散開的蝴蝶結

江蘇 薛曉媛

因為媽媽再婚，“我”需要適應新的家庭環境，“我”很討厭和繼兄弟相處。一年一度的社區家庭表演日那天，當站在舞臺上時，“我”發現自己裙子上的蝴蝶結沒有系好,突然，蝴蝶結松了……

I was in my room, slowly getting ready to head to the community theater with the rest of my family. I wasn't in the mood for being onstage.

“Kate, come here,” my mom called from down the hall.

I found my mom outside the bathroom,holding a wet book. Henry, my new stepbrother,was nearby, working on a complicated string knot (結), as usual.

My mother gave the book a shake. “Henry's book is in the bathtub. Did you put it there?”

“Not on purpose,” I said. “It was already on the edge, and it happened to fall in when I stepped out of the tub.”

My mother glared at me, something she never did before I had a stepfamily. “You could have picked it up,” she said. “That would have been the kind thing to do.”

As Henry walked ahead of us to the car,my mom took me aside. “This is our corner of the world now, Kate,” she said. “Let's try to make it a good one.”

The community theater was busy when we got there. Theater used to be what my mom and I did together—one play a year for our special thing. With Henry involved, it didn't seem so special anymore.

Henry's dad, who had arrived earlier to help set up, was already in costume. “Dear children,” he called in a theatrical voice. “Come to Father.” I thought he was a nice guy even before he and my mother started dating. Unfortunately, I now had a stepbrother to deal with.

Soon, it was curtain time. I peeked (偷看)out at the audience and noticed that the darkened theater was full. My heart beat faster. I forgot my annoyance at Henry as the lead actress sang, “The hills are alive with the sound of music! ” Nothing compared to show nights.

Before long, it was my turn. I went onstage,song book in hand. As we kids lined up before Henry's dad, who was playing the part of our father, I realized how poorly I'd tied the string on my skirt which was over leggings (打底褲). I should have asked my mom for help.

Reading Check

閱讀上面的短文， 根據所給情節進行續寫，使之構成一個完整的故事。注意：

1. 所續寫短文的詞數應為150左右；

2. 續寫部分分為兩段，每段的開頭語已為你寫好。

Para. 1:

And then, suddenly, the string knot on my skirt came untied.

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Para. 2:

I shot Henry a grateful glance.

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寫作導引

Ⅰ. Sort the elements

Characters I(Kate), my mother, my stepfather, 1.Plot√Beginning: My mother 2. me, thinking that I put my stepbrother's book in the bathtub 3. .√Development: We headed to the community theatre, where my stepfather asked us to be prepared for the show.√Climax: When it was my turn to go onstage, I found that my knot on my skirt was 4. tied.

Ⅱ. Explore the emotional changes of Kate

According to the clues found out in the story, can you conclude Kate's possible emotions?

Ⅲ. Read for the hidden information

1. “Henry, my new stepbrother, was nearby, working on a complicated string knot, as usual.” What can we infer from “as usual”?

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2. “This is our corner of the world now, Kate,” she said. “Let's try to make it a good one.” What do Kate's mother's words mean?

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Ⅳ. Predict

1. How did Kate feel when the knot on her skirt came untied?

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2. Who is the most reasonable to help solve Kate's problem and why?

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3. Did Kate change her attitude towards Henry?

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Ⅴ. Useful expressions

1. 描寫尷尬和不知所措

I was frozen with worry, at a loss, not knowing what to do.

I was struck dead with embarrassment, heart beating fast.

Extremely worried that I would lose face in front of all the audience, I grasped the skirt tightly,embarrassment written on my red face.

I peeked around anxiously to look for help, like a cat on hot bricks/restless as an ant on a hot pan.

2. 細化Henry的幫助Henry noticed my uneasiness, sneaked onstage hiding behind me and tied the knot skillfully.I was on the verge of breaking down when a familiar figure rested his hand on the knot.

3. 側面描寫演出的成功The moment the performance came to an end, the applause thundered/cheers and applause took over the whole theatre/audience broke into a storm of applause.

4. 表達感恩

Tears filling my eyes, I offered my heartfelt gratitude.

Hardly had the performance ended when I dashed to Henry, saying “Had it not been for your help, I wouldn't have performed successfully.”

Ⅵ. Writing techniques

創造精彩結尾

1. 畫面定格

可以以人物動作的畫面定格或者以有特殊寓意的寫景畫面定格

I threw my arms round smiling Henry, feeling a warm current running into my heart.

2. 對話收尾

I hugged Henry tightly, patted him on the back and whispered, “Thank you, my brother.”

3. 主題升華

Henry helped me tie the knot on the skirt, but untied the knot in my heart.

The knot used to be a problem, but now, it is “knot” a problem.

閱讀時要關注文中反復提到的名詞，或者找到文章中的隱藏線索，考慮是否有雙關意義。