美国国家公共电台 NPR What About America Are You Thankful For? Tell Us
时间：2019-01-17 作者：英语课 分类：2018年NPR美国国家公共电台11月
RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
There's been a lot of division in our country as of late, with a lot of words thrown around that pull us apart. We wanted to spend a few minutes now thinking about how words do something different - how they bring us together. And to do that, our friend, poet and contributor Kwame Alexander joins me now in the studio with some words of unity 1. Good morning, my friend.
KWAME ALEXANDER: Good morning, Rachel.
MARTIN: Nice to see you.
ALEXANDER: You too.
MARTIN: So we know this, right? Words have long been used to divide people, but they can do the opposite. They can bring peace. They can bring solace 2. It is Thanksgiving time just in a few short weeks. And so it's worthwhile to spend some time thinking about how words can heal.
ALEXANDER: That's right, Rachel. I think sometimes in the midst of all the news and daily woes 3, we forget about the wonder. We forget to be thankful for our loved ones, for our friends, for our jobs, for our country. I think the real beauty of our country is that we have the freedom to use our words to find our voices and lift them. And as you and I both know, the right words can offer us hope and healing, like in Claude McKay's patriotic 4 poem "America," which acknowledges the woes along with the wonder.
MARTIN: OK. Read some for us.
ALEXANDER: Although she feeds me bread of bitterness and sinks into my throat her tiger's tooth, stealing my breath of life, I will confess I love this cultured hell that tests my youth. Her vigor 5 flows like tides into my blood, giving me strength erect 6 against her hate. Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood. Yet, as a rebel fronts a king in state, I stand within her walls with not a shred 7 of terror, malice 8, not a word of jeer 9. Darkly I gaze into the days ahead and see her might and granite 10 wonders there beneath the touch of Time's unerring hand like priceless treasures sinking in the sand.
I think in this poem, McKay is showing us that he is critical while still having praise and being thankful all at the same time.
MARTIN: All right. So we have a challenge for our listeners - right? - about this, about being thankful as we approach Thanksgiving and specifically expressing what we're thankful for when it comes to America.
ALEXANDER: And there are no limits here. You can be free with it, any style that helps communicate your thankfulness. I mean, it could even be a list of things.
MARTIN: A list of things. What do you mean?
ALEXANDER: Like, a list poem.
MARTIN: A list poem. OK.
ALEXANDER: Yeah. Like, for instance...
MARTIN: Say more.
ALEXANDER: If I were to ask you what about this beautiful country are you thankful for, Rachel - and I'll prompt you...
MARTIN: OK.
ALEXANDER: Because America...
MARTIN: ...Is complicated.
ALEXANDER: Because America...
MARTIN: ...Is open.
ALEXANDER: And just like that, we can create this list of things that...
MARTIN: OK.
ALEXANDER: ...Really resonate with that thankfulness.
MARTIN: Yeah, I get it. OK. We want to hear your entries. We want to hear your America thankful poems. So send us those. You can send your entries to npr.org/morningpoem. And before we let you go, Kwame, you bought - you brought a friend with you today, a musician who's worked with you for a long time.
ALEXANDER: Yes. I mean, to inspire us in writing our thankfulness, I brought along my man, Randy Preston, with a song you may be familiar with.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL")
RANDY PRESTON: (Singing) O beautiful for spacious 11 skies, for amber 12 waves of grain...
- When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
- We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。
- They sought solace in religion from the harshness of their everyday lives.他们日常生活很艰难，就在宗教中寻求安慰。
- His acting career took a nosedive and he turned to drink for solace.演艺事业突然一落千丈，他便借酒浇愁。
- Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
- She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。
- His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
- The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。
- The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
- She didn't want to be reminded of her beauty or her former vigor.现在，她不愿人们提起她昔日的美丽和以前的精力充沛。
- She held her head erect and her back straight.她昂着头，把背挺得笔直。
- Soldiers are trained to stand erect.士兵们训练站得笔直。
- There is not a shred of truth in what he says.他说的全是骗人的鬼话。
- The food processor can shred all kinds of vegetables.这架食品加工机可将各种蔬菜切丝切条。
- I detected a suggestion of malice in his remarks.我觉察出他说的话略带恶意。
- There was a strong current of malice in many of his portraits.他的许多肖像画中都透着一股强烈的怨恨。
- Do not jeer at the mistakes or misfortunes of others.不要嘲笑别人的错误或不幸。
- The children liked to jeer at the awkward students.孩子们喜欢嘲笑笨拙的学生。
- They squared a block of granite.他们把一块花岗岩加工成四方形。
- The granite overlies the older rocks.花岗岩躺在磨损的岩石上面。
- Our yard is spacious enough for a swimming pool.我们的院子很宽敞，足够建一座游泳池。
- The room is bright and spacious.这房间很豁亮。