The machines along the wall
are a row of portholes on a ship
that never leaves the street,
each one showing its own small storm.
In one, a striped jersey
chases a white sock round and round
and never quite catches it.
In the next, someone's whole week
turns over slowly, in blue.
We sit on the plastic chairs,
not talking, not looking,
reading the warnings on the soap machine
as if they were the news.
Then a dryer buzzes, and a stranger
folds a small pink dress with great care,
corner to corner, the way you'd fold a letter
you meant to keep,
and the person beside me looks up and smiles,
and so do I,
and for a moment the whole room is warm
with something that isn't the dryers.
讲解示例 1
The machines are described as "a row of portholes on a ship / that never leaves the street". This comparison mainly helps the reader picture
AA.
the round glass doors with water churning inside
BB.
a laundromat that stands close to the edge of the sea
CC.
old machines that are likely to break down soon
DD.
customers who secretly wish they could travel far away
答案: A
答案:A(the round glass doors with water churning inside)
舷窗(porthole)是船上的圆形窗户,洗衣机也有圆形玻璃门。“each one showing its own small storm”写的是门里翻滚的水。这艘船“never leaves the street”,说明这只是一个比喻。答案是 A。
其他选项为什么不对
B:船“never leaves the street”,这是比喻,不是说洗衣店在海边。
C:这个比喻没有任何地方暗示机器老旧或快坏了。
D:诗里从没说有人想去远方旅行。
讲解示例 2
What do the lines "someone's whole week / turns over slowly, in blue" suggest?
AA.
The owner of the clothes has had a sad, lonely week.
BB.
The machine has been running for a whole week now.
CC.
A load of washing gives a glimpse of a stranger's life.
DD.
The clothes will take a very long time to dry out.
答案: C
答案:C(A load of washing gives a glimpse of a stranger's life.)
一桶衣服里装着某人好几天穿过的衣服,看着它转动,就像看到他“a whole week”的生活。“in blue”说的是诗人眼前看到的东西:这桶衣服翻滚时的颜色。诗人是透过别人的衣服,瞥见陌生人生活的一角。答案是 C。
其他选项为什么不对
A:把“blue”理解成心情,但诗里没有任何地方告诉我们这个人这一周过得怎样。
B:把“whole week”当成字面意思;它指的是一周的衣服。
D:这两行根本没有提到烘干。
讲解示例 3
In the third stanza, the people read the warnings on the soap machine "as if they were the news". This suggests that they
AA.
are worried about using the soap machine safely
BB.
are keeping to themselves, the way strangers often do
CC.
have come to the laundromat to catch up on the news
DD.
are annoyed with one another for making too much noise
答案: B
答案:B(are keeping to themselves, the way strangers often do)
他们“not talking, not looking”,互相不说话,也不看对方。把皂液机上枯燥的警告读得像新闻一样,只是给眼睛找个地方放。这是陌生人之间那种尴尬的沉默。答案是 B。
其他选项为什么不对
A:他们读警告是为了打发时间,不是因为担心。
C:“as if they were the news”说明那些警告并不是新闻。
D:屋里很安静,没有人在制造噪音。
讲解示例 4
The poem ends with the room "warm / with something that isn't the dryers". What does this ending suggest?
AA.
The room grows uncomfortably hot as all the dryers finish.
BB.
The speaker realises the stranger is someone they already know.
CC.
The strangers agree to meet at the laundromat every week.
DD.
A small, careful act briefly makes the strangers feel connected.
答案: D
答案:D(A small, careful act briefly makes the strangers feel connected.)
在这之前,陌生人互相回避。看到有人把一条小裙子叠得像“a letter / you meant to keep”一样仔细,诗人和身边的人相视一笑。“warm / with something that isn't the dryers”里的“暖”是一种感受:原本互不理睬的人之间片刻的亲切。“for a moment”说明这种感觉很短暂。答案是 D。
其他选项为什么不对
A:诗里明说这份暖意“isn't the dryers”。
B:叠衣服的人被称为“a stranger”(陌生人)。
C:“for a moment”只是片刻的感受,没有约定以后见面。
孩子要留意哪些陷阱?
下面每个陷阱,都是把洗衣店这首诗读得太死或太松。和孩子一起看错误选项,找出能排除它们的那几个词。
把比喻当真。洗衣机是"portholes on a ship"(船上的舷窗),但这艘船"never leaves the street"(从不离开这条街)。没有人在海上。