2007年NPR美国国家公共电台二月-Making a Difference

You know, Dave Murphy's story is the kind of amazing American tale we often find when we listen to StoryCorps. That travel oral history project records everyday Americans often talking about their work, like Walter Fahey who walked the streets of Boston as a police officer for decades. He's now retired¹ and he recently spoke² with his son Bill about his time on the job.

"I was a cop. A good reputation on the street is I never looked down on people, so that's why I lasted 40 years."

"As a policeman, a lot of people burn out early, get out as quick as they could get out, you didn't wanna leave? "

"No, remember the time they made me a detective, and I hated it. Then I one day sat down and wrote a resignation³ to Mickey Roach who was then police commissioner⁴. He called me up and was like nobody's ever quit. I said, I gotta get back on the street. He said, "you are getting older, isn't it?" I gotta get back on the street where I make a difference. And the last years of my career I went back to what I did best."

"Wasn't it in the 60s, you stopped that girl from jumping off the building?"

"She was 15 years old. And I stood up on that roof for an hour and a half and I said, if she jumps, I'm gonna jump. "

"What did you say to her?"

"Well, I told her, I said, hey, you are only a kid. Life is worth living. And she started crying. She gave me a hug and said thank you for not letting me kill myself. She went on to have four children. I presume⁵ she's still alive today, she's probably a grandmother. "

"What was the most frightened you ever were on the job?"

"Be shot at twice, hit by a car twice, thrown off a porch⁶ once, say and that's a good one. "

"Of all the violence you had to see every day, well, how did you turn it off? "

"By coming home to a loving wife, loving children and just go back to work the next day like nothing ever happened. Life goes on. There's nothing we can do about it."

"Would you ever just wanna see any of your grandchildren become policeman? "

"If it's their choice, I'd be proud to pin a badge⁷ on one of my grand kids."

Retired police officer Walter Fahey with his son Bill in Boston.

He spoke in a StoryCorps booth. And you hear stories like this every Friday morning on Morning Edition. This interview will be archived at the American Folk Life Center at the Library of Congress along with all the others. And you can hear more of them at npr.org.

Major funding for StoryCorps comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
 

1 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 resignation   

n.放弃，辞职，反抗

参考例句：

• He handed in his resignation right after the cabinet meeting.内阁会议一开完，他就提出了辞呈。
• They asked for his resignation with one voice.他们一致要求他辞职。

4 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

5 presume   

vt.姑且认定，假定，推测，认为是理所当然；vi.假设，越权行事

参考例句：

• We mustn't presume too much upon the reliability of such sources.我们不应过分指望这类消息来源的可靠性。
• You had better presume no such thing.你最好不要这样设想。

6 porch   

n.门廊，入口处，走廊，游廊

参考例句：

• There are thousands of pages of advertising on our porch.有成千上万页广告堆在我们的门廊上。
• The porch is supported by six immense pillars.门廊由六根大柱子支撑着。

7 badge   

n.徽章，证章，标记，标识，象征

参考例句：

• Every student should carry a school badge.每个学生都应该佩带校徽。
• The olive leaf is a badge of peace.橄榄叶是和平的象征。