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美国故事 SENEWS-2007-0602-Feature

时间:2007-07-12 01:24来源:互联网 提供网友:y419245804   字体: [ ]
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Now, the VOA Special English program American Stories. Our story this week is called "Papa's Straw1 Hat". It was written by Fread Gibson. Here is Shep O'Neal to tell you the story.

Papa was a rancher. He worked with horses. He was proud of the way he dressed. He always wore clean clothes even when he worked. That is very difficult for a rancher who works2 outside on a horse farm. He often said to me: "Son, you may not be able to buy the best clothes, but always keep those you have clean. That is the important thing." Papa did what he said. His clothes were never dirty like those of most of the other ranchers I knew.

Papa never worked outside without a hat. He always wore the same kind of hat. It was a cowboy3 hat, a large black hat of heavy wool. He never pushed the hat to one side of his head, he wore it straight and he did not push the top of his hat down like most cowboys4 do. He wore his hat full and high. I think he wanted to look taller than he really was.

Papa had two hats. One was his Sunday hat; the other was his everyday hat. When his Sunday hat got old, he wore it everyday and then bought a new Sunday hat. He wore his Sunday hat only to church or on holidays or when he visited the city. Most of the time he kept his Sunday hat in a special box. He hid it so we could not find it. Papa loved his hats and he cared for them in a special way. He never threw them down on a chair, someone might sit on them. He even had a special place for his everyday hat. As soon as he came into the house from work, he put his hat on a nail5 behind the kitchen door.

Mama was very careful of Papa's hat. She was proud of the way he looked when he worked, or when he wore his Sunday hat and his best clothes. She was not permitted6 to touch his Sunday hat. Then something happened. Maybe it was the heat of the long summer, maybe Mama read about hats in a magazine or a book. But in some way, she got the idea that Papa should not wear a heavy wool cowboy hat in the hot weather. She began to believe that Papa would lose his hair if he did. Mama began to worry more about Papa's hair than about his hats. Perhaps it was Uncle George who made Mama worry about Papa's hair. Uncle George had no hair. His head was as smooth as an egg. Papa had thick black hair that shone like silk. It would be terrible if Papa lost his hair because he wore a heavy wool cowboy hat. So Mama began to worry. She began to watch Papa carefully as he worked in the hot fields under his tall heavy hat. She saw how wet his hair was when he came into the house. Mama began to talk about hats.

"Papa", she said one day, "why don't you throw that old wool hat away and get a nice cool straw hat?"
"What?" Papa said, "me, wear a straw hat? I would never let my horses see me in a straw hat."
"Horses?" Mama answered, "What have horses to do with a straw hat? Animals don't care what kind of hat you wear."
"Mine do." Papa said, "My horses recognize me because I always wear the same hat and they like the cowboy hats best of all. Anyway," he said, "I would not be seen dead in a straw hat."

Mama talked and talked, but she could not change Papa's mind. They talked about hats all summer long, at last Mama tried to frighten Papa to get him to wear a straw hat.

"Papa," she said, "just look at most of the ranchers we know, all of them wear heavy wool cowboy hats in the summer, and most of them have lost their hair." Papa laughed at Mama. He laughed so hard that tears ran down his face and his stomach hurt. But his laughing did not stop Mama. She told him about Jim Berry7, who lost his hair about two years ago. Papa, a little angry, answered: "It was not the cowboy hat that made Jim Berry lose his hair, it was his wife always talking about hats and not giving him any peace and quiet." Mama said nothing. She stopped talking about the hats. I wondered what was going to happen.

Then one day, Mama got up earlier than usual. She marched to the kitchen and made breakfast. She had a very serious look on her face. She did not say a word. She made more noise than usual. She put the dishes down so hard that I thought they would break. Suddenly she got in the car and drove8 toward9 the city. She did not tell us why she was going. Later, she came home with a straw hat. She still looked very serious.

There had not been much rain that year; it was a bad year for ranchers. We had only a little money, but it was the year for Papa to buy a new cowboy hat. Mama knew this. She also thought that if she spent the money for a straw hat, Papa would not spend any money to buy a cowboy hat. Mama was right. When Papa saw the straw hat, his face got red. He said nothing. He pulled the straw hat down over his head until it hid his eyes. He looked very funny. I wanted to laugh but I did not. I was afraid to because Papa was so angry. I remember how quiet he was as he marched out of the house.

I followed him that day. He was going to train the wild horses again. I love to watch him work. He had gotten the horses earlier in the year, but they were still half wild, half trained.

Papa slowly walked toward the field where the horses were eating grass. He was a good rancher because he was gentle with horses, never cruel to them. He had given names to all the horses. He always called to them when he first saw them in the morning. He talked softly10 to them so they would not be afraid. Sometimes the horses walked up to him when he called their names. They knew his cowboy hat which he wore everyday. They did not feel safe near any other person.

I followed Papa as he walked toward the field calling their names. At first the horses continued to eat, but as Papa got closer, the horses looked up at him. Suddenly they jumped high into the air, raising their front feet. Then they began to run around wildly. They screamed the way frightened horses do. One horse kicked the hay11 wagon12 over. All of them ran around and around in the field, and then raced toward the barn13 where they slept. I never heard such a noise. Papa began to shout: "Woo boys! Steady14 boy, steady." But there was nothing he could do. He marched toward the house.

Inside the barn, the frightened horses screamed and kicked hard against the walls of the barn. Mama came running out of the house. She stood near the door waiting for Papa. She held her hands against her heart, "What is it, Papa, what is it?" Papa did not answer. She held the door open and he marched into the house. Mama followed him. I went in after them to see what was going to happen. Papa walked straight to the stove in the kitchen. He opened the top of the stove, pulled the straw hat off his head and pushed it deep down into the fire. At last, he turned to Mama and looked at her in a way that even frightened me. I never heard Papa so angry. He shouted and shouted all sorts of new words.

At last his anger was gone. Then he said in a soft but firm voice: "Now listen to me Mama, understand this, I will never wear a straw hat or any other kind of hat my horses do not like." Then he put on his Sunday cowboy hat and walked out of the house.

It was almost midnight when the noise died away and the animals became quiet. The next day, Papa fixed15 all the broken wood in the walls of the barn. I never heard Mama talk anymore about hats. Perhaps that is why when Papa died many years later, there was a round spot on the top of his head where there was no hair.

You have heard the American story "Papa's Straw Hat" written by Fread Gibson. It was adapted for VOA Special English by Harold Brobman with permission of Southern Methodist University Press. It was first published in southwest review, summer 1963. Your storyteller was Shep O'Neal. This story is copyrighted16. All rights reserved17. This is Shirley Griffith.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 straw 6t6wm     
n.稻草,麦杆,吸管;adj.用稻草做的,用来作稻草的,麦杆色的,无价值的,象稻草人的,非正式民意测验所发现的
参考例句:
  • The old peasant is twisting pieces of straw into a rope.这位老农民正把稻草搓成绳子。
  • May I have a straw for my drink?给我一根喝饮料的吸管好吗?
2 works ieuzIh     
n.作品,著作;工厂,活动部件,机件
参考例句:
  • We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
  • The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。
3 cowboy FvIz7l     
n.牛仔,牛郎,牧童
参考例句:
  • I felt sure I had all the skills to be a cowboy.我确信自己具备当牛仔的一切本领。
  • He loved to see cowboy movies.他爱看牛仔影片。
4 cowboys 72a97fb793d496318518aebc7e9298b2     
n.牧牛工( cowboy的名词复数 );牛仔;冒失鬼;(尤指无能的)缺德的商人
参考例句:
  • children playing a game of cowboys and Indians 玩美国西部牛仔与印第安人游戏的孩子们
  • There are too many cowboys in the business these days. 近来商界中,瞎吵胡闹的家伙太多。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 nail I6CzW     
n.钉子,指甲;vt.用钉钉牢,使固定,使集中于,揭露
参考例句:
  • He drove a nail into the wall.他把钉子钉在墙上。
  • In order to hang the picture,he had to hammer a nail.为了挂那幅画,他必须钉枚钉子。
6 permitted dc103d75e269b8c2bb112e8a59761bcf     
允许( permit的过去式和过去分词 ); 许可; 许用
参考例句:
  • Radios are not permitted in the library. 图书馆内不许使用收音机。
  • Entrance is permitted only on production of a ticket. 出示门票才可进入。
7 berry xQYyF     
n.浆果(如草莓等)
参考例句:
  • This kind of jam is made of berry.这种果酱是由浆果做的。
  • Every berry and cherry carried in the ferry is very merry.渡船里载运的每一颗草莓和樱桃都很快乐。
8 drove brAxi     
vbl.驾驶,drive的过去式;n.畜群
参考例句:
  • He drove at a speed of sixty miles per hour.他以每小时60英里的速度开车。
  • They drove foreign goods out of the market.他们把外国货驱逐出市场。
9 toward on6we     
prep.对于,关于,接近,将近,向,朝
参考例句:
  • Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
  • Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了,并跑了过去。
10 softly HiIzR4     
adv.柔和地,静静地,温柔地
参考例句:
  • He speaks too softly for her to hear.他讲话声音太轻,她听不见。
  • She breathed her advice softly.她低声劝告。
11 hay WeVxZ     
n.(用作饲料或覆盖的)干草
参考例句:
  • Cows feed on hay.奶牛以干草为生。
  • They usually keep the hay in the barn.他们通常将干草存放在谷仓中。
12 wagon XhUwP     
n.四轮马车,手推车,面包车;无盖运货列车
参考例句:
  • We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
  • The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。
13 barn 6dayp     
n.谷仓,饲料仓,牲口棚
参考例句:
  • That big building is a barn for keeping the grain.那幢大房子是存放粮食的谷仓。
  • The cows were driven into the barn.牛被赶进了牲口棚。
14 steady guyw5     
adj.稳定的,不动摇的,沉着的,稳固的,坚定的,可靠的;vt.使稳定
参考例句:
  • She has a steady income.她有固定的收入。
  • He is a steady young man.他是一个稳重的年轻人。
15 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
16 copyrighted 32701401a789dc816ef17a1195e74c82     
获得…的版权( copyright的过去式 )
参考例句:
  • That magazine usurped copyrighted material. 那杂志盗用了版权为他人所有的素材。
  • Why is it common for students to download copyrighted music? 为什麽学生下载有版权的音乐如同家常便饭?
17 reserved NSczV     
adj.预订的;矜持的;储藏着的v.保留[储备]某物( reserve的过去式)
参考例句:
  • The star has a ski slope reserved exclusively for her. 这位明星有一个专门留给她的滑雪场地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He is very reserved. He does not say much. 他是个拘谨的人,不爱多说话。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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TAG标签:   美国故事  feature  美国故事  feature
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