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美国故事 SENEWS-2006-0506-FEATURE

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Now the VOA Special English program "American Stories". Our story today is called "Paul's Case". It was written by Willa Cather. "Paul's Case" will be told in 2 parts. Here is Kay Gallant1 with part one of the story.

Paul hated school. He did not do his homework. He did not like his teachers. Paul's father did not know what to do with him. His teachers did not know either.

One afternoon, all his teachers at Pittsburgh High School met together with 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 very thin. His clothes were too small for him but they were clean. He had a bright red flower in the buttonhole of his black jacket. One of the teachers asked Paul why he had come to the meeting. Paul said politely that he wanted to do better in school. This was a lie. Paul often lied. His teachers began to speak. They had many complaints. One said Paul talked to the other students instead of paying attention to the lessons. Another said Paul always sat in class with his hands covering his eyes. A third teacher said Paul looked out the window instead of looking at her. His teachers attacked him without mercy. Paul's eyebrows2 moved up and down as his teachers spoke3. His smile never left his 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 bowed gracefully4 and left the room. His teachers were angry and confused. The art teacher spoke for all of them when he said there was something about Paul that he didn't understand.

"I don't think he really means to be bad", he said. "There is just something wrong with that boy." Then the art teacher remembered one warm afternoon, when Paul had fallen asleep in his class, Paul's face was white with thin blue veins5 under the skin. The boy's face looked tired and lined like an old man's. His eyebrows moved up and down even in his sleep.

After he left the meeting, Paul ran down the hill from the school whistling. He was late for his job at the concert hall. Paul was an usher6 there. He showed people to their seats. He carried messages for them. He brought them their programs with the polite bow. Everyone thought he was a charming7 boy and the best usher at the hall.

When Paul reached the concert hall that evening, he went immediately to the dressing8 room. About 6 boys were already there. Paul began changing his clothes with excited hands. He loved his green uniform with the gold pockets and design. Paul rushed into the concert hall as soon as he had changed clothes. He ran up and down the hall, helping9 people. He became more and more excited. His face became pink and his eyes seemed larger and very bright. He looked almost handsome. At last, everyone was seated. The orchestra10 began to play. And Paul sat down with a sigh of relief.

The music seemed to free something in Paul's spirit. Then a woman came out and began to sing. She had a rich strong soprano voice. Paul felt truly 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 clothes again, he went outside the concert hall. He decided11 to wait for the singer to come out. While he waited, he looked across the street to the large hotel called "Schenley". All the important people stayed at the Schenley when they visited Pittsburgh. Paul had never been inside it 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 could only enter this kind of a hotel, he would be able to leave school, his teachers, and his ordinary gray life behind him forever. At last, the singer came out of the concert hall. Paul followed her as she walked to the hotel. He was part of a large crowd of admirers who had waited to see her. When they all reached the hotel, she turned and waved. Then the doors opened and she disappeared inside. Paul stared into the hotel as the doors slowly closed. He could feel the warm sweet air inside. And for a moment he felt part of a golden world of sparkling12 lights and marble floors. He thought about the mysterious dishes of food being served in the hotel's dining room. He thought about green bottles of wine growing cold in silver buckets of ice. He turned away from the hotel, and walked home. He thought of his room with its horrible yellow wallpaper, the old bed with its ugly red cover. He shook his head. Soon, he was walking down the street where he lived. All the houses on Cordelia Street were exactly alike13. Middle-class businessmen had bought them for their families. All their children went to school and to church. They loved arithmetic. As Paul walked toward14 his house, he felt as if he were drowning in ugliness. He longed for cool colors and soft lights and fresh flowers. He didn't want to see his ugly bedroom, or the cold bathroom with its cracked mirror and gray floor. Paul went around to the back of his father's house. He found an open window, and climbed into the kitchen. Then he went downstairs to the basement. He was afraid of rats, but he did not want to face his own bedroom. Paul couldn't sleep. He sat on the floor and stared into the darkness until morning came. The following Sunday Paul had to go to church with his family. Afterwards, everyone came home and ate a big dinner. Then all the people who lived on Cordelia Street came outside to visit each other. After supper, Paul asked his father if he could visit a friend to get some help with his arithmetic. Paul left the house with his schoolbooks under his arm but he didn't go to his friend's house. Instead he went to see Charlie Edwards. Charlie was a young actor. Paul liked to spend his much time as he could at the theatre, where Charlie Edwards and his group acted in their place. It was only at the theatre and the concert hall that Paul felt really alive. The moment he smelt15 the air of these places, he felt like a prisoner suddenly set free. As soon as he heard the concert hall orchestra play, he forgot all the ugly unpleasant events in his own life. Paul had discovered that any kind of music awakened16 his imagination. Paul didn't want to become a musician, however. He didn't want to become an actor either. He only wanted to be near people who were actors and musicians. He wanted to see the kind of life these artists led. Paul found the schoolroom even worse after a night at the theatre or the concert hall. He hated the school's bare floors and cracked walls. He turned away from his dull teachers in their plain clothes. He tried to show them how little he thought of them and the studies they taught. He would bring photographs of all the actors he knew to school. He would tell the other students that he spent his evenings with these people at elegant17 restaurants.

Then he would announce that he was going away to Europe or to California, or to Egypt for a while. The next day he would come to school smiling nervously18. His sister was ill he would say, but he was still planning to make his trip next spring.

Paul's problems at school became worse. Even after the meeting with his teachers, things did not get better. He told them he had no time to study grammar and arithmetic. He told them he had to help the actors in the theatre. They were all friends of his. Finally his teachers went to Paul's father. He took Paul out of school and made him get a job. He told the manager at the concert hall that Paul could not work there any more. His father warned the doorman at the theatre not to let Paul into the place. And Charlie Edwards promised Paul's father not to see Paul again. All the actors at the theatre laughed when they heard about the stories Paul had been telling. The women thought it was funny that Paul had told people he took them out to nice restaurants and sent them flowers. They agreed with the teachers and with his father that Paul's was a bad case.

You have just heard part one of the American Story "Paul's case". It was written by Willa Cather. Your storyteller was Kay Gallant. Listen again next week at this time for the final part of "Paul's Case" told in Special English on the Voice of America. I'm Steve Ember.


附带图片

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。
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1 gallant 66Myb     
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 eyebrows a0e6fb1330e9cfecfd1c7a4d00030ed5     
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。
3 spoke XryyC     
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。
4 gracefully KfYxd     
ad.大大方方地;优美地
参考例句:
  • She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet. 她优雅地坐到他脚旁的垫子上。
  • The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line. 新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。
5 veins 65827206226d9e2d78ea2bfe697c6329     
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》
6 usher sK2zJ     
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。
7 charming 7wuzfa     
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。
8 dressing 1uOzJG     
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。
9 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
10 orchestra 90OyN     
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。
11 decided lvqzZd     
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。
12 sparkling xvYwy     
adj.发火花的,闪亮的;灿烂的,活泼的;闪闪发光的,闪烁的;起泡沫的v.闪光,闪耀(sparkle的现在分词)
参考例句:
  • the calm and sparkling waters of the lake 平静的波光粼粼的湖水
  • Other sparkling wines are often considered the poor relations of champagne. 其他起泡的葡萄酒通常被认为较香槟酒为次。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 alike kLUyz     
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。
14 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。
15 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。
16 awakened de71059d0b3cd8a1de21151c9166f9f0     
v.(使)醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 );(使)觉醒;弄醒;(使)意识到
参考例句:
  • She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
  • The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 elegant UjOzi     
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。
18 nervously tn6zFp     
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。

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