听美国故事练听力 40

　　Now the VOA Special English program "American Stories". Our storytoday is called "Paul's Case". It was written by Willa Cather. "Paul'sCase" will be told in 2 parts. Here is Kay Gallant¹ with part one ofthe story.
Paul hated school. He did not do his homework. He did not like histeachers. Paul's father did not know what to do with him. His teachersdid not know either.
One afternoon, all his teachers at Pittsburgh High School met togetherwith him to discuss his case. Paul was late. When he entered the room,his teachers sat waiting for him. He was tall for his age and verythin. His clothes were too small for him but they were clean. He had abright red flower in the buttonhole of his black jacket. One of theteachers asked Paul why he had come to the meeting. Paul said politelythat he wanted to do better in school. This was a lie. Paul oftenlied. His teachers began to speak. They had many complaints². One saidPaul talked to the other students instead of paying attention to thelessons. Another said Paul always sat in class with his hands coveringhis eyes. A third teacher said Paul looked out the window instead oflooking at her. His teachers attacked him without mercy³. Paul'seyebrows moved up and down as his teachers spoke⁵. His smile never lefthis face but his fingers shook as he touched the flower on his coat.
At last, the meeting was over. Paul's smile got even wider. He bowedgracefully and left the room. His teachers were angry and confused⁶.
The art teacher spoke for all of them when he said there was somethingabout Paul that he didn't understand.
"I don't think he really means⁷ to be bad", he said. "There is justsomething wrong with that boy." Then the art teacher remembered onewarm afternoon, when Paul had fallen asleep in his class, Paul's facewas white with thin blue veins⁸ under the skin. The boy's face lookedtired and lined like an old man's. His eyebrows⁴ moved up and down evenin his sleep.
After he left the meeting, Paul ran down the hill from the schoolwhistling. He was late for his job at the concert hall. Paul was anusher there. He showed people to their seats. He carried messages forthem. He brought them their programs with the polite bow. Everyonethought he was a charming¹⁰ boy and the best usher⁹ at the hall.
When Paul reached the concert hall that evening, he went immediatelyto the dressing¹¹ room. About 6 boys were already there. Paul beganchanging his clothes with excited hands. He loved his green uniformwith the gold pockets and design. Paul rushed into the concert hall assoon as he had changed clothes. He ran up and down the hall, helpingpeople. He became more and more excited. His face became pink and hiseyes seemed larger and very bright. He looked almost handsome. Atlast, everyone was seated. The orchestra¹² began to play. And Paul satdown with a sigh of relief.
The music seemed to free something in Paul's spirit. Then a woman cameout and began to sing. She had a rich strong soprano voice. Paul felttruly happy for the first time that day. At the end of the concert,Paul went back to the dressing room. After he had changed his clothesagain, he went outside the concert hall. He decided¹³ to wait for thesinger to come out. While he waited, he looked across the street tothe large hotel called "Schenley". All the important people stayed atthe Schenley when they visited Pittsburgh. Paul had never been insideit but he used to stand near the hotel's wide glass doors.
He liked to watch the people enter and leave. He believed if he couldonly enter this kind of a hotel, he would be able to leave school, histeachers, and his ordinary gray life behind him forever. At last, thesinger came out of the concert hall. Paul followed her as she walkedto the hotel. He was part of a large crowd of admirers who had waitedto see her. When they all reached the hotel, she turned and waved.
Then the doors opened and she disappeared inside. Paul stared into thehotel as the doors slowly closed. He could feel the warm sweet airinside. And for a moment he felt part of a golden¹⁴ world of sparklinglights and marble¹⁵ floors. He thought about the mysterious dishes offood being served in the hotel's dining room. He thought about greenbottles of wine growing cold in silver buckets¹⁶ of ice. He turned awayfrom the hotel, and walked home. He thought of his room with itshorrible yellow wallpaper, the old bed with its ugly red cover. Heshook his head. Soon, he was walking down the street where he lived.
All the houses on Cordelia Street were exactly alike¹⁷. Middle-classbusinessmen had bought them for their families. All their childrenwent to school and to church. They loved arithmetic¹⁸. As Paul walkedtoward his house, he felt as if he were drowning in ugliness. Helonged for cool colors and soft lights and fresh flowers. He didn'twant to see his ugly bedroom, or the cold bathroom with its crackedmirror and gray floor. Paul went around to the back of his father'shouse. He found an open window, and climbed into the kitchen. Then hewent downstairs to the basement²⁰. He was afraid of rats, but he did notwant to face his own bedroom. Paul couldn't sleep. He sat on the floorand stared into the darkness until morning came. The following SundayPaul had to go to church with his family. Afterwards, everyone camehome and ate a big dinner. Then all the people who lived on CordeliaStreet came outside to visit each other. After supper, Paul asked hisfather if he could visit a friend to get some help with hisarithmetic. Paul left the house with his schoolbooks under his arm buthe didn't go to his friend's house. Instead he went to see CharlieEdwards. Charlie was a young actor. Paul liked to spend his much timeas he could at the theatre, where Charlie Edwards and his group actedin their place. It was only at the theatre and the concert hall thatPaul felt really alive. The moment he smelt²¹ the air of these places,he felt like a prisoner²² suddenly set free. As soon as he heard theconcert hall orchestra play, he forgot all the ugly unpleasant²³ eventsin his own life. Paul had discovered that any kind of music awakenedhis imagination. Paul didn't want to become a musician, however. Hedidn't want to become an actor either. He only wanted to be nearpeople who were actors and musicians. He wanted to see the kind oflife these artists led. Paul found the schoolroom even worse after anight at the theatre or the concert hall. He hated the school's barefloors and cracked¹⁹ walls. He turned away from his dull teachers intheir plain clothes. He tried to show them how little he thought ofthem and the studies they taught. He would bring photographs of allthe actors he knew to school. He would tell the other students that hespent his evenings with these people at elegant²⁴ restaurants.
Then he would announce that he was going away to Europe or toCalifornia, or to Egypt for a while. The next day he would come toschool smiling nervously²⁵. His sister was ill he would say, but he wasstill planning to make his trip next spring.
Paul's problems at school became worse. Even after the meeting withhis teachers, things did not get better. He told them he had no timeto study grammar and arithmetic. He told them he had to help theactors in the theatre. They were all friends of his. Finally histeachers went to Paul's father. He took Paul out of school and madehim get a job. He told the manager at the concert hall that Paul couldnot work there any more. His father warned²⁶ the doorman at the theatrenot to let Paul into the place. And Charlie Edwards promised Paul'sfather not to see Paul again. All the actors at the theatre laughedwhen they heard about the stories Paul had been telling. The womenthought it was funny that Paul had told people he took them out tonice restaurants and sent them flowers. They agreed with the teachersand with his father that Paul's was a bad case.
You have just heard part one of the American Story "Paul's case". Itwas written by Willa Cather. Your storyteller was Kay Gallant. Listenagain next week at this time for the final part of "Paul's Case" toldin Special English on the Voice of America. I'm Steve Ember.
薇拉·凯瑟(Willa Cather l873-1947),20世纪上半叶美国著名的女作家,著名评论家。出生在弗吉尼亚州，幼时随父母迁居到中西部的内布拉斯加州。内布拉斯加大学毕业后曾任中学教员、记者和杂志编辑。1912年开始专事写作。其作品有《哦，拓荒者们!》(1913)，《我的安东尼亚》(1918)，《一个沉沦的妇女》
(1923)，《教授的住宅》(1925)，及《死神来迎接大主教》(1927)，《莎菲拉与女奴》(1940)等

1 gallant   

adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的

参考例句：

• Huang Jiguang's gallant deed is known by all men. 黄继光的英勇事迹尽人皆知。
• These gallant soldiers will protect our country.这些勇敢的士兵会保卫我们的国家的。

2 complaints   

抱怨( complaint的名词复数 )； 诉苦； 投诉； 疾病

参考例句：

• a litany of complaints 喋喋不休的抱怨
• The company had received complaints both verbally and in writing. 这家公司收到了口头和书面的投诉。

3 mercy   

n.仁慈，宽恕，怜悯

参考例句：

• Mercy to the enemies means cruelty to the people.对敌人的仁慈就意味着对人民的残忍。
• It is a mercy that you did not go.你幸好没有去。

4 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 confused   

adj.困惑的，烦恼的

参考例句：

• They asked so many questions that they confused me.他们问了许多问题，都把我弄糊涂了。
• A wise man is never confused.智者不惑。

7 means   

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。

8 veins   

n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理

参考例句：

• The blood flows from the capillaries back into the veins. 血从毛细血管流回静脉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I felt a pleasant glow in all my veins from the wine. 喝过酒后我浑身的血都热烘烘的，感到很舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 usher   

n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员

参考例句：

• The usher seated us in the front row.引座员让我们在前排就座。
• They were quickly ushered away.他们被迅速领开。

10 charming   

adj.迷人的，可爱的

参考例句：

• She looked small and gentle and altogether charming.她看起来小巧文雅,十分迷人。
• She has charming manners.她具有媚人的风姿。

11 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

12 orchestra   

n.管弦乐队；vt.命令，定购

参考例句：

• He plays the violin in an orchestra.他在管弦乐队中演奏小提琴。
• I was tempted to stay and hear this superb orchestra rehearse.我真想留下来听这支高超的管弦乐队排练。

13 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

14 golden   

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。

15 marble   

n.大理石，石弹，雕刻品；adj.大理石的，冷酷无情的，坚硬的

参考例句：

• Marble is a precious stone.大理石是一种珍贵的石料。
• The statue was carved out of marble.这尊像是大理石雕成的。

16 buckets   

n.水桶( bucket的名词复数 )；一桶（的量）；大量

参考例句：

• They were playing on the beach with their buckets and spades . 他们带着桶和铲子在沙滩上玩。
• Men came with buckets of water and began to douse the flames. 人们提来一桶桶水灭火。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 alike   

adj.同样的，相像的；adv.一样地；同程度地　

参考例句：

• The twins are so alike that I can't tell which is which.这对双胞胎一模一样，我分辨不出谁是谁。
• All stories seemed dreadfully alike,no matter who told them.看来，不管谁讲，故事都是千篇一律的。

18 arithmetic   

n.算术，算法；adj.算术学的，算术的

参考例句：

• The waiter got his arithmetic wrong.服务员算错了账。
• John was competing against James for the prize in arithmetic.约翰和詹姆斯比赛争夺算术奖。

19 cracked   

adj.有裂缝的；声音沙哑的；精神失常的v.破裂；崩溃(crack的过去分词)；发沙哑声

参考例句：

• The ice cracked as I stepped onto it. 我一踩冰就裂了。
• He suffered cracked ribs and bruising. 他断了肋骨还有挫伤。

20 basement   

n.地下室，地窖；建筑物的基部

参考例句：

• It is rather damp in the basement.地下室很潮湿。
• They live in a basement flat in North London.他们住在伦敦北部的一所地下公寓里。

21 smelt   

v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼

参考例句：

• Tin is a comparatively easy metal to smelt.锡是比较容易熔化的金属。
• Darby was looking for a way to improve iron when he hit upon the idea of smelting it with coke instead of charcoal.达比一直在寻找改善铁质的方法，他猛然想到可以不用木炭熔炼，而改用焦炭。

22 prisoner   

n.俘虏，囚犯，被监禁的人

参考例句：

• The soldier reported that a prisoner was at large.士兵报告说一名囚犯在逃。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

23 unpleasant   

adj.使人不愉快的，使人厌恶的，煞风景的

参考例句：

• A very unpleasant thing has happened.一件令人很不愉快的事发生了。
• The kind advices are often unpleasant to the ear.好言常常不入耳。

24 elegant   

adj.优美的，文雅的，简练的，简结的

参考例句：

• She was an elegant and accomplished woman.她是位优雅的才女。
• She has a life of elegant ease.她过着风雅悠闲的生活。

25 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

26 warned   

v.警告( warn的过去式和过去分词 )；提醒；告诫；预先通知

参考例句：

• Motorists have been warned to beware of icy roads. 已经提醒开车的人当心冰封的路面。
• I've warned her countless times. 我警告过她无数次了。