美国国家公共电台 NPR 'This Is Not Going To Be Easy': El Paso Students Start School In Shooting's Aftermath

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

It's the first day of classes for El Paso's largest school district. Many students are obviously still struggling to make sense of the mass shooting that claimed 22 lives there just over a week ago. Here's Mallory Falk from member station KERA.

MALLORY FALK, BYLINE¹: Seven-year-old Genesis Contreras is really into crafting. Right now she's showing off little personal pizzas she makes with paper and colored pencils.

GENESIS: This one has tomatoes, one mushroom, a couple of lettuces², and pepperoni, ham and hot peppers.

FALK: Genesis stands in her mom's bedroom. It's filled with her doll collection and craft supplies. She's been sleeping in here since the shooting. On the morning of the shooting, she and her mom, Erika, were deciding what to make for breakfast.

ERIKA: And I figured, OK, well, you know, it'd be nice to go get some bacon and make something nice. You know, I like to make them, like, good, big meals for breakfast. So I told her, you know what? - let's just go to Walmart, and we'll come back.

FALK: They were there when the gunman opened fire, but they were able to escape. They went home and started to pray.

ERIKA: My daughter, she right away asked me, what about the receipt man? I don't know if you know, but at Walmart, there's always a man in the front that checks your receipts. And that was the first thing my daughter asked me - Mom, did the receipt man make it? And I haven't been able to answer that because I myself don't even know.

FALK: Genesis is mostly her same bubbly, outgoing self, Erika says, but sometimes she gets rattled³.

ERIKA: Here and there. Like, if somebody creeps up from behind her, or if she hears, like, clacking noise, or if she hears anything that has to do with, I guess, the remembrance of the noises that she heard that day, she does freak out. She does panic.

FALK: Nearly 60,000 El Paso students head back to school today. Some, like Genesis, survived the shooting. Some lost family or other loved ones. Manuel Castruita is director of counseling and advising for the El Paso Independent School District.

MANUEL CASTRUITA: It is the first day of school. That's the beautiful part of that, that it's a new start, a new beginning. So we have an opportunity to really set the tempo⁴.

FALK: It's a delicate balance, he says. You want to acknowledge the tragedy but not retraumatize students. He's suggested schools can hold a moment of silence.

CASTRUITA: You are acknowledging the event that took place, and then based on that then depending on where children are and adults are, then you follow suit from that.

FALK: Castruita says teachers have been trained to look for signs that a student might be struggling, like withdrawal⁵ or emotional outbursts. Little kids often get clingy. Those students might get referred to counselors⁶. For her part, Genesis Contreras is sort of looking forward to school.

What are you most excited for?

GENESIS: Meeting my friends. That's probably it 'cause I'm really scared.

FALK: She's heard second grade is pretty hard, but she is looking forward to science class. In the meantime, her mom, Erika, is trying to limit reminders⁸ of the shooting. But she can't avoid everything.

ERIKA: I'm sorry, but be forewarned, the car really smells.

(SOUNDBITE OF CAR DOOR OPENING)

FALK: In the chaos⁹ after the shooting, Erika threw her groceries in her trunk. But she had to leave her car in the parking lot and wasn't allowed to retrieve¹⁰ it for several days.

ERIKA: Meat, cheese - all of that penetrated¹¹ and seeped¹² right in there. Butter was, like, literally¹³ liquefied.

FALK: Genesis complains the car smells like a garbage truck. And that rancid smell is a constant reminder⁷ of the shooting. But Erika says she doesn't have another choice. They have to get in the car, and they have to continue on. And once Genesis is back in school, Erika says she'll take some time to focus on her own mental health.

For NPR News, I'm Mallory Falk in El Paso.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 lettuces   

n.莴苣，生菜（ lettuce的名词复数 ）；生菜叶

参考例句：

• My lettuces have gone to seed. 我种的莴苣已结子。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Are these lettuces home-grown or did you buy them in the market? 这些生菜是自家种的呢，还是你在市场上买的？ 来自辞典例句

3 rattled   

慌乱的，恼火的

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里，窗户都格格作响。

4 tempo   

n.(音乐的)速度；节奏，行进速度

参考例句：

• The boss is unsatisfied with the tardy tempo.老板不满于这种缓慢的进度。
• They waltz to the tempo of the music.他们跟着音乐的节奏跳华尔兹舞。

5 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

6 counselors   

n.顾问( counselor的名词复数 )；律师；（使馆等的）参赞；（协助学生解决问题的）指导老师

参考例句：

• Counselors began an inquiry into industrial needs. 顾问们开始调查工业方面的需要。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We have experienced counselors available day and night. ) 这里有经验的法律顾问全天候值班。） 来自超越目标英语 第4册

7 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

8 reminders   

n.令人回忆起…的东西( reminder的名词复数 )；提醒…的东西；（告知该做某事的）通知单；提示信

参考例句：

• The film evokes chilling reminders of the war. 这部电影使人们回忆起战争的可怕场景。
• The strike has delayed the mailing of tax reminders. 罢工耽搁了催税单的投寄。

9 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

10 retrieve   

vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索

参考例句：

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
• The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。

11 penetrated   

adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The knife had penetrated his chest. 刀子刺入了他的胸膛。
• They penetrated into territory where no man had ever gone before. 他们已进入先前没人去过的地区。

12 seeped   

v.（液体）渗( seep的过去式和过去分词 )；渗透；渗出；漏出

参考例句：

• The rain seeped through the roof. 雨水透过房顶渗透。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Icy air seeped in through the paper and the room became cold. 寒气透过了糊窗纸。屋里骤然冷起来。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

13 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。