7 The Announcement

CHAPTER 7 The Announcement The thing that Lucy did in class is the craziest thing I've ever had to write about. It started because Mrs. Finkel wouldn't let us make an announcement during class time about our new names. "But last month you let Henry make an announcement during class time," Lucy reminded her. Henry is another boy in our class. "That was a different kind of

第七章 一则通知 露西在班上干的这件事，是我长这么大要写的事里最疯狂的一件。 这事的起因，是芬克尔太太不准我们上课的时候宣布我们的新名字。 “可上个月你就让亨利上课的时候发通知呀，”露西提醒她。 亨利是我们班的另一个男生。 “那可不是同一种

announcement," Mrs. Finkel said. "Remember Henry was running a canned-food drive for needy kids. It was for a very good cause." "This is a good cause," Lucy said. "We need new names." "You all have very nice names," Mrs. Finkel said.

通知，” 芬克尔太太说。 “你记得吧，亨利当时是给贫困孩子募集罐装食品。 那是件非常棒的公益事。” “我们这事也是好事呀，”露西说。 “我们需要新名字。” “你们本来的名字都很好听呀，” 芬克尔太太说。

"I knew you were going to say that," Lucy said. "You have to say that." "It's normal for kids to be unhappy with their names," Mrs. Finkel said. "When I was young, I didn't like mine either. But I'm sure one day you'll start to like your names, and then you might feel bad about changing them." "We might not," I said. "That's true," Mrs. Finkel said. "But I still can't let you make an announcement about your names during class time. I'm supposed to call you by the names I have in my marking book. Now take your seats, because it's time for math." We turned to head back to our desks. Mrs. Finkel started clapping her hands to get everyone's attention. "Don't worry, Sherry," Lucy whispered to me. "I have a plan."

“我就知道你会这么说，”露西说。 “你本来就该这么说。” “小孩子不满意自己的名字，这很正常，”芬克尔太太说。 “我小时候也不喜欢我自己的名字。 但我肯定，总有一天你们会喜欢上原来的名字，到时候改名字你们只会后悔。” “我们才不会，”我说。 “那倒也有可能，”芬克尔太太说。 “但我还是不能允许你们上课时间宣布新名字的事。 我得按我记分册上的名字叫你们。 快坐好吧，该上数学课了。” 我们转身走回了自己的座位。 芬克尔太太拍拍手，让大家集中注意力。 “别担心，雪莉，”露西轻声对我说。 “我有办法。”

When I got to my desk, I clicked my heels together three times, like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Even though I didn't know what Lucy's plan was, I wished that it would work. Part of third-grade math is to learn about money. Everyone already knows how much different coins are worth, but Mrs. Finkel makes us do all kinds of math problems with them. She says it's important to know how to pay for things. Like if you go into a store and something costs 45 cents, you should know what different combinations of coins you can use. And if you pay with a dollar, you should know how much change to get back, just in case the cashier makes a mistake. It's easy for me because I've helped out with the cash register at Batts Confections. When someone buys a Batts Bar for 85 cents and pays with

我走到座位旁，像《绿野仙踪》里的多萝西那样，把脚后跟磕了三下。 虽然我还不知道露西的计划是什么，但我盼着这个计划能成。 三年级的数学课要学认识钱币。 其实大家都知道不同硬币的面值，可芬克尔太太还是让我们做各式各样和硬币有关的题目。 她说学会付钱买东西很重要。 比如你去商店，一样东西卖45美分，你得知道可以用哪些不同的硬币组合付钱。 如果你付一美元，你得知道应该找你多少零钱，以防收银员算错。 这对我来说很简单，因为我经常帮巴茨糖果店收银。 要是有人花85美分买一块巴茨糖，付了

a dollar, I know all the ways to give them 15 cents back. "All right," Mrs. Finkel said, "if something costs seventy-seven cents, what's the least amount of coins you can use to pay for it?" A bunch of people raised their hands. I knew the answer, but I didn't raise my hand. Willa and Lucy both did. Joshua raised his hand and waved it around. He likes everything that has to do with money. He's always talking about how much things cost, and how his parents give him all the money

一美元，我能想出所有找15美分零钱的方法。 “好了，”芬克尔太太说，“如果一样东西卖77美分，最少用几枚硬币就能付清呢？” 好多人都举起了手。 我知道答案，但我没举手。 薇拉和露西都举手了。 约书亚举了手，还晃来晃去。 所有和钱有关的东西他都喜欢。 他总在说东西有多贵，还说他爸妈会给他所有