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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Several neighbors hope to find safety in the only bomb shelter on their street when an announcement comes over the radio that enemy missiles are approaching. Can it shelter all of them? Does its owner let them in? Here is the story…
The Shelter
SYNOPSIS1 OF ACT ONE: On a summer evening, a birthday celebration is going on at Dr. Stockton’s. Among those presents are his neighbors: the Hendersons, the Weiss’s and the Harlowes. In the midst of it comes unexpectedly over the radio the announcement of the President of the United States declaring a state of emergency for suspected enemy missiles approaching. The party breaks up and the neighbors hurry home.
However, shortly afterwards they return one after another to the Stockton house for the simple reason that they want to survive---want to share with the Stocktons the bomb shelter which is the only one on their street.
ACT TWO
OUTSIDE STOCKTON HOME
HENDERSON It’ll land any minute. I just know it. It’s going to land any minute---
MRS. HENDERSON (grabs hold of him) What are we going to do?
Throughout above and following dialogue, a portable radio carried by one of the children carries the following announcement:
ANNOUNCER’S VOICE This is Conelrad. This is Conelrad. We are still in a state of Yellow Alert. If you are a public official or government employee with an emergency assignment, or a civil defense2 worker, you should report to your post immediately. If you are a public official or government employee…
MRS. HARLOWE Jerry, ask again.
HARLOWE Don’t waste your time. He won’t let anyone in. He said he didn’t have any room or supplies there and it’s designed for three people.
MRS. HENDERSON What’ll we do?
HARLOWE Maybe we ought to pick out just one basement and go to work on it. Pool all our stuff. Food, water, everything.
MRS. HARLOW It isn’t fair. (She points toward Stockton house) He’s down there in a bomb shelter completely safe. And our kids have to just wait around for a bomb to drop and---
HENDERSON Let’s just go down into his basement and break down the door?
As HENDERSON rushes through toward the basement entrance, HARLOWE overtakes him saying:
HARLOWE Wait a minute, wait a minute. All of us couldn’t fit in there. That would be crazy to even try.
WEISS Why don’t we draw lots? Pick out one family?
HARLOWE What difference would it make? He won’t let us in.
HENDERSON We can all march down there and tell him he’s got the whole street against him. We could do that.
HARLOWE What good would that do? I keep telling you. Even if we were to break down the door, it couldn’t accommodate all of us. We’d just be killing4 everybody and for no reason.
MRS. HENDERSON If it saves one of these kids out here---I call that a reason.
The voice comes up again.
WEISS Jerry, you know him better than any of us. You’re his best friend. Why don’t you go down again? Try to talk to him. Plead with him. Tell him to pick out one family---Draw lots or something---
HENDERSON One family, meaning yours, Weiss, huh?
WEISS (whirls around to him) Why not? I’ve got a three-month-old infant---
MRS. HENDERSON What difference does that make? Is your baby’s life any more precious than our kids?
WEISS (shouting at her) I never said that. If you’re going to start trying to argue about who deserves to live more than the next one---
HENDERSON Why don’t you shut your mouth, Weiss? (with a wild, illogical anger) That’s the way it is when the foreigners come over here. Aggressive, greedy, semi-Americans---
WEISS (his face goes white) Why you garbage-brained idiot you---
MRS. HENDERSON It still goes, Weiss! I bet you are at the bottom of the list---
WEISS suddenly flings himself through the crowd toward the man and there’s a brief, hand-to-hand fight between them broken up by HARLOWE who stands between them breathless.
HARLOWE Keep it up, both of you. Just keep it up. We won’t need a bomb. We can slaughter5 each other.
MRS. WEISS (pleading) Marty, go down to Bill’s shelter again. Ask him---
WEISS I’ve already asked him. It wouldn’t do any good.
Once again the siren sounds and the people seem to move closer together, staring up toward the night sky. Off in the distance we see searchlights.
HARLOWE Searchlights. It must be coming closer.
HENDERSON (as he suddenly pushes HARLOWE aside and heads for the steps) I’m going down there and get him to open up that door. I don’t care what the rest of you think. That’s the only thing left to do.
MAN #1 He’s right. Come on, let’s do it.
INSIDE THE SHELTER
GRACE is holding tight to PAUL. STOCKTON stands close to the door listening to the noises from outside as they approach. There’s a pounding on the shelter door that reverberates6.
OUTSIDE THE SHELTER
HENDERSON Bill? Bill Stockton? You’ve got a bunch of your neighbors out here who want to stay alive. Now open the door and talk to us and figure out with us how many can come in there. Or else you can just keep doing what you’re doing---and we’ll fight our way in there.
HARLOWE appears and pushes his way through the group and goes over to the shelter door.
HARLOWE Bill. This is Jerry. They mean business out here.
STOCKTON’S VOICE And I mean business in here. I’ve already told you, Jerry. You’re wasting your time. You’re wasting precious time that could be used for something else…like figuring out how you can survive.
MAN #1 Why don’t we get a big, heavy log to break the door down?
HENDERSON We could go over to Bennett Avenue. Phil Kline has some giant logs in his basement. I’ve seen them. Let’s get one. And we’ll just tell Kline to keep his mouth shut as to why we want it.
WEISS Let’s get hold of ourselves. Let’s stop and think for a minute---
HENDERSON (turning to face WEISS) Nobody cares what you think. You or your kind. I thought I made that clear upstairs. I think the first order of business is to get you out of here.
With this he strikes out, smashing his fist into WEISS’s face in a blow so unexpected and so wild that WEISS, totally unprepared, is knocked against the wall. His wife screams and, still holding the baby, rushes to him. There’s a commotion7 as several men try to grab the neighbor and HARLOWE is immediately at WEISS’s side trying to help him to his feet. Once again the sirens blast.
HENDERSON (shouts over the noise and commotion) Come on, let’s get something to smash this door down.
They start out of the cellar toward the steps.
INSIDE THE SHELTER
STOCKTON slowly turns to face his wife. The angry screaming cries of the people ring in their ears even as they depart.
GRACE( looks up) Bill? Who were those people?
STOCKTON (turning to stare toward the door) “ Those people?” Those are our neighbors, Grace. Our friends. The people we’ve lived with and alongside for twenty years. (then in a different fixed8 expression and in a different tone) Come on, Paul. Let’s put stuff up against this door. Everything we can.
The man and boy then start to pile up a barricade9, using furniture, the generator10, books, any movable object they can get their hands on.
OUTSIDE OF THE SHELTER
The mob marches down the street carrying a large heavy log that is perhaps fifteen feet long. Their own shouts mix with the sound of the intermittent11 siren and with the voice of the announcer on the Conelad station.
ANNOUNCER’S VOICE We’ve been asked to once again remind the population that they are to remain calm, stay off the streets. This is urgent. Please remain off the streets. Everything possible is being done in the way of protection. But the military and important civil defense vehicles must have the streets clear. So you are once again reminded to remain off the streets. Remain off the streets!
The minute the mob gathers before the STOCKTON house, they smash into it, carrying the giant log. They move down the cellar steps. As the log smashes into the shelter door, the siren goes up louder and more piercing and it is at this moment that we see both WEISS and HARLOWE join the men on the heavy log to lend their support to it.
INSIDE THE SHELTER
STOCKTON and GRACE lean against it as it starts to give under the weight, under the pressure. The air is filled with angry shouts, the intermittent siren, the cries of women and children.
INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE SHELTER
And it all reaches one vast pitch just as the door is forced open. PAUL and STOCKTON are pushed back into the shelter and just at this moment the lights go on in the basement. The siren also reaches its top and then suddenly goes off and there is absolute dead silence for a long moment. Then from the portable radio in the corner comes.
ANNOUNCER’S VOICE This is Conelrad. This is Conelrad. Remain turned for an important message. Remain turned for an important message. (a pause) The President of the United States has just announced that the previously12 unidentified objects have now been definitely identified as being satellites. Repeat. There are no enemy missiles approaching. The objects have been identified as satellites. They are harmless and we are in no danger. Repeat. We are in no danger. The state of emergency has officially been called off. We are in no danger. Repeat. There is no enemy attack. There is no enemy attack.
MRS. WEISS (her eyes closed and crying softly) Thank God. Oh, thank God.
HENDERSON Hey, Marty…Marty…I went crazy. You understand that, don’t you? I just went crazy. I didn’t mean all the things I said. (he wets his lips, his voice shaking) We were all of us…we were so scared…so confused. (he holds out his hands in a gesture) Well, it’s no wonder really, is it? I mean… well, you can understand why we blew our tops a little---
HARLOWE I don’t think Marty’s going to hold it against you. (then turning to STOCKTON) I just hope Bill won’t hold this---(he points to the wreckage15 around him) against us. We’ll pay for the damage, Bill. We’ll take up a collection right away.
As STOCKTON walks past them across the cellar and up toward the stairs, all eyes are on him and there’s an absolute dead silence.
WEISS (his voice shaky and nervous) We could… we could have a block party or something tomorrow night. A big celebration. I think we deserve one now.
He looks around smiling at the others, a nervous smile born of a carry-over of fear and the realization16 that something has taken hold of all of them now. Something deadening in its effect and disquieting17 beyond words.
STOCKTON takes a step on the stairs then stops and turns back toward them. His face is expressionless.
HARLOWE (with phony laughter desperately18 trying to relieve situation) Block party’s not a bad idea. (looking around at others) Anything to get back to normal.
STOCKTON (looks from face to face and slowly shakes his head) Normal? (a pause) I don’t know. I don’t know what “normal” is. I though I did, but I don’t any more.
HARLOWE I told you we’d pay for the damages---
STOCKTON (stairs at him) The damages? (he nods) I wonder if we realize just what those damages are? (he looks from face to face again) Maybe the worst of them was finding out just what we’re like when we’re normal. The kind of people we are. Just underneath19 the surface. I mean all of us. A lot of naked animals who attach such great importance to staying alive that they claw their neighbors to death just for the privilege. (he leans against the stairway wall, suddenly desperately tired, very softly as he turns away from them) We were spared a bomb tonight… but I wonder if we weren’t destroyed even without it.
He continues up the steps.
点击
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1
synopsis
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| n.提要，梗概 | |
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defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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reverberates
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| 回响，回荡( reverberate的第三人称单数 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射 | |
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commotion
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| n.骚动，动乱 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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barricade
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| n.路障，栅栏，障碍；vt.设路障挡住 | |
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generator
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| n.发电机，发生器 | |
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intermittent
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| adj.间歇的，断断续续的 | |
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previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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wreckage
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| n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏 | |
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realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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disquieting
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| adj.令人不安的，令人不平静的v.使不安，使忧虑，使烦恼( disquiet的现在分词 ) | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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