Amy was a dear little girl, but she was too apt to waste time in getting ready to do her tasks, instead of doing them at once as she ought.
艾米是个可爱的小姑娘，可是她太容易把时间浪费在准备做事的过程中，而不是有应该做的事情就马上去做。
In the village in which she lived, Mr. Thornton kept a store where he sold fruit of all kinds, including berries in their season.
在她住的村子里，桑顿先生开了一家店，店里出售各种各样的水果，包括各个时令的浆果。
One day he said to Amy, whose parents were quite poor, "Would you like to earn some money?"
有一天他对父母穷困的艾米说：“你想不想赚一些钱？”
"Oh, yes," replied she, "for I want some new shoes, and papa has no money to buy them with."
“噢，想的，”她回答说，“因为我想买双新鞋子，可是爸爸没有钱给我买。”
"Well, Amy," said Mr. Thorhton, "I noticed some fine, ripe black berries in Mr. Green's pasture today, and he said that anybody was welcome to them."
“那好，艾米，”桑顿先生说，“今天我看到格林先生的牧场里有些漂亮的黑莓成熟了，他说欢迎任何人去采摘。”
I will pay you thirteen cents a quart for all you will pick for me.
你去帮我摘回来，每一夸脱我将付给你一角三分钱。
Amy was delighted at the thought of earning some money; so she ran home to get a basket, intending to go immediately to pick the berries.
想到可以赚钱，艾米很高兴。于是她跑回家去拿篮子，打算立即就去采摘黑莓。
Then she thought she would like to know how much money she would get if she picked five quarts.
然后，她想知道如果她能采摘到五夸脱黑莓的话，将会赚到多少钱。
With the help of her slate and pencil, she found out that she would get sixty-five cents.
用铅笔在石板上算了一阵，她算出来那将会是六角五分。
"But supposing I should pick a dozen quarts," thought she, "how much should I earn then?"
“可要是我能摘到12夸脱呢，”她又想，“那我又该赚到多少钱呢？”
"Dear me," she said, after figuring a while, "I should earn a dollar and fifty-six cents."
“哎呀，”算了一会儿以后，她说，“我将会赚到一美元五角六分。”
Amy then found out what Mr. Thornton would pay her for fifty, a hundred, and two hundred quarts.
接着艾米又算出了如果她采摘到50夸脱、100夸脱甚至200夸脱黑莓的话，桑顿先生分别该付给她多少钱。
It took her sometime to do this, and then it was so near dinner time that she had to stay at home until afternoon.
这花掉了她不少的时间，这时已经快到午饭时间了，所以她不得不留在家里，直到下午。
As soon as dinner was over, she took her basket and hurried to the pasture.
吃完午饭，艾米拿起篮子，急忙到牧场去。
Some boys had been there before dinner, and all the ripe berries were picked.
有些男孩子午饭前就已经在那里了，所有成熟了的黑莓都被摘走了。
She could not find enough to fill a quart measure.
她能找到的还不够一夸脱的分量。
As Amy went home, she thought of what her teacher had often told her—"Do your task at once; then think about it," for"one doer is worth a hundred dreamers."
在回家的路上，艾米想起了老师经常对她说的话——“立刻去做应该做的事，然后再去思考，”因为，“一个实干者抵得上一百个梦想家。”
