4 Chapter 3 Helen Teaches Herself

Chapter 3 Helen Teaches Herself Even in her dark world, Helen had happy times. She loved to be outdoors. She'd feel her way carefully along the walls of the house. Helen loved to touch all the plants that grew around the house. She smelled the flowers. Soon she could tell plants apart by their feel and smell. This was how she got information.

即使在黑暗的世界里，海伦也有过快乐的时光。 她喜欢户外活动。她会沿着房子的墙壁小心翼翼地摸索着。 海伦喜欢触摸所有生长在房子周围的植物。 她闻了闻花香。很快，她就能通过触感和气味来区分植物了。 这就是她获取信息的方式。

Helen learned to do simple chores. She folded the clean clothes. She knew which clothes were hers. She also learned that when her mother put on her coat, she was going out. Helen tugged at her coat to go, too. But for Helen everyday mishaps could turn into dangerous accidents. Once Helen spilled some water on her apron. She wanted it to dry. So she held her apron near the fireplace. She did not know how close she was to the fire. Her apron burst into flames. Quickly, her nurse used a

海伦学会了做简单的家务。 她把干净的衣服叠好。 她知道哪些衣服是她的。 她还知道，当她妈妈穿上外套的时候，她就要出去了。 海伦拽了拽外套也要走。 但对海伦来说，日常的小事故可能演变成危险的事故。 有一次海伦把水洒在围裙上。 她想让它变干。于是她把围裙放在壁炉旁。 她不知道自己离火堆有多近。 她的围裙突然燃烧起来。 很快，她的护士用了一个

blanket to put out the fire. It burned only Helen's fingers slightly and singed her hair. Helen had been very lucky. As she grew older, Helen developed a sense of mischief. She liked to play tricks. One day, Helen found some keys. She knew that keys locked doors. Her mother was in the pantry getting something, and Helen was right outside. Helen took the keys and locked her mother in the pantry. Her mother pounded on the door. She yelled to be

毯子用来灭火。 它只轻微烧伤了海伦的手指，并烧焦了她的头发。 海伦非常幸运。 随着年龄的增长，海伦产生了一种恶作剧的感觉。 她喜欢恶作剧。一天，海伦发现了一些钥匙。 她知道钥匙锁上门。 她妈妈在食品室拿东西，海伦就在外面。 海伦拿了钥匙，把母亲锁在食品室里。 她母亲使劲地敲门。 她大声喊着

let out. Helen sat on the porch where she could feel the vibrations of her mother's pounding. Helen sat there and smiled. Mrs. Keller was locked in the pantry for three hours.

让他出来。海伦坐在门廊上，她能感觉到母亲敲打的震动。 海伦坐在那里微笑着。 凯勒太太被锁在食品室里三个小时。

Helen and a young servant named Martha Washington often played together. Martha was a few years older than Helen. But Helen was the bossier of the two. One day, they were cutting out paper dolls on the porch. Helen soon grew tired of this. So she cut off all the flowers growing on vines near the porch. Still bored, Helen decided to cut Martha's hair. Martha said no at first, but then gave in. Few people said no to Helen. So Martha's hair soon lay at her feet. And, then, because she felt that it was only fair, Helen let Martha cut her own long, golden hair. Helen's mother was not happy with either child.

海伦和一个名叫玛莎·华盛顿的年轻仆人经常在一起玩耍。 玛莎比海伦大几岁。 但海伦是两人中比较专横的那个。 一天，他们正在门廊上剪纸娃娃。 海伦很快就对此感到厌倦了。 于是她把门廊附近藤蔓上的花都剪了。 海伦仍然很无聊，她决定给玛莎剪头发。 玛莎起初不同意，但后来让步了。 很少有人拒绝海伦。 所以玛莎的头发很快就落在了她的脚上。 然后，因为海伦觉得这样才公平，她让玛莎剪了她自己的金色长发。 海伦的母亲对两个孩子都不满意。