失败的蛋糕 1)Angel Food Flop
文字难度：★★★
One particular Sunday, my boys decided that an angel food cake would be nice. It would be 2)fluffy and sweet, iced to perfection with dark chocolate 3)dribbles cascading down the sides. They 4)cajoled my elderly mother into helping them find the recipes and lay out all of the ingredients. Once she 5)got into the swing of things she was cracking open eggs and separating the whites. White clouds grew in the bowl and soon the batter was slipped into the oven and began 6)rising to the occasion.
一个特别的周日，孩子们决定要做一个白蛋糕。那将是一个既松软又香甜，经冷却完成后四周点缀着瀑布状的黑巧克力的蛋糕。孩子们以甜言蜜语哄骗我那上了年纪的母亲帮忙找出了蛋糕制作配方并摆放好所有的原料。母亲一旦积极投入此事，就立即开始着手打鸡蛋，把鸡蛋清分离开来；接着，碗里被搅起团团白泡，很快，鸡蛋面糊就调制好了并被放进了烤箱，开始烘烤。
Now in order for an angel food cake to remain really tall and fluffy it must be cooled upside down. Many years ago, my mother had a special 7)stand on which to put the cake. However, through the years that was lost so we improvised and balanced the cake on the 8)edges of tall glasses. The cake would come out of the oven and everyone would be ready with a glass to prop underneath, careful not to pierce the top of the cake.
现在，为了使白蛋糕确实能保持外形高耸且口感松软，必须把它倒过来面朝下冷却。多年以前，母亲有一个专门用来放蛋糕的架子。而事隔多年，如今那个架子已经遗失了，于是我们临时准备了几个高脚玻璃杯，打算用它们的底部来保持蛋糕的样子不变形。蛋糕即将出炉，每个人都准备了一只玻璃杯从下面支撑起蛋糕，这时要很小心以免刺破蛋糕的顶部。
The cake came out of the oven and we were armed with the glasses as my mother proceeded to 9)flip the cake over. Caleb, my youngest son, held his glass solemnly, making sure the edge was just right. Joshua, the oldest, studied his glass for a moment then shrugged his shoulders and 10)shoved in his glass. Caleb looked over at him and started to protest about its placement when Joshua 11)scowled at him and said, “Caleb, I DO know what I’m doing. I AM sixteen years old!”
蛋糕出炉了，我们几个拿着玻璃杯准备着，母亲敏捷地把蛋糕翻转过来。我最小的儿子凯莱布一本正经地握着杯子，确保杯子的底部摆放正确。最大的儿子乔舒亚先端详了一会手中的杯子，然后耸耸肩把杯子放在了蛋糕下面。凯莱布注视着乔舒亚的举动并开始抗议他那杯子的摆放位置。乔舒亚一边瞪他一边说道：“凯莱布，我知道我在做什么。我已经16岁了！”
Oh dear, the same old teenage argument. What else was new?
哎呀，又是老套的孩子们之间的争论。有没有别的新话题？
With the cake propped up, my mother, now weary, went upstairs for a rest. Later, when the cake was cooled, the boys decided that they would ice it themselves as a surprise. I sat in the living room listening to their 12)banter. I heard cupboards banging and refrigerator doors slamming. I heard bowls 13)clanking and spoons 14)tinkling. Soon the 15)mixer was roaring away. Mixing done, they giggled in excitement and then suddenly it was very, very quiet. I heard Caleb whisper, “Oh NO, Joshua. There’s a big hole in there. I TOLD you that the glass was in the wrong place!” I heard a choke in his voice. I started to go out and see what the 16)commotion was about but then sat back down. Better to let them 17)sort it out themselves.
蛋糕被支撑好了，此时母亲感到有些疲惫，于是上楼休息去了。随后，当蛋糕放凉时，孩子们决定由他们动手冷却蛋糕来给我们一个惊喜。我坐在客厅里听着他们之间轻松而幽默的对话，接着只听到碗橱发出的巨响，冰箱门关上的撞击声，同时伴随着碗勺发出的清脆叮当声。很快，搅拌器轰轰开动起来了，搅拌完了以后，他们兴奋地格格笑起来。然后，厨房里突然一下子变得非常非常安静。我听到凯莱布低声说道：“噢，天哪，乔舒亚，那里有一个很大的开口。我说过你的杯子放错位置了！”他的声音因激动而有些哽咽。我起身想去厨房看看发生了什么事，但转而又打消了念头并再次坐下来。最好还是让他们自己去解决问题吧。
Still dead quiet in the kitchen except for renewed clanking and scraping and the beating mixer again.
厨房里仍然是一片静寂，但很快就再次响起了叮当声、刮擦声以及敲打搅拌器的声音。
Finally, almost an hour later my two 18)disheveled boys 19)trotted into the living room. Caleb had powdered sugar on his nose. Joshua had chocolate on his new shirt.
最后，过了将近1小时，我那两个脏兮兮的儿子小跑着进了客厅。凯莱布的鼻子上粘有糖粉，乔舒亚的新衬衣上沾着巧克力。
“Well, guys,” I said. “How’s the cake looking?”
“嘿，孩子们，”我说，“蛋糕现在怎么样了？”
“Well we filled up the hole,” 20)piped in Caleb. “With LOTS of 21)frosting!”
“噢，我们用了很多糖霜填补了那个大开口。”凯莱布插话说道。
I walked in the kitchen and looked at the 22)drooping cake. It 23)sagged to one side with icing and chocolate now settling at the bottom of the serving plate. Behind it sat the cooling glasses. One glass held the remains of a tube of cake that had come out when the boys had lifted off the cake. The cake was solidly stuck in the glass.
我走进厨房，看到那个形状下垂的蛋糕。它向一侧倾斜，顶部的糖衣和巧克力现在已经全部沉淀到布菜盘的底部。蛋糕的后面放着冷却用的玻璃杯。其中一只杯子上还留着一块蛋糕的残留物，那是孩子们把蛋糕从杯子上拿下来时留下的。蛋糕牢牢地粘贴在玻璃杯上。
Innocently I asked, “So what’s that part of the cake in the glass?”
我一头雾水地问道：“玻璃杯上的那部分蛋糕是怎么回事？”
Joshua gave me a 24)chagrined look and said, “Well, I guess I didn’t really know how to prop up the cake. I put the glass right in the cake rather than on the side.”
乔舒亚一脸懊恼地说：“噢，我想我是真的不知道怎么去支撑起蛋糕。我把玻璃杯底部插进了蛋糕里而不是贴着它的表面。”
“Well at least there will be extra 25)icing!” 26)chattered Caleb.
“好啦，至少会有额外的糖衣啊！”凯莱布嘟囔道。
I could contain myself no longer and burst into laugher. It was contagious and soon we were literally 27)slumped down on the floor in hysterics. What fun to have with the kids!
这时，我再也忍不住了，开始大笑起来。这笑声富有感染力，很快我们就笑倒在地板上，样子有些歇斯底里。和孩子们在一块真是太有趣了！
My mother came down stairs during all the 28)hoopla and 29)assessed the damage. Then she too began to laugh. The cake turned out to be delicious when served and sent us on a sugar high for the rest of the afternoon. 30)True to nature, Caleb turned adversity into triumph and had extra icing to scoop out and serve with each piece.
就在我们兴奋吵闹时，母亲下楼了。她先是看了一下有多糟糕，接着也开始大笑起来。不过，我们品尝后发现，那个蛋糕非常美味可口！它使得那天下午余下的时间里我们的心里都甜甜的。凯莱布的确是“反败为胜”，他还将额外的糖衣舀出来分放到每一块蛋糕上。
There’s a lesson somewhere in that. One we can all learn.
我们每个人都可以从这件事情中学到点什么。
