我告诉他，家有老母长年患病，我离国已六、七 年，想回去看老母，至多两年就回来。
I
told him that I had been abroad for six or seven years and that I had to go home to see my old mother, who had been ill for a long time. However, I assured him that I would come back to France in two years.
Practice：

我对北大图书馆有一种特殊的感情，这种感情潜伏在我的内心深处，从来 没有明确地意识到过。最近图书馆的领导同志要我写一篇讲图书馆的文章， 我连考虑都没有，立即一口答应。（季羡林）

I cherish a particular affection for Peking University Library----an affection that has hidden deep in my heart without my knowledge. Therefore, recently when the curator asked me to write an article on the library, I readily agreed without any hesitation. （张培基 译）

快乐教育强调培养德、智、体、美、劳全面发展的人才，它使 教育者改变了以往唯有高分的学生才是人才的观念，因为我们 的建设事业不仅需要工程师、科学家，同样需要各行各业的能 工巧匠。

Enjoyable education emphasizes developing children in an all-round way: intellect, ethics, physical culture, aesthetics and practical work. It has changed the old concept of the education that only pupils with high grades are promising talents. In fact, China’s construction needs not only engineers and scientists, but also capable workers in all fields.

这样，我就开始准备写“中国的词”的论文。其实，童年在家 里我喜欢读词读赋，但对于词，我并没有好好研究过。
So
I began to prepare my dissertation on Chinese Ci, a subject of which I had never made a thorough study though I liked to read this kind of poetry in my childhood.

图书馆是人类知识的宝库，是普及科学文化知识、传播信息的重要基地。 不仅搞科研的人离不开他，一般的老百姓也离不开。随着社会的发展，人 们对图书馆的需求会越来越大。（同上）

Libraries are the treasure-house of knowledge, the important base for popularizing science and culture and transmitting information. They are indispensable to all common people as well as scientific researchers. Alongside the social development, people’s need for the library is getting bigger and bigger.史密斯教授一定是怕鱼在路上耽搁坏 了，在鱼的上下两旁都放了冰，冰有点融化，水从木箱的空隙中流出来了。

(I opened the little box to find four fresh fish in it.) There was ice all around them. Since the ice was melting water ran through the cracks on the box. It was clear that Prof. Smith had placed ice in it for fear that the fish would go bad during the delivery.