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美国故事 SENEWS-2007-0908-FEATURE

时间:2007-10-10 01:50来源:互联网 提供网友:方易速   字体: [ ]
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Now, the Special English program American Stories.

Today, we bring you the second part of the story Golden1 Wedding written by Ruth Suckow. Last week we told you about Mr. and Mrs. Willie, they felt old and thought nobody cared about them. Then to their great surprise, their children gave them a lovely party to celebrate their fifty years of marriage - their golden wedding anniversary2! And what a dinner it was! Here is Shirley Griffith to tell you about it.

Everyone was there, children and grand3 children and friends - everyone! And it was for them, for her and Pa. Like Pa say they were old that no one cared about them, how silly! This day was just as wonderful as she had hoped. All these people were here to honor4 her, to show that her life was important. All around the table faces smiled, everyone ate and said how good it was. The women try to stop their husbands from eating too much, but the men laughed. They said that this was the one time they could eat as much as they wanted. After all, a golden wedding dinner did not happen every day.

Then the grand daughters brought great dishes of icecream and chocolate sauce5. But before they started to eat there was silence again. Mrs. Willie knew what was going to happen, her mouth shook a little.

“sh, sh” someone said. Daughter Clara got out from her seat, her voice was high, her cheeks red. “Friends, as long as this is our mother's and father's golden wedding day, now we can ask Mother to cut the wedding cake.” Mr. Baxter said, “That's right. Let the bride do it.” Then every one laughed and said, “The bride.” Mrs. Willie took the knife and cut the golden cake - rich and yellow. Mr. Baxter stood up again and said, “And now, I have been asked by all these good people to present a gift. May you always remember this, Mr. and Mrs. Willie, it means6 the love of your children and neighbors. It means the honor they do you on your 50th wedding day." He took a package and gave it to Mr. Willie. Mr. Willie took the paper off. There was a large silver cup. The sun shone warmly on the metal. And now to everyone's surprise, Mr. Willie smiled and began to speak. He remembered when he first came to Iowa. ''In those days'', he said, ''a wedding wasn't so special. Two people just drove7 into town, got married and that was all.'' That was how he remembered his wedding day. Everyone laughed. They all looked at the cup, it had the names "Aisha Willie & Angie Pilgrim8 Willie'' on it, and the date "1874--1924 , 50 years".

Finally, it was time to leave the table. The granddaughters went to the kitchen to wash the dishes, the others went into the parlor9. Everybody felt the warmth10 and happiness of the food and the ceremony at the table. Mrs. Willie sat, she felt that she would never be tired again. Her spirit was so happy, so free, her body was like air, and best of all, the day was still young.

They listened to music and they talked, then there were shouts from the road. One of George's sons came running into the house. His face was red from the cold. " Well, Grandma and Grandpa, do you want a sleigh ride?" They could hear sleigh bells ringing. The horses out there were all ready. The others laughed. Yes, there was the sled. It was brightly colored and covered with bells. Two big black horses stood there. They stamped their feet and shook their heads. They seemed to be saying, " Let's go!" Mr. and Mrs. Willie found themselves being pushed outside. They put fur rugs11 over their knees. They were warm and excited. On the back of the sleigh was a sign. It said, "Just married." And it had white ribbons12 and bells on it. All the guests ran outside and waved goodbye.

The road was hard with snow. The sky was the brightest blue. Everything seemed brighter today. The hills looked silvery. They drove into town, people waved and shouted. It was a lovely ride into town in nearby. After a time they came back to the farmhouse13, but now Mrs. Willie knew that the day was almost over. The sun became weak and the snow looked pale blue. Many guests had gone, only the family was left.

Mrs. Willie felt cold now and her eyes were a little red and her hands felt stiff14. They sat in the parlor, the older people seemed tired. They talked, the men in one group and the women in another. Then some of the women went to the kitchen, they made supper. No one thought he could eat again. But when they sat down, it tasted good. Mrs. Willie was becoming very tired. She could hardly sit up at the table. As soon as supper was over, George got ready to take the Willies home.

In the sled, Mrs. Willie felt so tired that she didn't even look around her. It was warm under the furs. The horses hoof15 made a soft noise, "plop, plop, plop", like a song. They were all surprised when the sleigh stopped.

"Are we home?" asked Mrs. Willie.
"Sure. Where did you think you were?" said George.

He lifted her over the side of the sleigh. Then he put her down. Her legs were stiff. She could hardly make her feet move.

Her house looked strange. It was quiet and empty. No light came from the windows, no smoke from the chimney16. It was cold, George made a fire. There was nothing to do but to go to bed. It took Mrs. Willie a long time to put away her best things. Mr. Willie was already in bed. He wanted to go to sleep. But she did not. She wanted to think about this day, this wonderful day. It was so quickly gone and would no come again. Now alone together they had so little to say.

The room was too close, too well known17 and their knowledge of each other was too strong. They could not talk about happy things in a happy way. She did not like to think so but it was true. She tried to hold the joy of the day, she said, "The cake was nice, wasn't it? Em? The cake, it was nice."

"Emm, yes. Aren't you ready yet? "

It was no use. He would never talk about things. She kept putting away her dress and her pins. She wanted to sit and talk about the whole day, to pick out and taste again the most beautiful moments. But he wanted to put out the lights and go to sleep. Oh why wouldn't he ever talk about things with her?

She looked out the window, the night was still and cold. Blue and wildly shadows darkened the pale snow. And because she could not share her feelings with him, she felt an old unhappiness. It turned her joy to a gray color, the gray color of everyday life.

He called out, "Well Ma, aren't you ever coming to bed?"

Then she put out the light and got into bed. Now he was at rest and soon fell asleep. She lay still, holding on to the things in her mind. They were deep things without words or form. She had done this on so many other nights. She had no both joy and sadness. She had lain there and held them, understood them. And now, she was not unhappy. She was calm. She was not even angry that he fell asleep, leaving her with her own plots18, quiet and alone.

You have just heard the final part of Golden Wedding. It was written by Ruth Suckow. It appeared in the book Iowa Interiors19 published by Alfred A. Knopf Incorporated20. Your storyteller was Shirley Griffith. The Voice of America invites you to listen again next week at the same time to another American story told in Special English. This is Steve Ember.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 golden 9fcxo     
adj.金的,含金的,可贵的,金色的,贵重的,繁盛的
参考例句:
  • My teacher is an Englishman with golden hair.我的老师是一个金黄色头发的英国人。
  • It's a balmy evening,the golden time for lovers.这是一个暖和的夜晚,是恋人们的黄金时光。
2 anniversary Cw0zD     
n.周年(纪念日)
参考例句:
  • They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。
  • Today is my parents'30th wedding anniversary.今天是我父母结婚30周年纪念日。
3 grand 0fDx4     
adj.豪华的,宏伟的,壮丽的,主要的,重大的;n.(美俚)一千美元
参考例句:
  • The pianist played several pieces of music on a grand piano.钢琴家在一架大钢琴上弹了几首乐曲。
  • Come on,I'll give you the grand tour of the backyard.跟我来,我带你去后院来一次盛大的旅游。
4 honor IQDzL     
n.光荣;敬意;荣幸;vt.给…以荣誉;尊敬
参考例句:
  • I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
  • It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。
5 sauce 0sLy1     
n.酱油,酱汁;调味汁
参考例句:
  • Some cream will enrich the sauce.在调味汁里加一些奶油会使其味道更加丰富。
  • This sauce is too thick-- add some milk.调味汁太稠,再加点奶.
6 means 9oXzBX     
n.方法,手段,折中点,物质财富
参考例句:
  • That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
  • We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。
7 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。
8 pilgrim p2Azf     
n.香客,朝圣者;v.朝圣,参拜圣地,流浪
参考例句:
  • They read stories about the Indians and the pilgrim.他们阅读有关印第安人和那些朝圣者的故事。
  • But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you.只有一个人爱你那朝圣者的灵魂。
9 parlor v4MzU     
n.店铺,营业室;会客室,客厅
参考例句:
  • She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
  • Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店?
10 warmth hHFyV     
n.温暖,温情,暖和,激动,生气
参考例句:
  • He answered with warmth.他热情地回答。
  • We felt the warmth of the sun.我们感受到太阳的温暖。
11 rugs ded0bc56b73ad7b9fbdb21cd72bd64da     
n.小块地毯( rug的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • rugs handmade by local craftsmen 由当地工艺师手工制作的小地毯
  • Try to avoid colours that jar when choosing curtains and rugs. 选择窗帘和地毯时,尽量避免颜色不调和。 来自《简明英汉词典》
12 ribbons aa3d8d2fa9eef2d3474d9a9d38f4ca5d     
n.带( ribbon的名词复数 );(打印机的)色带;绶带;带状物
参考例句:
  • Her hair was interlaced with ribbons and flowers. 她的头发上编扎着缎带和花。
  • Typewriter ribbons may be all black or black and red. 打字机的色带可以是全黑的或黑红色的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 farmhouse kt1zIk     
n.农场住宅(尤指主要住房)
参考例句:
  • We fell for the farmhouse as soon as we saw it.我们对那所农舍一见倾心。
  • We put up for the night at a farmhouse.我们在一间农舍投宿了一夜。
14 stiff 4G8z4     
adj.严厉的,激烈的,硬的,僵直的,不灵活的
参考例句:
  • There is a sheet of stiff cardboard in the drawer.在那个抽屉里有块硬纸板。
  • You have to push on the handle to turn it,becanse it's very stiff.手柄很不灵活,你必须用力推才能转动它。
15 hoof 55JyP     
n.(马,牛等的)蹄
参考例句:
  • Suddenly he heard the quick,short click of a horse's hoof behind him.突然间,他听见背后响起一阵急骤的马蹄的得得声。
  • I was kicked by a hoof.我被一只蹄子踢到了。
16 chimney zVoyu     
n.烟囱,烟筒;玻璃罩
参考例句:
  • The chimney blew out a cloud of black smoke.烟囱里喷出一团黑烟。
  • His father is a chimney sweeper.他的父亲是一位扫烟囱的工人。
17 known hpKzdc     
adj.大家知道的;知名的,已知的
参考例句:
  • He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
  • He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。
18 plots 73c9533e16d5d54e71b2eb35012edb86     
n.(秘密)计划( plot的名词复数 );(戏剧、小说等的)情节;基址;小区v.密谋( plot的第三人称单数 );绘制;把…分成小块;为(文学作品)设计情节
参考例句:
  • Plots of land have been demarcated by barbed wire. 一块块土地都用带刺的铁丝网圈了起来。
  • His land is split up into several widely scattered plots. 他的土地被分割成相当分散的几小块。 来自《简明英汉词典》
19 interiors 3d06132384f5855b7124f146883c951f     
n.内部( interior的名词复数 );里面;内地;(国家的)内政
参考例句:
  • Chains of saline lakes are found in places in continental interiors. 在大陆内部的某些地区发现了盐湖系列。 来自辞典例句
  • Theorists specializing in stellar interiors were turning to more challenging problems. 专攻恒星内部的理论家们都想改行去搞更能引起争议的问题。 来自辞典例句
20 incorporated dqQz8G     
a.结合的,并为一体的
参考例句:
  • Many of your suggestions have been incorporated in the plan. 你的很多建议已纳入计划中。
  • These conditions must be expressly incorporated into the contract of employment. 这些条件都必须明确地写进雇佣合同之中。
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