一九二九年我从初中毕业，考进了杭州闻名的美国浸 礼会学校--蕙兰中学。
In 1929, on finishing junior middle school, was admitted after an examination to Huillan Middle School in Hangzhou.
这个学校以学风端正见称，而特别引人注意 的是，它请美国老师直接教授英语。
Strikingly enough, it had English lessons taught solely by American teachers.
不过它只是一所初中，没有高中， 所以我不得不去投考蕙兰中学的高中了。
Anding, my junior middle school, was also known for its English language teaching, but, to complete my entire middle school education.
Had to get transferred to Huilan, a senior middle school.
在蕙兰，英文开始读的书，读本是 英国作家查理．兰姆的《莎 士比亚故事集》，和商务印书馆的《泰西五十轶事》，以后则是厚厚的 一本《现代世界》。
At Huilan, my English lessons began with the following as textbooks: Charles Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare, 50 Famous Stories from the West, published by the Commercial Press and finally the thick-volumned Modern World, which, actually a book on world geography, took us three semesters to finish learning.
最后一本书我们读了三个学期，是本世界地理书， 这除了读英语，还培养了我关心世界大事的习惯。
It helped me not only improve my English but also build up the habit of caring for world affairs.
这几本书除了《现代世界》，都 是英国人"编写的，水平比当时一般中学读的较为高深。
All the above-mentioned textbooks, except Modern World, were authored by Englishmen and hence of a higher level than those used in ordinary middle schools at that time.
我对查理．兰姆的《莎士比亚故事集》特别感到兴趣，老师还没 有讲完，可是我自己却念完了，所以每次老师测验，我总名列前茅， 因此受到老师的注意{。
I was particularly interested in Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare, much SO that I finished reading each tale before the American teacher explained it.
我们的美国老师姓埃德加，名字则现在已记 不清。
Her last name was Edgar, but I'm unable now to recall her first name.
她那时已有三四十岁了，身材不高，而体型已经开始发胖了。
She was then in her late thirties, short of stature and already beginning to be on the plump side.
她性格十分和善，即使对着我们这批毛孩子，她也是十分腼腆的。
She was very kind and gentle, and shy even with kids like us.
但 是她教书很严格，每逢学生没有准备好功课，或是测验的成绩不好， 她总涨红着脸，数说学生们不用功。
Whenever students failed to perform well in doing lessons or in exams, she would, with a flush in her face.
Criticize them for not studying hard enough.
" 她是美国浸礼会派来教书的，兼带着传教的任务，所以每逢礼拜 日下午，她组成了一个查经班（Bible class)，选了-批英语较为用功 的学生去参加；
On Sunday afternoons.
She would pick sOme students diligent in English studies to join her Bible class, in which all members had to converse in English because she herself couldn't speak Chinese.
那天我们上班时，天忽然乌云四合，不 久便下了瓢泼大兩。
One day, when I was in class, it suddenly clouded over and rained heavily.I was then learning English adverbs.
我猛然感觉 到自己一定把 hardly 这个字用错了，但还不知道错在哪里。
Thinking that an adverb could modify a verb, I said, "It's raining hardly." Miss Edgar responded by saying, "It's raining hard." But I failed to understand 1t and repeated my own sentence, "It's raining hardly." She gave me a stern glance and said once more, "It's raining hard." Then suddenly realized that there must be something wrong with the word "hardly" though didn't know why.
当时我 没有再说话，可是心里很不安。
I kept quiet and felt very uneasy.
下课后埃德加温和地对我说，读书时 要勤查字典，明白各个字的不同变化。
After class, she very gently that in order to know the different functions of a word, should frequently look up a dictionary.
她不是在班上直接指出我的错 误，如果这样做，肯定我下不了台。
To a avoid embarrassing me.
She had chosen not to directly point out my error in the classroom.
但是她要我自己发现错误，并由 自己改正。
She wanted me to discover and correct the error by myself.
这个故事给我的教训颇为深刻，导致我以后勤查字典的习 惯。
It has resulted in my habit of consulting a dictionary frequently.
事情已经过去半个多世纪，但这个教训还深深埋在我的记忆里。
This lesson I learned more than half a century ago is today still deeply engraved in my memory.
每逢我读书不求甚解时，便提醒自己快去查字典，不但对英语如此， 就是对汉语也是如此。
Whenever I do reading without understanding it thoroughly, I will remind myself to look up a dictionary quickly.
从此我和她的感情极为融洽。
From then 1 on, she and I were on very friendly terms.
高中二三年级时，正是中国的"九 一八"和"一二八"，学生大都投入爱国救亡运动，我则更是忙碌，担 任着杭州学生联合会的宣传工作，但我对于学习英语还是不放松，当 然查经班是没有时间去了。
During the time when I was in the second and third grade of the senior middle school, students joined the patriotic national salvation movement at the outbreak of the September 18th Incident\ and the January 28th Incident*.
Got very busy doing propaganda work for Hangzhou Student Association and had no time to attend the Bible class, but I didn't slacken my efforts English studies.
她说："我知道你很忙，但我希望你不要把英语荒废掉。
One day, when after class accompanied Miss Edgar on her way to her home, she said, "I know you're very busy, but I hope you keep your English from getting rusty.