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Waiting at the Door
添加时间:2019-01-11 08:36:26 浏览次数: 作者:未知
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  • By Barbara J. Crocker

    My grandmother became a widow in 1970. Shortly after that, we went to the animal shelter to pick out a puppy to keep her company. Grandma decided1 on a little terrier that had a reddish-brown spot above each eye. Because of these spots, the dog was p romptly named Penny.

    Grandma and Penny quickly became very attached to each other, but that attachment2 grew much stronger about three years later when Grandma had a stroke. Grandma could no longer work, so when she came home from the hospital, she and Penny were constant companions.

    After her stroke, it became a real problem for Grandma to let Penny in and out because the door was at the bottom of a flight of stairs. So a mechanism3 using a rope and pulley was installed from the back door to a handle at the top of the stairs. Grandma just had to pull the handle to open and close the door. If the store was out of Penny's favorite dog food, Grandma would make one of us cook Penny browned beef with diced4 potatoes in it. I can remember teasing my grandmother that she loved that dog better than she loved her family.

    As the years passed, Grandma and Penny became inseparable. Grandma's old house could be filled to the brim with people, but if Grandma went to take her nap, Penny walked along beside her and stayed by her side until she awoke. As Penny aged, she could no longer jump up on the bed to lay next to Grandma, so she laid on the rug beside the bed. If Grandma went into the bathroom, Penny would hobble along beside her, wait outside the door and accompany her back to the bed or chair. Grandma never went anywhere without her faithful companion by her side.

    The time came when both my grandmother and Penny's health were failing fast. Penny couldn't get around very well, and Grandma had been hospitalized several times. My uncle and I lived with Grandma, so Penny was never left alone, even when Grandma was in the hospital. During these times, Penny sat at the window looking out for the car bringing Grandma home and would excitedly wait at the door when Grandma came through it. Each homecoming was a grand reunion between the two.

    On Christmas Day in 1985, Grandma was again taken to the hospital. Penny, as usual, sat watching out the window for the car bringing Grandma home. Two mornings later when the dog woke up, she couldn't seem to work out the stiffness in her hips5 as she usually did. The same morning, she began having seizures6. At age fifteen, we knew it was time. My mother and aunt took her to the veterinarian and stayed with her until the end.

    Now the big dilemma7 was whether to tell Grandma while she was still in the hospital or wait. The decision was made to tell her while she was in the hospital because when we pulled up at the house, the first thing Grandma would look for was her beloved Penny watching out the window and then happily greeting her at the door. Grandma shed some tears but said she knew that it had to be done so Penny wouldn't suffer.

    That night while still in the hospital, Grandma had a massive heart attack. The doctors frantically8 worked on her but could not revive her. After fifteen years of loving companionship, Grandma and Penny passed away within a few hours of each other. God had it all worked out – Penny was waiting at door when Grandma came Home.

     9级    双语 
     单词标签: decided  attachment  mechanism  diced  hips  seizures  dilemma  frantically 


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    1 decided [dɪˈsaɪdɪd] lvqzZd   第7级
    adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
    参考例句:
    • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents. 这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
    • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting. 英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
    2 attachment [əˈtætʃmənt] POpy1   第7级
    n.附属物,附件;依恋;依附
    参考例句:
    • She has a great attachment to her sister. 她十分依恋她的姐姐。
    • She's on attachment to the Ministry of Defense. 她现在隶属于国防部。
    3 mechanism [ˈmekənɪzəm] zCWxr   第7级
    n.机械装置;机构,结构
    参考例句:
    • The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body. 骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
    • The mechanism of the machine is very complicated. 这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。
    4 diced ['daɪst] beda9457d9b1c57e8c3d1d301be6bcc2   第8级
    v.将…切成小方块,切成丁( dice的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • The meat should be finely diced for this dish. 做这种菜肴肉必须细细切成小方块。 来自辞典例句
    • Arther diced himself into debt. 亚瑟因掷骰子而负了债。 来自辞典例句
    5 hips [hips] f8c80f9a170ee6ab52ed1e87054f32d4   第7级
    abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯,耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 );[建筑学]屋脊;臀围(尺寸);臀部…的
    参考例句:
    • She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
    • They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    6 seizures ['si:ʒə] d68658a6ccfd246a0e750fdc12689d94   第9级
    n.起获( seizure的名词复数 );没收;充公;起获的赃物
    参考例句:
    • Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因,有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句
    7 dilemma [dɪˈlemə] Vlzzf   第7级
    n.困境,进退两难的局面
    参考例句:
    • I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter. 这件事使我进退两难。
    • He was thrown into a dilemma. 他陷入困境。
    8 frantically ['fræntikəli] ui9xL   第8级
    ad.发狂地, 发疯地
    参考例句:
    • He dashed frantically across the road. 他疯狂地跑过马路。
    • She bid frantically for the old chair. 她发狂地喊出高价要买那把古老的椅子。

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