Little Women · chapter 1 of 31
Christmas Without Presents
没有礼物的圣诞节
The four March sisters face a poor Christmas with Father far away at the war, and each of them has just one dollar to spend.
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Read what you hear
- Jo 没有礼物，圣诞节就不像圣诞节了！
Méiyǒu lǐwù, shèngdànjié jiù bú xiàng shèngdànjié le!
Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents!
- Narrator 圣诞节前一天晚上，马奇家四姐妹坐在火边。
Shèngdànjié qián yì tiān wǎnshang, Mǎqí jiā sì jiěmèi zuò zài huǒ biān.
On the night before Christmas, the four March sisters sat by the fire.
- Meg 我们太穷了。你看，我的衣服都旧了。
Wǒmen tài qióng le. Nǐ kàn, wǒ de yīfu dōu jiù le.
We're so poor. Look, all my clothes are old.
- Amy 别的女孩子有很多漂亮东西，我们什么都没有！
Bié de nǚháizi yǒu hěn duō piàoliang dōngxi, wǒmen shénme dōu méiyǒu!
Other girls have lots of pretty things, and we have nothing at all!
- Beth 可是我们有爸爸、妈妈，还有我们四个。
Kěshì wǒmen yǒu bàba, māma, hái yǒu wǒmen sì gè.
But we have Father and Marmee, and the four of us.
- Jo 爸爸不在家。他在很远的地方，那儿在打仗。
Bàba bú zài jiā. Tā zài hěn yuǎn de dìfang, nàr zài dǎzhàng.
Father isn't home. He's far away, where the war is.
- Narrator 大家都不说话了。
Dàjiā dōu bù shuōhuà le.
Nobody said a word.
- Meg 妈妈说，今年大家都不要礼物了。
Māma shuō, jīnnián dàjiā dōu bú yào lǐwù le.
Marmee says none of us will ask for presents this year.
- Jo 可是我们一人有一块钱！我想买一本新书。
Kěshì wǒmen yì rén yǒu yí kuài qián! Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yì běn xīn shū.
But we each have a dollar! I want to buy a new book.
- Beth 妈妈的鞋都旧了。我们不给自己买，给妈妈买吧？
Māma de xié dōu jiù le. Wǒmen bù gěi zìjǐ mǎi, gěi māma mǎi ba?
Marmee's shoes are worn out. Why don't we buy something for Marmee instead of for ourselves?
- Meg 好！我给妈妈买手套。
Hǎo! Wǒ gěi māma mǎi shǒutào.
Yes! I'll buy Marmee gloves.
- Jo 那我买新鞋！爸爸不在，我是家里的男人！
Nà wǒ mǎi xīn xié! Bàba bú zài, wǒ shì jiā li de nánrén!
Then I'll buy the new shoes! With Father away, I'm the man of the family!
- Amy 乔，你是女孩子！
Qiáo, nǐ shì nǚháizi!
Jo, you're a girl!
- Marmee 女儿们，我回来了！这是爸爸的信！
Nǚ'érmen, wǒ huílai le! Zhè shì bàba de xìn!
Girls, I'm home! Here's a letter from Father!
- Jo 妈妈，快读给我们听！
Māma, kuài dú gěi wǒmen tīng!
Marmee, read it to us, quick!
- Marmee “要做好孩子，要勇敢。等我回家，我的小妇人会让我更骄傲。”
“Yào zuò hǎo háizi, yào yǒnggǎn. Děng wǒ huí jiā, wǒ de xiǎo fùrén huì ràng wǒ gèng jiāo'ào.”
“Be good children, and be brave. When I come home, my little women will make me prouder than ever.”
- Amy 我是个自私的女孩子……可是我会做得更好！
Wǒ shì gè zìsī de nǚháizi… kěshì wǒ huì zuò de gèng hǎo!
I'm a selfish girl... but I'll do better!
- Jo 小妇人？我？好吧，我试一试。
Xiǎo fùrén? Wǒ? Hǎo ba, wǒ shì yi shì.
A little woman? Me? All right, I'll try.
- Narrator 圣诞节的早上，乔第一个起床。
Shèngdànjié de zǎoshang, Qiáo dì yī gè qǐchuáng.
On Christmas morning, Jo was the first one up.
- Jo 天哪！床头有一本小书！
Tiān na! Chuángtóu yǒu yì běn xiǎo shū!
Goodness! There's a little book at the head of my bed!
- Meg 我也有！是妈妈放的。
Wǒ yě yǒu! Shì māma fàng de.
Me too! Marmee put them there.
- Amy 早饭好了！好多好吃的！我好饿！
Zǎofàn hǎo le! Hǎo duō hǎochī de! Wǒ hǎo è!
Breakfast is ready! So many good things to eat! I'm so hungry!
- Marmee 孩子们，等一等。离这儿不远，有一个可怜的妈妈，刚生了宝宝。
Háizimen, děng yi děng. Lí zhèr bù yuǎn, yǒu yí gè kělián de māma, gāng shēng le bǎobǎo.
Wait a moment, children. Not far from here there's a poor mother who has just had a baby.
- Beth 宝宝？这么冷的天……
Bǎobǎo? Zhème lěng de tiān…
A baby? In this cold...
- Marmee 她家没有火，也没有吃的。她还有六个孩子，都饿了。
Tā jiā méiyǒu huǒ, yě méiyǒu chī de. Tā hái yǒu liù gè háizi, dōu è le.
They have no fire and nothing to eat. She has six more children, all of them hungry.
- Jo 六个孩子？天哪！
Liù gè háizi? Tiān na!
Six children? Goodness!
- Marmee 女儿们，把你们的早饭送给他们，做圣诞节礼物，好吗？
Nǚ'érmen, bǎ nǐmen de zǎofàn sòng gěi tāmen, zuò shèngdànjié lǐwù, hǎo ma?
My girls, will you give them your breakfast as a Christmas present?
What changed in the story?
- What will the March sisters go without this Christmas?
“没有礼物”
- What does Beth say the sisters still have?
“我们有爸爸、妈妈，还有我们四个”
- What will Jo buy for Marmee with her dollar?
“那我买新鞋！”
- Why does Amy cry after Father's letter?
“我是个自私的女孩子”
- What does Marmee ask the girls to give the poor family?
“把你们的早饭送给他们”