并以总是得到她的注意为荣。
当我走进教室的时候，艾丽丝冲我咧嘴怪笑、指指戳戳。突然，我听到身后有人低声说 ：“嗨，长杆子。”那是切里。我下课后再找你算账！我恶狠狠地想。“黄瓜，黄瓜，”沃迪哼唱起来。约翰则大声说：“这里有一条启事。你把竹竿子弄丢了吗？”教室里爆发出一阵哄堂大笑。我的整个身体如同一个压力过大的锅炉，马上就要爆炸了。
就在这时，一个洪亮、悦耳的声音响了起来，立刻将窃窃私语声和大笑声浇灭了。“竹竿子？”彼德森夫人问。“有人叫我们的琳达是竹竿子？”她又问了一遍，声音里充满了怀疑。
我们的琳达！彼德森夫人的话让我惊讶得几乎停止了呼吸。“啊，我一直把我们的琳达当成我们的超级模特儿。”全班同学的脸上都露出了不解的神色，茫然地望着她。“超级模特儿经纪公司拥有世界上最著名的模特儿。”她对正全神贯注听她说话的学生们继续说道，“那里所有的模特儿身高都必须在六英尺（约1.82米）以上。”在那一瞬间，全班所有的同学都屏住了呼吸，包括我。几双眼睛以品评的眼光扫视着我，不过这一次，面对他们的注视，我没有垂头弯腰，而是挺直了腰板，生平第一次希望自己再高一些。
“你们知道模特儿为什么必须那么高吗？”她问。同学们慢慢地摇了摇头。“啊，这是因为高个子女人身材修长，端庄优美，穿起衣服来更漂亮、优雅、迷人。”
漂亮、优雅、迷人！多美的词儿。我庄严地朝自己的座位走去。站在过道上的同学都纷纷给我让道，就连约翰也闪到了一边。我还有许多事情要想。比如，在成为著名的模特儿之前，我应该如何发掘自己的艺术潜能？我在座位上坐下来，琢磨着一匹马的构思。一匹身材修长、端庄优美的马儿正腾跃而起，美丽、优雅而迷人！
邓笛 摘译自 Children
“Shame on you! A sixth-grader and still acting like a barbarian1!” Mrs Brimm snarled2, shoving me into the office.
Nobody even cares about my side! I thought, pushing back a burst anger. John and those guys can trip3/ me and call me names all year, and every time I start to pay someone back, Mrs Brimm, with a very fierce look on her face, shows up.
“When are you going to grow up and behave like a young lady...” Mrs Brimm yakked4 on endlessly, while I tried covertly5 to inspect what was left of my right upper arm. It was the same arm that punched John and his friends when they called me “Pole”, “Bamboo”, “Cucumber”.
I was the first to admit that I was not beauty. I had sprouted to my present unenviable height of five-foot-eight, leaving me “as scrawny6 as a plucked crow”, as my grandma was fond of saying. Braces on both upper and lower teeth, corrective shoes and the hated glasses did nothing to improve the picture. Although I hunched my shoulders and stooped to look smaller, I was still the tallest kid in the whole school, quite alien to the other girls.
This was the third time since school began that I’d been caught by Mrs Brimm for fighting. She wouldn’t spare me and told my parents about it. Following a scolding and a grim7 trip with my parents to John’s house, where I was made to “apologize”. Now I stood outside the classroom, hesitating at the thought of seeing all the smug8 faces of my classmates.
A hand touched my shoulder and Mrs Peterson’s friendly voice said, “There you are! My goodness, I’ve missed you, Linda.” I looked up into her crinkling eyes. “I’ve been thinking that our room needs some beautification. Perhaps a mural of horses you can sketch well? You’re tall enough to make it fill the bulletin board. Would you come over to my desk when the class settles down and I’ll explain what I have in mind in more detail?” I nodded, feeling warmed and honored as always by her attention.
Alice grinned and poked me as I walked into the classroom. Suddenly, from behind me I heard some whispers. “Hey, the pole.” That was Cherri. I’ll get you after school, I thought fiercely. “Cucumber, cucumber,” singsonged Wardie under his breath, and John’s voice came ranting, “Here’s the advertisement. Did you lose your bamboo?”The laughter boiled up, making my whole body turn into a highly explosive boiler.
Then came another voice, resonant9 and musical, dousing10 the whispers and laughter instantly. “Bamboo?” asked Mrs Peterson. “Did someone call our Linda a bamboo?” she asked again, incredulously.
Our Linda! Mrs Peterson made me almost stop breathing with amazement. “Why, I always think of our Linda as our Powers model.”All uncomprehending faces looked at her blankly. “Why, the Powers Modeling Agency has the most famous models in the world,” she continued to her rapt11 audience. “All of their models are required to be at least six feet tall.” A little gasp from the class, including me. A few pairs of eyes glanced at me appraisingly, but this time, instead of slouching12 at their gaze, I stood straighter, wishing for the first time in my life that I was even taller.
“Do you know why these models have to be so tall?” she asked. A slow shake of the corporate head. “Why, it’s because tall women are slender and statuesque13, which makes clothing hang more beautifully, gracefully and smoothly.”
Beautifully, gracefully and smoothly! With these words. I walked regally14 to my desk. The kids in the aisle, even John, hastily squeezed aside to clear a path. I had a lot of thinking to do. For example, how should I develop my artistic talents before I become a great model? I sat down in the seat, savoring the conception15 of a horse. A slender and statuesque horse cavorting16 beautifully, gracefully and smoothly!
“真替你害臊！都上六年级了，还这么野蛮！”布里姆夫人将我推进办公室时大声咆哮道。
没有人为我着想！我强压住心头的怒火，愤愤不平地想。这一年，约翰和那些家伙一直在挑我的毛病，给我起绰号，而每一次我开始向某人回击的时候，面带凶相的布里姆夫人就会出现。
“你什么时候才能长大，才能像一个淑女……”当布里姆夫人喋喋不休地说话时，我则在暗地里察看她刚才推我时在我的右上臂留下的红印子。当约翰和他的朋友们叫我“长杆子”“竹竿子”和“黄瓜”时，我就是用这条胳膊奋力还击的。
我从一开始就知道自己长得不漂亮。我现在已经长到惹人嘲笑的5.8英尺（相当于1.77米），让我“瘦得像一只拔了毛的乌鸦”，正如奶奶常说的那样。戴着矫正满嘴牙齿的牙套、穿着矫正鞋戴着讨厌的眼镜并不能让我的形象有所改善。虽然尽量垂肩躬腰，以便让自己看起来矮一点，但我仍然是全校最高的孩子，与其他同学格格不入。
这是开学后我第三次因打架而被布里姆夫人逮住了。她不愿意原谅我，将此事告诉了我父母。我受到了父母的数落，还要在他们的带领下去约翰家向他道歉。如今，我站在教室外面，迟迟不敢进去，害怕看见同学们那些洋洋得意的脸。
一只手碰了碰我的肩膀，耳边响起了彼德森夫人友好的声音：“你在这儿！我的天哪，我一直在找你，琳达。”我抬起头，看着彼德森夫人那布满皱纹的眼睛。“我打算美化一下教室。你擅长画马，也许可以画一幅马来做壁画。你个子又高，可以把整个公告牌都画满。你愿意放学后到我办公室来一下吗？我跟你详细谈谈这幅画的构思。”我点点头，心里感到一阵温暖，并以总是得到她的注意为荣。
当我走进教室的时候，艾丽丝冲我咧嘴怪笑、指指戳戳。突然，我听到身后有人低声说 ：“嗨，长杆子。”那是切里。我下课后再找你算账！我恶狠狠地想。“黄瓜，黄瓜，”沃迪哼唱起来。约翰则大声说：“这里有一条启事。你把竹竿子弄丢了吗？”教室里爆发出一阵哄堂大笑。我的整个身体如同一个压力过大的锅炉，马上就要爆炸了。
就在这时，一个洪亮、悦耳的声音响了起来，立刻将窃窃私语声和大笑声浇灭了。“竹竿子？”彼德森夫人问。“有人叫我们的琳达是竹竿子？”她又问了一遍，声音里充满了怀疑。
我们的琳达！彼德森夫人的话让我惊讶得几乎停止了呼吸。“啊，我一直把我们的琳达当成我们的超级模特儿。”全班同学的脸上都露出了不解的神色，茫然地望着她。“超级模特儿经纪公司拥有世界上最著名的模特儿。”她对正全神贯注听她说话的学生们继续说道，“那里所有的模特儿身高都必须在六英尺（约1.82米）以上。”在那一瞬间，全班所有的同学都屏住了呼吸，包括我。几双眼睛以品评的眼光扫视着我，不过这一次，面对他们的注视，我没有垂头弯腰，而是挺直了腰板，生平第一次希望自己再高一些。
“你们知道模特儿为什么必须那么高吗？”她问。同学们慢慢地摇了摇头。“啊，这是因为高个子女人身材修长，端庄优美，穿起衣服来更漂亮、优雅、迷人。”
漂亮、优雅、迷人！多美的词儿。我庄严地朝自己的座位走去。站在过道上的同学都纷纷给我让道，就连约翰也闪到了一边。我还有许多事情要想。比如，在成为著名的模特儿之前，我应该如何发掘自己的艺术潜能？我在座位上坐下来，琢磨着一匹马的构思。一匹身材修长、端庄优美的马儿正腾跃而起，美丽、优雅而迷人！
邓笛 摘译自 Children