听美国故事练听力 10

　　Now the VOA Special English program "American Stories".
Our story today is called “Rainbabies”, it was written by LauraKrauss Melmed. Here is Barbara Klein with the story.
An old woman and her husband lived in a small house in a greenfield.
They had plenty of food and a good roof over their heads. And a riverran close to their door, but the thing they wanted most was the thingthey lacked, a child to call their own.
One spring night, the couple was asleep when a broad ribbon of whitelight slid across the old woman’s pillow. Her eyes flew open. Shecould hear the steady rainfall on the rooftop. Yet, her eyes met thewhite face of the full moon, looking through her window. The old womanshook her husband.
“Wake up, old man. I have heard that the moon shower brings good luckto everyone it touches.”
The old man rose and followed his wife outside. She was surprised atwhat she saw in the wet grass. There were 12 shiny drops of water,each holding a tiny baby no larger than her big toe. Very carefully,the couple gathered up the small babies and brought them into thehouse.
The woman dried them gently and sat them on a soft cloth on thekitchen table. There were 12 perfect little ones, all in a row. Theold couple smiled and cooled until the babies began to yawn¹ and rubtheir eyes with tiny fists. Then, the woman wrapped the rainbabies inpieces of cloth and laid them to sleep in a drawer.
Day after day, the old couple cared for the rainbabies. When they weretired or wanted to be held, they cried out in tiny voices and reachedup with their little arms. Then the old man and woman held therainbabies in the palms of their hands, or they rocked them to sleepin a pair of wooden shoes. The old man and woman would carry thebabies in a straw basket as they went about their work.
One morning, the family set out in their wooden boat with fishingpoles to catch some supper. The woman placed the basket at her feet inthe boat. The rainbabies soon fell asleep because of the gentle rollof the river, but suddenly the river became wild. A mighty² wave roseup and over the side of the boat. Before the old man and old womancould stop it, the basket of babies was swept out of the boat. The oldman jumped into the river. Round and round, he swam trying to reachthe basket. The old woman threw him a fishing pole, so he could catchthe handle of the basket. As he lifted the basket from the water, theriver immediately became calm. The couple hugged each other and rowedhome, forgetting about catching³ fish.
(Music)A few days later, the wind began to blow above their fields.
“The peaches have ripened⁴, and should be picked, wife,”said the oldman, “let us gather them now before the wind does our work for us.”
So the old woman carried the basket of babies to the orchard⁵ where thepeach trees grew. The old man climbed a ladder, picked a peach andhanded it to his wife.
Suddenly, the sky turned dark, a crash of thunder sounded as a bolt⁶ oflightning struck the ground close to the basket where the rainbabiesslept. Flames quickly surrounded the basket in a perfect ring of fire.
The woman tore off her apron⁷ and tried to beat out the fire with thecloth. But as soon as she put out the flames they rose again. So theold man leapt across the barrier of fire and seized the basket. As hehanded the basket to his wife, a sudden rush of cool rain put out thefire. The rainbabies were unharmed.
The next day the sky was blue and clear, the husband went early to theriver to fish. The wife went to work in the vegetable garden. She putthe basket of babies on a blanket in a shade of a chestnut⁸ tree. Ananimal called a weasel saw the silvery pink babies and thought theywere weasel babies. The weasel came closer, but the babies sensingdanger cried out. The old woman came running still holding a turnipfreshly dug from the earth. She reached the blanket just in time tosee the weasel ran off with a tiny rainbaby hanging from its mouth.
The old woman ran after them, putting the turnip⁹ in her pocket. Thewoman and the weasel ran around and around the fields. Finally, shecould run no more. Then, she remembered the turnip in her pocket. Shetossed it over the weasel's head, hitting the ground in front of thesurprised animal; the weasel dropped the frightened rainbaby and ranoff. The old woman grabbed¹⁰ the baby and returned to find the otherssafely in their basket.
(Music)That night after supper the old couple sat sleepily by the fire. Therainbabies slept soundly in their drawer. A loud knock awakened¹¹ theold man. As he pulled the door open. A cold rain rushed into thekitchen, almost sweeping¹² him from his feet. A tall stranger wrapped ina heavy coat came into the house. Then, the stranger threw off hishood. He was a handsome young man. His hat posed¹³ securely¹⁴ over hishair. He walked across the room and placed on the table a basket wovenfrom silver. The old woman asked:
“Who are you?”
“I am a messenger¹⁵, sent by Lady Curd¹⁶ Declair, a woman of extremeriches.” said the young man.
He pulled something from his coat. It was a shiny white jewel stone ona silver chain. The stone was the size and shape of a hen’s egg. Thecouple stared.
“My lady has huge wealth,” continued the messenger, “but in onething she is poor, she has been blessed with neither sons nordaughters and she wants these more than anything else. Therefore, sheoffers you this precious moonstone in exchange for the 12 babies. Giveher the babies and leave your remaining days in comfort and riches,for the moonstone is worth many bags of gold.”
The old woman moved closer to the sleeping rainbabies.
“Thank you,” she said, “but the babies will stay with us.”
The old man put his arm around her shoulder.
“So be it.” said the young man. He slipped the silver chain over hishead. No sooner had the moonstone touched his chest then the coat andhat fell away and in his place appeared a woman of great beauty.
“My dear old man and woman,” she said, “I am Mother Moonshower onthe night of the last full moon. I gave my rainbabies into your care.
What loving caretakers you have been. You protected them from thedangers of water, fire and earth. You refused the offer of greatriches to keep the babies with you. You have proven yourselves theworthiest of parents, but now I have come to take the rainbabies awaywith me.
“You must not,” the old woman cried.
“Please understand,” said Mother Moonshower, “the rainbabies cannotgrow properly without me. I will love them as you did and do not fear,I will not leave you lonely. See what I have brought for you.”
They went to the table and lifted the cover of the silver basket.
Inside, was the most beautiful baby girl the old couple had ever seen.
As the old man lifted the little girl in his arms, Mother Moonshowerput the rainbabies into the silver basket.
“Wait!” cried the old woman. She bent¹⁷ over the basket, touching¹⁸ herlips softly¹⁹ to the forehead of each sleeping rainbaby. Each one smiledin turn without waking. As the woman kissed the last tiny head, MotherMoonshower and the rainbabies disappeared.
The old man and woman named their daughter Raina. Like all children,she brought her parents great joy. She brought them some heartache,too, but never such adventures as the rainbabies. Raina grew strongerand more lovely with each passing year. She picked the sweetestpeaches from the orchard and caught the fastest fish. Her laughterwarmed the small house. Some nights when the full moon shone, thecouple stood at the window. They watched their daughter dancinggracefully across the moon-lit field. Her hair floating in the softair and the old couple felt themselves truly lucky for their happinesswas complete.
You have heard the American children story "Rainbabies” by LauraKrauss Melmed. Your storyteller was Barbara Klein. The producer wasLawan Davis. This story was adapted for Special English by KarenLeggett with permission from a copyrighted²⁰ book.
Listen again next week for another American Story in Special Englishon the Voice of America. This is Bob Doughty²¹.

1 yawn   

n.呵欠；v.打呵欠

参考例句：

• He got up with a stretch and a yawn.他站起来伸伸懒腰，打个呵欠。
• Her yawn suggests that she is sleepy.她打哈欠表示她很困了。

2 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

3 catching   

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。

4 ripened   

v.成熟，使熟( ripen的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They're collecting the ripened reddish berries. 他们正采集熟了的淡红草莓。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The branches bent low with ripened fruits. 成熟的果实压弯了树枝。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 orchard   

n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场

参考例句：

• My orchard is bearing well this year.今年我的果园果实累累。
• Each bamboo house was surrounded by a thriving orchard.每座竹楼周围都是茂密的果园。

6 bolt   

n.螺栓；插销；vt.闩，栓住；vi.冲出去，逃跑

参考例句：

• It is a bad habit to bolt your food.狼吞虎咽地吃东西是个不良习惯。
• That door refuses to bolt.那扇门关不牢。

7 apron   

n.围裙；工作裙

参考例句：

• We were waited on by a pretty girl in a pink apron.招待我们的是一位穿粉红色围裙的漂亮姑娘。
• She stitched a pocket on the new apron.她在新围裙上缝上一只口袋。

8 chestnut   

n.栗树，栗子

参考例句：

• We have a chestnut tree in the bottom of our garden.我们的花园尽头有一棵栗树。
• In summer we had tea outdoors,under the chestnut tree.夏天我们在室外栗树下喝茶。

9 turnip   

n.萝卜，芜菁

参考例句：

• The turnip provides nutrition for you.芜菁为你提供营养。
• A turnip is a root vegetable.芜菁是根茎类植物。

10 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。

11 awakened   

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》

12 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

13 posed   

使摆姿势( pose的过去式和过去分词 )； 以…身份出现； 招摇； 炫耀

参考例句：

• The players strutted and posed for the cameras. 运动员昂首阔步，摆好姿势让记者拍照。
• After the wedding we all posed for a photograph. 婚礼之后，我们全体排好拍了一张照片。

14 securely   

adv.安心地，安全地；牢固地；被妥善保管地

参考例句：

• She chained the wolf securely to the post.她用铁链把那只狼锁在那根柱子上。
• The straps hold the baby in securely.带子把婴儿安全地系在里面。

15 messenger   

n.报信者，先驱

参考例句：

• By the time the messenger reached him,the damage had been done.送信人赶到他那儿时，损失已经造成了。
• I'll order a special messenger to deliver the document.我会派专人把文件送去。

16 curd   

n.凝乳；凝乳状物

参考例句：

• I'd like to add some pepper to the bean curd.我想在豆腐里加一点辣椒粉。
• The next one is bean curd with crab roe.下一个是蟹黄豆腐。

17 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

18 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

19 softly   

adv.柔和地，静静地，温柔地

参考例句：

• He speaks too softly for her to hear.他讲话声音太轻，她听不见。
• She breathed her advice softly.她低声劝告。

20 copyrighted   

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？

21 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。