17. What? 什么？

It was purple.

So Jenny read the story backward. When she finished, she threw up.

"Okay," said Jenny.

"So read the story backward," suggested Mrs. Jewls. "That way the beginning will be a surprise."

"But I already know how the story ends!" Jenny complained. "I only like stories with surprise endings."

96

"Good point," said Mrs. Jewls. "Here, you can read the story yourself. It's very funny." She gave the book to Jenny.

"All I heard was the last sentence," said Jenny. "It isn't funny unless you know what happened first."

"Why aren't you laughing, Jenny?" asked Mrs. Jewls. "Didn't you think it was a funny story?"

That made Dana laugh harder.

"There goes the giggle¹ box," said Myron.

Everybody laughed, except for Jenny. Dana laughed hysterically².

Mrs. Jewls looked back at the story she had been reading before Jenny's interruption. There was only one sentence left for her to read. She read it to the class.

Jenny made a face. She could still taste the awful stuff.

"And next time you 11 drink your prune³ juice more quickly," said Mrs. Jewls.

Jenny sat down.

Mrs. Jewls waited for Jenny to sit down.

Jenny wrote her name on the blackboard under the word DISCIPLINE.

"Well, that's no excuse," said Mrs. Jewls. "Now, go write your name on the blackboard under the word DISCIPLINE."

"I couldn't leave the table until I finished it," explained Jenny. "And then I missed the bus."

97

"What does prune juice have to do with anything?" asked Mrs. Jewls.

"Because I hate prune juice!" Jenny griped.

"Why are you late?" asked Mrs. Jewls.

"I can't hear you," said Jenny. "I better take off my helmet." She took off her helmet.

"Take off your helmet," said Mrs. Jewls.

"What?" asked Jenny.

"Why are you late?" asked Mrs. Jewls.

Jenny caught her breath. "What?" she asked. She couldn't hear too well because she was still wearing the motorcycle helmet.

Mrs. Jewls looked up from the story she had been reading to the class. "You're late," she said.

She hopped⁴ off the bike in front of Wayside School and charged up the stairs. Her stomach was still going up and down as she opened the door to Mrs. Jewls's room.

She put on her helmet; then her father drove her to school on the back of his motorcycle. It was a very bumpy⁵ ride.

"Put on your helmet," said her father. "Ill drive you to school on the back of my motorcycle."

"I missed the bus," Jenny grumbled⁶.

"What are you doing home?" asked her mother.

She finally got it all down, then hurried as fast as she could to the bus stop. When she got there, the bus was just pulling away. She sighed, then turned around and ran all the way back home.

98

Her mother wouldn't let her leave the breakfast table until she finished her prune juice. It took her forever. She hated prune juice more than anything in the world.

One day Jenny was late for school.

1 giggle   

n.痴笑，咯咯地笑；v.咯咯地笑着说

参考例句：

• Both girls began to giggle.两个女孩都咯咯地笑了起来。
• All that giggle and whisper is too much for me.我受不了那些咯咯的笑声和交头接耳的样子。

2 hysterically   

ad. 歇斯底里地

参考例句：

• The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。
• She sobbed hysterically, and her thin body was shaken. 她歇斯底里地抽泣着，她瘦弱的身体哭得直颤抖。

3 prune   

n.酶干；vt.修剪，砍掉，削减；vi.删除

参考例句：

• Will you prune away the unnecessary adjectives in the passage?把这段文字中不必要的形容词删去好吗？
• It is our job to prune the side branches of these trees.我们的工作就是修剪这些树的侧枝。

4 hopped   

跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花

参考例句：

• He hopped onto a car and wanted to drive to town. 他跳上汽车想开向市区。
• He hopped into a car and drove to town. 他跳进汽车，向市区开去。

5 bumpy   

adj.颠簸不平的，崎岖的

参考例句：

• I think we've a bumpy road ahead of us.我觉得我们将要面临一段困难时期。
• The wide paved road degenerated into a narrow bumpy track.铺好的宽阔道路渐渐变窄，成了一条崎岖不平的小径。

6 grumbled   

抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声

参考例句：

• He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
• The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏，水手们边干活边发着牢骚。