2 Good News or Not

Two Good news or not? ZEKE WAS BEYOND STUNNED. He stared at his parents, speechless. He always knew that some day he'd have to leave Earth, just like he had left every other place he'd lived. After all, his parents were researchers. Their job was to move from planet to planet, studying each world's habits, customs, and culture.

好消息还是坏消息？齐克惊呆了。 他盯着他的父母，说不出话来。 他一直都知道，总有一天他会离开地球，就像他离开他住过的其他地方一样。 毕竟，他的父母都是研究人员。 他们的工作是从一个星球到另一个星球，研究每个世界的习惯、习俗和文化。

But Zeke had never been given so much as a hint that his parents were close to wrapping up their time on Earth. "What is all this about?" he asked. "I mean, why now? Why is it time to leave?"

但齐克从来没有得到任何暗示，他的父母即将结束他们在地球上的时间。 “这是怎么回事？”他问。 “我是说，为什么是现在？”为什么是时候离开了？”

"Xad and I have collected all the research we were sent here for. So we need to go back to Tragas to get our next assignment," explained Quar, his mother. Zeke's shoulders slumped and his chin dropped to his chest. Here I go again, he thought. Another new planet, another new school, new kids, new games, holidays, customs. New everything... again! Zeke was tired of doing this over and over.

“Xad和我已经收集了我们被派来这里的所有研究资料。 所以我们需要回到特拉加斯去完成下一个任务，”他的母亲夸尔解释说。 齐克的肩膀耷拉下来，下巴垂到胸前。 我又来了，他想。 另一个新的星球，新的学校，新的孩子，新的游戏，节日，习俗。 新的一切…再一次!齐克厌倦了一遍又一遍地这样做。

He suddenly realized that of all the worlds he'd lived on, Earth had become his favorite. And now this! Zeke tried to compose himself. "So your research on Earth is done?" he asked. "Correct," replied Xad. "We have learned a lot, though." "Yes, we learned that humans require many different types of clothing," Quar said. "They need clothing for warm weather, cold weather, wet weather, windy weather. Very different from Tragas. As you know, Zeke, all our clothing looks the same."

他突然意识到，在他生活过的所有世界中，地球是他最喜欢的。 现在又是这个！齐克试图使自己镇定下来。 “那么你在地球上的研究已经完成了？”他问道。 “对，”萨德回答。“不过，我们学到了很多东西。” “是的，我们了解到人类需要许多不同类型的衣服，”夸尔说。 “他们需要在温暖的天气、寒冷的天气、潮湿的天气、刮风的天气穿衣服。 和Tragas很不一样。 齐克，你知道，我们所有的衣服看起来都一样。”

"Yes, and our clothing adjusts for the weather conditions, so we never have to change it," Xad added. "We also learned that humans like to cook their food many different ways— using stoves, ovens, microwaves, grills, and open fires," said Quar. "All we do to cook food is release a small amount of pulsar rays from our fingers." Quar's fingertips started glowing bright red.

“是的，我们的衣服会根据天气状况进行调整，所以我们从来不用换衣服，”扎德补充道。 “我们还了解到，人类喜欢用许多不同的方式烹饪食物——用炉子、烤箱、微波炉、烤架和明火，”夸尔说。 “我们烹饪食物所做的就是从我们的手指释放少量脉冲星射线。” 夸尔的指尖开始发出鲜红的光芒。

"Oh, and don't forget," Xad said. "We now know that humans grow most of their food in plastic containers and glass jars. They pick them right off long, flat trees called 'shelves' that grow inside giant markets." "So you see, there is not much left for us to learn," Quar said. "Sure there is," said Zeke, hoping to convince his parents to stay on Earth a little longer. "There's holidays, and camping, and baseball, and soccer, and—"

“哦，别忘了，”萨德说。 “我们现在知道，人类的大部分食物都是在塑料容器和玻璃罐中种植的。 他们直接从生长在巨大市场里的又长又平的树上采摘，这种树被称为‘架子’。” “所以你看，没有多少东西留给我们去学习了。” “当然有，”齐克说，希望能说服他的父母在地球上多待一会儿。 “有假期，有露营，有棒球，有足球，还有——”