Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2 I didn't think the morning could get worse, but it did. As I was walking to class, Nick the Tick McKelty grabbed my backpack for no reason and tossed it into the trash can. When I reached into the trash to get it out, I grabbed a rotten banana skin, which slimed all over my fingers. I'm not even going to tell you about the old baloney sandwich that was stuck to the banana. If that wasn't bad enough, Ms. Flowers surprised us with a pop science quiz on Chapter Four. It's really hard to take a test on Chapter Four when I hadn't even started

第二章我以为这个早晨不会更糟了，但它却糟透了。 在我去上课的路上，Nick the Tick McKelty无缘无故地抓住了我的背包，把它扔进了垃圾桶。 当我把手伸进垃圾桶想把它拿出来时，我抓住了一个腐烂的香蕉皮，粘满了我的手指。 我甚至不打算告诉你粘在香蕉上的老培根三明治。 如果这还不够糟糕的话。 弗劳尔斯给了我们一个关于第四章的科普小测验。 当我还没开始读第四章的时候，真的很难通过考试

Chapter Two yet. I'm what you call a slow reader. A snail reads faster than I do. The worst part of the morning came when Ms. Flowers said we were going to the library. I have nothing against the library. In fact, when I see all those books on the shelves, I wish I could read every one. I imagine stories about wizards, pirates, and people who ride dog sleds across the Arctic and come face-to-face with polar bears. But those stories are made of words, and words are made of letters that I can't sound out. All those library books just stay on the shelf looking down at me. The one good thing about the library is Mrs. King, the librarian. She really tries hard to find books that I'd like. The last time I was there, she handed me a book about penguins in Antarctica. I tried to read it, but the pictures in it made me feel so cold, I had to put on my Mets sweatshirt. As we walked to the library, my best friend Ashley was bubbling over with ideas.

还没到第二章。我就是你说的慢读者。 蜗牛读得比我还快。 那天早上最糟糕的是。 弗劳尔斯说我们要去图书馆。 我并不反对图书馆。 事实上，当我看到书架上的那些书时，我希望我能读每一本。 我想象着巫师、海盗和人们乘坐狗拉的雪橇穿越北极，与北极熊面对面的故事。 但那些故事都是由单词组成的，而单词是由我发不出音的字母组成的。 所有图书馆的书都呆在书架上看着我。 图书馆唯一的优点是图书管理员金夫人。 她真的很努力地去找我喜欢的书。 上次我去那里的时候，她递给我一本关于南极洲企鹅的书。 我试着读它，但里面的照片让我觉得很冷，我不得不穿上我的大都会运动衫。 当我们走向图书馆时，我最好的朋友阿什利滔滔不绝。

"I can't wait to check out the next Detective Duck book," she said. "They're so funny. The last one quacked me up." Despite my horrible day, I burst out laughing. "Finally, there's a smile on your face," my other best friend, Frankie, said. "You've been down in the dumps all morning, Zip." "How would you feel if your little sister got all the awards and made you feel like you could never do anything right?" "You do a lot of stuff right," Ashley said. "You're a great friend, and you can tie a cherry

“我迫不及待地想看看下一本《鸭子侦探》，”她说。 “他们太有趣了。最后一个叫了我一声。” 尽管这一天过得很糟糕，我还是笑了起来。 “终于，你脸上露出了笑容，”我另一个最好的朋友弗兰基说。 “你一早上都闷闷不乐的，小波。” “如果你的小妹妹拿了所有的奖项，让你觉得自己永远都做不对，你会怎么想？”“你做的很多事情都是对的，"艾希礼说。 “你是个好朋友，你还会系樱桃

stem into a knot with your tongue. I bet Emily can't do that." By then, we had reached the library. We waited in line while Mrs. King gave us instructions. "Students," she said. "Feel free to look around and pick a book to check out. Don't just stay in your favorite section. If you like mysteries, try picking a biography. Try something new." "I'm sticking with Detective Duck," Ashley whispered. "Remember to use your library voices," Mrs. King went on. "And when you take a book off the shelf, be sure to put it back where it belongs."

用舌头打结。 我敢打赌艾米丽做不到。” 到那时，我们已经到了图书馆。 我们排队等候，金太太给我们指示。 “学生，”她说。“随便看看，挑一本书来借。 不要只停留在你最喜欢的部分。 如果你喜欢推理小说，试着选一本传记。 尝试一些新的东西。”“我要和达克侦探在一起，"艾希礼低声说。 “记得用图书馆里的声音，”金太太接着说。 “当你从书架上取下一本书时，一定要把它放回原处。”

We went inside, and all the kids spread out to different sections. Katie Sperling went to the fantasy section in search of unicorns. Ryan Shimozato was looking for sports heroes. Luke Whitman just stood there picking his nose, as usual. "You don't want to touch a book that he's touched," Frankie whispered to me. "That finger has been places we never want to go." "Yeah, and I thought the banana peel in the trash can was slimy," I said.

我们进去后，所有的孩子都分散到不同的区域。 凯蒂·斯珀林（Katie Sperling）去奇幻小说区寻找独角兽。 Ryan Shimozato在寻找体育英雄。 卢克·惠特曼只是站在那里挖鼻孔，像往常一样。 “你不想碰他碰过的书，”弗兰基低声对我说。 “那根手指去过我们永远不想去的地方。” “是啊，我还以为垃圾桶里的香蕉皮黏糊糊的，”我说。

"I really don't want to know why your hand was in the trash can," Frankie said. "I can explain," I answered. "Maybe later," Frankie said. "Or maybe never. Yeah, never works." Frankie wandered off to the science section. He was looking for a book about robots. I wanted to go to the kindergarten section, because all those books have more pictures than words. I was too embarrassed, so instead I pulled out a book about George Washington. I opened it up and stared at a picture of him in his white wig and fancy clothes. "Hank, I didn't know you were interested in history," a voice behind me said. It was Mr. Rock, our music teacher and all-around cool guy. "I can't put this book down," I said to him. "Really? Is it that good?" "No, but the person who read it before me must have had a peanut-butter sandwich, because the cover is stuck to my hands."

“我真的不想知道为什么你的手在垃圾桶里，”弗兰基说。 “我可以解释，”我回答。 “以后再说吧，”弗兰基说。 “也许永远不会。是的，从来没有成功过。” 弗兰基走到科学区去了。 他在找一本关于机器人的书。 我想去幼儿园区，因为那些书里的图片比文字多。 我太尴尬了，所以我拿出一本关于乔治·华盛顿的书。 我打开它，盯着一张他戴着白色假发、穿着华丽衣服的照片。 “汉克，我不知道你对历史感兴趣，”我身后一个声音说。 是洛克先生，我们的音乐老师，一个非常酷的家伙。 “我放不下这本书，”我对他说。 “真的吗?有那么好吗？”“没有，但在我之前读这本书的人一定吃了花生酱三明治，因为封面粘在我手上了。”