Chapter 22

It came from Benjamin Nushmutt
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"How about you?" said Miss Nogard, looking right at him.

Just don't ask me my name, thought Benjamin. I never can say my name in front of people. He took a breath to steady himself. "Well, we've been reading-"

"First tell me your name," Miss Nogard said sweetly.

The muscles in Benjamin's face tightened¹. He concentrated real hard, then said, "Benjamin Nushmutt."

"I beg your pardon?" said Miss Nogard.

"Benjamin Nushmutt," he repeated.

"Henderson Schmidt?" asked Miss Nogard.

Benjamin sighed. "Ben-ja-min Nush! Mutt!" he shouted.

"I'm sorry," said Miss Nogard. "I must have been distracted². What did you say?"

Benjamin pressed his lips together. He tried to speak, but his mouth wouldn't open.

"His name is Benjamin," said Jason. "Benjamin Nushmutt."

"Thank you," said Miss Nogard. "That's a very nice name, Benjamin. You shouldn't be ashamed of it."

Benjamin covered his red face with his hands.

She turned to Jason. "You look familiar. Do I know you?"

"I don't think so," said Jason.

She stared at him, as if she were trying to remember. "You're Justin, right?"

"I'm Jason. Justin's my older brother."

"So you're Justin's baby brother!" said Miss Nogard.

Everybody laughed.

"I remember Justin. I substituted³ for his class once. He was the brightest student I ever taught. You must feel very lucky to have such an exceptional⁴ brother."

1 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

2 distracted   

a.注意力分散的，思想不集中的

参考例句：

• When working, one should concentrate and not allow oneself to be distracted. 工作时要集中精力，不要分心。
• Noise outside distracted her mind from her studies. 门外的噪音使她心神不宁，无法集中注意力学习。

3 substituted   

v.代替，替换，代用( substitute的过去式和过去分词 )；做…的代理人，接替

参考例句：

• She was dancing while someone substituted at the piano. 她在跳舞，别人代她弹钢琴。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Glass blocks are sometimes substituted for ordinary bricks. 有时，玻璃砖被用来代替普通的砖。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 exceptional   

adj.优越的，杰出的，例外的，独特的，异常的

参考例句：

• He is a man of exceptional talent.他是位具有非凡才能的人。
• He showed exceptional musical ability.他显示出特殊的音乐才能。