自考英语综合一下册课文 lesson 1

　　[00:00.00]Text    The Story of an Hour

[00:06.40]They knew that Louise Mallard had a weak heart.

[00:11.36]So they broke the bad news gently.Her husband,Brently,was dead.

[00:18.63]"There was a train accident,Louise,"said her sister Josephine,quietly.

[00:25.29]Her husband's friend,Richards,brought the news,but Josephine told the story.

[00:33.04]She spoke 1 in broken sentences.

[00:37.49]"Richards...was at the newspaper office.

[00:43.36]News of the accident came.Louise..Louise,Brently's name was on the list.

[00:52.74]Brently...was killed,Louise."

[00:57.29]Louise did not hear the story calmly,like some women would.

[01:03.53]She could not close her mind or her heart to the news.

[01:09.56]Like a sudden 2 storm,her tears broke out.

[01:15.21]She cried,at once,loudly in her sister's arms.

[01:21.87]Then,just as suddenly,the tears stopped.

[01:27.14]She went to her room alone.She would not let anyone follow her.

[01:33.68]In front of the window stood a large,comfortable armchair.

[01:39.11]Into this she sank and looked out of the window.

[01:44.15]She was physically 3 exhausted 4 after her tears.

[01:49.30]Her body felt cold;her mind and heart were empty.

[01:55.57]Outside her window she could see the trees.

[02:00.22]The air smelled like spring rain.She could hear someone singing far away.

[02:08.26]Birds sang near the house.Blue sky showed between the clouds.She rested.

[02:16.72]She sat quietly,but a few weak tears still fell.

[02:23.88]She was young,with a fair,calm face that showed a certain strength.

[02:31.93]But now there was a dull stare in her eyes.

[02:37.99]She looked out of the window at the blue sky.

[02:42.56]She was not thinking,or seeing.She was waiting.

[02:48.91]There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it with fear.

[02:56.07]What was it?She did not know.It was too subtle 5 to name.

[03:03.14]But she felt it creeping 6 out of the sky.

[03:08.79]It was reaching her through the sound,the smell,the color that filled the air.

[03:17.43]Slowly she became excited.Her breath 7 came fast;

[03:23.28]her heart beat faster.She was beginning to recognize the thing that was approaching to take her.

[03:31.23]She tried to beat it back with her will,but failed.

[03:37.29]Her mind was as weak as her two small white hands.

[03:43.56]When she stopped fighting against it,a little word broke from her lips 8.

[03:51.31]"Free,"she whispered 9.

[03:55.36]"Free,free,free!"The dull stare and look of fear went from her eyes.

[04:05.42]They stayed keen 10 and bright.

[04:09.97]Her heart beat fast,and the blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body.

[04:18.72]A sudden feeling of joy held her.

[04:23.89]She did not ask if her joy was wrong.

[04:28.54]She saw her freedom clearly and could not stop to think of smaller things.

[04:36.61]She knew that she would weep 11 again when she saw her husband's body.

[04:43.56]The kind hands,now dead and still.

[04:48.84]The loving face,now fixed 12 and gray.

[04:54.11]But she looked into the future and saw many long years to come

[05:01.24]that would belong to her alone.

[05:05.97]And now she opened and spread her arms out to those years in welcome.

[05:13.84]There would be no one else to live for during those years.

[05:19.40]She would live for herself alone.

[05:23.45]There would be no powerful 13 will bending hers.

[05:29.01]Men and women always believe they can tell others what to do and how to think.

[05:36.17]Suddenly Louise understood that this was wrong

[05:41.45]and that she could break away and be free of it.

[05:46.80]And yet,she had loved him sometimes.Often she had not.

[05:54.25]What did love mean now?

[05:58.32]Now she understood that freedom is stronger than love.

[06:03.78]"Free!Body and soul free!"she kept whispering 14.

[06:11.44]Her sister Josephine was waiting outside the door.

[06:16.16]"Please open the door,"Josephine cried.

[06:22.01]"You will make yourself sick.

[06:26.17]What are you doing in there,Louise?Please,please,let me in!"

[06:33.61]"Go away.I am not making myself sick.

[06:39.20]"No,she was drinking in life through that open window.

　　[06:45.26]She thought joyfully 15 of all those days before her.

[06:50.91]Spring days,summer days.All kinds of days that would be her own.

[06:58.95]She began to hope life would be long.

[07:03.81]It was only yesterday that life seemed so long!

[07:09.87]After a while she got up and opened the door.

[07:14.63]Her eyes were bright;her cheeks were red.

[07:20.08]She didn't know how strong and well she looked so full of joy.

[07:28.76]They went downstairs,where Richards was waiting.

[07:33.30]Someone was opening the door.

[07:37.14]It was Brently Mallard,who entered,looking dirty and tired,

[07:43.91]carrying a suitcase and an umbrella.

[07:47.96]He was not killed in the accident.

[07:52.53]He didn't even know there had been one.

[07:57.28]He stood surprised at Josephine's sudden cry.

[08:02.43]He didn't understand why Richards moved

[08:07.39]suddenly between them,to hide Louise from her husband.

[08:14.16]But Richards was too late.

[08:19.20]When the doctors came,they said she had died of heart disease 16 of joy that kills.