Stories number nine Exam time.

第九號故事 考試時間

It was exam time, Ajo School.

考試時間到了，阿城學校。

Every day there, Teacher gave him loads of homework and told them they should be working hard so as to do well in their tests.

在那裡，老師每天都會給他佈置大量的作業，告訴他們要努力，這樣才能考好。

Joe didn't take any notice.

喬並沒有注意到。

He reckoned he would rather be playing football.

他估計自己寧願去踢足球。

He didn't care if he came bottom in the exams.

他並不在意自己是否考了個倒數第一。

His mom and dad told him that he should be working harder.

他的爸爸媽媽告訴他，他應該更加努力。

But the weather was sunny and Joe had better things to do.

但天氣晴朗，喬有更好的事情要做。

Shall we go to the park?

我們去公園好嗎？

He said to his friend Finn one afternoon.

一天下午，他對朋友費恩說。

We could take a football and have a kick around.

我們可以拿個足球來踢一踢。

Finn shook his head.

芬恩搖了搖頭。

I need to revise, he said.

我需要修改，他說。

I'm going home to do some maths.

我要回家做數學題。

Joe was amazed.

喬很驚訝。

You'd rather do maths than football.

你寧可做數學也不做足球。

Maths is important.

數學很重要。

Besides, my mom says she'll buy me a mountain bike.

而且，我媽說要給我買一輛山地車。

If I do well, that's crazy, said Joe.

如果我做得很好，那就太瘋狂了，喬說。

Finn shrugged.

芬恩聳了聳肩。

Wait until I beat you in the test and you watch me riding past on my mountain bike.

等到我在考試中打敗你，你看著我騎著山地車過去。

You won't beat me, said Joe.

你打不過我的，喬說。

Oh yes, I will.

哦，是的，我會的。

Oh, no, you won't just you wait and see.

哦，不，你不會... ...你等著瞧吧。

For the first time ever Joe wanted to do well.

有史以來第一次喬想做好。

He couldn't bear it.

他無法忍受。

A fin came top and he did badly.

一個鰭來頂，他做得很糟糕。

So when he got home, he opened his maths book.

所以回家後，他打開了數學書。

There was so much to do.

有很多事情要做。

Suddenly he felt like he'd for gotten everything he'd learned that year.

他忽然覺得自己當年所學的一切都為得到了。

He couldn't think where to start.

他不知道該從何說起。

He was still sitting there when Bella came in chasing Casper the Kitten.

貝拉追著小貓卡斯帕進來的時候，他還坐在那裡。

You don't look happy, she said.

她說，你看起來不開心。

Your mouth is also bad.

你的嘴也不好。

You wouldn't be happy either if you had to learn all this maths, said Joe.

喬說，如果你要學這些數學，你也不會高興。

I would just use my magic pencil.

我只想用我的魔法鉛筆。

It always gets the right answer.

它總能得到正確的答案。

That's silly.

那是愚蠢的。

There's no such thing as a magic pencil.

根本就沒有什麼神奇的鉛筆。

Yes, there is.

是的，有。

Look, I'll show you.

看，我給你看。

Bella ran out of the room and came back carrying a shiny silver pencil with a fluffy unicorn stuck toe.

貝拉跑出房間，拎著一支銀光閃閃的鉛筆回來，上面插著一隻毛茸茸的獨角獸腳趾。

One end.

一端。

What a silly thing, thought Joe.

喬想，這真是一件傻事。

But Bella was beaming on.

但貝拉卻是一臉的笑容。

He didn't want to hurt her feelings, so he picked up the pencil and looked at the maths question.

他不想傷害她的感情，所以拿起鉛筆看了看數學題。

To his surprise, he saw the answer straight away.

令他驚訝的是，他直接看到了答案。

After that, Joe worked hard every evening On the day of the maths test, Bella said, You can use my magic pencil if you like.

此後，喬每天晚上都很努力地工作 在數學考試那天，貝拉說，如果你喜歡，可以用我的魔法鉛筆。

No way I don't need your pencil, said Joe Rudely.

不可能，我不需要你的鉛筆，喬魯迪說。

He was thinking about how much his friends would laugh if he came to school with a fluffy unicorn pencil.

他在想，如果他拿著毛茸茸的獨角獸鉛筆來學校，朋友們會笑得多開心。

Bella was cross all right, then.

貝拉是十字架的權利，然後。

I'm not lending it to you.

我不會借給你的。

Fine by me.

我沒意見

When Joe arrived at school, everyone was talking about how much work they had done.

喬到學校後，大家都在議論自己做了多少工作。

Finn kept grinning at him.

芬恩一直對他笑。

The look that said, I'm coming top just you wait and see.

那表情說，我頂來了，只是你等著瞧。

Joe began to panic.

喬開始驚慌失措。

He sat down at his desk, opened the test paper on, felt like he couldn't do a single question.

他坐在書桌前，打開試卷上，感覺自己一道題都不會做。

There was a knock at the door.

有人敲門。

What is it?

什麼事？

Bella asked.

問得好。

Joe's teacher were busy.

喬老師很忙。

Now, just something Joe forgot, said Bella.

現在，只是喬忘了一件事，貝拉說。

Before anyone could stop her, she skipped over and put her magic pencil on Joe's desk.

還沒等人阻止她，她就跳過去把她的魔法鉛筆放在喬的桌子上。

She grinned at Joe.

她對著喬笑了笑。

As she left, Joe picked up the pencil.

她離開時，喬拿起了鉛筆。

He looked at the fluffy unicorn on, could feel himself calming down.

他看著毛茸茸的獨角獸上，能感覺到自己冷靜下來了。

He knew it wasn't really magic, but somehow he could dual the maths questions.

他知道這並不是真正的魔法，但不知為何，他可以雙修數學題。

After all, when the results came out, Joe had done even better than thin.

畢竟，當結果出來後，Joe做得比瘦子還要好。

Well, John said, Mom, I knew you could do well.

嗯，約翰說，媽媽，我就知道你能做好。

If you tried, we could go to a movie to celebrate, and you can choose which one I think Bella should choose.

如果你願意，我們可以去看電影慶祝，你可以選擇我認為貝拉應該選擇的電影。

Joe said I'd never have done it without her magic pencil.

喬說，如果沒有她的神奇鉛筆，我是絕對做不到的。

Oh!

哦！