美国国家公共电台 NPR--A father and daughter recount a particularly memorable driving lesson

A father and daughter recount a particularly memorable¹ driving lesson

Transcript²

Some people may not be meant to drive, and Maritza Bell might be in that group. Danny Bell, her husband, and their daughter Sydia, went to a StoryCorps booth to remember Maritza's final lesson.

ASMA KHALID, HOST:

It's Friday, and that's when we hear from StoryCorps. Today, a story about driving. Let's face it, some people are not meant to drive. For Danny Bell, those people included his wife, Maritza. He recently came to StoryCorps with his daughter, Sydia, to talk about the time when Mom lost the car.

DANNY BELL: I used to take your mother for driving practice.

SYDIA BELL: 'Cause she did not know how to drive.

D BELL: And I remember one day, we was in this park, and your mother has said to me, I'm nervous. Y'all get out the car.

S BELL: What car was this?

D BELL: Oh, that was my black Maxima.

S BELL: Talk about it.

D BELL: Oh, man. That was like my love child.

S BELL: Hello. Was it paid off, too?

D BELL: It was paid off.

(LAUGHTER)

S BELL: All right. So she's driving. And to my recollection, she was doing a really good job.

D BELL: She was, until I told her, I want you to park the car. I stood in front of the car to guide her, and I kept pulling my hands towards me. I said, come on. Come on. And for some reason, she stepped on the gas, and the car flew. I had to jump out of the way, and the car went over the embankment into the water, flipped³ upside down.

S BELL: And me and you and the dog...

D BELL: The dog.

S BELL: ...Roxanna...

D BELL: Yeah.

S BELL: ...Looking down.

D BELL: I could not believe this happened.

S BELL: What just happened?

D BELL: And I ran down the hill and went into the water, and I couldn't see nothin'. But I knew she was in there.

S BELL: And I remember these two women came up, and they called 911 and stuff. Do you remember that?

D BELL: I remember - the ambulance and the police.

S BELL: And I want to say, even a helicopter.

D BELL: Yeah. The feeling was, it's too late. She's gone. Until I pushed her up to the top of the car, they thought she was dead.

S BELL: I'm left with this memory of my dad coming out of the water, like, literally⁴ holding my mom and saving her against all odds⁵. That moment was love embodied⁶ to me. But what I also remember is you going, oh, I saved it, but Lord, my car.

D BELL: Yeah.

S BELL: (Laughter).

D BELL: I had...

S BELL: My car (laughter).

D BELL: I had just shined my car up. It was beautiful. And she said, I am never going to touch a car again. Until this day, she just sits in the passenger seat and complain about, turn over there, slow down, you know?

S BELL: Truth, truth, truth.

D BELL: Everything.

(LAUGHTER)

S BELL: That's a Bell family story.

D BELL: Yes, it is.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

KHALID: That's Danny and Sydia Bell in Atlanta, Ga. Their interview will be archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

1 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 flipped   

轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转，撞毁了。
• The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。

4 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

5 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

6 embodied   

v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 )；象征；包括；包含

参考例句：

• a politician who embodied the hopes of black youth 代表黑人青年希望的政治家
• The heroic deeds of him embodied the glorious tradition of the troops. 他的英雄事迹体现了军队的光荣传统。 来自《简明英汉词典》