Going Home

By Leo Luo

The train rumbled its way across the New England landscape with air whistling as it flowed around the metal compartments shooting over the railroad tracks.1. 火车隆隆地穿过新英格兰地区，伴着汽笛的鸣响，蒸汽包裹着金属车厢沿着铁轨飞驰而过。rumble: 隆隆作响；air whistle: 鸣汽笛；shoot: 飞驰，疾速移动。The Boston skyline, with the Prudential Tower and the Hancock Tower, gave way to glade painted by crisp autumn colours.2. 耸立着保德信大厦和汉考克大厦的波士顿地平线，却不如点缀着初秋色彩的林间空地那么醒目。skyline: 地平线；Prudential Tower:保德信大厦，共52层，是波士顿第二高的大厦；Hancock Tower: John Hancock Tower，约翰·汉考克大厦，共70层，是波士顿最高的大厦；glade: 林中空地；crisp: 有生气的，活泼的。The vibrant oranges and yellows of the leaves, intertwined with specks of green here and there,dazzled its surroundings like crystals.3. vibrant: 充满生气的；intertwine: 缠绕；specks of: 少量；dazzle: 使……目眩。Looking outside at the colours whooshing past, a mounting excitement bubbled in my heart.4. whoosh: 飞快地移动；mounting: 逐渐增加的；bubble: 沸腾。Not yet, I thought to myself. Not until I get there. Not until I am home.

Eventually the train screeched to a stop, and the conductor called out the station name and urged passengers to depart quickly.5. screech: 发出尖锐的声音；depart: 离开。My smile grew to enormous proportions. I gathered up my belongings and hustled6. hustle: 急速行进。off the train. I leapt onto the concrete platform and took a deep breath.7. leap: 跳跃；concrete platform: 混凝土平台，此处指站台。The brisk autumn breeze of New England filled my lungs with fresh air and my spirit with a fresh longing for the days long past.8. 新英格兰地区清新的秋风拂来，空气沁人心脾，我的心灵满满都是对于过去时光的渴望。brisk: 清新的；breeze: 微风；longing: 渴望。I grabbed my jacket and unfurled it like a matador’s cape.9. grab: 抓住；unfurl: 展开；matador: 斗牛士；cape: 披风。I stepped out into the sunlight and began the trek10. trek: 艰苦跋涉。from the train station back to campus.On my back the words of “Phillips Exeter Academy”gleamed,11. Phillips Exeter Academy: 菲利普艾斯特中学，是全美国最好的私立寄宿制高中之一；gleam: 隐约地闪现。announcing to the world that I had returned.

在秋日里的一天，本文作者重返母校菲利普艾斯特中学，它位于新罕布什州的埃克塞特市，是美国著名的寄宿制高中。在这里度过的三年改变了作者的人生：他真正成长起来，开阔了自己的眼界，培养了伴随一生的爱好，并结识了诸多良师挚友……这里承载了作者太多的回忆和情感。

Founded in 1781, Phillips Exeter Academy is a private preparatory boarding school located in the woods of New Hampshire, U.S.A.12. preparatory: 预科； boarding school: 寄宿学校；New Hampshire: 新罕布什尔州，美国州名。Its pupils, ranging from 9th grade to 12th grade,hail from all around the world and all walks of life.13. hail from: 来自……；all walks of life: 各行各业。From the rich to the poor, from the genius to the athlete, this school has it all. A Chinese ballroom dancer from Canada may attend class alongside a soccer player from Ethiopia, or a Korean violin prodigy from the Boston suburbs.14. 一位来自加拿大的中国交际舞舞者可能会与一个来自埃塞俄比亚的足球运动员同堂上课，或者和一位来自波士顿郊区的韩国小提琴高手成为同学。ballroom dancer: 交际舞者；Ethiopia: 埃塞俄比亚，非洲国家；prodigy: 奇才。Despite their differences, these students are linked by single desire. They do not just want to learn, but to gain the skills to eventually change the entire world. After all, one motto of Phillips Exeter Academy proclaims:“students from every quarter, for every quarter.”15. 毕竟，菲利普艾斯特中学的一条校训是：“学生来自四方，服务于四方。”proclaim: 宣告，声明；every quarter: 四面八方。And all of this we acquired through the Harkness method16. Harkness method: 哈克尼斯式教学法，也称为“圆桌教学法”，学生和老师围坐在大桌子旁交流讨论，学生是课堂交流和讨论的主体。of teaching, but that is a story for another time.

But this time I was not going back as a student, but as an alumnus17. alumnus: 男校友，男毕业生。. Walking that familiar route into campus and seeing the signature red-brick buildings emerge into view, the sight triggered wave after wave of memories:breakdancing in the main foyer of the academic building,18. signature:（人或物的）鲜明特征；emerge into: 出现；trigger: 触发，引起；breakdancing: 霹雳舞；main foyer: 大堂。performing in breathtaking dance shows in the theatre,learning how to learn around the Harkness tables, and having late night conversations with the boys that would become my lifelong brothers in the dormitory. Each step carried the weight of my memories that I had accumulated over the three years that I had attended this school: three years that had changed my life, especially the people that I met who expanded my horizons and cultivated passions that I never knew I could embrace.19. horizon: 视野，眼界；cultivate: 培养；passion: 爱好；embrace:（热切或认真地）从事。

Before long, I found myself at the door of one of my favorite teachers while I was at Exeter: Mr. Boadi, from Ghana20. Ghana: 加纳，西非国家。. I took a course that he taught titled “Why are Poor Nations Poor,” which dealt with the historical and economic causes of poverty around the world and the challenges that poor nations faced. His passion for the subject, with a focus on Africa, was expressed not only in his fervent speeches,but also in his dedication to his students in helping them to look past the easy explanations and critically examine the root causes of poverty.21. fervent: 热烈的；dedication: 奉献，献身；critically: 用钻研眼光地。Those countless moments I had in his classes all came flowing back as I knocked on his door. The knob turned, and Mr. Boadi swung the door open with a huge grin that I shared.22. knob: 把手；swing: 使转动；grin:咧嘴笑。“Mr. Boadi, it’s so good to see you.” He and I shook hands, before he pulled me into a warm hug. “It’s good to see you too, Leo.” He replied,and invited me into his apartment.

There was no need for any additional pleasantries23. pleasantry: 寒暄，客气话。. Within two minutes of stepping into his house,we had already plunged into deep topics about the ideas of institutions,colonialism, and everything in between.24. 走进他的房间不到两分钟时间，我们已经开始就制度体系和殖民政策以及这两者间相关内容进行深入讨论了。plunge into: 投入，参与；institution: 制度；colonialism: 殖民政策。Although it had been a year and a bit since I had graduated from Exeter, it felt as though we simply picked up where we left off.25. pick up: 重新开始；leave off: 停止。And even when the conversation did die down and we stopped to catch our breaths,our pleasant smiles and nostalgic sighs revealed that the bond between teacher and student had evolved to something far more powerful.26. 即使当谈话渐渐停止，我们停下来喘口气时，那愉快的笑容和怀旧的感叹都表明着我们的师生情谊已经发展得更为牢不可破。die down:逐渐消失；nostalgic: 怀旧的； sigh: 叹息；reveal: 显示；evolve to: 发展到。When you can appreciate someone else’s presence without needing words, that’s what you call friendship.

Time was not my friend when I was on this trip. My conversation with Mr. Boadi was cut short by the other meetings with friends and teachers that I had arranged. I sprinted all over campus, marveling at how some students who I knew had matured into fine gentlemen,and yet reveling in the fact that our relationships still stayed as strong as ever,27. sprint: 全速跑；marvel at:对……惊奇；fine gentlemen:优雅绅士；revel: 陶醉。perhaps even stronger. It was only when I walked into the tiny town of Exeter just outside of the campus did I have a chance to reflect. I wandered down to the pier overlooking the Exeter River and stood at its edge.28. wander: 漫步；pier: 码头；overlook: 俯瞰。The river shone with the flames of the dying sunset as the first few stars began to peek out of their sapphire blankets of sky.29. 河水泛着西沉落日的余晖，几颗星星在蓝色的天幕中隐约可见。peek: 窥视；sapphire:天蓝色的。In solitude30. in solitude: 孑然，独自。, I found myself thinking once more to all my meetings with teachers and friends that day and how I was welcomed with open arms, as if I had never left. Perhaps that is why I refer to Exeter as home, even though I was born and raised in Vancouver,Canada. No matter how much time passes, the spirit of the school where I learned how to learn, where I found a family, and where I matured into a man, will always welcome me back, just as the words“Phillips Exeter Academy” will always remain emblazoned on the sports jacket that fit so snugly.31. emblazoned: （印刷、绘制、装饰得）十分显眼的，醒目的；snugly: 舒适地。

My phone buzzed32. buzz: 发出嗡嗡声。, and I saw that I had a new text message.It was from my dance teacher, whom I was supposed to meet in a few minutes. It read “Welcome back! I can’t wait to see you!” Yes,welcome back indeed.