高中阅读教程IIB Lesson 18

Lesson 18
The Train Trip
乘火车旅行
Chuck Wullenjohn



Johnny took a deep breath and settled back into the comfortable cushions（软垫）of his very own seat aboard（在车上）the train. He smiled happily. This was going to be an experience he’d want to remember forever. 
He leaned over and felt around under the seat until he found his green backpack（背包）. From inside, he took out a pen and the new black and white composition notebook his mother had bought him before leaving for their trip. He opened the book and on the inside cover he carefully wrote: Johnny Washington, Age 10. His hand automatically（自动地）smoothed（抚平）the white paper on the opposite page. 
With his pen placed thoughtfully（若有所思地）on the first of the light blue lines, he watched the countryside roll past his window. Then he began to write. 
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I’ve always wanted to go on a train ride. 
A friend went on a train once and told me it was lots of fun especially when it got dark outside and he went to sleep on a moving bed. Mom and Dad surprised me one day after dinner when they said the whole family was taking the train to Grandma and Grandpa’s. I was so excited that I couldn’t even eat the chocolate pudding（布丁）Mom had made for dessert. 
We left one Saturday morning after breakfast. We drove into town, parking in a lot next to the station. A man helped unload（卸下）our suitcases, which took up the entire （整个）trunk! He put them on a cart（手推车）he wheeled next to us as we walked into the station. He gave the bags to another man who said he would put them on the train’s baggage（行李）car. We could pick them up the next day when we arrived.
We looked around the station, which was really big. It reminded me of a church, for it had high ceilings and tall windows along the side. Mom picked out a magazine inside a store and she bought me a pack of cartoon（卡通）books. Then we heard an announcement over the loudspeaker: a voice said our train was ready to board.
We walked through a tunnel（地道）with shiny（发亮的）floors, then up a stairway（楼梯）. It ended on a platform（月台）right next to the train. The cars were bright, shiny steel, with a red, white and blue line on the side. There were two rows of windows, one above the other. One car even had windows in the roof. My Dad said it was a lounge car（观光车厢）, where people talked and looked at the passing scenery（景色）.
We walked to the front of the train to the sleeping cars. We stepped aboard the first one, where a nice woman dressed in blue shook my hand and showed us to our compartment（隔间）. We went up winding stairs to get there. It was a two level car, she explained. Then I began to explore. She said we had to stay in our compartment until the conductor came for our tickets, but that was ok with me, since there was a lot to see inside the room. There were two beds, one which folded into the wall above the sofa, and a bathroom, which seemed pretty small. There was even a shower. I told Mom I wanted to take one later. She laughed and said that was the first time she had heard me say I wanted to take a shower!The conductor came to our compartment a few minutes later. He took our tickets and told us the lounge car right next door was open and that they would serve lunch in the dining car in two hours. I smiled at Mom as he said it. We walked to the lounge car as the train started to move. I could hardly tell at first, but the noise was loud and the floor moved as we walked between the cars. The three of us sat at a table. I was next to the window, and the waiter brought cups of coffee to my Mom and Dad and a glass of orange juice for me. He said that a showing of a Walt Disney movie was about to begin downstairs. I asked Mom and Dad if I could go, and they said “Sure.” 
I sat in the downstairs area quite a while. There were others, too. We ate popcorn（爆米花）and drank soft drinks. It was fun! Later, Mom and Dad came down and said it was time to eat.
The dining car was a new experience. There was a flower on the table, and our train was going right next to the blue ocean. People waved at us as they played in the water. The car rocked（摇晃）back and forth and the rails（铁轨）clicked beneath us, but no milk spilled（溅出）from my glass. The hamburger I ate was good, too.
I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering between our compartment and the lounge car. I liked our compartment, because Dad pulled down the upper bed and let me play up there. There were lots of coat hooks that folded out of the wall, and I hung things from them all. Later, I played cards with Dad. He’s not a very good player -- I almost always won.
That evening after dinner, the sky began to darken（变暗）and the uniformed（穿制服的）lady asked if she could make up our beds for the night. My parents went to the lounge car as she did this, but I stayed to watch. She made the sofa into a bed and arranged the blankets on the bed above. I told her that one was mine. She smiled and placed a chocolate candy on the soft pillow.
When I climbed in, the night had become dark. We couldn’t see much outside any more, since there was no light. I turned on a night light above my bed, so I could read. I looked at a cartoon book, but it was only a few minutes before I felt sleepy. So I turned out the light and went to sleep.
The next morning the sun was shining and there were green pine trees all around. We ate breakfast in the dining car, where the chef（厨师）made me a pancake with a smiling face on it. Two pieces of bacon made the mouth and strawberries made the nose and eyes. It looked funny, but tasted good! I ate his eyes first.
Before I knew it, Dad said we would pull into Portland in 30 minutes. I couldn’t believe it--- our trip was almost over. We said goodbye to the smiling lady. She gave us all mugs（杯子）to remember our trip. 
When we slowed to a stop at the station, Grandma and Grandpa were waiting for us. They hugged us and asked if we had a good trip. I said that we sure did. The train stayed in the station for only five minutes or so, and I sadly waved goodbye when it left. I walked away, holding my Mom’s hand. 
Our baggage was there, just like the man had told us it would be. I had fun at Grandma and Grandpa’s house, but soon our visit was over. We flew home on a plane. That was fun too, but the train was better. I even used my mug on the airplane. I thought I saw a train winding along the ground below when I looked out the window, but it was far away. 
I asked Dad if we could take the train again the next time we visit Grandma and Grandpa. He said we could. 
I’ll keep reminding him so he doesn’t forget.
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The writing ended there. 
A grown-up Johnny Washington, father of four was still kneeling on the floor of the garage, next to an open cardboard（纸板）box, the dusty（积满灰尘的）little black and white composition book open in his hands, when he heard his wife calling him to Sunday dinner. He gently placed the book back inside the worn box. Folding the cardboard cover over, he carefully taped（贴胶带）it shut. The workers who would help them with the move would be coming early. 
Although there was really nothing breakable（易碎的）inside, with a red pen he wrote the word “FRAGILE（易碎的）” across the top and sides of the box before standing up, with a bit of difficulty, and dusting（弹掉灰尘）off his knees. 
As he turned and headed towards the smell of the roast（烤肉）and the sound of laughing children, he smiled to himself, thinking of his childhood notebook. 
You can never be too careful with a time machine, he thought.


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