VOA慢速英语--“Bubble Man”通过旧金山街头的表演传播欢乐

Kurth Reis of San Francisco, California, has been through many hard times in his life.

Lately, however, he says he just wants to make people happy by making bubbles².

You can watch him perform his bubble¹ art for hours at a time around the city's streets and in its parks. Sometimes he puts out a glass container called a tip jar. People who watch his show can drop money into it if they want.

The 48-year old Reis served in the military as a young man. Later in life he was found guilty of a crime and served time in prison. That left him with few close human connections.

Then, in 2018, Reis had a serious motorcycle accident and spent time in a hospital. The accident affected³ him deeply, body and spirit.

He had several medical operations. Reis said he felt like he was "reborn" each time he woke after an operation. Following 88 days in the hospital, Reis was released⁴ and felt ready to change his ways, he said.

The bubble performances make him happy.

"It's peaceful. I mean, I can't really explain it, you know what I mean? Whether I had my tip jar out or not, I just, I can make bubbles. I could make ‘em until, you know, until I couldn't make them anymore, it seems like."

Bo Smokoska recently watched Reis making bubbles in the part of San Francisco called The Embarcadero.

"He's bringing joy to so many people," he said.

If the weather is good for bubbles, Reis makes a special mixture that can make bubbles the size of small car.

The mixture contains mostly water and soap. He also adds two other substances that thicken the liquid. Then, he is ready to perform.

Humidity⁵, or the amount of water in the air, is good for bubbles. So, he does not perform on very dry days. To make his large bubble, he puts a small rope hanging from two long sticks into the bubble mixture. As he removes it, he opens his arms wide and the bubbles begin to form. Once enough air is inside the bubble he moves his arms back together to set the bubble free. Some people feel it looks like a bubble "ballet," a kind of dance.

Sometimes Reis performs on Alcatrez island near San Francisco. The site holds the famous former prison and sees many visitors each year. Reis has found as much as $150 in his tip jar after a day of performances there.

While Reis may seem like a bubble-making expert, he only got started in April 2020.

His girlfriend, Kelly Sullivan, gave him a bubble-making "gun" that would make many small bubbles at once. Reis took the gun and made it even better, so it could make 1,000 bubbles per minute. However, that was not enough, so he started trying to make larger bubbles.

"It's science, but it's also an art. You know? People have told me, I'm like, an artist. Yeah, OK. I'm just a guy who makes bubbles."

Reis has been able to support himself with donations⁶ from crowds that watch him perform. But, money is not what stirs⁷ him to make bubbles. He feels his art is useful in more important ways. Not long ago, a woman spoke⁸ to Reis after a performance, he said. She told him that his bubbles had lifted her spirit when her dad died.

Reis can see smiles rise from under the face covers worn by those watching him perform. Children cheer and clap their hands.

Reis said such reactions make him feel like an essential worker whose job is to spread joy during the health crisis⁹. He seems to have made peace with his past.

"I don't ever look back," Reis said. "I can't save the world. I'm not trying to. Just trying to put a smile on somebody's face by doing some bubbles."

Words in This Story

bubble – n. a very light ball of air inside a thin layer of soap

joy – n. a source or cause of great happiness : something or someone that gives joy to someone

soap – n. a substance that is used for washing something

essential – adj. extremely important and necessary

1 bubble   

n.泡，水泡，气泡；泡影，妄想；v.(使)起泡

参考例句：

• The water begins to bubble.水开始起泡了。
• Their hopes of success have burst like a bubble.他们成功的希望已经成了泡影。

2 bubbles   

泡( bubble的名词复数 )； 泡影； 肥皂泡； （欲表达的）一点感情

参考例句：

• Bubbles are rising from the bottom of the boiling water. 水泡从沸水的底部升到水面。
• The incorporation of air bubbles in the glass spoiled it. 玻璃含有气泡，使它质量降低。

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。

5 humidity   

n.湿度，潮湿，湿气

参考例句：

• The house is not comfortable tonight ,because of the high humidity.由于湿度高，今晚屋子里不舒服。
• It's difficult to work because of the humidity.由于空气潮湿，工作很困难。

6 donations   

n.捐赠( donation的名词复数 )；赠送；捐款；捐赠物

参考例句：

• The hospital receives a good deal of money in donations. 这家医院收到捐赠来的大笔款项。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The charity is completely reliant on public donations. 这一慈善团体完全依靠公众捐款。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 stirs   

v.（使）移动( stir的第三人称单数 )；搅拌；（使）行动；（使）微动

参考例句：

• This paste stirs easily. 这种糨糊易于搅拌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This guy often stirs up troubles. 这家伙就爱干煽风点火的勾当。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 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。

9 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。