The Backpack Tax

The Backpack Tax. Written by Keith and Sarah Kortemarten. Illustrated by Linda Silvestri.

《背包税》 基思·科特马滕、萨拉·科特马滕 撰文 琳达·西尔维斯特里 绘图

Molly stared and stared at the amazing pink backpack. It had a delightful design of an elephant on the back. It had big gray ears that stuck out on the sides and a long trunk that hung from its face. Elephants were Molly's favorite animals in the whole wide world.

莫莉盯着这个惊艳的粉色双肩背包看了又看 背包背面印着讨喜的大象图案 大象有一对大大的灰耳朵支在两边，还有长长的鼻子垂在脸下 在整个世界上，大象都是莫莉最爱的动物

Every Saturday afternoon, Molly and her parents went together to the shopping mall to watch a movie at the theater. After the movie, Molly would ask her parents for permission to drop by the toy store. Once inside, she would rush to the elephant backpack to stroke its plush, fuzzy ears, and pull its long trunk. Each Saturday morning, Molly's mother paid her an allowance for completing her chores. Five dollars. Afterward, Molly would total up the money she had saved in her elephant -shaped piggy bank. Did she have enough to buy the backpack

每个周六下午，莫莉都会和爸爸妈妈一起去购物中心的影院看电影 看完电影，莫莉总会央求爸爸妈妈允许她绕去玩具店逛逛 一进店里，她就会冲到大象背包那儿，摸一摸它柔软蓬松的耳朵，拉一拉它的长鼻子 每个周六早上，莫莉干完家务活，妈妈都会给她零花钱 一共五美元 之后，莫莉都会数一数自己大象形状的存钱罐里一共存了多少钱 她存的钱够买这个背包吗

The elephant backpack cost thirty dollars. One week, Molly counted fifteen dollars in her bank. The next week, she counted twenty dollars. And the next, twenty -five dollars. And then one beautiful Saturday, she counted again.

这个大象背包售价三十美元 第一周，莫莉数出来存钱罐里有十五美元 第二周，她数出来有二十美元 再过一周，就有二十五美元了 终于在一个晴朗的周六，她又数了一遍钱

Molly sang with delight and danced around her room. I'm going to buy the backpack. That afternoon, her family went to watch another movie at the shopping mall. The movie was hilarious, but Molly barely even noticed. Once the movie had ended, Molly marched straight to the toy store. Molly carefully took the elephant backpack from the rack. Her mom asked, How much does it cost, Molly? Molly said, The tag says thirty dollars, and that's exactly how much money I have. But, Molly, you'll also have to pay sales tax on top of that price, said Mom. The sales tax adds six cents for every dollar something costs. That means you'll need $31 .80 to purchase the backpack. What? That's not fair, cried Molly. What's a sales tax?

莫莉开心地边唱边跳，在房间里转着圈 我要去买那个背包啦 那天下午，一家人又去购物中心看电影了 电影特别好笑，可莫莉根本没心思看 电影一结束，莫莉就径直朝玩具店走去 莫莉小心翼翼地把大象背包从货架上取下来 妈妈问：“莫莉，这个多少钱呀？” 莫莉说：“标签上写着三十美元，我刚好存了这么多钱” 妈妈说：“可是莫莉，除了标价，你还得付销售税哦” 每花一美元，就要多交六美分的销售税 也就是说你一共需要31.8美元才能买下这个背包 什么？ 莫莉哭着喊：“这太不公平了” 什么是销售税呀

Every time we buy something, we pay a little bit extra for the sales tax," Dad explained. But why do I have to pay a tax? asked Molly. I'm just a kid. Taxes pay for things that help the people who live in a community, said Mom. Let's put the backpack back on the shelf, and I'll explain on the way home. They walked outside to the crowded parking lot and got into the car. Mom asked, Do you remember how we got to the mall today? We drove here in this car, said Molly. That's right, said Mom. And what is the car driving on? A road, Molly asked.

爸爸解释说：“我们每次买东西，都要多付一点钱当销售税” 莫莉问：“可是为什么我要交税呀？” 我只是个小孩子呀 妈妈说：“税收用来支付那些造福社区居民的公共项目呀” 我们先把背包放回货架，回家路上我慢慢讲给你听 他们走到外面拥挤的停车场，坐进了车里 妈妈问：“你还记得我们今天是怎么到商场的吗？” 莫莉说：“我们开这辆车来的呀” 妈妈说：“没错呀” 那汽车是在什么上面开的呢？ 莫莉问道：“是马路呀”