大学英语精读听力第一册 unit8

[00:00.00]Unit Eight   Text
[00:23.25]A young boy faces the impossible task
[00:26.31]of trying to soften the blow of tragic news.
[00:29.62]YOU GO YOUR WAY,I'LL GO MINE
[00:32.76]The messenger got off his bicycle in front of the house of Mrs.Rosa Sandoval.
[00:39.31]He went to the door and knocked gently.
[00:42.61]He knew almost immediately that someone was inside the house.
[00:47.36]He could not hear anything,
[00:49.03]but he was sure the knock was bringing someone to the door
[00:52.74]and he was most eager to see who this person would be--
[00:56.14]this woman named Rosa Sandoval
[00:58.80]who was now to hear of murder in the world and to feel it in herself.
[01:03.58]The door was not a long time opening,
[01:03.69]but there was no hurry in the way it moved on its hinges.
[01:08.08]The movement of the door was as if,
[01:08.13]whoever she was,she had nothing in the world to fear.
[01:08.19]Then the door was open,and there she was.
[01:12.94]To Homer the Mexican woman was beautiful.
[01:16.34]He could see that she had been patient all her life,
[01:19.50]so that now,after years of it,
[01:22.27]her lips were set in a gentle and saintly smile.
[01:25.69]But like all people who never receive telegrams
[01:29.74]the appearance of a messenger at the front door is full of terrible implications.
[01:35.01]Homer knew that Mrs.Rosa Sandoval was shocked to see him.
[01:39.85]Her first word was the first word of all surprise.
[01:44.08]She said "Oh," as if instead of a messenger
[01:47.76]she had thought of opening the door to someone she had known a long time
[01:52.33]and would be pleased to sit down with.
[01:54.79]Before she spoke again she studied Homer's eyes
[01:59.10]and Homer knew that she knew the message was not a welcome one.
[02:03.12]"You have a telegram?" she said.
[02:06.36]It wasn't Homer's fault.
[02:08.97]His work was to deliver telegrams.
[02:12.16]Even so,it seemed to him that he was part of the whole mistake.
[02:16.99]He felt awkward and almost as if he alone were responsible for what had happened.
[02:23.08]At the same time he wanted to come right out and say,
[02:26.95]"I'm only a messenger,Mrs.Sandoval.
[02:29.58]I'm very sorry I must bring you a telegram like this,
[02:33.55]but it is only because it is my work to do so."
[02:36.87]"Who is it for?"the Mexican woman said.
[02:41.23]"Mrs.Rosa Sandoval,1129 G Street,"Homer said.
[02:47.45]He extended the telegram to the Mexican woman,
[02:51.29]but she would not touch it.
[02:53.67]"Are you Mrs.Sandoval?"Homer said.
[02:57.30]"Please,"the woman said.
[02:59.60]"Please come in.I cannot read English.
[03:02.58]I am Mexican.
[03:04.25]I read only La Prensa which comes from Mexico City."
[03:04.72]She paused a moment and looked at the boy standing
[03:07.96]awkwardly as near the door as he could be and still be inside the house.
[03:12.79]"Please,"she said,"what does the telegram say?"
[03:17.39]"Mrs.Sandoval,"the messenger said,
[03:20.76]"the telegram says--"but now the woman interrupted him."
[03:25.33]But you must open the telegram and read it to me,"she said.
[03:29.27]"You have not opened it."
[03:30.92]"Yes,ma'am," Homer said as if he were speaking to a school teacher
[03:35.46]who had just corrected him.
[03:36.93]He opened the telegram with nervous fingers.
[04:01.62]The Mexican woman stooped to pick up the torn envelope,
[04:04.94]and tried to smooth it out.
[04:07.00]As she did so she said,
[04:09.07]"Who sent the telegram--my son Juan Domingo?"
[04:12.88]"No,ma'am." Homer said.
[04:15.34]"The telegram is from the War Department."
[04:18.31]"War Department?"the Mexican woman said.
[04:21.55]"Mrs.Sandoval,"Homer said swiftly,
[04:25.03]"your son is dead.Maybe it's a mistake.
[04:28.29]Everybody makes a mistake,Mrs.Sandoval.
[04:31.04]Maybe it wasn't your son.
[04:33.07]Maybe it was somebody else.
[04:34.64]The telegram says it was Juan Domingo.
[04:37.46]But maybe the telegram is wrong."
[04:37.53]The Mexican woman pretended not to hear.
[04:40.56]"Oh,do not be afraid," she said, 
[04:43.62]"Come inside.Come inside.I will bring you candy."
[04:47.56]She took the boy's arm and brought him to the table at the center of the room
[04:52.61]and there she made him sit.
[04:54.25]"All boys like candy,"she said.
[04:57.18]"I will bring you candy."
[04:59.03]She went into another room
[05:01.41]and soon returned with an old chocolate candy box.
[05:04.86]She opened the box at the table and in it Homer saw a strange kind of candy.
[05:10.21]"Here,"she said."Eat this candy.All boys like candy."
[05:15.10]Homer took a piece of the candy from the box,
[05:18.57]put it into his mouth,and tried to chew.
[05:21.31]"You would not bring me a bad telegram," she said.
[05:25.26]"You are a good boy--
[05:26.70]like my little Juanito when he was a little boy.
[05:29.86]Eat another piece."
[05:31.61]And she made the messenger take another piece of the candy.
[05:35.24]Homer sat chewing the dry candy while the Mexican woman talked.
[05:40.20]"It is our own candy," she said,"from cactus.
[05:44.56]I made it for my Juanito when he come home,
[05:47.91]but you eat it.You are my boy,too."
[05:51.38]Now suddenly she began to sob,
[05:54.12]holding herself in as if weeping were a disgrace.
[05:53.12]Homer wanted to get up and run,
[05:55.97]but he knew he would stay.
[05:57.93]He even thought he might stay the rest of his life.
[06:00.96]He just didn't know what else to do to try to make the woman less unhappy,
[06:05.87]and if she had asked him to take the place of her son,
[06:09.32]he would not have been able to refuse,
[06:11.70]because he would not have known how.
[06:14.13]He got to his feet,
[06:16.30]as if by standing he meant to begin correcting what could not be corrected
[06:20.97]and then he knew the foolishness of this intention
[06:21.04]and became more awkward than ever.
[06:23.26]In his heart he was saying over and over again,
[06:27.13]"What can I do? What the hell can I do?
[06:31.02]I'm only the messenger."Unit Eight