From a working class Yorkshire background, mid-teen Billy Casper is expected not to have much of a future, a prospect even prognosticated by his mother. This prospect is due to a life of neglect, with his father long having abandoned the family. Although he purports to have placed his criminal behavior behind him, Billy still commits the occasional petty crime when it suits his needs. Especially when he deals with anyone of authority, his mind usually wanders, which may be problematic again for his future in speaking to the employment officer about his post-schooling work life. He is bullied by a number of people from his older coal miner brother Jud, to some of his classmates, and even his teachers, especially his physical education teacher, Mr. Sugden. Billy’s life has the potential to change when he finds something on which to focus. Having spotted a nest in a neighboring farmer’s field, he plans to train a kestrel, a breed of falcon, knowing nothing about the process at the start.
参考翻译：
从约克郡的工人阶级背景来看，十几岁的比利·卡斯珀（Billy Casper）预计不会有太大的前途，他的母亲甚至预言了这一前景。这种前景是由于他的父亲长期抛弃家庭，生活被忽视。虽然他声称已经将自己的犯罪行为抛诸脑后，但比利仍然偶尔犯下轻微的罪行，只要这符合他的需要。尤其是当他与任何有权势的人打交道时，他的思维通常会飘忽不定，这可能会再次对他未来与就业官员谈论他毕业后的工作生活产生问题。他受到了很多人的欺负，从他的煤矿哥哥朱德到他的一些同学，甚至还有他的老师，尤其是他的体育老师苏格登先生。比利的生活有可能会改变，当他找到一些可以关注的事情时。在附近一个农民的田地里发现了一个巢穴后，他计划训练一只红隼，一种猎鹰，一开始对这个过程一无所知。-雨果
重点词汇释义：
working class工人阶级
much of大量，许多的
criminal behavior犯罪行为
a number of一些; 许多的
coal miner煤矿工人
some of中的一些; 其中一些; 其中的一些
