(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
One day, a man named Bartholomew, not an important man, stopped at the Nopalito ranch house. It was noon and he was hungry. He sat down at the dinner table. While he was eating, he talked. "Mrs. Yeager," he said, "I saw a man on the Seco Ranch with your name. Webb Yeager. He was foreman there. He was a tall yellow-haired man. Not a talker. Someone of your family?" "A husband," said Santa. "That is fine for the Seco Ranch. Mr. Yeager is the best foreman in the West." Everything at the Nopalito Ranch had been going well. For several years they had been working at the Nopalito with a different kind of cattle. These cattle had been brought from England, and they were better than the usual Texas cattle. They had been successful at the Nopalito Ranch, and men on the other ranches were interested in them.
As a result, one day a cowboy arrived at the Nopalito Ranch and gave the queen this letter: "Mrs. Yeager — The Nopalito Ranch: "I have been told by the owners of the Seco Ranch to buy 100 of your English cattle. If you can sell these to the Seco, send them to us in the care of the man who brings this letter. We will then send you the money. "Webb Yeager, Foreman, Seco Ranch." Business is business to a queen as it is to others. That night the 100 cattle were moved near the ranch house, ready for an early start the next morning. When night came and the house was quiet, did Santa Yeager cry alone? Did she hold that letter near to her heart? Did she speak the name that she had been too proud to speak for many weeks? Or did she place the letter with other business letters, in her office? Ask if you will, but there is no answer. What a queen does is something we cannot always know. But this you shall be told: In the middle of the night, Santa went quietly out of the ranch house. She was dressed in something dark. She stopped for a moment under a tree.
There was moonlight, and a bird was singing, and there was a smell of flowers. Santa turned her face toward the southeast and threw three kisses in that direction, for there was no one to see her. Then she hurried quietly to a small building. What she did there, we can only guess. But there was the red light of a fire, and noise as if Cupid might be making his arrows. Later she came out with some strange iron tool in one hand. In the other hand she carried something that held a small fire. She hurried in the moonlight to the place where the English cattle had been gathered. Most of the English cattle were a dark red. But among those 100 there was one as white as milk. And now Santa caught that white animal as cowboys catch cattle. She tried once and failed. Then she tried again, and the animal fell heavily. Santa ran to it, but the animal jumped up. Again she tried and this time she was successful. The animal fell to earth again. Before it could rise, Santa had tied its feet together. Then she ran to the fire she had carried here. From it she took that strange iron tool. It was white hot.
There was a loud cry from the animal as the white-hot iron burned its skin. But no one seemed to hear. All the ranch were quiet. And in the deep night quiet, Santa ran back to the ranch house and there fell onto a bed. She let the tears from her eyes, as if queens had hearts like the hearts of ranchmen's wives; and as if a queen's husband might become a king, if he would ride back again. In the morning, the young man who had brought the letter started toward the Seco Ranch. He had cowboys with him to help with the English cattle. It was 90 miles, six days' journey. The animals arrived at Seco Ranch one evening as the daylight was ending. They were received and counted by the foreman of the ranch. The next morning at eight, a horseman came riding to the Nopalito ranch house. He got down painfully from the horse and walked to the house. His horse took a great breath and let his head hang and closed his eyes. But do not feel sorry for Belshazzar, the horse. Today he lives happily at Nopalito, where he is given the best care and the best food. No other horse there has ever carried a man for such a ride.
The horseman entered the house. Two arms fell around his neck, and someone cried out in the voice of a woman and queen together: "Webb, oh, Webb!" "I was wrong," said Webb Yeager. "I was a — " and he named a small animal with a bad smell, an animal no one likes. "Quiet," said Santa. "Did you see it?" "I saw it," said Webb. What were they speaking of? Perhaps you can guess, if you have read the story carefully. "Be the cattle queen," said Webb. "Forget what I did, if you can." "I was as wrong as — " "Quiet!" said Santa again, putting her fingers upon his mouth. "There's no queen here. Do you know who I am? I am Santa Yeager, First Lady of the Bedroom. Come here." She led him into a room. There stood a low baby's bed. And in the bed was a baby, a beautiful, laughing baby, talking in words that no one could understand. "There is no queen on this ranch," said Santa again. "Look at the king. He has eyes like yours, Webb. Get down on your knees and look at the king."
There was a sound of steps outside and Bud Turner was there at the door. He was asking the same question he had asked almost a year ago. "Good morning. Shall I drive those cattle to Barber's or — " He saw Webb and stopped, with his mouth open. "Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba!" cried the king, waving his arms. "You hear what he says, Bud," said Webb Yeager. "We do what the king commands." And that is all, except for one thing. When old man Quinn, owner of the Seco Ranch, went to look at his new English cattle, he asked his new foreman, "What is the Nopalito Ranch's mark?" "X over Y," said Wilson. "I thought so," said Quinn. "But look at that white animal there. She has another mark — a heart with a cross inside. Whose mark is that?"
重点解析
1.sit down 坐下；住定
Now sit down and make yourself comfortable. You must be very tired.
现在坐下来，让自己舒服些，你一定很累了。
2.be interested in 对......感兴趣；对某方面感兴趣；
I thought she might be interested in Paula's proposal.
我觉得她对葆拉的提议可能会感兴趣。
3.as if 好像；仿佛
You'll feel as if you were at home while here.
到这儿就好像到了自己家一样。
4.look at 看着；注视
Can you look at my back? I think something's wrong.
您能看一下我的背吗？我觉得有点儿不对劲。
参考译文
《心与十字架》。一天，一个叫巴塞洛缪的小人物，在诺帕利托农场的房子处停了下来。当时是中午，他饿了，就在餐桌旁坐下。他边吃边说话。“耶格太太，”他说，“我在塞科农场看到一个和你同名的人。韦伯·耶格，他是那里的工头，他是个身材高大的黄头发男人，他不爱说话，是你的家人吗？”“丈夫，”圣塔说，“对赛科农场来说没事，耶格先生是西部最好的工头。”诺帕利托农场的一切都进行得很顺利。几年来，他们一直在诺帕利托农场工作，负责不同品种的牛。这些牛是从英国带来的，比通常的德克萨斯牛要好。他们在诺帕利托农场做得很成功，其他农场的人都对他们很感兴趣。
结果，有一天，一个牛仔来到诺帕利托农场，把一封信交给农场女王：“诺帕利托农场的耶格夫人：“塞科农场的农场主告诉我，要买100头你的英国牛。如果你能把这些牛卖给他们，把牛发给我们，我们替寄信人保管。我们随后会把钱寄给你。 “塞科牧场工头韦伯·耶格尔。”像对其他人一样，女王做生意就是做生意。当晚，100头牛被转移到农场附近，准备第二天一早送走。夜幕降临时，屋里一片寂静，圣塔·耶格尔是在独自哭泣吗？她把那封信捂在胸口处了吗？她说出那个让她骄傲了好几周的名字吗？或者她把那封信和其他商业信件都放在办公室里了吗？如果你愿意的话可以问一下，但是没有答案。女王的所作所为是我们永远都不会知道。但你应该知道：穿着深色的衣服，在树下停了一会儿。
有月光，一只鸟在唱歌，还有一股花香。圣塔把脸转向东南方，朝着那个方向做了三个飞吻，没人会看到她。然后，她悄悄地跑向一座小楼。我们只能猜测她在那里做了什么，但那有一团红色的火光，还有些声音，仿佛丘比特正在射箭。后来，她一手拿着奇怪的铁制工具走了出来。在另一只手里，她拿着一个里面有一团小火苗的东西。她在月光下匆匆赶到英国牛群聚集的地方。大多数英国牛是深红色的，但在这100头牛中，有一头像牛奶一样白。现在，圣塔像牛仔抓牛那样去抓那头白色的牲畜。她试了一次失败了，然后又试了一次，那头牛重重地摔倒在地。圣塔跑过去，但牛又跳了起来。她又试了一次，这次成功了。那动物再次倒地，没等它站起来，圣塔就把它的脚绑在一起。然后，她跑向她带来的那团火苗那里。她把那个奇怪的铁制工具放在上面，它又白又烫。
当白热的熨斗烫伤牛的皮肤时，它发出了巨大的叫声。但是，似乎没人听到，整个农场很安静。夜深人静的时候，圣塔跑回农舍，倒在床上。她泪流满面，仿佛女王的心像农场主妻子的心一样；又仿佛女王的丈夫可能会成为国王，如果他能再次骑马回来。早上，带信来的年轻人开始朝塞科农场出发。他带着牛仔，去帮助照顾英国牛。有90英里的路程，要走六天。一天晚上，这些牛来到了塞科农场。农场的工头接收了它们，并清点了数量。第二天早上八点，一个人骑着马来到诺帕利托农场。他痛苦地下马，向房子走去。他的马深吸了一口气，垂下头闭上眼睛。但别为那匹叫贝尔沙撒的马感到难过，今天它快乐地生活在诺帕利托，它在那里得到了最好的照顾和最好的食物。那里没有其他的马能带着一人做这样的骑行。
骑马人进了屋，两只胳膊搂着自己的脖子，有人用一个女人和女王共有的声音喊道：“韦伯，噢，韦伯！” “我错了，”韦伯·耶格说。“我是一个......”，他给一只有臭味的小动物取了名，没人喜欢这只动物。“安静，”圣塔说。“你看到了吗？”“我看到了，”韦伯说。他们在说什么？如果你仔细读过这个故事，也许就能猜到。“做牛群女王吧，”韦伯说。“如果可以的话，忘了我做过的事吧。”“我错得跟——”“别说了！”圣塔又说道，把手指放在他的嘴上。“这里没有女王，你知道我是谁吗？我是圣塔·耶格，卧室的第一夫人，过来。”她把他领进一个房间，那有一张低矮的婴儿床。床上躺着一个正在大笑的漂亮婴儿，用没人能听懂的语言在说话。“农场上没有女王，”圣塔又说道。“看看国王，他有一双和你一样的眼睛，韦伯。跪下来看看国王。”
外面有脚步声，巴德·特纳在门口。他问的问题和一年前问的一样。“早上好，用我开车送那些牛去韦伯那吗，还是.......”他看见韦伯，张着嘴停了下来。“爸爸爸爸爸爸！”国王挥舞着双臂喊道。“你听到他说什么了，巴德，”韦伯·耶格说。“我们听从国王的命令。”奎恩老人去看他的英国新牛时，他问新工头，“诺帕利托农场的标志是什么？”“X在Y上面，”威尔逊说。“我想是的，”奎因说。“但看看这头白牛。她有另一个标记，一颗带有十字架的心。这是谁的标志？”
