在线英语听力室

美国故事 SENEWS-2007-0609-Feature

时间:2007-07-12 01:31:15

搜索关注在线英语听力室公众号:tingroom,领取免费英语资料大礼包。

(单词翻译)

Now, the weekly Special English program American Stories. Our story today is called "The Wide Net". It was written by Eudora Welty. Here is Larry West with the story.

William Wolas Jameson's wife Hazel was going to have a baby. But this was October and the baby wouldn't be born until April. Hazel acted as if it would come tomorrow. She wouldn't speak to her husband when he came into the room. If he tried to touch her, she would run away from him or stick out her tongue at him. So one night William Wolas went out with his friend Virgil Thomas. He didn't come home until the next morning. Hazel wasn't there when he got back, instead he found a letter from her. It said she was going to the river to drown herself. He ran out of the house. As he ran he shouted for Virgil Thomas who had just gone into his own house.

"I've lost Hazel," William Wolas cried to his friend, "she went to drown herself in the river!"
"Why? That's not like Hazel," said Virgil. William Wolas reached out and shook Virgil, "We have to drag the river with the wide net. Who'll we get to help us pull the nets through the river?" Virgil scratched his head, "I'll get the Doiles and you go get the Malones." He said.

They met again fifteen minutes later. "Here come all the Malones," said William Wolas, "I asked four of them to come help, but the rest of the family invited themselves."
"Do they always do just that?" said Virgil. From the other direction came the Doiles with the eggs from their breakfast still on their faces.

The whole crowd went to see Dock1. Old Dock owned the wide net. He had a house on top of the hill. And he sat outside it on his rocking chair.
"Now what?" he asked when everyone had arrived and stood in front of him. William Wolas stepped forward, "If nobody else is using your wide net could we use it?" Virgil Thomas pushed William Wolas aside, "We got reason to think William Wolas' wife is in the river, drowned."
Dock gave a long low whistle, "Hazel is the prettiest girl in Mississippi," he said, "a golden haired girl. I've never saw a prettier one, never will." He got to his feet and said, "I'm coming with you."

They followed the path that took them through the deep woods into the Pearl2 River. They walked in silence near William Wolas. They would not let him carry anything. Soon, the smell of the river spread over the woods. "We're in the changing time," Dock said, "any day now the change will come. It's gone the turn from hot to cold. An old man winter will be standing3 in the door."

They walked down and suddenly they reached the river. Everyone stopped, but Dock talked on as though nothing had happened. "Only today," he said, "today in October, son, it's all gold, the sky, the trees, the water. Just before it changes, everything seems to be made of gold."
William Wolas looked down, he thought of Hazel's shining eyes. He could see her in his thoughts, sitting at home like a piece of pure gold, too precious to touch.

The men began to unfold the wide net. It was very old and had been used a lot. There in the October light, it looked golden too. Since the net was so wide, it was able to reach across the entire river. Splashing4 sounds filled the air. Malones with great groans5 slam6 across the river. The Doiles stayed near Virgil Thomas. Each group grabbed7 an end of the net and began walking along the riverside. Dock got into a rowboat and followed the parade from the middle of the river. William Wolas slammed8 and followed the wide net, diving down under water. The dogs chased9 up and down, in and out of the water and in and out of the woods.

Where the light fell on the river, it trembled gently. The willow10 trees leaned over the water. Their long branches hung like green waterfalls in the morning air. The men were catching11 lots of fish in the net, big ones and little ones. William Wolas caught more of the big fish than anyone else. He and the others put ropes through the fish's mouths and pulled them through the water behind them. They caught other things, too, old shoes, a lady's necklace and a baby alligator12.

"It's time we ate some of these fish," said Virgil. They all gathered by a clearing near the river and built a fire. Then among clouds of smoke they cooked and ate fish. They ate until they all were so full they could eat any more. And then, one by one, they all fell asleep.

The thunder woke them up. Lightening13 flashed and the sky looked black. All color left the world. The golden afternoon was just a memory. A wind touched each man on his forehead. They ran under some trees as hard drops of rain began to fall. The rain fell heavily. When the sudden storm ended, the men looked up the river ahead of them.

"Look!" said Virgil, "We've come almost to town." There just beyond the trees was Dover. It had rained there too, and the town looked somehow like new. The wavy14 heat of the late afternoon came down as the men entered the main street. William Wolas walked through the town as if he did not see or hear anything. He carried his great catch of fish high so that everybody could see it. Virgil came next, imitating William Wolas exactly. Then came the Doiles and Malones, tossing15 their fish in the air. Behind the entire crowd walked Dock. The whole town of Dover came out to watch the men. People came out of their houses, the stores and post offices. "Did you ever see so many fish," said the people of Dover.

As the sun went down, Dock climbed the hill to his house. He sat down in his rocking chair and lit his pipe. William Wolas hung up the wide net while Virgil Thomas waited for him. Then they both went to say goodnight to Dock.
"Well now," said Dock when they came up, "I've never seen a better river dragging!"
"But," Virgil objected, "we didn't catch Hazel!"
Dock took the pipe out of his mouth, "She wasn't there." he said, "Girls don't like water and they don't jump in river just because they're angry with their husbands. Remember that!"
William Wolas looked up, "Don't you think this morning she had drowned herself?"
"Not even once," Dock said.

Virgil and William Wolas walked home slowly. When they reached Virgil's house, Virgil said goodnight and went inside. William Wolas was alone. When he got to his own house, William Wolas saw something he had never seen before in his life. There, curved16 over his roof was a rainbow at night. The moon was out and its light fell on the little rainbow. It made William Wolas think of a lady's summer dress. The stars showed through the rainbow. William Wolas walked into his house. Someone called his name. The voice came from the bedroom.

"What do you want?" he yelled17. Then the bedroom door opened and there was Hazel. She had not changed at all. "Supper is ready," she said, "I was wondering if you were coming home tonight. Go wash yourself for dinner!"
They sat on the front steps of their house after dinner. "Where were you this morning when I came in?" asked William Wolas.
"I was hiding," she said, "I had just finished writing the letter."
He looked at her, "Did you watch me while I was reading it?"
"Yes," she laughed, "I was so close to you that you could have put out your hand and touched me." He bit his lip and pulled her into his arms.
"Do you think you'll do it again?" he whispered, holding her tightly18. She tried to free herself for a few seconds, then she suddenly relaxed in his arms.
"I'll do it again if I feel like it," she said, smiling into his eyes. It was as if he had chased her and captured19 her again. After a few minutes, she took his hand and led him into the house.

You have just heard the story "The Wide Net" written by Eudora Welty. It was adapted for Special English by D. D. with permission from Russal and Brockning Literate20 Agents, New York. This story is copyrighted21. All rights reserved. Your storyteller was Larry West. For VOA Special English, this is Shirley Griffith.

分享到:


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 dock GsQx9     
n.码头;被告席;vt.使(船)进港;扣;vi.进港
参考例句:
  • We took the children to the dock to see the ships.我们带孩子们到码头去看轮船。
  • The corrupt official stood in the dock.那贪官站在被告席上。
2 pearl 63Zzp     
n.珍珠,珍珠母
参考例句:
  • He bought his girlfriend a pearl necklace.他给他女朋友买了一条珍珠项链。
  • The crane and the mother-of-pearl fight to death.鹬蚌相争。
3 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
4 splashing de13ae58d5efba954190454601e0b385     
v.使(液体)溅起( splash的现在分词 );(指液体)溅落;击水声
参考例句:
  • Water was splashing down from a large hole in the roof. 雨水从房顶上的一个大洞里倾泻下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The children love splashing water over each other. 儿童喜欢互相泼水。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 groans 41bd40c1aa6a00b4445e6420ff52b6ad     
n.呻吟,叹息( groan的名词复数 );呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦
参考例句:
  • There were loud groans when he started to sing. 他刚开始歌唱时有人发出了很大的嘘声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • It was a weird old house, full of creaks and groans. 这是所神秘而可怕的旧宅,到处嘎吱嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 slam hEvyQ     
v.猛力地推、放或扔;砰地关上
参考例句:
  • They were surprised by the slam of a car door.关汽车门时发出的声音使他们很吃惊。
  • Why should you slam the window?你干吗要使劲关窗户呢?
7 grabbed grabbed     
v.抢先,抢占( grab的过去式和过去分词 );(尤指匆忙地)取;攫取;(尤指自私、贪婪地)捞取
参考例句:
  • He was grabbed by two men and frogmarched out of the hall. 他被两个男人紧抓双臂押出大厅。
  • She grabbed the child's hand and ran. 她抓住孩子的手就跑。
8 slammed 84b5bc3c8d817ee0d99387e3bc3042be     
v.砰地关上(门或窗)( slam的过去式和过去分词 );用力一放;使劲一推;猛劲一摔
参考例句:
  • He slammed on the brakes and the car juddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车,汽车在剧烈震动中停下来。
  • He walked out of the room and slammed the door. 他走出房间,猛地关上了房门。
9 chased 2c5612168d687dc7bc023e30a656a040     
vt.追捕(chase的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • The boy chased his sister in and out among the bushes. 那个男孩在灌木丛里跟着他姐姐追过来追过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The enemy chased the decoys down to the place of ambush. 敌人将诱骗者一直追到伏兵所在地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 willow bMFz6     
n.柳树
参考例句:
  • The river was sparsely lined with willow trees.河边疏疏落落有几棵柳树。
  • The willow's shadow falls on the lake.垂柳的影子倒映在湖面上。
11 catching cwVztY     
adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住
参考例句:
  • There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
  • Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。
12 alligator XVgza     
n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼)
参考例句:
  • She wandered off to play with her toy alligator.她开始玩鳄鱼玩具。
  • Alligator skin is five times more costlier than leather.鳄鱼皮比通常的皮革要贵5倍。
13 lightening i1zxU     
n.发光v.使(某物)更明亮( lighten的现在分词 );变得更光明
参考例句:
  • The lightening splintered a tree. 闪电把一棵树劈开了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • I saw the lightening split the clouds and heard the thunders following. 我看到闪电撕开云层,听到随之而来的雷声。 来自英语晨读30分(高二)
14 wavy 7gFyX     
adj.有波浪的,多浪的,波浪状的,波动的,不稳定的
参考例句:
  • She drew a wavy line under the word.她在这个词的下面画了一条波纹线。
  • His wavy hair was too long and flopped just beneath his brow.他的波浪式头发太长了,正好垂在他的眉毛下。
15 tossing a8585a676353eb087665b3ff1271a622     
v.(轻轻或漫不经心地)扔( toss的现在分词 );(使)摇荡;摇匀;(为…)掷硬币决定
参考例句:
  • Poor Joan has been tossing around all night with that fever. 可怜的琼因发烧而一整夜辗转不能入睡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The two boys agreed to decide the matter by tossing a coin. 这两个孩子同意用掷硬币的方法来决定这件事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
16 curved CvNzJL     
a.弯曲的
参考例句:
  • His lips curved in a barely perceptible smile. 他的嘴角弯了弯,露出一丝几乎察觉不到的笑容。
  • The missile curved gracefully towards its target. 导弹呈优美的曲线状飞向目标。
17 yelled aeee2b86b284e7fbd44f45779d6073c1     
v.叫喊,号叫,叫着说( yell的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He yelled at the other driver. 他冲着另一位司机大叫。
  • The lost man yelled, hoping someone in the woods would hear him. 迷路的人大声喊着,希望林子里的人会听见。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 tightly ZgbzD7     
adv.紧紧地,坚固地,牢固地
参考例句:
  • My child holds onto my hand tightly while we cross the street.横穿马路时,孩子紧拉着我的手不放。
  • The crowd pressed together so tightly that we could hardly breathe.人群挤在一起,我们几乎喘不过气来。
19 captured 2f77656f4c6180990cee5ce65bdefe74     
俘获( capture的过去式和过去分词 ); 夺取; 夺得; 引起(注意、想像、兴趣)
参考例句:
  • Allied troops captured over 300 enemy soldiers. 盟军俘虏了300多名敌方士兵。
  • Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。
20 literate 181zu     
n.学者;adj.精通文学的,受过教育的
参考例句:
  • Only a few of the nation's peasants are literate.这个国家的农民中只有少数人能识字。
  • A literate person can get knowledge through reading many books.一个受过教育的人可以通过读书而获得知识。
21 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?

本文本内容来源于互联网抓取和网友提交,仅供参考,部分栏目没有内容,如果您有更合适的内容,欢迎 点击提交 分享给大家。