The university library has a new lamp. It sits in the middle of the group study table. It is round and white. A sign says: "Green is good. Red is loud."
大学图书馆里有一盏新灯。它放在小组自习桌的正中间，圆圆的，白色的。一块牌子上写着：“绿灯好，红灯吵。”
Yoon, Dmitri, and Uma take the table on Tuesday. They have a big test on Friday. They open their books.
星期二，尹、德米特里和乌玛占了这张桌子。周五有一场大考。他们打开书本。
The lamp is green.
灯是绿的。
"Easy," says Dmitri in a loud voice.
“真简单。”德米特里大声说。
The lamp turns yellow.
灯变黄了。
Uma puts a finger on her lips. "Quiet," she whispers. "The lamp hears you."
乌玛把一根手指放在嘴唇上。“小声点，”她低声说，“灯听得见你。”
Yoon laughs, but he covers his mouth. The lamp stays yellow for a moment. Then it goes green again.
尹笑了，不过他捂住了嘴。灯黄了一会儿，又变回了绿色。
They study for ten minutes. Uma reads a question. Dmitri thinks. Yoon writes the answer on a card. Nobody talks too much. The room feels calm and warm.
他们学了十分钟。乌玛读一道题。德米特里思考。尹把答案写在卡片上。没有人说太多话。房间里安静又温暖。
Then Dmitri finds a funny picture in his book. It shows a man with a very big nose. Dmitri starts to laugh. He cannot stop.
后来德米特里在书里发现了一幅滑稽的图。图上是一个鼻子特别大的男人。德米特里笑了起来，怎么也停不下来。
The lamp turns red. A tiny sound plays. Beep, beep.
灯变红了。一阵小小的声音响起：嘀，嘀。
A student at the next table looks up. Dmitri says "sorry" with his hands over his face.
隔壁桌的一个学生抬起头来。德米特里用手捂着脸，说了声“对不起”。
"New rule," Uma whispers. "Funny pictures are for after the test."
“新规矩，”乌玛低声说，“滑稽的图考完试再看。”
Yoon has an idea. "Let us make a game," he says. "We keep the lamp green for ten minutes. Then we eat a snack."
尹想到一个主意。“我们来玩个游戏，”他说，“让灯保持十分钟绿色。然后我们吃点心。”
"What snack?" asks Dmitri.
“什么点心？”德米特里问。
"An orange," says Uma. "I have three in my bag."
“橘子，”乌玛说，“我包里有三个。”
They agree. They use hand signs for yes and no. Uma points at a page. Yoon nods. Dmitri writes. The lamp stays green for five minutes. Then eight. Then ten.
他们同意了。他们用手势表示“是”和“不是”。乌玛指着书页，尹点点头，德米特里动笔写。灯保持绿色五分钟，然后八分钟，然后十分钟。
Uma gives each boy an orange. They peel them very slowly. But peeling is a loud job. The lamp turns yellow again.
乌玛给每个男生一个橘子。他们剥得特别慢。可剥橘子是件很吵的事。灯又变黄了。
"The orange is the enemy," Yoon whispers. They all shake with silent laughter.
“橘子是敌人。”尹低声说。三个人都无声地笑得发抖。
After the snack, they play again. This time, they write notes on paper. Dmitri draws a small face on his note. It says, "Is this answer right?" Uma writes back, "Yes. Good job." Yoon draws a small star.
吃完点心，他们又开始玩。这一次，他们在纸上写字条。德米特里在字条上画了一张小脸，上面写着：“这个答案对吗？”乌玛回了一句：“对。做得好。”尹画了一颗小星星。
The lamp stays green for twenty minutes. Then it stays green for thirty.
灯保持绿色二十分钟。然后保持了三十分钟。
A girl from the next table comes over. She has a stack of books. "Can I sit here?" she whispers. "Your table is so quiet. My table is always red."
隔壁桌的一个女生走了过来，抱着一摞书。“我可以坐这儿吗？”她小声问，“你们这桌好安静。我们那桌总是红灯。”
"Come in," Uma whispers. "But no oranges."
“进来吧，”乌玛低声说，“但是不许带橘子。”
The girl laughs without a sound. Uma gives her a pencil. She sits down and opens her book.
女生无声地笑了。乌玛递给她一支铅笔。她坐下来，翻开了书。
The group works for two more hours. They learn six chapters. Dmitri says the lamp is a strict teacher. It never gets tired. Uma says it is more like a friend.
小组又学了两个小时，学完了六章。德米特里说这盏灯是位严格的老师，从来不累。乌玛说它更像一个朋友。
On Friday, they take the test. The hall is very quiet. Dmitri looks at Yoon and smiles. Quiet is easy now.
周五，他们去考试。考场里非常安静。德米特里看着尹笑了笑。现在，安静变得很容易。
After the test, the friends walk back to the library. It is late, and the room is empty. The lamp sits in the middle of the table. It is green.
考完试，朋友们走回图书馆。天很晚了，房间里空无一人。灯还放在桌子正中间。它是绿色的。
Yoon takes the last orange from his bag. He puts it next to the lamp.
尹从包里拿出最后一个橘子，放在灯的旁边。
"For the hero," he says.
“给英雄。”他说。
The lamp stays green.
灯依然是绿色。
