2005年NPR美国国家公共电台八月-Attention Must Be Paid

When I travel I often read obituaries¹, many can and should make you sad, the 26-year-old mother of 2 who dies in a fire, the 16-year-old student who goes out with friends and gets killed in a car crash. But many others, especially during weeks like these actually reassure² you, remarkable³ people are always around.

Peter F of Anchorage died a few weeks ago at the age of 93. He came to Alaska from Ohio as a young man and grew up with the state; he was a fisherman, a miner, a lumberjack and a longshoreman before finally going to work in the Alaska railroad. Mr. F played the mandolin. He could do 100 pushups into his 70's. He taught swimming to youngsters. How many railroad workers play the mandolin? Probably more than many of us ever thought. He and his wife Gladys once took an 80-day cruise around the world on the Queen Mary, stopping on all 7 continents. Peter F sounds like he was an interesting man to spend 80 days or 80 years with.

G H died at the age of 90 in London. He was a young Royal Air Force pilot in September of 1940 when he saw a German bomber⁴ duck toward Buckingham Palace. G H had already run out of ammunition⁵, but not ingenuity⁶ or daring, he rammed⁷ his airplane into the bomber and sliced off its tail, the German bomber crashed behind Victoria Station without bombing a thing. G H parachuted safely not far away. 'There was no time to weigh up the situation,' he said years later, 'I just went ahead and hoped for the best.' In a time when Londoners once again need great, G H may remind them, there is already a lot in the city's bloodstream.

Finally there is a sign on the door of the Village Tab in Chicago's Roscoe Village for the man who was a bartender there, “A Watkins,” it says, “working man, loving friend, kind heart.” Mr. Watkins was 34 when he died last month of lung cancer. Roscoe Village is a popular neighborhood for singles and new arrivals, people come from all over from Indiana to India, they come to the Village Tab after working in downtown skyscrapers⁸ to talk and laugh before going home to studio or apartments. In a neighborhood of singles and strangers, A Watkins was one of the most familiar smiles. 'He made friends and talked to everyone,' A D told the Chicago Sun Times, 'when a boy broke my heart or when I had to put my kitty down, he was always there. One night a couple of years ago, Karen Watkins walked into the Village Tap and found A Watkins, they got married just as he was diagnosed with cancer, but she still counts herself as blessed, 'I lucked out,' she says, 'I walked in the right bar at the right time and met just the right guy.'

Music: It's a quarter to 3, there is no one in the place except you and me, so set them up, Joe, I've got a little story you ought to know, we're drinking my friend, to the end of a brief episode, make it one for my baby and one more for the road...

1 obituaries   

讣告，讣闻( obituary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Next time I read about him, I want it in the obituaries. 希望下次读到他的消息的时候，是在仆告里。
• People's obituaries are written while they're still alive? 人们在世的时候就有人给他们写讣告？

2 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

3 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

4 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

5 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

6 ingenuity   

n.别出心裁；善于发明创造

参考例句：

• The boy showed ingenuity in making toys.那个小男孩做玩具很有创造力。
• I admire your ingenuity and perseverance.我钦佩你的别出心裁和毅力。

7 rammed   

v.夯实（土等）( ram的过去式和过去分词 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• Two passengers were injured when their taxi was rammed from behind by a bus. 公共汽车从后面撞来，出租车上的两位乘客受了伤。
• I rammed down the earth around the newly-planted tree. 我将新栽的树周围的土捣硬。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 skyscrapers   

n.摩天大楼

参考例句：

• A lot of skyscrapers in Manhattan are rising up to the skies. 曼哈顿有许多摩天大楼耸入云霄。
• On all sides, skyscrapers rose like jagged teeth. 四周耸起的摩天大楼参差不齐。