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(单词翻译)

Now, the VOA Special English program American Stories. Our story is called The Animals Give Themselves from the book Cloudwalker by Joel Monture, published by Fulcrum1 Publishing. Mr. Monture is a Native American from the Mohawk nation. He has written stories about young Native Americans who grow up in American cities and do not always know a lot about their Indian traditions. Here is Faith Lapidus with the story.

"Elizabeth..." Betty Tylen turned to her best friend Debby. "I hate it when my mother calls me Elizabeth. It always means I have to do some work." Betty made her music louder and two girls laughed. Betty and Debby are twelve years old and live in Fairbanks, Alaska. Together, they share schoolwork and movies and talk a lot. Betty is Koyucan, an Alaskan native nation. And Debby's ancestors came from England.

Missis Tylen came to Betty's room. "We are going home to our village for a potlatch." she told her daughter. "What is a potlatch?" asked Debby. "It is a big ceremony and meal." said Betty. "People cook food and give away blankets. It is really silly." "Do I have to go?" she asked her mother. "Yes, it is our responsibility." said her mother. "We are flying out tomorrow morning."

The next morning, Betty was flying in a small plane beside her mother. "I really hate this." she said. "Why couldn't I stay with Debby?" But when the plane landed, Betty was beginning to think the potlatch might be fun. She would see her uncle Vincent and aunt Molly, and visit with her cousins". But most important was that her father would be at the potlatch. He was often away from home for months working with the tribe2 on environmental issues.

Uncle Vincent met them at the airport. He had a thick way of talking and a missing3 tooth in a corner of his smile. Uncle Vincent was a hunter in the village. "How you folks been doing there, Fairbanks?" he asked as he drove his truck down a snowy road. They drove for almost an hour. Betty thought everything just looked frozen4. But to her mother, it was the place where she had grown up. She showed Betty the birds and other animals along the road.

Suddenly, uncle Vincent stopped the truck and looked into the bushes. Missis Tylen watched too. But Betty could see nothing. Then, Betty saw a large moose whose breath made steam in the winter air. Uncle Vincent quickly reached for his gun and stepped out of his truck. Betty looked at her mother. "He is not going to shoot the moose, is he?"

Before her mother could answer, there was a loud sound from the gun. Then, silence. Missis Tylen got out of the truck and stood beside Vincent. Betty watched them talk softly5. Then, her mother said, "Come on, Betty. We have a moose." Betty said softly to her mother, "This is so horrible! I hate it! Why can't we just go?" But Missis Tylen put her finger to her lips as a sign to be quiet. A short way into the woods, they came upon the moose lying on her side in the snow.

Betty watched as uncle Vincent touched different parts of the dead moose praying quietly and offering thanks for the use of the animal. Then, he stood up and said, "Betty, run up to the truck and bring back the knives under the seat. Betty walked to the snow feeling unsure. A potlatch was supposed to be fun. Now, here they were, in the middle of the forest was a dead moose. "Ahem..." she found the knives in the truck and returned to where her mother and uncle were waiting. "This is so horrible." she said under her breath.

Uncle Vincent and Missis Tylen both took off their coats. It was freezing, but her mother did not seem cold. She took one of the knives from Betty. "Mom?" asked Betty. "What? You do not know that I know how to cut the skin off a moose? I used to help my brothers all the time. My mother and I took care of the skins and we smoked them to make coverings for our feet and hands. When you were born, I used to give you a moose bone to chew on to help your baby teeth grow." She said with a laugh. "No way!" Betty protested6.

As they worked late into the afternoon, Betty thought it was so strange to see her mother working on the moose. Betty was used to seeing her mother working in an office wearing dresses and nice shoes, but not in the middle of the snow taking the skin off a moose. What else didn't she know about her mother? When they were ready to leave, Betty saw that the woods did not seem quiet anymore. Black birds called ravens7 were circling high in the sky and cold wind was blowing.

As they drove along the snowy road, Betty thought to herself: This land was difficult. But her mother was a part of it because she knew things. As they drove into the small village, Betty saw that there were no big stores. This was the place her mother had been raised. And Betty suddenly felt as though she did not know very much.

Uncle Vincent stopped by a small house at the far end of the village. There were so many people inside. Betty did not remember any of them, but they seemed to know her. Betty was only a baby when she left. And her relatives rubbed her cheeks in welcome. She smiled as they put their arms around her. Then, out of the crowd came her father, David Tylen. He picked her up and cried, "Betty Wolf!" "Dad! Do not call me that!" she said. But she was still smiling. She put her arms around him.

"We killed a moose for potlatch." Betty did not know where her words came from. But she sensed the importance of this group of family members. "You got a moose?" asked Betty's father. He smelt8 her and added with a laugh, "You smell like a moose. Hey! You!"

That night, Betty slept on blankets on the floor. She was so tired from working in the woods with the moose. She dreamed that the moose talked to her and said, "I give myself to you, so your people can eat and live." When she woke up, she thought her dream was real. Betty found her mother having a cup of coffee. "Mom, I had a dream." she said, "The moose was there and she told me her death was like a gift to us. I do not understand."

Betty's mother held the warm cup of coffee in her hands and explained. "No matter how far we travel from home, when we return, this is still our land, the place we come from. This is a place of people, ravens, moose and so many other beings. The bird does not take more than it needs, and people do not either. This is the balance of our world. Your moose visited you to let you know that it was all right. She gave up herself to feed your family because we honored9 her. And from that, you are learning10 to be honorable11. You watch here how all this meat will be shared. Everyone will be fed from your moose. That is life.'

Just then, Betty's father joined them. Her mother looked up and smiled. "Betty dreamed about the moose." "Oh, I see." said Betty's father. "Would you feel better if I told you aunt Aster12 makes soft shoes? She will make you a pair from your moose." Betty smiled, "Really?" Her father said, "Maybe we should all talk more about our traditions, so we do not forget them." "You are always gone." said Betty. "Well, that could change." said her Dad, "I am moving back to Fairbanks." Her mother jumped up and put her arms around him. "That is wonderful, David."

The next day, Betty enjoyed the potlatch ceremony. All the people cooked big parts of meat and fried13 bread. Older members of the village stood up to speak about the unity14 of the people. They offered prayers to the spirits and everyone ate. "I never ate so much in my life." Betty said to her mother. "My moose was very good."

When Betty flew back to Fairbanks, she looked down at the land. Her mother's village looked like little dots on the snowy earth. Back home, Betty was happy to see her friend Debby. "Look what I brought you. A pair of soft shoes! My aunt made them." Debby said, "I wish I could go to a potlatch." Betty said, "Maybe next year, I will ask my mother if you can come. But if we shoot a moose, you have to help!"

You have heard the Native American story The Animals Give Themselves from the book Cloudwalker. It was written by Joel Monture and adapted into Special English by Carrion15 Legged. Your storyteller was Faith Lapidus. The producer was Lawan Davis. Listen again next week at this time for another American story in VOA Special English. I'm Bob Doughty16.

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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 fulcrum NzIyH     
n.杠杆支点
参考例句:
  • Give me a fulcrum on which to rest,and I will move the earth.给我一个支承的支点,我就会搬动地球。
  • The decision is the strategic fulcrum of the budget.这一决定是预算案的战略支点。
2 tribe XJ2zS     
n.部落,种族,一伙人
参考例句:
  • This is a subject tribe.这是个受他人统治的部落。
  • Many of the tribe's customs and rituals are as old as the hills.这部落的许多风俗、仪式都极其古老。
3 missing 3nTzx7     
adj.遗失的,缺少的,失踪的
参考例句:
  • Check the tools and see if anything is missing.检点一下工具,看有无丢失。
  • All the others are here;he's the only one missing.别人都来了,就短他一个。
4 frozen 2sVz6q     
adj.冻结的,冰冻的
参考例句:
  • He was frozen to death on a snowing night.在一个风雪的晚上,他被冻死了。
  • The weather is cold and the ground is frozen.天寒地冻。
5 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。
6 protested 024d7a2621b30761ab841fdd955c6836     
v.声明( protest的过去式和过去分词 );坚决地表示;申辩
参考例句:
  • He protested he was being cheated of his rightful share. 他提出抗议说他被人骗取了他依法应得的份额。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Amy protested she was being cheated of her rightful share. 艾米提出抗议,说有人骗取了她依法应得的份额。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 ravens afa492e2603cd239f272185511eefeb8     
n.低质煤;渡鸦( raven的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Wheresoever the carcase is,there will the ravens be gathered together. 哪里有死尸,哪里就有乌鸦麇集。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • A couple of ravens croaked above our boat. 两只乌鸦在我们小船的上空嘎嘎叫着。 来自辞典例句
8 smelt tiuzKF     
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。
9 honored honored     
adj.光荣的:荣幸的v.尊敬,给以荣誉( honor的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • I hope to be honored with further orders. 如蒙惠顾,不胜荣幸。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • This is a time-honored custom. 这是一个古老的习俗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 learning wpSzFe     
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。
11 honorable 0cFxc     
adj.光荣的,荣誉的;可敬的,高尚的
参考例句:
  • I don't think I am worthy of such an honorable title.这样的光荣称号,我可担当不起。
  • These businessmen are both competitive and honorable.这些商人既有竞争性又很诚实。
12 aster dydznG     
n.紫菀属植物
参考例句:
  • This white aster is magnificent.这棵白色的紫苑是壮丽的。
  • Every aster in my hand goes home loaded with a thought.我手中捧着朵朵翠菊,随我归乡带着一片情思。
13 fried osfz81     
adj.油煎的;油炒的
参考例句:
  • I ate everything fried.所有油炸的我都吃。
  • I prefer fried peanuts.我选择炸花生。
14 unity 4kQwT     
n.团结,联合,统一;和睦,协调
参考例句:
  • When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结,并非一团和气。
  • We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前,我们必须加强团结。
15 carrion gXFzu     
n.腐肉
参考例句:
  • A crow of bloodthirsty ants is attracted by the carrion.一群嗜血的蚂蚁被腐肉所吸引。
  • Vultures usually feed on carrion or roadkill.兀鹫通常以腐肉和公路上的死伤动物为食。
16 doughty Jk5zg     
adj.勇猛的,坚强的
参考例句:
  • Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质:脾气倔强,性格刚强。
  • The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

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