第十三篇

　　WORDS

　　plead vi.1.懇求，請求 2.申訴，答辯，辯護 vt.1.為……辯護 2.提出……為理由(或借口)

　　plight n.困境，苦境

　　pluck vt.1.拔，摘，采 2.拔除……的毛 3.彈，撥，彈奏 vi.(at)拉，拽，拉扯 ?n.勇氣，膽量，決心

　　plum n.李子，梅子 a.待遇好的

　　plumber n.管子工，水暖工

　　plume n.1.(升上空中的)一縷(煙、塵土等) 2.羽毛，羽飾

　　plump a.豐滿的，胖乎乎的 vi.1.(down)撲通倒(或坐)下，驀地摔下 2.(for)選定 vt.1.使撲通倒(或坐)下，驀地摔下 2.(up)輕輕拍打使(枕頭等)變得鼓起來

　　plunder vt.劫掠……的財物，掠奪 n.1.劫掠物，贓物 2.劫掠，搶奪

　　pneumonia n.肺炎

　　poignant a.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，慘痛的

　　poise n.1.穩重，鎮定 2.(優美)姿勢，姿態 3.平衡，平穩 vt.使平衡，使平穩，平穩地拿

　　poke vt.1.戳，捅 2.用……戳(或捅)，把……戳向 3.伸出，突出 vi.伸出，突出? n.戳，捅

　　poke about/around 搜索，探問

　　poke fun at 拿……開玩笑，取笑

　　poke one's nose into 探問，干預

　　polar a.1.地極的，近地極的 2.磁極的 3.正好相反的，截然對立的

　　polyester n.聚脂(纖維)，滌綸

　　ponder v.思索，考慮，沉思

　　pony n.矮種馬，小馬

　　popcorn n.爆玉米花，炒苞米

　　pope n.[常the P_](天主教)教皇，羅馬主教

　　porcelain n.瓷，瓷器

　　porch n.門廊

　　pore n.毛孔，細孔 vi.(over)仔細閱讀，審視

　　The Lucky Plumber

　　The plumber had always been lucky at games. But the day he went to the carnival with the polar bear it all came to a poignant end. It started when he was poking about looking for a game to play. He had already done the pony ride, eaten popcorn, and plucked a plum from a tall tree using a feather to won a porcelain doll of the Pope. But now he was pondering if he could win a guessing game to win the polyester jacket that the game host was wearing as he sat on his porch.

　　When he decided to try the host began to poke fun at him that he would lose his poise and not be able to guess his weight. And he was right. The plumber was wrong with his guess. He pleaded for a second chance and even paid to guess again. When he guessed wrong again a plump woman with a bright orange plume on her hat stepped in to try as well. The plumberpoked her in the side and told her not to poke her nose into other peoples business. He was still playing and she wasn't going to plunder the prize that he thought was his!

　　But the plumber just could not win the guessing game. When he finally acknowledged his plight, the pores on his skin were all worn out from sweating so much! I hear he was never the same again and that he died of the pneumonia he caught that night a few weeks later. Some people just can't stand being down on their luck.

　　幸運的水暖工

　　這個水暖工玩游戲時一貫幸運，但是那天他和北極熊一起去參加歡慶會時，他的運氣令人痛苦地結束了。他到處探問有什么游戲可玩的時候壞運氣就開始了。他已經玩過騎矮種馬、吃爆玉米花、用一跟羽毛從一棵大樹上摘李子以贏取教皇的瓷娃娃，但是現在他正在思考他是否能夠在這次猜謎游戲中獲勝以贏得坐在門廊里的游戲主持人穿的那種滌綸夾克。

　　當他決定試一下的時候，主持人跟他開了個玩笑，說他會失去平衡并猜不出他的體重。他還真說對了，水暖工猜錯了。他請求再給他一次機會，他甚至愿意掏錢只要讓他再試。在他再次猜錯的時候，一位豐滿的、帽子上插著一根鮮艷的橙黃色羽毛的婦女走近來也要試一下。水暖工在她側面捅了一下并告訴她不要干預別人的事，他說他還在玩，她不要搶走他認為屬于他的獎品!

　　但是水暖工就是贏不了這次猜謎游戲。等他終于承認自己的困境時，他皮膚上的毛孔因為出汗太多都壞掉了!我聽水他再也沒能重振雄風，幾個星期之后他死于那天晚上得的肺炎。有些人就是不能忍受不走運。