(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Our story today is called, "A Horseman in the Sky." It was written by Ambrose Bierce. Here is Roald Peal with the story.Carter Druse was born in Virginia. He loved his parents, his home and the south. But he loved his country, too. And in the autumn of eighteen sixty-one, when the United States was divided by a terrible civil war, Carter Druse, a southerner, decided to join the Union Army of the north. He told his father about his decision one morning at breakfast. The older man looked at his only son for a moment, too shocked to speak. Then he said, "As of this moment you are a traitor to the south. Please don't tell your mother about your decision. She is sick, and we both know she has only a few weeks to live."Carter's father paused, again looking deep into his son's eyes. "Carter," he said, "No matter what happens -- be sure you always do what you think is your duty."Both Carter Druse and his father left the table that morning with broken hearts. And Carter soon left his home, and everyone he loved to wear the blue uniform of the Union soldier. One sunny afternoon, a few weeks later, Carter Druse lay with his face in the dirt by the side of a road. He was on his stomach, his arms still holding his gun. Carter would not receive a medal for his actions.
In fact, if his commanding officer were to see him, he would order Carter shot immediately. For Carter was not dead or wounded. He was sleeping while on duty. Fortunately, no one could see him. He was hidden by some bushes, growing by the side of the road. The road Carter Druse had been sent to guard was only a few miles from his father's house. It began in a forest, down in the valley, and climbed up the side of a huge rock. Anyone standing on the top of this high rock would be able to see down into the valley. And that person would feel very dizzy, looking down. If he dropped a stone from the edge of this cliff, it would fall for six hundred meters before disappearing into the forest in the valley below. Giant cliffs, like the one Carter lay on, surrounded the valley. Hidden in the valley's forest were five union regiments -- thousands of Carter's fellow soldiers. They had marched for thirty-six hours. Now they were resting. But at midnight they would climb that road up the rocky cliff.
Their plan was to attack by surprise an army of southerners, camped on the other side of the cliff. But if their enemy learned about the Union Army hiding in the forest, the soldiers would find themselves in a trap with no escape. That was why Carter Druse had been sent to guard the road. It was his duty to be sure that no enemy soldier, dressed in gray, spied on the valley, where the union army was hiding. But Carter Druse had fallen asleep. Suddenly, as if a messenger of fate came to touch him on the shoulder, the young man opened his eyes. As he lifted his head, he saw a man on horseback standing on the huge rocky cliff that looked down into the valley. The rider and his horse stood so still that they seemed made of stone. The man's gray uniform blended with the blue sky and the white clouds behind him. He held a gun in his right hand, and the horse's reins in the other. Carter could not see the man's face, because the rider was looking down into the valley. But the man and his horse seemed to be of heroic, almost gigantic size, standing there motionless against the sky. Carter discovered he was very much afraid, even though he knew the enemy soldier could not see him hiding in the bushes. Suddenly the horse moved, pulling back its head from the edge of the cliff.
Carter was completely awake now. He raised his gun, pushing its barrel through the bushes. And he aimed for the horseman's heart. A small squeeze of the trigger, and Carter Druse would have done his duty. At that instant, the horseman turned his head and looked in Carter's direction. He seemed to look at Carter's face, into his eyes, and deep into his brave, generous heart. Carter's face became very white. His entire body began shaking. His mind began to race, and in his fantasy, the horse and rider became black figures, rising and falling in slow circles against a fiery red sky. Carter did not pull the trigger. Instead, he let go of his gun and slowly dropped his face until it rested again in the dirt. Brave and strong as he was, Carter almost fainted from the shock of what he had seen. Is it so terrible to kill an enemy who might kill you and your friends? Carter knew that this man must be shot from ambush -- without warning. This man must die without a moment to prepare his soul; without even the chance to say a silent prayer. Slowly, a hope began to form in Carter Druse's mind. Perhaps the southern soldier had not seen the northern troops. Perhaps he was only admiring the view. Perhaps he would now turn and ride carelessly away. Then Carter looked down into the valley so far below.
He saw a line of men in blue uniforms and their horses, slowly leaving the protection of the forest. A foolish Union officer had permitted his soldiers to bring their horses to drink at a small stream near the forest. And there they were -- in plain sight! Carter Druse looked back to the man and horse standing there against the sky. Again he took aim. But this time he pointed his gun at the horse. Words rang in his head -- the last words his father ever spoke to him: "No matter what happens, be sure you always do what you think is your duty."Carter Druse was calm as he pulled the trigger of his gun. At that moment, a Union officer happened to look up from his hiding place near the edge of the forest. His eyes climbed to the top of the cliff that looked over the valley. Just looking at the top of the gigantic rock, so far above him, made the soldier feel dizzy. And then the officer saw something that filled his heart with horror. A man on a horse was riding down into the valley through the air! The rider sat straight in his saddle. His hair streamed back, waving in the wind. His left hand held his horse's reins while his right hand was hidden in the cloud of the horse's mane.
The horse looked as if it were galloping across the earth. Its body was proud and noble. As the frightened Union officer watched this horseman in the sky, he almost believed he was witnessing a messenger from heaven. A messenger who had come to announce the end of the world. The officer's legs grew weak, and he fell. At almost the same instant, he heard a crashing sound in the trees. The sound died without an echo. And all was silent. The officer got to his feet, still shaking. He went back to his camp. But he didn't tell anyone what he had seen. He knew no one would ever believe him. Soon after firing his gun, Carter Druse was joined by a Union sergeant. Carter did not turn his head as the sergeant kneeled beside him."Did you fire?" The sergeant whispered."Yes.""At what?""A horse. It was on that rock. It's not there now. It went over the cliff." Carter's face was white. But he showed no other sign of emotion. The sergeant did not understand."See here, Druse," he said, after a moment's silence. "Why are you making this into a mystery. I order you to report. Was there anyone on the horse?""Yes.""Who? ""My father.""A Horseman in the Sky" was written by Ambrose Bierce, and adapted by Dona de Sanctis.
重点解析
1.so far 迄今为止
But policy and legislation can only go so far.
但政策和立法只能走这么远。
2.looked down 望着
Then she looked down.
她向下看了看。
3.Soon after 稍后
He picked up himself soon after his failure in business.
经商失败以后，他很快就重新振作了起来。
4.filled with 充满
We were filled with hope, with passion, with dreams for the future.
我们浑身上下都是希望和激情，对未来充满了梦想。
5.at the top of 在最高地位
I like it at the top of my file.
我喜欢把它放到我文件的顶端。
参考译文
我们今天的故事叫做《空中骑士》，作者安布鲁斯·毕尔斯，罗阿尔德·皮尔为您讲述。卡特·德鲁斯出生于弗吉尼亚州，他爱他的父母，家乡和南方兵团，但也爱他的国家。1861年秋天，美国内战爆发，南北分裂，来自南方的卡特·德鲁斯决定加入北方兵团。一天早晨，吃过饭后，老人看了儿子一眼，吓得说不出话来。然后他说：“此刻，你是南方的叛徒。不要把这件事告诉你的母亲。医生说她现在很危险，恐怕只有几个星期了，就别去打扰她了。” 父亲慢慢抬起头，默默地注视着儿子。“去吧，孩子。但要记住，无论发生什么情况，都要履行你的职责。”那天早上，卡特·德鲁斯和他的父亲伤心地离开了。就这样，德鲁斯离家上了战场，穿着北方士兵的蓝色制服。几周后的一个阳光明媚的下午，卡特·德鲁斯静静地躺在山道旁，脸埋在泥土里。他俯卧着，胳膊上还握着枪。卡特不会因此而受到奖赏。事实上，如果指挥官看到他，会立即下令枪毙他。卡特既没有死也没有伤，只是睡着了，幸运的是，没人看到他。他藏在路边的灌木丛里。卡特·德鲁斯被派去警戒的那条路离父亲的家只有几英里。 这里的山路蜿蜒曲折，穿过一片茂密的树林，在一块巨石前拐了弯。站到它上面，一千多英尺的深渊便一览无遗。往下看准会头晕目眩。如果往悬崖边上扔下一块石头，会落到六百米外，然后消失在下面山谷的森林里。
整条山谷都好像被这令人震慑的悬崖吞没了。就在那片为密林所环绕的开阔地里埋伏着五个兵团——成千上万卡特的战友。他们已经行进了36个小时，现在正在休息。但到了半夜，他们就会翻过山去他们计划出其不意地袭击驻扎在悬崖另一边的南方兵团。他们明白，如果敌军发现他们躲在森林里，士兵的处境将非常危险。这就是为什么卡特·德鲁斯被派到这个至关重要的前沿位置担任警戒。他的职责是确保没有一个穿着灰色衣服的敌军士兵监视山谷。但是卡特·德鲁斯睡着了。突然，那人忽然转过脸来，当他抬起头来的时候，他看见一个骑马的人站在巨大的岩石峭壁上，峭壁俯视着山谷。骑手和马矗立在天空背景下一动不动。那人的灰色制服和他身后的蓝天白云相得益彰。他右手持枪，左手拿着缰绳。卡特看不见那人的脸，因为他正俯视着悬崖下的山谷。那人笔挺的上身，胯下一匹高大的骏马，一派军人特有的英武之气，矗立在天空背景下的一动不动的“塑像”卡特非常害怕，尽管他知道敌兵看不到自己躲在灌木丛中。突然，那匹战马动起来了，走到了悬崖边，德鲁斯睡意顿消，他小心地把枪架在灌木丛中。瞄准那骑兵的胸口。好了，现在只要手指动一动，一切就都解决了。可就在这时，那人忽然转过脸来，望着德鲁斯埋伏的地方。深邃的目光，好像已经看见了德鲁斯的眼睛，并且一直看到了他的心里。卡特面色惨白，全身开始颤抖。
在他的幻想中，马和骑手变成了黑色的身影，在火红的天空中缓慢地起起伏伏。慢慢地，卡特扣住扳机的手松开了。最后，头也重重地垂下，脸颊贴到草地上，一动也不动了。卡特尽管很勇敢、很强壮，但当看到眼前的一切几乎晕了过去。杀死一个可能威胁你和你朋友生命的敌人很可怕吗?卡特知道这个人必须在没有任何预兆的情况下被伏击击毙。必须把这个人打死，不能让他跑掉，甚至不能给他默默祈祷的机会。慢慢地，卡特·德鲁斯心中开始希冀，也许南方军团没有看见北方军团。也许他只是在欣赏景色。也许他现在会转过身来，漫不经心地骑马走了。德鲁斯不由自主扭头向山下一望。在北方军歇息的林中小路上，正蠕动着几个蓝色的影子，肯定是哪个愚蠢的军官命令卫兵出来饮马，可偏偏就没想到从山顶上望去，他们将暴露无遗。德鲁斯恨恨地收回目光，重新注视那个沐浴在夕阳里的骑兵。他再次端起枪，枪托抵住左腮，这回，他瞄准的是那匹马。 “记着，无论发生什么情况，都要履行你的职责。”父亲分手时的话闪现在他的脑海里。卡特出奇地镇静，没有半点颤抖。就在这时，一位军官碰巧从森林边缘的藏身之处抬起头来。军官的目光注视到俯瞰山谷的悬崖顶上。看着远处那块巨大的岩石，士兵有些头晕目眩。接着，他看到了一件满心恐惧的事情。一名骑兵驾着马在山谷中奔驰，他笔直地坐在马鞍上，头发在风中飘动，左手抓住马的缰绳，右手藏在马鬃毛里。
那匹马看上去好像飞奔着穿过大地，它的身体流露着骄傲和高贵的气息。受惊的军官注视着骑兵，他几乎认为自己是来见证一位来自天堂的使者，他来宣布世界末日。军官的腿一软，摔倒了。几乎就在同一时刻，他听到树林里传来一阵撞击声。那声音没有回音就消失了。一切都沉默了。军官站了起来，仍然在发抖。他回到营地。但他没有告诉任何人他看到了什么。他知道没有人会相信他。枪响了……，来了一名军士。那名军士小心翼翼地匍匐过来，德鲁斯没有回头。“你开的枪?”军士小声问道。“是的。”“怎么回事?” “一匹马，它就站在前边的岩石上，呃，距离不算近，你瞧，它不见了。一定是掉下崖了……”说着，他的脸渐渐苍白，但他没有表现出其他的感情。军士不明白。“嘿，德鲁斯，”军士像是觉出他的异样，“别这么伤感，到底是怎么回事，你该告诉我，莫非你认识那个骑兵?”“是的。” “谁?” “我父亲……”
