大学英语：A delighted giggle cut through

13. A delighted giggle cut through the severe silence. The ice was broken. We all laughed.

一阵咯咯的欢笑声打破了严肃而沉寂的气氛. 谁也不拘束了,大家都笑了起来.

14.在旧社会, 我们评剧演员常常挣钱不够吃饭,艺人们大都是拉家带口,生活困难.

In the old society, Pinju players seldom made enough to live on. And as most were saddled with big families their life was hard.

15.腊月二十三封箱,把”祖师爷”请到前台去, 后台冷冷清清, 演员们就更苦了,要等到年初一开戏了,才能挣到钱.

On the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month, when theatres closed and the patron saint of actors was invited to the front stage, leaving the backstage deserted, actors were even worse off, unable to earn any more until the reopening on New Year’s Day.

16. 真是一个钱撕成八瓣用,心里总是想着怎样能够改善家里的困境.

Each single copper had to be eked out, and I kept racking my brains for ways to improve our difficult conditions.

17.每天天不亮戴着星星去排队,工厂没开大门就排上老长的队了.

We had to queue up before dawn when there were still stars in the sky. A long queue formed before the mill’s gate opened.

18.可我从头到脚淋成了落汤鸡了.

I was drenched from head to foot like a drowned rat.