美国故事 SENEWS-2007-0512-Feature

Now the Special English program American Stories. Our story this week is "The Listener¹". It was written by John Berry². Here is Shep O'Neal to tell you the story.

Once there was a Czechoslovakian violin player who lived in Sweden. His name was Rudolf. Some of his friends said he could not play the violin very well; he was too restless³ and traveled around too much. Rudolf did travel, that is true. He traveled about Scandinavia in a small boat stopping at small cities along the coast. Here he would give violin concerts and earn money to buy food and clothes. If he found a person to play the piano with him, good; if not, he played music that did not need a piano. Once or twice he felt a great need to play music that needed a piano, so he made believe for one was playing. He would play complete sonatas⁴ for violin and piano with no piano inside.

One year, Rudolf sailed all the way out to Iceland. He began playing at different seaport⁵ cities all around the rocky⁶ coast. It was a hard and difficult land, yet the people in those areas never forgot how to be kind and friendly to strangers. One day, Rudolf was sailing⁷ from one town to another when the northeast sky turned black and threatening. A storm was blowing in over Iceland. Rudolf was sailing near a dangerous rocky place and the closest port was four hours away.

The wind began to blow stronger. Rudolf was beginning to feel troubled. Then, he saw a lighthouse less than a kilometer away. The lighthouse was on a small rocky island surrounded by deep water. At the bottom of the lighthouse were big heavy rocks. In one place the rocks separated⁸. There, the water was calm, protected by the rocks. Rudolf tried to sail his boat into the calm place. At last he did. He tied the boat to a metal ring that was stuck in the rocks. He began walking up the rocks toward⁹ the lighthouse. At the top of the rocks was a man. His body was almost hidden by the storm clouds that hung low over the lighthouse.

"You are welcome!" The man's voice thundered down the rocks, louder than the noisy waves. The lighthouse man led Rudolf up the metal stairs. They went around and around to the top. They stopped on the third floor, there was a living room.

The lighthouse man became very busy preparing for the storm. He had to make sure the great light on the top of the lighthouse would shine during the black storm. The lighthouse man was very big. He had a long grey beard hanging from his chin¹⁰. He moved around very slowly as if every move he made was carefully thought about before he made it. The lighthouse was his world, small as it was and he knew every inch of it. He did not talk very much, words were not important to him. Not as important as the forces he lived with all around him. He was kind and gentle, very different from the place he lived in where the wind blew the seas high and threw ships against the rocks.

They shared a supper, a black bread and boiled potatoes, herring, cheese and hot tea. Then the two men sat and studied each other. The storm struck against the lighthouse with a thousand different noises. Rudolf offered the lighthouse man some tobacco¹¹. The old man shook his head "No" and smiled a little. To Rudolf he seemed like an island, strong as the rock the lighthouse was built on. He needed nothing, nothing more than what he had in his lighthouse. He sat there gentle and quiet, his big hands resting on his knees. He was at peace.

Rudolf learned¹² more about the old man. He was born in this very lighthouse 83 years ago. His father had been the lighthouse man before him. His mother, the only woman he had ever known¹³, taught him to read the Bible¹⁴ and he read it everyday, he had no other books. As a violin player Rudolf had no time to read much either, but then he lived in the cities. He reached down and took out his violin which he loved so much.

"What do you make with that, Sir?" The old man asked. For a moment Rudolf thought the man was joking but his face showed he was not. He did not look much interested in the violin itself, but in the whole person of Rudolf, his violin and his work. Rudolf found it hard to believe that there was someone in the world who did not know what a violin was. Yet he could not laugh. He felt small against the calm, shining from the old man.

"I make music with it." He spoke¹⁵ in a voice not sure of what he said.
"Music?" The old man said, not completely¹⁶ understanding. "I have heard of it, but I have never seen music."
"One does not see music, one hears it."
"Ah yes," the old man said, and he looked at the violin player and gave him all the respect of a great man.

Then something in the storm, and the lighthouse and the old man lifted Rudolf away from his usual everyday feelings. He was filled with understanding and love. He was lifted to a world he had never known or felt. He wanted to play music that showed the power of fire and stars just for the old man, and with the storm and the winds to join him, he stood and played.

The moments passed, moments that were days in the birth of fire and stars; moments of the struggle of all men and finally moments that showed the greatness of all human spirit. Never before had Rudolf played with such power. Outside waves and winds beat the lighthouse with giant hands. Above the strong light threw its life saving¹⁷ beams¹⁸ across the dark and angry seas.

Rudolf dropped his head to his chest¹⁹ breathing hard. The ocean threw its water over the land with the sound of many voices. The old man sat without moving, his wide old hands resting on his knees. He thought about the storm outside, music made by God; he thought of Rudolf and his music, both were part of the works²⁰ of nature, both were works of wonder.

He nodded his head up and down, then turned to Rudolf, "Yes," he said, "that is true!"

You have heard "The Listener". It was written by John Berry and first published in New World Writing, April 1960.

1 listener   

n.听众；收听者

参考例句：

• I'm a regular listener to her show.我经常收听她的节目。
• She became an attentive listener.她变成了一个专心致志的聆听者。

2 berry   

n.浆果(如草莓等)

参考例句：

• This kind of jam is made of berry.这种果酱是由浆果做的。
• Every berry and cherry carried in the ferry is very merry.渡船里载运的每一颗草莓和樱桃都很快乐。

3 restless   

adj.焦躁不安的；静不下来的，运动不止的

参考例句：

• He looks like a restless man.他看上去坐立不安。
• He has been very restless all day and he awoke nearly all last night.他一整天都心神不定，昨夜几乎一整夜没有合眼。

4 sonatas   

n.奏鸣曲( sonata的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The programme includes two Mozart sonatas. 节目单中有两首莫扎特的奏鸣曲。 来自辞典例句
• He would play complete sonatas for violin and piano with no piano in sight. 他会在没有钢琴伴奏的情况下，演奏完整的小提琴与钢琴合奏的奏鸣曲。 来自辞典例句

5 seaport   

n.海港，港口，港市

参考例句：

• Ostend is the most important seaport in Belgium.奥斯坦德是比利时最重要的海港。
• A seaport where ships can take on supplies of coal.轮船能够补充煤炭的海港。

6 rocky   

adj.岩石的，像岩石的；多岩石的

参考例句：

• She drives carefully up the rocky lane.她驾车小心地从这条很多石头的小路上驶过去。
• There is only one port along this rocky coast.这个多岩石的海岸只有一个港口。

7 sailing   

n.航行，航海术，启航

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• The operation was plain sailing.手术进行得顺利。

8 separated   

adj.分开的v.分开(separate的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• Her parents are separated but not divorced. 她父母分居但没离婚。
• No child should ever be separated from his mother by force. 绝不能强行使任何一个孩子与母亲分开。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 toward   

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。

10 chin   

n.下巴，下颚，不气馁，不灰心

参考例句：

• You've got some egg on your chin.你的下巴上沾着一点鸡蛋。
• He hurried on with his shaving,cutting his chin twice.他急急忙忙地剃胡子，把下巴割破了两次。

11 tobacco   

n.烟草；烟草制品；抽烟

参考例句：

• Tobacco is considered by some to be an evil.烟草被有些人认为是一种祸害.
• A large amount of money is spent on tobacco every year.每年在烟草上花去大量的钱.

12 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

13 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

14 bible   

n.《圣经》；得到权威支持的典籍

参考例句：

• According to the Bible we are all the seed of Adam.根据《圣经》所说的，我们都是亚当的后裔。
• This dictionary should be your Bible when studying English.学习英语时，这本字典应是你的主要参考书。

15 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。

16 completely   

adv.完全地，十分地，全然

参考例句：

• She never completely gave up hope.她从不完全放弃希望。
• I feel completely in the dark on this question.这件事使我感到茫然。

17 saving   

n.节省，节约；[pl.]储蓄金，存款

参考例句：

• Energy saving is term strategic policy of our country.节约能源是我国长期的战略国策。
• Old-fashioned housewives were usually very saving.旧时的家庭主妇通常都很节俭。

18 beams   

n.梁( beam的名词复数 )；束；1 光线；（电波的）波束v.发出光与热( beam的第三人称单数 )；面露喜色；播送；1 笑容满面，眉开眼笑 2 发射电波，播送 3 放出束状的光（或热）

参考例句：

• The beams are riddled with woodworm. 这些木梁被蛀虫蛀得都是洞。
• In front were five rooms with painted beams and carved pillars. 正面五间上房，皆是画梁雕栋。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

19 chest   

n.胸，大箱子，金库，资金，一箱，密封室，衣橱

参考例句：

• The bear's chest is hairy.那只熊的胸部毛茸茸的。
• Mother has a pain in her chest.母亲胸口疼.。

20 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。