?The kite and the thread

By Townsend

錢大平（譯）

◆語篇導讀

有時我們會覺得，如果沒有家庭的束縛，我們有可能會快速到達我們理想生活中的新高度。但是我們并沒有意識到，在我們需要幫助的時候，正是家人及愛我們的人毫不猶豫地幫助我們度過艱難的時刻。得到他們強大的支持和鼓勵，才使我們在生活中達到更高的境界。事實上，他們不是在束縛我們，而是在關注、幫助我們。

Once a father and his son went to the Kite Flying Festival. The boy became very happy seeing the sky thatwas filled withcolorful kites. He asked his father to get him a kite and a thread with a roller so that he could fly a kite, too. So the father went to the shop at the park where the festival was being held. He bought a kite and a roll of thread for his son.

The boy started to fly the kite. Soon, his kite reached high up in the sky.After a short while, the boy said,“Father, It seems that the thread is preventing the kite from flying higher. If we break it, it will be free and will go flying even higher. Can we break it?”As a result, the father cut the thread from a roller. The kite started to go a little higher, which made the boy very excited.

But then, slowly, the kite started to come down. And soon, it fell down on the top of a building. The boy was surprised to see this. He had cut the kite off its thread in order that it could fly higher, instead, it fell down.He said to his father,“Father, I thought the kite can freely fly higher after I cut off the thread. But why did it fall down?”

The father explained,“At the height of life that we live in, we often think that some things we are tied with, and they are stopping us from going further and higher. The thread was not keeping the kite from going higher, but it was helping it stay higher when the windslowed down.When the windpicked up, you helped the kite go up higherin a proper directionthrough the thread. And when we cut the thread, it fell down without the support you were providing for the kite through the thread.”The son realized his mistake.

◆語塊收藏

be filled with 充滿；被……充滿

after a short while 過了一會兒

as a result 因此；結果

slow down 減速；減緩

pick up 改善；好轉；增強

in a proper direction 以合適的方向

◆典句賞析

1.It seems that the thread is preventing the kite from flying higher.好像這線限制了風箏飛在空中的高度。

It seems that...是一個固定句式，表示“好像……”，seem為連系動詞，that從句作表語；prevent sb.from doing是固定詞組，意為“阻止某人做……”，相當于stop sb. from doing / keep sb. from doing。例如：

We must prevent / keep / stop the children playing football in the street.我們必須阻止孩子們在街道上踢足球。

【即時嘗試】他看起來好像有重要的事情要對我說。

2.The kite started to go a little higher, which made the boy very excited.風箏開始飛得更高，這使得小男孩很興奮。

這是一個主從復合句，關系代詞which引導的是非限制性定語從句，指代前面整個主句的內容；make sb. / sth.+adj.是固定搭配，意為“使某人(某物)……”。例如：

He pretended not to know me, which I didn't understand.他假裝不認識我，這一點我不理解。

We should make our classroom clean.我們應該使我們的教室保持干凈。

【即時嘗試】他英語考試不及格，這使他感到很悲傷。

3.And when we cut the thread, it fell down without the support you were providing for the kite through the thread.當我們剪斷線時，沒有你通過線給風箏提供的支持，它就會掉下來。

這是一個主從復合句。when引導的是時間狀語從句，在主句you were providing for the kite through the thread中作定語，修飾support；provide for是固定詞組，意為“供養；供給”。

【即時嘗試】他們有兩個孩子需要供養。

(答案見第63頁)

譯文助讀

有一次，父親和兒子去參加風箏節。看到天空中放滿了五顏六色的風箏，小男孩非常高興。他要求他的父親也給他買一只風箏和一卷帶滾輪的線，以便他也能放風箏。于是,他父親去了舉辦風箏節的公園旁邊的商店為兒子買了風箏和一卷線。

于是小男孩開始放風箏。很快，風箏飛在高空中。過了一會兒，小男孩說：“爸爸，好像這線限制了風箏飛在空中的高度，如果我們剪斷風箏的線，它就自由了，還會飛得更高些。我們可以剪斷線嗎？”因此，父親把線從線輪上剪斷了。風箏開始飛得更高，這使得小男孩很興奮。

但隨后，慢慢地，風箏開始降落。不久，它就落在了一座建筑的頂上。小男孩看到這很驚訝，他把風箏的線剪斷了是為了讓它飛得更高，但是它卻掉了下來。他對父親說：“爸爸, 我原以為剪掉線后，風箏可以自由自在地飛得更高，但為什么會掉下來?”

父親解釋說：“在我們生活中，我們經常認為有些事把我們捆綁了，它們阻止著我們進一步發展。但這線不是阻止風箏飛得更高，而是在風速減慢的時候，幫助風箏保持在更高的位置。當風速增強時，你通過線幫助風箏沿著一個合適的方向上升。當我們剪斷線時，沒有你通過線給風箏提供的支持，它就會掉下來”。兒子于是意識到了自己的錯誤。