2006年NPR美国国家公共电台一月-Communicating Through Karaoke
时间：2018-12-17 作者：英语课 分类：2006年NPR美国国家公共电台
英语课
Karaoke’s made its way from Japanese bars all the way to little kids’ birthday parties and video games. For commentator 1 Andrew Lam and his family, Karaoke’s become more than entertainment.
On the recent occasion of my uncle’s sixty years birthday, my clan 2 gathered from all over the country to celebrate. Instead of gifts, however, he had an unusual birthday wish: every one was asked to sing a song on the karaoke.
What began as an amusing exercise in merriment turned quickly into something I can only now describe as our first and only session of family group therapy. When it comes to matters close to the heart, my family is notoriously inexpressive. We rarely ever communicate to one another what we really feel. Immigrants and refugees from Vietnam, we often digest our losses and sorrows differently and alone. My uncle, who was going through a painful divorce, had not been able to convey to the family his profound sadness. He was still in love with his wife, but she had had it with him. He masks this with jokes and once said , while drunk , Vietnamese men don’t cry outward, all tears flow inward back into the heart.
But what we could not talk about, we discovered that some of us could at least sing out aloud. Thus the cousin whose wife took off with their daughter and left him high and dry sang Delilah, with a heart-breaking voice. And we managed to tell him that we were sorry for his troubles by singing along with every refrain. "Why, why, why Delilah, my, my, my Delilah"
Another aunt, now in declining health, took the mike to sing the theme song of Doctor Zhivago, dedicating it to the rest of us. “God speed my love,” She sang gamely in a hoarse 3 whisper, “till you are mine again.”
My uncle’s turn and he chose a Vietnamese song titled "Come with Me, I Will Always Love You". His voice was beautiful but halfway 4 through, he choked. Another aunt had to sing the rest of the song while my uncle cried. His tears were flowing outward finally and in front of everyone. As I listened to my relatives sing, it occurred to me that words “when song are turned poetic” become somehow acceptable in an Asian immigrant society where love and resentment 5 often flow subterraneously 6.
And what song did I sing at my uncle’s birthday party? I sang a few, but the one I dedicated 7 to my entire clan was Carole King’s "You’ve Got a Friend". You know the lyrics 8: "when you are down and troubled, and you need our help and care, and nothing, nothing is going right. Close your eyes and think of me. And soon I will be there to brighten even your darkest night." It was how I felt and I just went with it. In front of the family, I too, sang my heart out.
"~~ I'll be there. Ain't it good to know that you've got a friend ~~"
WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS:
clan 家庭
merriment 欢喜，嘻戏
have had it 受够了, 忍无可忍了
hoarse 嘶哑的
resentment 怨恨
subterraneous 地下的, 隐匿的
On the recent occasion of my uncle’s sixty years birthday, my clan 2 gathered from all over the country to celebrate. Instead of gifts, however, he had an unusual birthday wish: every one was asked to sing a song on the karaoke.
What began as an amusing exercise in merriment turned quickly into something I can only now describe as our first and only session of family group therapy. When it comes to matters close to the heart, my family is notoriously inexpressive. We rarely ever communicate to one another what we really feel. Immigrants and refugees from Vietnam, we often digest our losses and sorrows differently and alone. My uncle, who was going through a painful divorce, had not been able to convey to the family his profound sadness. He was still in love with his wife, but she had had it with him. He masks this with jokes and once said , while drunk , Vietnamese men don’t cry outward, all tears flow inward back into the heart.
But what we could not talk about, we discovered that some of us could at least sing out aloud. Thus the cousin whose wife took off with their daughter and left him high and dry sang Delilah, with a heart-breaking voice. And we managed to tell him that we were sorry for his troubles by singing along with every refrain. "Why, why, why Delilah, my, my, my Delilah"
Another aunt, now in declining health, took the mike to sing the theme song of Doctor Zhivago, dedicating it to the rest of us. “God speed my love,” She sang gamely in a hoarse 3 whisper, “till you are mine again.”
My uncle’s turn and he chose a Vietnamese song titled "Come with Me, I Will Always Love You". His voice was beautiful but halfway 4 through, he choked. Another aunt had to sing the rest of the song while my uncle cried. His tears were flowing outward finally and in front of everyone. As I listened to my relatives sing, it occurred to me that words “when song are turned poetic” become somehow acceptable in an Asian immigrant society where love and resentment 5 often flow subterraneously 6.
And what song did I sing at my uncle’s birthday party? I sang a few, but the one I dedicated 7 to my entire clan was Carole King’s "You’ve Got a Friend". You know the lyrics 8: "when you are down and troubled, and you need our help and care, and nothing, nothing is going right. Close your eyes and think of me. And soon I will be there to brighten even your darkest night." It was how I felt and I just went with it. In front of the family, I too, sang my heart out.
"~~ I'll be there. Ain't it good to know that you've got a friend ~~"
WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS:
clan 家庭
merriment 欢喜，嘻戏
have had it 受够了, 忍无可忍了
hoarse 嘶哑的
resentment 怨恨
subterraneous 地下的, 隐匿的
1 commentator
n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员
- He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
- The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。
2 clan
n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派
- She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
- The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。
3 hoarse
adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的
- He asked me a question in a hoarse voice.他用嘶哑的声音问了我一个问题。
- He was too excited and roared himself hoarse.他过于激动，嗓子都喊哑了。
4 halfway
adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途
- We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
- In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。
5 resentment
n.怨愤，忿恨
- All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
- She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。