(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Today we complete the story "Paul's Case." It was written by Willa Cather.
Here is Kay Gallant with the story.
Paul was a student with a lot of problems.
He hated school. He didn't like living with his family on Cordelia Street in the industrial city of Pittsburgh.
Paul wanted to be surrounded by beautiful things.
He loved his part-time job as an usher at the concert hall.
He helped people find their seats before the concert.
Then he could listen to the music and dream of exciting places.
Paul also spent a lot of time at the local theater.
He knew many of the actors who worked there.
He used to do little jobs for them. And they would let him see plays for free.
Paul had little time left for his studies. So he was always in trouble with his teachers.
Finally, Paul's teachers complained again to his father.
His father took him out of school and made him take a job in a large company.
He would not let Paul go near the concert hall or the theater.
Paul did not like his job as a messenger boy. He began to plan his escape.
A few weeks later, Paul's boss, Mister Denny, gave Paul a large amount of money to take to the bank.
He told Paul to hurry because it was Friday afternoon.
He said the bank would close soon and would not open again until Monday.
At the bank, Paul took the money out of his pocket. It was five thousand dollars.
Paul put the money back in his coat pocket. And he walked out of the bank.
He went to the train station and bought a one way ticket for New York City.
That afternoon Paul left Pittsburgh forever.
The train traveled slowly through a January snowstorm.
The slow movement made Paul fall asleep.
The train whistle blew just as the sun was coming up.
Paul awoke, feeling dirty and uncomfortable.
He quickly touched his coat pocket. The money was still there.
It was not a dream. He really was on his way to New York City with five thousand dollars in his pocket.
Finally the train pulled into Central Station.
Paul walked quickly out of the station and went immediately to an expensive clothing store for men.
The salesman was very polite when he saw Paul's money.
Paul bought two suits, several white silk shirts, some silk ties of different colors.
Then he bought a black tuxedo suit for the theater, a warm winter coat, a red bathrobe, and the finest silk underclothes.
He told the salesman he wanted to wear one of the new suits and the coat immediately.The salesman bowed and smiled.
Paul then took a taxi to another shop where he bought several pairs of leather shoes and boots.
Next, he went to the famous jewelry store, Tiffany's, and bought a tie pin and some brushes with silver handles.
His last stop was a luggage store where he had all his new clothes put into several expensive suitcases.
It was a little before one o'clock in the afternoon when Paul arrived at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel.
The doorman opened the hotel's glass doors for Paul and the boy entered.
The thick carpet under his feet had the colors of a thousand jewels.
The lights sparkled from crystal chandeliers.
Paul told the hotel clerk he was from Washington, D.C. He said his mother and father were arriving in a few days from Europe.
He explained he was going to wait for them at the hotel.
In his dreams Paul had planned this trip to New York a hundred times.
He knew all about the Waldorf-Astoria, one of New York's most expensive hotels.
As soon as he entered his rooms, he saw that everything was perfect--except for one thing.
He rang the bell and asked for fresh flowers to be sent quickly to his rooms.
When the flowers came, Paul put them in water and then he took a long, hot bath.
He came out the bathroom, wearing the red silk bathrobe.
Outside his windows, the snow was falling so fast that he could not see across the street.
But inside, the air was warm and sweet. He lay down on the sofa in his sitting room.
It had all been so very simple, he thought.
When they had shut him out of the theater and the concert hall, Paul knew he had to leave.
But he was surprised that he had not been afraid to go.
He could not remember a time when he had not been afraid of something.
Even when he was a little boy. But now he felt free. He wasn't afraid anymore.
He watched the snow until he fell asleep.
It was four o'clock in the afternoon when Paul woke up.
He spent nearly an hour getting dressed. He looked at himself often in the mirror.
His dark blue suit fit him so well that he did not seem too thin.
The white silk shirt and the blue and lilac tie felt cool and smooth under his fingers.
He was exactly the kind of boy he had always wanted to be.
Paul put on his new winter coat and went downstairs.
He got into a taxi and told the driver to take him for a ride along Fifth Avenue.
Paul stared at the expensive stores.
As the taxi stopped for a red light Paul noticed a flower shop.
Through the window, he could see all kinds of flowers.
Paul thought the violets, roses, and lilies of the valley looked even more lovely because they were blooming in the middle of winter.
Paul began to feel hungry so he asked the taxi driver to take him back to the hotel.
As he entered the dining room, the music of the hotel orchestra floated up to greet him.
He sat at a table near a window.
The fresh flowers, the white tablecloth, and the colored wine glasses pleased Paul's eyes.
The soft music, the low voices of the people around him and the soft popping of champagne corks whispered into Paul's ears.
This is what everyone wants, he thought.
He could not believe he had ever lived in Pittsburgh on Cordelia Street!
That belonged to another time and place.
Paul lifted the crystal glass of champagne and drank the cold, precious, bubbling wine.
He belonged here.
Later that evening, Paul put on his black tuxedo and went to the opera.
He felt perfectly at ease. He had only to look at his tuxedo to know he belonged with all the other beautiful people in the opera house.
He didn't talk to anyone. But his eyes recorded everything.
Paul's golden days went by without a shadow.
He made each one as perfect as he could.
On the eighth day after his arrival in New York, he found a report in the newspaper about his crime.
It said that his father had paid the company the five thousand dollars that Paul had stolen.
It said Paul had been seen in a New York hotel.
And it said Paul's father was in New York. He was looking for Paul to bring him back to Pittsburgh.
Paul's knees became weak. He sat down in a chair and put his head in his hands.
The dream was ended. He had to go back to Cordelia Street.
Back to the yellow-papered bedroom, the smell of cooked cabbage, the daily ride to work on the crowded street cars.
Paul poured himself a glass of champagne and drank it quickly.
He poured another glass and drank that one, too.
Paul had a taxi take him out of the city and into the country.
The taxi left him near some railroad tracks.
Paul suddenly remembered all the flowers he had seen in a shop window his first night in New York.
He realized that by now every one of those flowers was dead.
They had had only one splendid moment to challenge winter.
A train whistle broke into Paul's thoughts.
He watched as the train grew bigger and bigger.
As it came closer, Paul's body shook. His lips wore a frightened smile.
Paul looked nervously around as if someone might be watching him.
When the right moment came, Paul jumped.
And as he jumped, he realized his great mistake.
The blue of the ocean and the yellow of the desert flashed through his brain.
He had not seen them yet! There was so much he had not seen!
Paul felt something hit his chest. He felt his body fly through the air far and fast.
Then everything turned black and Paul dropped back into the great design of things.
You have just heard the American story "Paul's Case." It was written by Willa Cather.
Your storyteller was Kay Gallant.
重点解析
1.a amount of 大量的
During the Christmas holidays there's a tremendous amount of traffic between the Northeast and Florida.
在圣诞假日期间，东北地区和佛罗里达州之间的交通十分繁忙。
2.come up 上来；发生
It will be so great watching the sun come up.
看着太阳冉冉升起将是十分美妙的事情。
3.at ease 安逸；自由自在
They sprawl at ease across the sofa, arms draped over the back.
他们惬意地躺在沙发上，胳膊搭在后面。
4.flash through 快速通过；在（某人的心头）闪过
Countless images flash through my mind when I think how I have come to find myself.
当我思考我是如何找到自己时，数不清的形象闪过我的脑海。
5.drop back 落回；投回
Food prices have undergone a paradigm shift and will not drop back to pre-crisis levelsfor at least the next 10 years, putting long-term pressure on governments facing the food crisis, according to a forthcoming report.
一份即将发布的报告称，粮食价格已经历一次典型的转折，至少在未来10年都不会回落到危机前的水平，给面临粮食危机的国家政府造成长期压力。
参考译文
我们今天的故事叫做《保罗事件》。作者薇拉·凯瑟。
演播者凯·加伦特。
保罗是一个有很多问题的学生。
他讨厌学校。他不喜欢和家人住在匹兹堡的科迪莉亚街上。
保罗想被美丽的事物包围。
他喜欢在音乐厅当招待员的兼职工作。
他帮助人们在音乐会开始之前找到他们的座位。
接着，他就可以听音乐并且梦想另人兴奋的地方。
保罗也花费了很多时间在当地的一个剧院。
他认识很多在那里工作的演员。
他为他们做很多小工作。他们可以让他看一些免费的演出。
保罗几乎没有时间放在学习上。因此他和老师之前总是有很多麻烦。
最后，保罗的老师又给他的父亲抱怨。
他的父亲把他从学校里领出来，给他在一家很大的公司找了一分工作。
他父亲不让保罗接近音乐会礼堂和剧院。
保罗不喜欢他的送信员的工作。他开始他的逃跑计划。
几周之后的一个下午，保罗的老板，邓尼先生，要保罗赶快把一大笔钱送去银行存上。
他告诉保罗要抓紧，因为今天是礼拜五下午。
他说银行很快就要关门，礼拜一才会开门。
到了银行，保罗从口袋中掏出钱一看：整整5000美元。
他又把钱装回口袋，走出银行。
他来到火车站，买了一张去纽约的单程火车票。
那天下午，保罗永远地离开了匹兹堡。
火车在一月的暴风雪中缓缓行驶。保罗沉入梦乡。
一声汽笛长鸣唤醒了保罗，刚好看到太阳正冉冉升起。
他醒了，感到身上脏兮兮的，浑身不自在。
他下意识地摸了摸口袋，发现钱还在。
这不是梦。他正千真万确地怀揣5000美金向纽约进发。
终于，火车开进纽约中心火车站。
保罗快步走出火车站，直奔一个高档的男士时装店。
当店员看到保罗的大把钞票的时候，顿时对保罗毕恭毕敬。
保罗买了两套西装，几件白衬衣，几款不同颜色的丝绸领带。
还要了一件到剧院看戏穿的晚礼服，一件暖和的冬季棉大衣，一件红色浴袍，和几套最好的丝绸内衣。
他告诉售货员他要马上穿上一套新西装和棉大衣。店员恭维地微笑点头。
然后保罗又打车去另外一家时装店，在那里他买了几双皮鞋和皮靴。
接下来，他去了一家著名的珠宝店——蒂芙尼珠宝店，买了一枚领带别针和几把带着银色手柄的毛刷。
他的最后一站是一家箱包店，在那儿，他把刚买来的所有物品和衣服统统装进几只高档的皮箱中。
1点不到的时候，保罗来到华道夫·阿斯多利亚酒店。
服务生打开玻璃门请保罗进去。
脚下的厚地毯仿佛荟萃了几千种珠宝的颜色。
头顶的吊灯透过水晶罩发出耀眼晶光。
保罗告诉大堂服务员他从华盛顿特区来，父母过几天从欧洲过来。
他在这里等他们。
在梦想中，保罗曾经无数次策划过这次纽约之行。
他对全纽约最豪华的宾馆之一——华道夫·阿斯多利亚酒店了如指掌。
一进到自己的房间，保罗很快发现，房间里每样东西都尽善尽美——除了一样。
他按铃叫来服务员，要他马上把鲜花送来。
鲜花送到之后，保罗把他们插进水里，然后泡了一个长时间的热水澡。
泡完澡，他穿上红色丝绸浴袍，走出浴室。
窗外，大雪下得正欢，所以他看不清街道的情景。
可是室内，空气温馨而甜蜜，他一下子躺倒在沙发里。
“这一切都太简单了！”他想到。
当自己被他们关到剧院大门外的时候，他就下定决心要出走。
但很意外的是他一点都不害怕。
他已记不清最近一次害怕是什么时候。哪怕是他很小的时候。
现在只是感到解脱和自由。他再也不害怕了。
他一直看着窗外的雪花，最后昏昏睡去。
再次起来的时候已是下午4点钟。
他足足花了1个小时的时间用来穿戴。他数次打量镜子中的自己。
身上这套深绿色的西装非常合身，以至于自己居然显得不太单薄了。
白色丝绸衬衣和淡紫色的领带看上去很酷，袖口在他的手指下顺滑挺括。
目前的自己的这身行头正是他期盼多时的形象。
保罗披上新大衣下楼。
随手招呼一辆出租车，一边告诉司机去第五大街。一边盯着附近高档商店看。
当出租车在一个红绿灯处停下时，保罗注意到那儿有一个花店。
透过玻璃窗，他能看到各种各样的鲜花。
保罗想紫罗兰、玫瑰和野百合此时显得多美呀，因为它们都是在深冬绽放的。
突然，保罗感到饿了，他赶紧叫司机转回宾馆。
他一进到宾馆餐厅，便有管弦乐队上前演奏，欢迎他。
他找了一个临窗的位置坐下。
鲜花，白色桌布，以及各色酒瓶悦人眼目。
轻音乐，周围的切切私语声以及香槟瓶的软木塞开启时发出的“砰、砰”声使他觉得很享受。
这都是每个人梦寐以求的东西，他想。
他简直无法想象自己曾在匹兹堡的科德里亚大街生活过。
那是另外一个时空。
保罗举起盛满了香槟的水晶酒杯，把清凉、美味的，冒着气泡的香槟倒进胃里。啊，他属于这里！
当晚，保罗穿上黑色晚礼服去了歌剧院。
他感觉轻松惬意。一看到身上穿的晚礼服就知道自己同剧院里其他衣冠楚楚的人们一样同属于这里。
虽然未同任何人搭讪。但他的眼睛没放过任何东西。
保罗的金色美好时光就这样毫无瑕疵地慢慢流走。
他尽可能让每一个细节都十全十美，让每一分钟都发挥作用。
然而，在他到达纽约的第八天，他在一份报纸上看到关于他的事情的报道。
报道说，保罗的父亲已经替保罗付清了保罗偷走的5000美金。
有人在纽约的宾馆看到过保罗。
保罗的父亲已经到了纽约。他正到处寻找保罗要带他回匹兹堡。
保罗的膝盖发软。他坐在一把椅子里，两手托腮。
The dream was ended. He had to go back to Cordelia Street.
美梦易醒。他还得回到科德里亚大街。
回到贴着黄色墙纸的卧室，闻烧卷心菜的味道，每天在挤满了小汽车的街上骑车送报。
保罗为自己斟了一杯香槟酒，一饮而尽。
然后，又倒了一杯，再次一饮而尽。
保罗叫了一辆出租车，出城来到郊外。在铁路旁下车。
他冷不丁想起自己初来纽约的第一天晚上在一家花店看到的各种绚烂鲜花。
他能够想象到现在所有的那些鲜花都已经凋谢了。
每一支鲜花都只能争艳一时，转瞬即逝。
一列火车的汽笛声打断了保罗的思绪。
他看着火车越来越大。他看着远方越来越近的火车，忽然浑身发抖。
他的嘴角露出恐惧的微笑。
保罗看上去很紧张，好像生怕谁看见自己似的。
当那个时刻到来的时候，保罗跳了出去。
当他跳的时候，他认识到自己已铸成大错。
蓝色的大海和黄色的沙漠掠过保罗的脑际。
他还没看过这些！他有太多的东西没看过啊！
保罗感到什么东西撞击自己的胸膛。他感到自己的身体凌空飞起，越飞越高，越飞越快。
然后突然漆黑一片，保罗重新坠入造物主的怀抱。
我们今天的美国故事叫做《保罗事件》。作者薇拉·凯瑟。
演播者凯·加伦特。
