Nick’s birthday party was on Saturday. On Monday, a new kid came to Marvin’s school.
尼克的生日派对在周六。周一，一个新来的孩子来到马文的学校。
Mrs. North introduced him to the class. “Everybody, this is Joe Normal.”
诺斯太太把他介绍给全班。「同学们，这是乔·诺莫。」
Joe Normal stood at the front of the room, next to Mrs. North. He wore baggy pants, untied sneakers, a Mickey Mouse T-shirt, and a Dallas Cowboys cap.
乔·诺莫站在教室前面，诺斯太太旁边。他穿着宽松的裤子、没系带的运动鞋、一件米老鼠 T 恤，戴着一顶达拉斯牛仔队的帽子。
He looked just like a normal third grader.
他看起来就是个普普通通的三年级学生。
“Where are you from, Joe?” asked Mrs. North.
「你从哪里来，乔？」诺斯太太问。
“Uh … Earth,” said Joe. “Just like you.”
「呃……地球，」乔说，「跟你一样。」
Mrs. North laughed. “Good answer,” she said. “But really, what city?”
诺斯太太笑了。「回答得好，」她说，「但说真的，哪个城市？」
“City?” asked Joe.
「城市？」乔问。
Marvin could tell Joe was nervous. He knew he’d be nervous, too, if he had to move someplace and go to a new school.
马文看得出乔很紧张。他知道如果是自己不得不搬家、去一所新学校，他也会紧张。
“Uh, Chicago,” Joe said. “Located on the southwest shore of Lake Michigan, it’s the largest city in Illinois.”
「呃，芝加哥，」乔说，「位于密歇根湖西南岸，是伊利诺伊州最大的城市。」
“What a show-off!” whispered Casey Happleton, the girl who sat next to Marvin.
「真爱显摆！」凯西·哈普尔顿低声说，她就是坐在马文旁边的那个女孩。
“Chicago is a beautiful city,” said Mrs. North. “I’m surprised you’re a Cowboys fan, Joe. I would have guessed you’d like the Bears.”
「芝加哥是座美丽的城市，」诺斯太太说，「我很惊讶你是牛仔队的粉丝，乔。我还以为你会喜欢熊队呢。」
Joe bit his lip and shrugged.
乔咬着嘴唇，耸了耸肩。
Marvin was surprised Mrs. North knew so much about football.
马文很惊讶诺斯太太对橄榄球懂这么多。
“Well, it’s nice to have you with us,” said Mrs. North. “I think you’ll like it here.”
「总之，很高兴你加入我们，」诺斯太太说，「我想你会喜欢这里的。」
“Thank you,” said Joe. “You seem like a good teacher. I want to learn as much as I can.”
「谢谢，」乔说，「您看起来是个好老师。我想尽可能多学点东西。」
Nick groaned loudly.
尼克大声呻吟。
Mrs. North gave Nick the Look. Then she turned back to Joe and said, “I like your attitude, Joe. Why don’t I put you next to Nick? Maybe some of your good attitude will rub off on him.”
诺斯太太给了尼克一个「眼神」。然后她转回乔说：「我喜欢你的态度，乔。不如我把你安排在尼克旁边？也许你的一些好态度能沾到他身上。」
Nick groaned again.
尼克又呻吟了一声。
Nick sat several desks away from Marvin. He turned toward Marvin and whispered something to him, but Marvin couldn’t get what he said. It might have been “What a jerk!” or “What a nerd!” He knew it was “What a something!”
尼克的座位离马文有好几张桌子远。他转向马文，对他低声说了句什么，但马文没听清。可能是「真是个讨厌鬼！」或者「真是个书呆子！」他知道那是「真是个什么什么！」
Joe sat down next to Nick.
乔在尼克旁边坐下。
“We’ve been studying mammals,” Mrs. North told Joe. “Who can name a kind of mammal?”
「我们一直在学哺乳动物，」诺斯太太告诉乔，「谁能说出一种哺乳动物？」
Marvin raised his hand, but Mrs. North called on Casey.
马文举手，但诺斯太太叫了凯西。
“Bears,” said Casey.
「熊，」凯西说。
That was what Marvin was going to say. He lowered his hand.
那正是马文要说的。他把手放下了。
Mrs. North continued to call on other children.
诺斯太太继续叫别的孩子。
“Lions,” said Clarence.
「狮子，」克拉伦斯说。
“Rabbits,” said Heather.
「兔子，」希瑟说。
“Humans,” said Stuart.
「人类，」斯图尔特说。
Mrs. North liked that answer. “Very good, Stuart. People are mammals, too. How about you, Joe?”
诺斯太太喜欢这个答案。「很好，斯图尔特。人也是哺乳动物。乔，你呢？」
“Uh, sure, I’m a mammal,” said Joe.
「呃，当然，我是哺乳动物，」乔说。
Mrs. North smiled. “No, I mean, can you name another kind of mammal?”
诺斯太太笑了。「不，我是说，你能说出另一种哺乳动物吗？」
“Oh,” said Joe. “Um … Oh, I know! What’s that one? It’s big and fat and has a really long nose …”
「哦，」乔说，「嗯……哦，我知道了！那个叫什么？它又大又胖，鼻子特别长……」
“You mean an elephant?” said Nick, beside him.
「你说的是大象吧？」旁边的尼克说。
“That’s it!” exclaimed Joe. “I couldn’t remember what they were called. Thanks.”
「就是它！」乔叫起来，「我记不起它们叫什么了。谢谢。」
“Duh,” said Nick.
「废话，」尼克说。
“That’s not nice, Nick,” said Mrs. North. “I’m sure there are times you’ve forgotten a word.”
「这样不好，尼克，」诺斯太太说，「我相信你也有忘词的时候。」
“I’ve never forgotten elephant,” said Nick.
「我从没忘过『大象』，」尼克说。
“Well, uh, there aren’t a lot of elephants in Chicago,” Joe explained.
「嗯，呃，芝加哥没有很多大象，」乔解释。
“Like there are here?” said Nick.
「这里就有很多吗？」尼克说。
Marvin felt bad for Joe. He knew what it was like to forget a word. Once he couldn’t think of the word parade.
马文为乔感到难过。他知道忘词是什么感觉。有一次他想不起「游行」这个词。
Mrs. North reminded the class that there would be a test on Wednesday. She asked if anybody had any questions.
诺斯太太提醒全班周三有测验。她问有没有人有问题。
Joe raised his hand.
乔举手了。
Mrs. North smiled at him. “Yes, Joe?”
诺斯太太冲他笑笑。「乔？」
“How much does the human brain weigh?”
「人脑有多重？」
Mrs. North thought a long time, then said, “That won’t be on the test.”
诺斯太太想了很久，然后说：「那个不会考。」