問得好，傻瓜

My name is Chelsea Chowderhead. A chowder2) is a stew3) made out of thick soup. My father says that our early ancestors may have invented chowder. I wonder if our early ancestors got made fun of all the time, too. For me, the last name teasing4) began as soon as I started school. So when my family moved to South Carolina, I decided that it was my chance for a fresh start. I asked my dad if I could change my name. 我叫切爾西喬德黑德(譯者注：chowderhead直譯為雜燴頭，引申義為傻瓜)。喬德(chowder)是一種用文火燉成的海鮮雜燴濃湯。爸爸說，可能是我們的祖先發(fā)明了這種海鮮雜燴濃湯吧。我想知道，祖先們是不是也一直被別人尋開心呢?我呢，從上學(xué)的那天起，就開始遭到姓名歧視了。因此，當(dāng)我們舉家搬遷到南卡羅來納州時(shí)，我下定決心要抓住這個(gè)迎來全新開始的大好機(jī)會(huì)。于是我問爸爸，我可不可以改個(gè)名字。

But the Chowderhead name has a long history Dad started. 可是喬德黑德這個(gè)姓氏有悠久的歷史爸爸又開始了。

I know, I know. We were makers of thick soups or stews. 我知道，我知道，我們是做濃湯或者燉菜的。

Why do you want to change it? He asked. My dad always asks lots of questions. 你為什么想要改名字呢?爸爸問。他總是有問不完的問題。

I didnt want to hurt his feelings, but I didnt want to go through another school year as a Chowderhead, either. I get teased all the time. Even a compliment like Good idea, Chowderhead sounds mean. 我不想讓他傷心，但我也無法忍受再被人叫整整一學(xué)年的傻瓜了。我一直都被別人取笑，哪怕是一句稱贊，像是好主意，喬德黑德，聽起來都讓人覺得不舒服。

I know its not always easy being a Chowderhead, said Dad. Ive been a Chowderhead my whole life, and Ive been teased a lot. But you shouldnt change who you are. Let people get to know you first and your name later. 我知道作為喬德黑德家族的一員，有時(shí)候不是那么容易，爸爸說，我都姓了一輩子喬德黑德了，我也受到了很多嘲弄。但是你不應(yīng)該因此而改變自己。你要讓別人先了解你，然后才是你的名字。

How can people get to know me before they know my name? I asked. 別人怎么會(huì)在知道我叫什么名字之前就了解我呢?我問。

He said, Ask good questions. 他說：?jiǎn)栃┖脝栴}。

I looked at him blankly. He went on, When you meet someone new, ask them a question. It cant be a mean question, and it has to be something that youre really curious about. Once people start talking about themselves, they dont judge you. Theyre just happy that someone is interested in what they have to say. 我一臉茫然地看著他。他接著說：當(dāng)你結(jié)識(shí)新朋友的時(shí)候，問他們一個(gè)問題，但是不要問那種尖酸刻薄的問題，這個(gè)問題必須是你確實(shí)感到好奇的。一旦人們開始談?wù)撍麄冏约海筒粫?huì)去對(duì)你品頭論足了。他們只會(huì)覺得開心，因?yàn)橛腥藢?duì)他們要說的內(nèi)容感興趣。

Two days later I headed to my new school for the first day of class. As soon as I got to my classroom, a girl named Claire introduced herself. I noticed that Claire was wearing pretty woven bracelets5). I asked her where she got them. Her face lit up, and she explained that she made them herself. Shed gotten a bracelet-making kit for her birthday, and these were her first try. She offered to make me one. 兩天后是開學(xué)的第一天，我去新學(xué)校上課。我一進(jìn)教室，一個(gè)叫克萊爾的女生就對(duì)我做起了自我介紹。我注意到克萊爾戴著一條漂亮的編織手鏈，便問她在哪兒買的。她的臉立刻神采飛揚(yáng)起來，說這是她自己做的。她過生日的時(shí)候，收到了一套自制手鏈的工具，而這個(gè)手鏈?zhǔn)撬奶幣鳌Ｋ€說要給我也編一條手鏈。

By lunch, Id talked to lots of people and was getting the hang of6) finding the right question. But there were two kids, twin brothers, who didnt seem to talk to anyone but each other. When they looked at me, I felt as if they already knew that I was a Chowderhead. Still, my dads advice had worked out well, so I decided to give it one more try. I asked Claire if we should sit with the twins. She looked a little surprised, but shrugged her shoulders and followed me. 中午吃飯之前，我已經(jīng)和很多人都聊過天了，也開始慢慢掌握了找到問正確問題的竅門。不過有兩個(gè)小孩，他們是一對(duì)雙胞胎兄弟，好像除了跟彼此聊天外，都不和別人講話。而他們看著我的樣子，讓我覺得他們好像已經(jīng)知道我姓什么了。盡管如此，鑒于爸爸的建議收效還不錯(cuò)，所以我決定再試一次。我問克萊爾要不要跟這對(duì)雙胞胎兄弟坐在一起。她看起來有一點(diǎn)驚訝，不過還是聳了聳肩，跟著我走了過去。

Do you mind if we sit with you? I asked. The twins stared at us. I sat down and opened my milk. No one said anything. I realized that if the twins never said anything, Id never think of a question. Claire didnt say anything, either. I looked at their lunches for some kind of clue and noticed that the lunchboxes were identical7). Thats when it came to me. 你們介意我們坐在旁邊嗎?我問。雙胞胎兄弟瞪著我們沒吭聲。我坐下來，打開牛奶盒。沒有人開口說話。我意識(shí)到如果這對(duì)雙胞胎兄弟一直什么都不說，那我就永遠(yuǎn)也想不出個(gè)問題來。克萊爾也不說話。我看了看他們的午餐，想找點(diǎn)話題線索之類的，然后我發(fā)現(xiàn)他們的餐盒一模一樣。我的靈感來了。

Whats it like being a twin? I asked. 做雙胞胎是什么感覺呢?

The twins looked astonished. Then they both started talking at the same time. 兄弟倆看上去嚇了一跳，接著同時(shí)開口說了起來。

No one has ever asked us that! one said. 從來沒有人問過我們這個(gè)問題。其中一個(gè)說。

Most of the time its good, the other said. It turns out that being a twin is as complicated as being a Chowderhead. When youre a twin you always have someone to talk to and have lunch with, but people think that youre exactly alike. 大部分時(shí)間還好。另一個(gè)說。原來做雙胞胎就像做喬德黑德家的后人一樣復(fù)雜。如果你是雙胞胎當(dāng)中的一個(gè)，那么永遠(yuǎn)都會(huì)有人陪你說話，陪你吃午飯，但是人們都會(huì)覺得你們倆是完全一模一樣的。

In no time at all we were laughing and talking. Then one of the brothers said, Im Nicholas, and this is my brother, Nathaniel. Whats your name? 我們很快就變得有說有笑了。然后兄弟當(dāng)中的一個(gè)說：我叫尼古拉斯，這是我弟弟，納撒尼爾。你叫什么呢?

I gulped8), took a deep breath, and said, Im Chelsea Chowderhead. 我咽了咽口水，深吸了一口氣，說：我叫切爾西喬德黑德。

Chowder? Like the soup? asked Nathaniel. 海鮮雜燴濃湯?就像湯一樣的?納撒尼爾問道。

Yes, I replied, looking down and blushing. Like a thick soup or stew. 是的，我回答說，低著頭，臉漲得通紅，像是濃湯或者燉菜之類的。

Hey, cool. Do you and Claire want to come over after school and play basketball with us? Nathaniel asked. 嘿，很酷嘛。你和克萊爾想不想放學(xué)后過來跟我們一起打籃球呢?納撒尼爾問道。

Id love to, I said. 我很樂意。我說。

Me too, Claire agreed. 我也愿意。克萊爾表示同意。

And that is how I learned to ask good questions and became friends with Nicholas and Nathaniel Noodlenoggin. 而這就是我如何學(xué)會(huì)提出好問題，又是怎樣和尼古拉斯努德諾金(譯者注：Noodlenoggin，直譯為面條腦袋)與納撒尼爾努德諾金成為朋友的。

My name is Chelsea Chowderhead. A chowder2) is a stew3) made out of thick soup. My father says that our early ancestors may have invented chowder. I wonder if our early ancestors got made fun of all the time, too. For me, the last name teasing4) began as soon as I started school. So when my family moved to South Carolina, I decided that it was my chance for a fresh start. I asked my dad if I could change my name. 我叫切爾西喬德黑德(譯者注：chowderhead直譯為雜燴頭，引申義為傻瓜)。喬德(chowder)是一種用文火燉成的海鮮雜燴濃湯。爸爸說，可能是我們的祖先發(fā)明了這種海鮮雜燴濃湯吧。我想知道，祖先們是不是也一直被別人尋開心呢?我呢，從上學(xué)的那天起，就開始遭到姓名歧視了。因此，當(dāng)我們舉家搬遷到南卡羅來納州時(shí)，我下定決心要抓住這個(gè)迎來全新開始的大好機(jī)會(huì)。于是我問爸爸，我可不可以改個(gè)名字。

But the Chowderhead name has a long history Dad started. 可是喬德黑德這個(gè)姓氏有悠久的歷史爸爸又開始了。

I know, I know. We were makers of thick soups or stews. 我知道，我知道，我們是做濃湯或者燉菜的。

Why do you want to change it? He asked. My dad always asks lots of questions. 你為什么想要改名字呢?爸爸問。他總是有問不完的問題。

I didnt want to hurt his feelings, but I didnt want to go through another school year as a Chowderhead, either. I get teased all the time. Even a compliment like Good idea, Chowderhead sounds mean. 我不想讓他傷心，但我也無法忍受再被人叫整整一學(xué)年的傻瓜了。我一直都被別人取笑，哪怕是一句稱贊，像是好主意，喬德黑德，聽起來都讓人覺得不舒服。

I know its not always easy being a Chowderhead, said Dad. Ive been a Chowderhead my whole life, and Ive been teased a lot. But you shouldnt change who you are. Let people get to know you first and your name later. 我知道作為喬德黑德家族的一員，有時(shí)候不是那么容易，爸爸說，我都姓了一輩子喬德黑德了，我也受到了很多嘲弄。但是你不應(yīng)該因此而改變自己。你要讓別人先了解你，然后才是你的名字。

How can people get to know me before they know my name? I asked. 別人怎么會(huì)在知道我叫什么名字之前就了解我呢?我問。

He said, Ask good questions. 他說：?jiǎn)栃┖脝栴}。

I looked at him blankly. He went on, When you meet someone new, ask them a question. It cant be a mean question, and it has to be something that youre really curious about. Once people start talking about themselves, they dont judge you. Theyre just happy that someone is interested in what they have to say. 我一臉茫然地看著他。他接著說：當(dāng)你結(jié)識(shí)新朋友的時(shí)候，問他們一個(gè)問題，但是不要問那種尖酸刻薄的問題，這個(gè)問題必須是你確實(shí)感到好奇的。一旦人們開始談?wù)撍麄冏约海筒粫?huì)去對(duì)你品頭論足了。他們只會(huì)覺得開心，因?yàn)橛腥藢?duì)他們要說的內(nèi)容感興趣。

Two days later I headed to my new school for the first day of class. As soon as I got to my classroom, a girl named Claire introduced herself. I noticed that Claire was wearing pretty woven bracelets5). I asked her where she got them. Her face lit up, and she explained that she made them herself. Shed gotten a bracelet-making kit for her birthday, and these were her first try. She offered to make me one. 兩天后是開學(xué)的第一天，我去新學(xué)校上課。我一進(jìn)教室，一個(gè)叫克萊爾的女生就對(duì)我做起了自我介紹。我注意到克萊爾戴著一條漂亮的編織手鏈，便問她在哪兒買的。她的臉立刻神采飛揚(yáng)起來，說這是她自己做的。她過生日的時(shí)候，收到了一套自制手鏈的工具，而這個(gè)手鏈?zhǔn)撬奶幣鳌Ｋ€說要給我也編一條手鏈。

By lunch, Id talked to lots of people and was getting the hang of6) finding the right question. But there were two kids, twin brothers, who didnt seem to talk to anyone but each other. When they looked at me, I felt as if they already knew that I was a Chowderhead. Still, my dads advice had worked out well, so I decided to give it one more try. I asked Claire if we should sit with the twins. She looked a little surprised, but shrugged her shoulders and followed me. 中午吃飯之前，我已經(jīng)和很多人都聊過天了，也開始慢慢掌握了找到問正確問題的竅門。不過有兩個(gè)小孩，他們是一對(duì)雙胞胎兄弟，好像除了跟彼此聊天外，都不和別人講話。而他們看著我的樣子，讓我覺得他們好像已經(jīng)知道我姓什么了。盡管如此，鑒于爸爸的建議收效還不錯(cuò)，所以我決定再試一次。我問克萊爾要不要跟這對(duì)雙胞胎兄弟坐在一起。她看起來有一點(diǎn)驚訝，不過還是聳了聳肩，跟著我走了過去。

Do you mind if we sit with you? I asked. The twins stared at us. I sat down and opened my milk. No one said anything. I realized that if the twins never said anything, Id never think of a question. Claire didnt say anything, either. I looked at their lunches for some kind of clue and noticed that the lunchboxes were identical7). Thats when it came to me. 你們介意我們坐在旁邊嗎?我問。雙胞胎兄弟瞪著我們沒吭聲。我坐下來，打開牛奶盒。沒有人開口說話。我意識(shí)到如果這對(duì)雙胞胎兄弟一直什么都不說，那我就永遠(yuǎn)也想不出個(gè)問題來。克萊爾也不說話。我看了看他們的午餐，想找點(diǎn)話題線索之類的，然后我發(fā)現(xiàn)他們的餐盒一模一樣。我的靈感來了。

Whats it like being a twin? I asked. 做雙胞胎是什么感覺呢?

The twins looked astonished. Then they both started talking at the same time. 兄弟倆看上去嚇了一跳，接著同時(shí)開口說了起來。

No one has ever asked us that! one said. 從來沒有人問過我們這個(gè)問題。其中一個(gè)說。

Most of the time its good, the other said. It turns out that being a twin is as complicated as being a Chowderhead. When youre a twin you always have someone to talk to and have lunch with, but people think that youre exactly alike. 大部分時(shí)間還好。另一個(gè)說。原來做雙胞胎就像做喬德黑德家的后人一樣復(fù)雜。如果你是雙胞胎當(dāng)中的一個(gè)，那么永遠(yuǎn)都會(huì)有人陪你說話，陪你吃午飯，但是人們都會(huì)覺得你們倆是完全一模一樣的。

In no time at all we were laughing and talking. Then one of the brothers said, Im Nicholas, and this is my brother, Nathaniel. Whats your name? 我們很快就變得有說有笑了。然后兄弟當(dāng)中的一個(gè)說：我叫尼古拉斯，這是我弟弟，納撒尼爾。你叫什么呢?

I gulped8), took a deep breath, and said, Im Chelsea Chowderhead. 我咽了咽口水，深吸了一口氣，說：我叫切爾西喬德黑德。

Chowder? Like the soup? asked Nathaniel. 海鮮雜燴濃湯?就像湯一樣的?納撒尼爾問道。

Yes, I replied, looking down and blushing. Like a thick soup or stew. 是的，我回答說，低著頭，臉漲得通紅，像是濃湯或者燉菜之類的。

Hey, cool. Do you and Claire want to come over after school and play basketball with us? Nathaniel asked. 嘿，很酷嘛。你和克萊爾想不想放學(xué)后過來跟我們一起打籃球呢?納撒尼爾問道。

Id love to, I said. 我很樂意。我說。

Me too, Claire agreed. 我也愿意。克萊爾表示同意。

And that is how I learned to ask good questions and became friends with Nicholas and Nathaniel Noodlenoggin. 而這就是我如何學(xué)會(huì)提出好問題，又是怎樣和尼古拉斯努德諾金(譯者注：Noodlenoggin，直譯為面條腦袋)與納撒尼爾努德諾金成為朋友的。