2006年NPR美国国家公共电台六月-A School Sets the Stage for Life Changes

On Fridays, we bring you StoryCorps. Ordinary people ask each other questions and their conversations add up to an oral history of America.

You almost never get a bad story when you ask: how did you two meet. That's where the story begins for Catherine and Scott Kohanek. They first met while working at an elementary school in Minnesota. And school became an unlikely¹ source² of good fortune.

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Scott Kohanek: We met each other at Kenwood Elementary in Minneapolis where I was a custodian³ and you, Catherine, were a special-ed teacher.

Catherine Kohanek: I remember watching you move around the school. You were sliding down the banisters, popping bubble⁴ gum⁵ and I used to think "They are watching you. Man, you have to be a good example to these kids". And then I watched you with your guitar, getting in the classrooms and singing and getting so involved with the kids. And so I asked you a question that you told me later a lot of people had asked---Why aren't you a teacher? Then I found out that you didn't think college was meant for you or you could cut it. And then, we started to talk. Because the teacher in me came out, I had questions for you, wayward boy.

Scott Kohanek: I was always ready for a conversation with you. It was the best time of my day.

Catherine Kohanek: I would sit there, you know, do my paper work at the end of the day, watch the clock, and I could hear you coming down the hall, because you were pushing the big rolling garbage can.

Scott Kohanek: People would often say you look like you're in a hurry. Well I had things to get done because I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Go hang out in your room.

Catherine Kohanek: When you came in and emptied my trash, you would always sit on the counter⁶ by the door.

Scott Kohanek: That was a favorite place of mine to sit, with my feet upon the chair and then our conversations would go on for hours and hours.

Catherine Kohanek: I remember thinking "Oh my gosh." I think I am falling in love. This isn't good. I remember that.

Scott Kohanek: And then there came a time when I realized that my path was, you know, seriously going to change. After 18 and a half years of being a custodian, and I stepped into a college for the first time.

Catherine Kohanek: And I remember when you first started college, you were pushing your garbage can and you came up to me, you were really really excited. You had written your first paper and you'd gotten an A. Do you remember that? You were...

Scott Kohanek: It was the scariest⁷ thing I had ever done. And when it came time to get a job, I'd went back to Kenwood as a second grade teacher and that's where I've been ever since. So it became obvious. Em....

Catherine Kohanek: What, what became obvious?

Scott Kohanek: That we, that we were going to get married. So why did we get married at Kenwood school?

Catherine Kohanek: Of course, we were gonna get married at the school. I do remember asking you what do you want and knowing it would be unconventional.

Scott Kohanek: We got married in the lunchroom and served milk and cookies.

Catherine Kohanek: And then the students always go, on that stage? Yeah, where we had the school store, yeah, on that stage. It's, it's funny, you know. You and I both work there now. We take our kids down to the lunchroom, you know, "get in line kids". And every once in a while I just turn my head and I glance up at that stage and, I just smile.

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Catherine and Scott Kohanek at the StoryCorps booth⁸ in New York City. These conversations are archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress⁹. To learn how to record an interview of your own, just visit NPR.org.

Major funding for StoryCorps comes from the corporation¹⁰ for public broadcasting.

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elementary school : a school in the US where basic subjects are taught for the first six years of a child's education;小学
custodian : someone who looks after a public building;管理人
special-ed : special-education,the education of children who have physical problems or learning¹¹ problems;特殊教育
banister : a row of wooden posts with a bar along the top, that stops you from falling over the edge¹² of stairs; 楼梯的扶栏
pop: to come suddenly or unexpectedly¹³ out of or away from something;突然爆裂。
bubble gum : a type of chewing¹⁴ gum that you can blow into a bubble;泡泡糖。
gosh : used to express surprise；表惊奇，多是失望、不爽意
lunchroom : a large room in a school or office where people can eat;美国(学校或办公场所)的餐厅
glance up : to quickly look at someone or something;一暼,暼见

1 unlikely   

adj.未必的，多半不可能的；不大可能发生的

参考例句：

• It was very unlikely that he would do that.他不见得会做那种事。
• It is unlikely that she will come. 她不大可能来了。

2 source   

n.来源，水源；原始资料

参考例句：

• They mentioned you as a good source of information.他们说你消息灵通。
• All works of art have life as their source.一切文艺创作都来源于生活。

3 custodian   

n.保管人，监护人；公共建筑看守

参考例句：

• Benitez believes his custodian is among the top five in world football.贝尼特斯坚信他的门将是当今足坛最出色的五人之一。
• When his father died his uncle became his legal custodian.他父亲死后，他叔叔成了他的法定监护人。

4 bubble   

n.泡，水泡，气泡；泡影，妄想；v.(使)起泡

参考例句：

• The water begins to bubble.水开始起泡了。
• Their hopes of success have burst like a bubble.他们成功的希望已经成了泡影。

5 gum   

n.牙龈；口香糖；树胶

参考例句：

• We can stick these pictures into the book with gum.我们可用胶水把这几张画粘贴在书里。
• Americans like to chew gum.美国人喜欢嚼口香糖。

6 counter   

n.柜台；计数器；adj.相反的；adv.与…相反地；vt.反对，反击；vi.反对，反击

参考例句：

• This counter is closed now.这个柜台现在已停止营业。
• Set the counter to zero and you'll know where the recording starts.把计数器拨到零，你就会知道录音从哪儿开始。

7 scariest   

使人惊恐的，吓人的，可怕的( scary的最高级 )

参考例句：

• This is the scariest story I ever heard. 这是我所听过的最可怕的故事。
• Still, it is rated as the scariest scene in the history of movies. 这个桥段仍被认为是影史上最恐怖的一幕。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年5月号

8 booth   

n.小房间，公用电话亭，岗亭；货摊

参考例句：

• Where can I find a telephone booth?我在哪儿可以找到电话亭？
• Let's walk around to each booth.我们到每个摊子转一转吧！

9 Congress   

n.(代表)大会；(C-:美国等国的)国会，议会

参考例句：

• There were some days to wait before the Congress.大会的召开还有几天时间。
• After 18 years in Congress,he intented to return to private life.在国会供职18年后，他打算告老还乡。

10 corporation   

n.公司，企业&n.社团，团体

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation. 这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• The inflation did the corporation up. 通货膨胀使这个公司破产了。

11 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

12 edge   

n.边(缘)；刃；优势；v.侧着移动，徐徐移动

参考例句：

• Sight along the edge to see if it's straight.顺着边目测，看看直不直。
• She lived on the extreme edge of the forest.她住在森林的最边缘。

13 unexpectedly   

adv.未料到地，意外地；竟；居然；骤然

参考例句：

• The volcano unexpectedly blew up early in the morning. 火山一早突然爆发了。
• I had just put the dinner on when Jim walked in unexpectedly. 我刚把晚饭摆上桌，吉姆突然走进来。

14 chewing   

v.咀嚼，咬( chew的现在分词 )；（因为紧张等）咬住，不停地啃，（为尝味道）不停地咀嚼

参考例句：

• She was admonished for chewing gum in class. 她在课堂上嚼口香糖，受到了告诫。
• cows chewing the cud 在咀嚼反刍食物的牛