6. The Presidents’ Day Challenge

6 The Presidents' Day Challenge

总统日挑战

Finally, it was the big night. My mom made me get all dressed up in a jacket and tie. Ugh. "You look so handsome!" she told me. I felt like I was going to a funeral. My own. As we drove to school, I started thinking—I don't know anything about the presidents. Why do I have to represent the school? When we got to the all-porpoise room, the place was packed. All my friends and classmates were there, along with lots of kids and parents from Dirk School. Some of the kids were holding signs. Some were chanting. "Dirk! Dirk! Dirk!"

最后，这是一个重要的夜晚。 我妈妈让我穿西装打领带。 啊。“你看起来真帅！”她对我说。 我觉得我要去参加葬礼。 我自己的。在我们开车去学校的路上，我开始思考——我对总统们一无所知。 为什么我要代表学校？ 当我们到达全海豚的房间时，那里挤满了人。 我所有的朋友和同学都去了，还有很多德克学校的孩子和家长。 一些孩子举着牌子。 一些人在呼喊。“德克!德克!德克!”

There was electricity in the air. Well, not really. If there was electricity in the air, all of us would have been electrocuted. But everybody who was anybody was there. Dr. Carbles, the president of the board of education, was in the front row. So was Peter Porky, the owner of Porky's Pork Sausages. He was sitting between Mayor Hubble and Mr. Wilson, the principal of Dirk School. Even Ella Mentry, the old lady our school was named after, was there. My parents wished me good luck and took the only seats that were left, in the back of the room. I walked down the middle aisle to get to the front. Lots of people took pictures and held out their hands for me to slap. "We're counting on you, A.J.!" "Don't let us down, A.J.!"

空气中充满了电。 嗯，不完全是。如果空气中有电，我们所有人都会触电。 但是所有的人都在那里。 教育委员会主席卡伯斯博士坐在前排。 猪猪香肠店的老板彼得·猪猪也是如此。 他坐在哈伯市长和德克学校校长威尔逊先生中间。 就连我们学校以她的名字命名的老太太艾拉·门特里也在那里。 我的父母祝我好运，并坐在房间后面仅剩的座位上。 我沿着中间的通道走到前面。 很多人拍照，并伸出手让我拍。 “我们就指望你了，A.J.!”“别让我们失望，A.J.!”

"No pressure, A.J.!" "If we lose, it will be all your fault, A.J.!" "Just have fun, A.J.!" "You'd better win, A.J.!" I took a seat next to Andrea in the front row. "It's about time you showed up, Arlo," Andrea whispered. "I thought you were going to chicken out." "No way," I replied. "I'm in it to win it." Mr. Peter Porky of Porky's Pork Sausages climbed up on the stage. Everybody clapped. "Welcome, boys and girls, parents, teachers, and all our guests," said Mr. Porky. "I will be the moderator of tonight's Presidents' Day Challenge and blah blah blah blah..." He went on for a million hundred minutes. Mostly, he talked about Porky's Pork Sausages.

“别有压力，A.J.!”“如果我们输了，都是你的错，aj !”“玩得开心，A.J.!”“你最好赢，A.J.!”我坐在前排的安德里亚旁边。 “你该出现了，阿乐。”安德烈低声说。 “我还以为你要临阵退缩呢。” “不可能，”我回答。“我参加比赛是为了赢得比赛。” 猪猪香肠店的彼得猪猪先生爬上了舞台。 每个人都鼓掌。“欢迎你们，孩子们，家长们，老师们，还有我们所有的客人，”猪先生说。 “我将担任今晚总统日挑战赛的主持人，等等等等……” 他滔滔不绝地讲了一百多分钟。 大部分时间，他谈论的都是波奇的猪肉香肠。