时间:2019-01-03 作者:英语课 分类:2018年VOA慢速英语(七)月


英语课

 


Prince 1 Michael of Valleluna sat in the park on the seat he liked best. In the coolness of the night, he felt full of life. The other seats were not filled. Cool weather sends most people home.


The moon was rising over the houses on the east side of the park. Children laughed and played. Music came softly 2 from one of the nearer streets. Around the little park, cabs 3 rolled by. The trains that traveled high above the street rushed past. These cabs and trains, with their wild noises, seemed like animals outside the park. But they could not enter. The park was safe and quiet. And above the trees was the great, round, shining face of a lighted clock in a tall old building.


Prince Michael’s shoes were old and broken 4. No shoemaker could ever make them like new again. His clothes were very torn 6. The hair of his face had been growing for two weeks. It was all colors—gray and brown and red and green-yellow. His hat was older and more torn than his shoes and his other clothes.


Prince Michael sat on the seat he liked best, and he smiled. It was a happy thought to him that he had enough money to buy every house he could see near the park, if he wished. He had as much gold as any rich man in this proud city of New York. He had as many jewels 7, and houses, and land. He could have sat at table with kings and queens 8. All the best things in the world could be his—art, pleasure, beautiful women, honor 9. All the sweeter things in life were waiting for Prince Michael of Valleluna whenever he might choose to take them. But instead he was choosing to sit in torn clothes on a seat in a park.


For he had tasted of the fruit the tree of life. He had not liked the taste. Here, in this park, he felt near to the beating heart of the world. He hoped it would help him to forget that taste.


These thoughts moved like a dream through the mind of Prince Michael. There was a smile across his face with its many-colored hair. Sitting like this, in torn clothes, he loved to study other men. He loved to do good things for others. Giving was more pleasant to him than owning all his riches. It was his chief 10 pleasure to help people who were in trouble. He liked to give to people who needed help. He liked to surprise them with princely gifts. But he always gave wisely, after careful thought.


And now, as he looked at the shining face of the great clock, his smile changed. The Prince always thought big thoughts. When he thought of time, he always felt a touch of sadness 11. Time controlled the world. People had to do what time commanded 12. Their comings and goings were always controlled by a clock. They were always in a hurry, and always afraid, because of time. It made him sad.


After a little while, a young man in evening clothes came and sat upon 13 a seat near the Prince. For half an hour he sat there nervously 14. Then he began to watch the face of the lighted clock above the trees. The Prince could see that the young man had a trouble. He could also see that somehow 15 the clock was part of the trouble.


The Prince rose and went to the young man’s seat.


“I am a stranger 16, and I shouldn’t speak to you,” he said. “But I can see that you are troubled. I am Prince Michael of Valleluna. I do not want people to know who I am. That is why I wear these torn clothes. It is a small pleasure of mine to help those who need help. First I must feel sure they are worth helping 17. I think you are. And perhaps your trouble may be ended if you and I together decide what to do about it.”


The young man looked up brightly at the Prince. Brightly, but he was still troubled. He laughed, then, but still the look of trouble remained. But he accepted this chance to talk to someone.


“I’m glad to meet you, Prince,” he said pleasantly. “Yes, I can see you don’t want to be known 18. That’s easy to see. Thanks for your offer to help. But I don’t see what you can do. It’s my own problem. But thanks.”


Prince Michael sat down at the young man’s side. People often said no to him, but they always said it pleasantly.


“Clocks,” said the Prince, “are tied to the feet of all men and women. I have seen you watching that clock. That face commands 19 us to act, whether or not we wish to act. Let me tell you not to trust the numbers on that face. They will destroy you if they can. Stop looking at that clock. What does it know about living men and women?”


“I usually don’t look at that clock,” said the young man. “I carry a watch, except when I wear evening clothes.”


“I know men and women as I know the trees and the flowers,” said the Prince, warmly and proudly. “I have studied many years. And I am very rich. There are few troubles that I cannot help. I have read what is in your face. I have found honor and goodness 20 there, and trouble. Please accept my help. I can see that you are wise. Show how wise you are. Do not judge 21 me by my torn clothes. I am sure I can help you.”


The young man looked at the clock again, and his face grew darker. Then he looked at a house beside the park. Lights could be seen in many rooms.


“Ten minutes before nine!” said the young man. He raised his hands and then let them fall, as if hope had gone. He stood up and took a quick step or two away.


“Remain!” commanded Prince Michael. His voice was so powerful 22 that the young man turned quickly. He laughed a little.


“I’ll wait ten minutes and then I’ll go,” he said in a low voice, as if only to himself. Then to the Prince he said, “I’ll join you. We’ll destroy all the clocks. And women, too.”


“Sit down,” said the Prince softly. “I do not accept that. I do not include women. Women are enemies of clocks. They are born that way. Therefore 23 they are friends of those who wish to destroy clocks. If you can trust me, tell me your story.”


The young man sat down again and laughed loudly.


“Prince, I will,” he said. He did not believe that Prince Michael was really a prince. His manner of speaking proved that. “Do you see that house, Prince? That house with lights in three windows on the third floor? At six tonight I was in that house with the young lady I am going to—was going to marry. I’d been doing wrong, my dear Prince, and she heard about it. I was sorry. I wanted her to forget it. We are always asking women to forget things like that, aren’t we, Prince?


“ ‘I want time to think,’ she said. ‘I will either forget it forever 24, or never see your face again. At half-past eight,’ she said, ‘watch the middle window on the third floor of this house. If I decide to forget, I will hang out a long white cloth 5. You will know then that everything is as it was before. And you may come to me. If you see nothing hanging from the window, you will know that everything between us is finished forever.’


“That,” said the young man, “is why I have been watching that clock. The time was passed twenty-three minutes ago. Do you see why I am a little troubled, my torn Prince?”


“Let me tell you again,” said Prince Michael in his soft voice, “that women are the born enemies of clocks. Clocks are bad, women are good. The white cloth may yet appear.”


“Never!” said the young man, hopelessly 25. “You don’t know Marian. She is always on time, to the minute. That was the first thing I liked about her. At 8:31, I should have known that everything was finished. I’m going to go West. I’ll get on the train tonight. I’ll find some way to forget her. Good night—Prince.”


Prince Michael smiled his gentle, understanding 26 smile. He caught the other’s arm. The bright light in the Prince’s eyes was softening 27. It was dream-like, clouded.


“Wait,” he said, “till the clock tells the hour. I have riches and power and I am wiser than most men. But when I hear the clock tell the hour, I am afraid. Stay with me till then. This woman shall 28 be yours. You have the promise of the Prince of Valleluna. On the day you are married 29 I will give you $100,000 and a great house beside the Hudson River. But there must be no clocks in that house. Do you agree to that?”


“Sure,” said the young man. “I don’t like clocks.”


He looked again at the clock above the trees. It was three minutes before nine.


“I think,” said Prince Michael, “that I will sleep a little. It has been a long day.”


He lay down on the seat, as if he had often done it before.


“You’ll find me on this park on any evening when the weather is good,” said the Prince. “Come to me when you know the day you’ll be married. I’ll give you the money.”


“Thanks, Prince,” said the young man. “That day isn’t going to come. But thanks.”


Prince Michael fell into a deep sleep. His hat rolled on the ground. The young man lifted it, placed it over the Prince’s face, and moved one of the Prince’s legs into an easier position. “Poor fellow 30!” he said. He pulled the torn coat together over the Prince’s body.


It was nine. Loud and surprising came the voice of the clock, telling the hour. The young man took a deep breath 31, and turned for one more look at the house. And he gave a shout of joy 32.


From the middle window on the third floor, a snow-white wonderful cloth was hanging.


Through the park a man came, hurrying home.


“Will you tell me the time, please?” asked the young man.


The other man took out his watch. “Twenty-nine and a half minutes after eight.”


And then he looked up at the clock.


“But that clock is wrong!” the man said. “The first time in ten years! My watch is always—”


But he was talking to no one. He turned and saw the young man running toward 33 the house with three lighted windows on the third floor.


And in the morning two cops 34 walked through the park. There was only one person to be seen—a man, asleep on a long park seat. They stopped to look at him.


“It’s Michael the Dreamer,” said one. “He has been sleeping like this in the park for twenty years. He won’t live much longer, I guess.”


The other cop 35 looked at something in the sleeper’s hand. “Look at this,” he said. “Fifty dollars. I wish I could have a dream like that.”


And then they gave Prince Michael of Valleluna a hard shake, and brought him out of his dreams and into real life.


Words in This Story


prince – n. a male 36 member of a royal 37 family


cab(s) – n. a car that carries passengers to a place for an amount of money that is based 38 on the distance traveled


beating – v. to make the regular movements 39 needed to pump 40 blood


comings and goings – idm. the activity of people arriving at and leaving a place


nervously – adv. done in a way showing feelings of being 41 worried and afraid about what might happen


pleasantly - adv. done in a way that is friendly and likable


hopelessly – adv. done in a way that shows no feeling of hope


cop(s) - n. a person whose job is to enforce laws, investigate crimes, and make arrests



n.王子,太子,诸侯
  • Prince Charles has again fallen from his horse.查尔斯王子又一次从马上摔了下来。
  • The prince and the princess lived happily ever after.从此以后王子和公主就一直过着幸福的日子。
adv.柔和地,静静地,温柔地
  • He speaks too softly for her to hear.他讲话声音太轻,她听不见。
  • She breathed her advice softly.她低声劝告。
出租车( cab的名词复数 ); (公共汽车、火车等的)司机室; 驾驶室; 出租马车
  • Cabs and carriages, their lamps gleaming like yellow eyes, pattered by. 公共马车和私人马车嗒嗒地驶过,车灯像一双双黄色的眼睛闪闪发亮。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
  • Outside were cabs and taxis and a line of hotel runners. 外边停着出租的马车、汽车,还站着一排旅馆接待人。
adj.坏掉的,患病的,被制服的,断掉的;vbl.break的过去分词
  • He is mending a broken cup.他在修补破杯子。
  • Something was broken in my engine.我的发动机里有个东西损坏了。
n.布;植物;衣料
  • This kind of cloth washes very well.这种布料很好洗涤。
  • We make cotton into cloth.我们把棉花织成布。
v.撕( tear的过去分词);扯裂;破损
  • I've torn a calf muscle. 我拉伤了小腿肌肉。
  • I've torn a ligament. 我的韧带撕裂了。
n.宝石,宝石饰物( jewel的名词复数 );受珍视的人[物];宝贝,手表的宝石轴承
  • The family jewels are locked away in a safe. 家里的珠宝首饰都锁在保险柜里。
  • The crown was set with precious jewels—diamonds, rubies and emeralds. 王冠上镶嵌着稀世珍宝—有钻石、红宝石、绿宝石。
n.女王( queen的名词复数 );王后;女人(尤指妇人);皇后
  • the kings and queens of England 英格兰国王和王后
  • She is the most famous of all American movie queens. 她是全美最著名的影后。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.光荣;敬意;荣幸;vt.给…以荣誉;尊敬
  • I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
  • It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。
n.领袖,酋长,长官,主要部分;adj.主要的,首位的
  • Can you name the chief rivers of China?你能列举出中国的主要河流吗?
  • He is my old chief.他是我的老上级。
n.悲哀;难过
  • Smiles help you forget your sadness.微笑让你忘却悲伤。
  • The jokes were a mask to hide his sadness.玩笑是掩盖他内心悲伤的方式。
v.指挥,控制,命令( command的过去式和过去分词 );掌握;俯瞰;应得
  • The general commanded his men to attack the city. 那将军命令部下攻城。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He commanded that man go at once. 他命令那个人马上走。 来自《简明英汉词典》
prep.在……上面
  • I hope that fortune may smile upon you.我希望幸运之神会向你微笑。
  • I rely upon you to finish the work on time.我相信你会准时完成这项工作的。
adv.神情激动地,不安地
  • He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇,努力忍着不哭出来。
  • He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。
adv.以某种方式,不知怎么搞地
  • Somehow,I never got the chance to learn.不知怎么的,我从来都没有学的机会。
  • But somehow,he got out.He's alive.可不知怎么的,他还活着出来了。
n.陌生人;外地人,异乡人
  • A stranger walked up to me and asked me the time.一个陌生人走到我跟前,问我时间。
  • It's hard for a stranger to make friends in this town.外地人在这个城里很难交朋友。
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
adj.大家知道的;知名的,已知的
  • He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
  • He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。
v.指挥,控制,命令( command的第三人称单数 );掌握;俯瞰;应得
  • They built a robot capable of understanding spoken commands. 他们制造了一个能懂口头指令的机器人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • We could hear he was bellowing commands to his troops. 我们听见他正向他的兵士大声发布命令。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.善良,善行,美德
  • Would you have the goodness to turn off the radio?劳驾,请你把收音机关上好不好?
  • Thank goodness,we've found a cure for the disease.好了,这病有救了!
n.裁判员;法官,审判官;推事;vt.判断,判决,裁定,审理,鉴定;vi.下判断,作评价
  • He is a fair judge.他是一位公正的审判员。
  • Teachers always judge their students on the final examination.老师常根据期末考试来评价他们的学生。
adj.有力的,有权力的,强大的
  • The UN began to get more and more powerful.联合国开始变得越来越强大了。
  • Such are the most powerful voices of our times!这些就是我们时代的最有力的声音!
adv.因此,所以
  • He was busy,therefore,he couldn't come.他忙得很,所以没有来。
  • He was very tired and therefore he fell sound asleep.他非常疲劳,因此就睡熟了。
adv.(=for ever)永远;总是
  • Teacher is powerful in a child's eyes forever.老师在孩子们的心中永远是强者。
  • You can't depend on your parents forever.你不能永远依赖你父母。
ad.没有希望地, 令人绝望地
  • She never gets anywhere on time. She's hopelessly disorganized. 她从不准时,做事无头绪,简直无可救药。
  • She's hopelessly headstrong; she always gets up against people around her. 她任性得无要救药,老是同周围的人闹别扭。
adj.能谅解的;通情达理的;n.理解
  • We must have a clear understanding of the problem.我们对这一问题必须有一个清醒的认识。
  • Because she is understanding,people around her confide in her.因为她通情达理,周围的人都相信她。
变软,软化
  • Her eyes, softening, caressed his face. 她的眼光变得很温柔了。它们不住地爱抚他的脸。 来自汉英文学 - 家(1-26) - 家(1-26)
  • He might think my brain was softening or something of the kind. 他也许会觉得我婆婆妈妈的,已经成了个软心肠的人了。
v.aux.(主要用于第一人称)将
  • I shall always love you.我将永远爱你。
  • Which club shall we join?我们要参加哪个社团?
adj.已婚的;与…结婚的
  • I heard John got married.我听说约翰结婚了。
  • They got married last autumn.他们在去年秋季结婚。
n.人,家伙;伙伴,同事;对等者,对手;一对中之一,配对物;adj.同伴的,同事的
  • I can't stand that fellow.我不能容忍那家伙。
  • Who's that old fellow?那个老家伙是谁?
n.呼吸,气息,微风,迹象,精神,一种说话的声音
  • I'm just going out for a breath of fresh air.我正要出去呼吸新鲜空气。
  • While climbing up the stairs the old man always loses his breath.那老人上楼时总是气喘吁吁的。
n.欢喜,乐事,高兴;vt.使快乐,令人高兴;vi.欢喜
  • To my great joy,my lost watch was found.使我极为高兴的是我丢失的手表找到了。
  • It is very difficult to describe my joy in words.我的快乐难以用语言来形容。
prep.对于,关于,接近,将近,向,朝
  • Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
  • Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了,并跑了过去。
n.堆,顶;警察( cop的名词复数 )
  • As usual, the cops get the baddies in the end. 跟平常一样,警察最后把坏人都抓起来了。
  • Somebody call the cops! 去个人报警啊!
n.警察;vt.抓住
  • The cop told him to button his lip.警察叫他闭嘴。
  • The robber was overpowered by the cop.抢劫犯被警察制伏。
n.男人,雄性动物;adj.男性的,属于雄性的,有力的
  • This flower is a male.这朵花是雄性植物。
  • This is a male magazine.这是一本男性杂志。
adj.王室的,皇家的;堂皇的,盛大的;极大的,第一流的
  • Most European royal families are connected with each other.欧洲大部分王室都有姻亲关系。
  • His grandfather was a royal duke.他的祖父是王室公爵。
v.立基于
  • The movie is based on a real-life incident. 这部电影以现实生活中的一件事为基础。
  • In borderline cases teachers will take the final decision, based on the student's previous work. 在难以定夺的情况下,教师将根据学生先前的作业做出最终评分。
n.整个活动;运动( movement的名词复数 );动作;移动;调动
  • Don't make any sudden movements. 不要突然地做任何动作。
  • The long sleeves of her dress embarrassed her movements. 她衣服的长袖子妨碍她的行动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.抽水机,打气筒;v.抽水,打气,盘问
  • Shall I stop the pump?我可以停泵吗?
  • He has a bicycle pump.他有一个自行车打气筒。
n.存在;生存;生命存在,生命,人, 本质;art.在,有,是
  • Can you explain to me the purpose of being?你能对我解释一下存在的目的吗?
  • What is the purpose of our being?我们生存的目的是什么?
学英语单词
aerial photographicsurvey
Akkol
barium hyposulfite
bebreak
betwine
block altitude
Blue Vinney
bone-glass
boundary bulkhead
Broughton Astley
Calycanthus
cardinal principle
CCL1
clearing-out sale
clinker void
cold rolled drawing sheet
communications act 2003
competition site
control language statement
depoliticalizations
distortion of lattice
distributed management facility
Dukes' disease
dusky-colored
dypnone
economic life time
electronic density
end relief angle
epi-dihydrotestosterone
excretory cell
falc
farmingville
fixer-uppers
focked
germanic oxide
gigaku (japan)
governing mechanism
gypsiorthid
Hemsleya chinensis
intercropped
international silk association
Jubilee, Year of
juvenile case
kalt
lelyly
logarithmic wind shear law
M.a.s
magnetic bit extractor
manufacturing information
municipal tax
Myrtillocactus
no voltage relay
non linear field theory
non-executive function
on general release
out of relation to
over-engineer
overcrowded city
PCTCP
phenolphtalein
Pola de Lena
post-modem
postvulcanization
pressurized fluidized bed combustion combined cycle units
pyranosides
radiobiological effect
rain storm
rube goldbergs
Schlenk flask
self-caused
Severodvinsk
sharing electron
ship-shore radio teletypewriter
shot of chain
skister
solids flow meter
sound stage width
special weapon security
spin-wave resonance
squared rubble
steam temperature control(stc)
supercompany
superleagues
switch oil tight
the pleasures of flesh
the subconscious
thrust-journal plain bearing
toppy
torpifies
toxic inflammation
triplate
turning period
tuymans
urostealith
vapor air mixture
viaticum
vibro beam accelerometer
virial theorem
vivacest
waiting-time
weathering capacity
yellow lady-slipper