Spring（在线收听）

     Springs are not always the same. In some years, April bursts upon Virginia hills in one ¹⁾prodigious leap - and all the stage is filled at once, whole ²⁾choruses of tulips, ³⁾arabesques of ⁴⁾forsythia, ⁵⁾cadenzas of flowering plum. The trees grow leaves ⁶⁾overnight.

     In other years, spring ⁷⁾tiptoes in. It pauses, overcome by shyness, like my grandchild at the door, peeping in, ⁸⁾ducking out of sight, giggling in the hallway. “I know you’re out there,” I cry. “Come in!” And April slips into our arms.

     The ⁹⁾dogwood bud, pale green, is ¹⁰⁾inlaid with russet markings. Within the perfect cup a score of ¹¹⁾clustered seeds are ¹²⁾nestled. One examines the bud in ¹³⁾awe: Where were those seeds a month ago? The apples display their ¹⁴⁾milliner’s scraps of ivory silk, rose-tinged. All the sleeping things wake up - ¹⁵⁾primrose, baby ¹⁶⁾iris, blue ¹⁷⁾phlox. The earth warms - you can smell it, feel it, ¹⁸⁾crumble April in your hands.

     Look to the ¹⁹⁾rue ²⁰⁾anemone, if you will, or the pea ²¹⁾patch, or to the stubborn ²²⁾weed that ²³⁾thrusts its shoulders through a city street. This is how it was, is now, and ever shall be, the world without end. In the ²⁴⁾serene certainty of spring ²⁵⁾recurring, who can fear the distant fall? CE

01、       春

春不总是千篇一律的。有时候，四月一个健步就跃上了弗吉尼亚的小山丘。顿时，整个舞台活跃起来：郁金香们引吭高歌，连翘花翩翩起舞，梅花表演起了独奏。树木也在一夜之间披上了新绿。

有时候，春又悄然来临。它欲前又止，羞涩腼腆，就像我的小孙女，倚在门口，偷偷往里瞅，又一下子跑开了，不见踪影，从门厅传出她咯咯的笑声。我喊一声：“我知道你在那儿，进来吧！”于是四月便倏地一下飞进我们怀中。

山茱萸的花骨朵儿嫩绿嫩绿的，镶着赤褐色的花边。在那漂亮的花萼里，竟稳稳地簇拥着几十颗小种子。我们不禁要惊羡地问一句：一个月前这些种子还在哪儿呢？苹果树则像卖帽人，向人们展示他帽子上那一片片微带点玫瑰红的乳白色丝缎。所有熟睡的都醒了——樱草花、小蝴蝶花、蓝夹竹桃。大地也暖和起来了——你可以闻到四月的气息，感觉到它那股馨香，把它捧在手中赏玩。

去看看白头翁花，如果你愿意，再去看看豌豆畦，或是那倔强地将手臂伸过城市街道的野草。它们从前是这样，现在是这样，将来还会是这样，这是个永不停息的世界。当我们发现，春已切切实实地回来了，在恬静之中，谁还会害怕遥远的秋天呢？CE

1)      prodigious [prE5didVEs] a. 巨大的

2) chorus [5kC:rEs] n. 合唱 

3)arabesque [ArE5besk] n. 阿拉伯式图案，芭蕾舞的一种姿势

4) forsythia [fC:5saiWiE] n. 连翘属植物    

5) cadenza [kE5denzE] n. 华彩段，自由装饰乐段

6) overnight [5EuvEnait] adv. 一整夜    

7) tiptoe[5tiptEu]v. 小心翼翼地走

8) duck [dQk] v. 闪避，急速低头

9) dogwood [5dCgwud] n. 山茱萸  

10) inlaid [5in5leid] a. 镶嵌的，嵌入的

11) clustered [5klQstErd] a. 成串的

12) nestle [5nesEl] v. 使紧贴     

13) awe [C:] n. 敬畏，惊羡

14) milliner [5milinEr] n. 女帽制造及贩卖商

15) primrose [5primrEuz] n. 樱草花

16) iris [5aiEris] n. 蝴蝶花

17) phlox [flCks] n. 草夹竹桃属植物

18) crumble [5krQmbEl] v. 弄碎，瓦解

19) rue [ru:] n. [植] 芸香

20) anemone [E5nemEni] n. 银莲花

21) patch [pAtF]n. 片，小块地

22) weed [wi:d] n. 野草

23) thrust [WrQst] v. 插，戳

24) serene [si5ri:n] a. 平静的

25) recur [ri5kE:r] v. 复发，重现