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我的小猪挚友-阿诺德
添加时间:2015-11-09 19:21:21 浏览次数: 作者:未知
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  • I recently lost my best friend Arnold in an automobile1 accident while moving my family to our new home in Arizona. Arnold was an 8-month-old pot belly who taught me so much about love, devotion and companionship. I am devastated2 by his loss, but thank God daily for blessing3 me with the joy of having Arnold for his short life.

    Anyone contemplating4 a pot belly as a pet should know that if you are a true pet lover and devote yourself to them, a pot belly will make the most wonderful friend. You will be assured of endless hours of fascination5 and entertainment as you both grow together in understanding the human/pot belly relationship. Words cannot describe this relationship and it can only be fully understood by experiencing it.

    Arnold didn't know he was a pig -- he thought he was just another member of our family -- modeling his behavior through observing me, my wife, my two daughters and our beagles. He was convinced he was loved by all; and he was, even when he was ornery trying to just get our attention. He learned his name, how to sit and how to use the litter box all in the first week we had him (at 7 weeks old!).

    He loved to sleep on your lap as you sat on the couch watching TV. He didn't care if he grew to weigh 45lbs, he still expected you to hoist6 him onto your lap at precisely7 8:00 pm every evening where he would fall fast asleep within seconds after snuggling his wet nose between your neck and shoulder. If you didn't respond to his initial "honks8" letting you know it was his nap time, he would bump your legs with his nose until you picked him up. With his weight as it was, you couldn't hold him all evening as he preferred, so you had to slide him off onto the couch next to you where he would sleep for hours with all four legs and his nose sticking straight up in the air. He would snore as long as he could feel you next to him but would immediately wake up if you tried to leave the couch. We had hours of fun balancing objects like a salt shaker on his flat nose while he slept soundly.

    Arnold helped me in all my chores around our five acres in the country. Just being there at my feet, interested in what I was doing made even the most mundane9 tasks enjoyable. When he was out roaming and foraging10 and you would call out his name, he would come running at top speed, honking11 the whole way until he got close to you where he would dodge12 you, zigzagging13 around with a few victory roles turning in circles before settling down and calmly walking up to you with his tail wagging as if to say (winking) "hah, got-cha."

    He even helped me build a kit14 aircraft and a customized trailer to haul it around in. I was planning on taking him flying with me some day. He loved to play with my sockets15 and rolled them around on the shop floor. Just as I would struggle and get frustrated16 with some difficult task, Arnold would show up underneath17 the trailer, with his wet nose in my ear and honking -- seeming to say, "take a break and laugh with me for a while, that should make it all better." And it did, every time. God's marvelous creations minister to us in the most special ways if we can just stop for a few moments and observe them. God used Arnold to teach us this very important lesson in life which we will never forget.

    My wife and two daughters began to say that Arnold and I were so close that he had become the son that I never had in our family. It seemed that we could no longer have any kind of conversation in our family or with our friends without Arnold being a main topic. The neighborhood kids would make appointments to come visit Arnold and couldn't wait to come over and play with him.

    Arnold went most everywhere with us--Pet's Mart, Wal-Mart, birthday parties, Christmas vacation to Grandma's. He loved riding in the car/shopping basket and was a big hit everywhere he went. Arnold had become such an important part of our life that when we found out that our family would have to move to another state, we insisted that the contract on our new house be contingent18 on the homeowners' association approval of Arnold in writing before we would agree to purchasing in our prestigious19 neighborhood.

    On the day we left our old home town, we had a going away lunch with our friends from church. Everyone there just had to go out to the truck where Arnold and all our other pet were and say goodbye. Arnold trusted me to take care of him and get him to his new home. Tragically20, along the way, the wind blast from a semi knocked our trailers out of control and pushed our truck off a 40' bridge. We lost a big part of our family that day when our pets Arnold, Sweeti and Leanna were killed. I feel terrible for not being able to protect Arnold the way he trusted me to. However, I will be forever grateful for the fond memories of him which I will cherish forever.

    Thank you for reading this and allowing me to share some of Arnold's life with you. If you decide that a pot belly is the right choice for you both, I pray that you will be rewarded in the same way my family was with Arnold.

     10级    美文 


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    1 automobile [ˈɔ:təməbi:l] rP1yv   第7级
    n.汽车,机动车
    参考例句:
    • He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile. 他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
    • The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road. 汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。
    2 devastated [ˈdevəsteɪtɪd] eb3801a3063ef8b9664b1b4d1f6aaada   第8级
    v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词);摧毁;毁灭;在感情上(精神上、财务上等)压垮adj.毁坏的;极为震惊的
    参考例句:
    • The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
    • His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。
    3 blessing [ˈblesɪŋ] UxDztJ   第7级
    n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿
    参考例句:
    • The blessing was said in Hebrew. 祷告用了希伯来语。
    • A double blessing has descended upon the house. 双喜临门。
    4 contemplating [ˈkɔntempleitɪŋ] bde65bd99b6b8a706c0f139c0720db21   第7级
    深思,细想,仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 ); 注视,凝视; 考虑接受(发生某事的可能性); 深思熟虑,沉思,苦思冥想
    参考例句:
    • You're too young to be contemplating retirement. 你考虑退休还太年轻。
    • She stood contemplating the painting. 她站在那儿凝视那幅图画。
    5 fascination [ˌfæsɪˈneɪʃn] FlHxO   第8级
    n.令人着迷的事物,魅力,迷恋
    参考例句:
    • He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport. 他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
    • His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience. 广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。
    6 hoist [hɔɪst] rdizD   第7级
    n.升高,起重机,推动;v.升起,升高,举起
    参考例句:
    • By using a hoist the movers were able to sling the piano to the third floor. 搬运工人用吊车才把钢琴吊到3楼。
    • Hoist the Chinese flag on the flagpole, please! 请在旗杆上升起中国国旗!
    7 precisely [prɪˈsaɪsli] zlWzUb   第8级
    adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地
    参考例句:
    • It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust. 我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
    • The man adjusted very precisely. 那个人调得很准。
    8 honks [hɔ:ŋks] 3660c4c3de52b847be85468029225ad6   第10级
    n.雁叫声( honk的名词复数 );汽车的喇叭声v.(使)发出雁叫似的声音,鸣(喇叭),按(喇叭)( honk的第三人称单数 )
    参考例句:
    • In the fall we sometimes hear honks as a flock of geese flies south. 到了秋天,有时我们能听到南飞雁群的叫声。 来自辞典例句
    • A wild- goose honks. 雁鸣。 来自互联网
    9 mundane [mʌnˈdeɪn] F6NzJ   第9级
    adj.平凡的;尘世的;宇宙的
    参考例句:
    • I hope I can get an interesting job and not something mundane. 我希望我可以得到的是一份有趣的工作,而不是一份平凡无奇的。
    • I find it humorous sometimes that even the most mundane occurrences can have an impact on our awareness. 我发现生活有时挺诙谐的,即使是最平凡的事情也能影响我们的感知。
    10 foraging ['fɒrɪdʒɪŋ] 6101d89c0b474e01becb6651ecd4f87f   第10级
    v.搜寻(食物),尤指动物觅(食)( forage的现在分词 );(尤指用手)搜寻(东西)
    参考例句:
    • They eke out a precarious existence foraging in rubbish dumps. 他们靠在垃圾场捡垃圾维持着朝不保夕的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • The campers went foraging for wood to make a fire. 露营者去搜寻柴木点火。 来自辞典例句
    11 honking [hɔ:ŋkɪŋ] 69e32168087f0fd692f761e62a361acf   第10级
    v.(使)发出雁叫似的声音,鸣(喇叭),按(喇叭)( honk的现在分词 )
    参考例句:
    • Cars zoomed helter-skelter, honking belligerently. 大街上来往车辆穿梭不停,喇叭声刺耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • Flocks of honking geese flew past. 雁群嗷嗷地飞过。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
    12 dodge [dɒdʒ] q83yo   第8级
    n. 躲闪;托词 vt. 躲避,避开 vi. 躲避,避开
    参考例句:
    • A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over. 她向树后一闪,才没被车从身上辗过。
    • The dodge was coopered by the police. 诡计被警察粉碎了。
    13 zigzagging ['zɪɡzæɡɪŋ] 3a075bffeaf9d8f393973a0cb70ff1b6   第7级
    v.弯弯曲曲地走路,曲折地前进( zigzag的现在分词 );盘陀
    参考例句:
    • She walked along, zigzagging with her head back. 她回头看着,弯弯扭扭地向前走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • We followed the path zigzagging up the steep slope. 我们沿着小径曲曲折折地爬上陡坡。 来自互联网
    14 kit [kɪt] D2Rxp   第7级
    n.用具包,成套工具;随身携带物
    参考例句:
    • The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items. 整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
    • The captain wants to inspect your kit. 船长想检查你的行装。
    15 sockets [ˈsɔkits] ffe33a3f6e35505faba01d17fd07d641   第8级
    n.套接字,使应用程序能够读写与收发通讯协定(protocol)与资料的程序( Socket的名词复数 );孔( socket的名词复数 );(电器上的)插口;托座;凹穴
    参考例句:
    • All new PCs now have USB sockets. 新的个人计算机现在都有通用串行总线插孔。
    • Make sure the sockets in your house are fingerproof. 确保你房中的插座是防触电的。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
    16 frustrated [frʌˈstreɪtɪd] ksWz5t   第7级
    adj.挫败的,失意的,泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 );挫败;使受挫折;令人沮丧
    参考例句:
    • It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
    • The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    17 underneath [ˌʌndəˈni:θ] VKRz2   第7级
    adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面
    参考例句:
    • Working underneath the car is always a messy job. 在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
    • She wore a coat with a dress underneath. 她穿着一件大衣,里面套着一条连衣裙。
    18 contingent [kənˈtɪndʒənt] Jajyi   第8级
    adj.视条件而定的;n.一组,代表团,分遣队
    参考例句:
    • The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills. 队伍朝西山的方向前进。
    • Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather. 我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。
    19 prestigious [preˈstɪdʒəs] nQ2xn   第7级
    adj.有威望的,有声望的,受尊敬的
    参考例句:
    • The young man graduated from a prestigious university. 这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
    • You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor. 你甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做特约编辑。
    20 tragically ['trædʒɪklɪ] 7bc94e82e1e513c38f4a9dea83dc8681   第7级
    adv. 悲剧地,悲惨地
    参考例句:
    • Their daughter was tragically killed in a road accident. 他们的女儿不幸死于车祸。
    • Her father died tragically in a car crash. 她父亲在一场车祸中惨死。

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