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● counting on you strong：满心希望要看你表现你的实力。strong是objective complement。old man相当于“朋友”。
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● encircling：左臂围着学生的肩膀（右手在握手）。
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● stuff：天分，实力；相当于普通话，你是个念书的“料”。
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● flying colors原意是“飘扬的旗帜”，转作“胜利，辉煌的成绩”。one of these days：将来有一天。
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● grinning tearfully：满眶眼泪，强颜欢笑。little pats：轻轻地拍他的肩膀。
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At one o’clock Charlie finished cleaning off the last of the tables. The Wigwam was empty, so he opened the book he must read for Ec 150. He had read a few lines when a bunch of girls from the Theta house down the street came charging in, giggling and talking in gasps and screams, their fur coats clutched over their sleeping pajamas. It was long after the closing hour, and they told Charlie to keep an eye out for the university night watchman.
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● 时已子夜一时，咖啡馆主顾渐少，Charlie乃可展诵他的经济学指定参考书。
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● a bunch of girls：一群女生。Theta house：“姊妹会”自营宿舍之名。美国大学本科男生通常有“兄弟会”（fraternity），女生有“姊妹会”（sorority）之组织。会名大多用希腊字母标之，这里的Theta就是一个希腊字母。姊妹会有自备宿舍者，会员即寄宿在内。down the street该会宿舍在街的某一头，想必离那咖啡馆不远。charge原意是“冲锋”，这里借作“冲进来”。
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● giggling：傻笑。talking in gasps and screams：有的讲了半句就要换气，有的尖了嗓子怪叫。fur coats：皮大衣。sleeping pajamas：睡衣。clutched：裹紧。
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● the closing hour：本可指咖啡馆的打烊时间，但咖啡馆既通宵营业，这里当指学校宿舍关门时间，过了这个时间，照规矩学生不可再上街进食，查出要受罚的，所以这辈女生叫Charlie留意街上大学所雇的巡更的（night watchman）。
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They took up the two back booths and they consulted The Wigwam’s printed menu card without failing to read aloud the lines “We Employ Student Help Exclusively,” and “Please Do Not Tip. A Smile Is Our Reward” with the customary shrieks. Nearly all ordered filets mignon and French fries, which were not on the menu, but two or three ordered pecan waffles and coffee, which were. When he had served their orders Charlie went back to his book again, but the low buzz of their talk and their sudden spurts of laughter disturbed him and he could not read. At a quarter of two they began peering round corners of their booths. They asked Charlie in whispers if the coast was clear.
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● booths：小间，雅座。printed menu card：印好的菜单。consulted普通解作“请教”，这里是“看菜单”。without failing to：点菜之前，少不了要把这几句话朗诵出来。这几句话是：“本店专雇学生兼理店务。（Help是集体名词=the whole force of hired helpers；exclusively：只雇这一种。）请不给小帐。诸君惠赐一笑，本店服务生即觉心满意足。”
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● with the customary shrieks：念了这几句话，那几个女生照例要哈哈狂笑。（这几句话本没有什么可笑，但女学生聚在一起，喜欢大笑，此殆中外一理。）shrieks和screams都是尖声叫喊，都可解作尖声大笑，但shrieks的叫声笑声更为可怕。
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● ordered：点菜。filets mignon：无骨的嫩牛肉片（中国的西餐馆似把它译作“腓力牛排”）。filet乃法文拼法，去骨的肉片、鱼片皆可称为filet，亦作fillet（英文字）。mignon亦是法文，是“嫩”的意思。French fries即French fried potatoes：油炸洋芋条。
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● waffles是一种蛋奶烘饼，pecan是一种胡桃，壳薄形长，味甘芳。which were=which were on the menu。菜单上没有的菜，大约店里平常也准备，所以也可以点。
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● buzz：嗡嗡之声。sudden spurts of laughter：突发的笑声。spurts：（水等之）激射。
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● a quarter of two：一点四十五分。一点五十分也可说ten minutes of two。
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● peering：张望。whispers：低声说话。if the coast was clear：街上是否有巡夜的走过。所以用coast（海岸）者，据说这是当年海边私枭把风者语。
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Charlie went to the door and looked out on the street and beckoned widely with his arm. They trooped out with their fur coats pulled tight, their fur-trimmed silken mules slapping their bare heels. They had left about thirty cents as a tip, all in cents and nickels. The coins were carefully imbedded in the cold steak grease and gluey syrup and putty-colored cigarette leavings on their plates. Charlie began stacking the plates without touching the money. He carried the dirty dishes back and set them through the opening in the kitchen wall. Fat Kruger came to the opening and Charlie went back to his book. Fat called, “Hey, Charlie, you leavin’ this tip again?”
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● beckoned：做手势（widely有“挥动”之意）。
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● trooped：（多数人）匆忙地走。
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● fur-trimmed：毛皮滚边的。mules：拖鞋（slippers是便鞋，如中国缎鞋等都是；mules才是没后跟的拖鞋）。slapping：拖拉拖拉地响。heels：脚踵。bare：没有穿袜子。
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● cents：一分一枚的铜币。nickels：五分一枚的镍币。
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● imbedded：塞、埋（此字源自bed，原有“塞在被褥之间”之意，imbed亦可拼作embed）。steak grease：牛排的油汤。gluey：粘而且腻的。syrup：糖浆，waffles上常常浇了糖浆才吃，故盘子里有糖浆遗留。putty：油灰（用以补漏等等）。cigarette leavings：香烟头（浸在油里，故呈油灰色）。
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● stacking the plates：把盘子叠起。
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