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. 火車隆隆地穿過新英格蘭地區(qū)，伴著汽笛的鳴響，蒸汽包裹著金屬車廂沿著鐵軌飛馳而過。rumble: 隆隆作響；air whistle: 鳴汽笛；shoot: 飛馳，疾速移動。The Boston skyline, with the Prudential Tower and the Hancock Tower, gave way to glade painted by crisp autumn colours.2. 聳立著保德信大廈和漢考克大廈的波士頓地平線，卻不如點綴著初秋色彩的林間空地那么醒目。skyline: 地平線；Prudential Tower:保德信大廈，共52層，是波士頓第二高的大廈；Hancock Tower: John Hancock Tower，約翰·漢考克大廈，共70層，是波士頓最高的大廈；glade: 林中空地；crisp: 有生氣的，活潑的。The vibrant oranges and yellows of the leaves, intertwined with specks of green here and there,dazzled its surroundings like crystals.3. vibrant: 充滿生氣的；intertwine: 纏繞；specks of: 少量；dazzle: 使……目眩。Looking outside at the colours whooshing past, a mounting excitement bubbled in my heart.4. whoosh: 飛快地移動；mounting: 逐漸增加的；bubble: 沸騰。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: 發(fā)出尖銳的聲音；depart: 離開。My smile grew to enormous proportions. I gathered up my belongings and hustled6. hustle: 急速行進。off the train. I leapt onto the concrete platform and took a deep breath.7. leap: 跳躍；concrete platform: 混凝土平臺，此處指站臺。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. 新英格蘭地區(qū)清新的秋風拂來，空氣沁人心脾，我的心靈滿滿都是對于過去時光的渴望。brisk: 清新的；breeze: 微風；longing: 渴望。I grabbed my jacket and unfurled it like a matador’s cape.9. grab: 抓??；unfurl: 展開；matador: 斗牛士；cape: 披風。I stepped out into the sunlight and began the trek10. trek: 艱苦跋涉。from the train station back to campus.On my back the words of “Phillips Exeter Academy”gleamed,11. Phillips Exeter Academy: 菲利普艾斯特中學，是全美國最好的私立寄宿制高中之一；gleam: 隱約地閃現(xiàn)。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學，它位于新罕布什州的埃克塞特市，是美國著名的寄宿制高中。在這里度過的三年改變了作者的人生：他真正成長起來，開闊了自己的眼界，培養(yǎng)了伴隨一生的愛好，并結識了諸多良師摯友……這里承載了作者太多的回憶和情感。

Founded in 1781, Phillips Exeter Academy is a private preparatory boarding school located in the woods of New Hampshire, U.S.A.12. preparatory: 預科； boarding school: 寄宿學校；New Hampshire: 新罕布什爾州，美國州名。Its pupils, ranging from 9th grade to 12th grade,hail from all around the world and all walks of life.13. hail from: 來自……；all walks of life: 各行各業(yè)。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. 一位來自加拿大的中國交際舞舞者可能會與一個來自埃塞俄比亞的足球運動員同堂上課，或者和一位來自波士頓郊區(qū)的韓國小提琴高手成為同學。ballroom dancer: 交際舞者；Ethiopia: 埃塞俄比亞，非洲國家；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. 畢竟，菲利普艾斯特中學的一條校訓是：“學生來自四方，服務于四方?！眕roclaim: 宣告，聲明；every quarter: 四面八方。And all of this we acquired through the Harkness method16. Harkness method: 哈克尼斯式教學法，也稱為“圓桌教學法”，學生和老師圍坐在大桌子旁交流討論，學生是課堂交流和討論的主體。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，男畢業(yè)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）鮮明特征；emerge into: 出現(xiàn)；trigger: 觸發(fā)，引起；breakdancing: 霹靂舞；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: 視野，眼界；cultivate: 培養(yǎng)；passion: 愛好；embrace:（熱切或認真地）從事。

Before long, I found myself at the door of one of my favorite teachers while I was at Exeter: Mr. Boadi, from Ghana20. Ghana: 加納，西非國家。. 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: 熱烈的；dedication: 奉獻，獻身；critically: 用鉆研眼光地。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: 使轉動；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，客氣話。. 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. 走進他的房間不到兩分鐘時間，我們已經開始就制度體系和殖民政策以及這兩者間相關內容進行深入討論了。plunge into: 投入，參與；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: 重新開始；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. 即使當談話漸漸停止，我們停下來喘口氣時，那愉快的笑容和懷舊的感嘆都表明著我們的師生情誼已經發(fā)展得更為牢不可破。die down:逐漸消失；nostalgic: 懷舊的； sigh: 嘆息；reveal: 顯示；evolve to: 發(fā)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:對……驚奇；fine gentlemen:優(yōu)雅紳士；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: 碼頭；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. 河水泛著西沉落日的余暉，幾顆星星在藍色的天幕中隱約可見。peek: 窺視；sapphire:天藍色的。In solitude30. in solitude: 孑然，獨自。, 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、繪制、裝飾得）十分顯眼的，醒目的；snugly: 舒適地。

My phone buzzed32. buzz: 發(fā)出嗡嗡聲。, 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.