欢乐美语:A Country Fair 集市探奇

INTRODUCTION TO ACT I

Today on TUNING¹ IN THE U.S.A., we’re on the road with Richard Stewart and Andreas Pappas. Andreas is a visitor from Greece, and he is a cousin of one of the Stewarts’ friends, Alexandra Pappas. Richard and Andreas are traveling to Nashville, Tennessee. They are becoming good friends. And they are learning² more about America. Soon they find themselves near a country festival, and they decide to make a stop.

ACT I

Richard: Wait a minute! Let’s listen to that station, Andreas! Do you know that kind of music?

Andreas: Yes, I heard something like it once before.

Richard: That’s fiddle³ music. It’s a real American kind of music. Country music, from the mountains.

Andreas: Why do they call it “fiddle”?

Richard: Because in country music, a violin is called a fiddle. F-I-D-D-L-E. Hey, listen to that fiddle player! He’s quick.

Andreas: Richard, I hear more than just violins-I mean, fiddles⁴. Isn’t there a guitar, too?

Richard: You have a good ear. You’re right. There is a guitar. Hey, Andreas, what town are we near right now?

Andreas: I don’t know. I’ll take a look at the map.

Announcer⁵: You’re listening to music coming to you live from the fifty-third annual Richwood, West Virginia, Country fair.

An: Hey, listen to her?

Ri: Who? The woman is speaking on the radio? What did you hear?

An: She said nothing unusual, but her accent is unusual. Her way of speaking.

Ri: Yes. To people from my part of the country, she does have a strong accent.

An: What kind of accent do you call that?

Ri: That’s a southern accent. Hey, you do have a good ear.

Performer: Thank you. Now, we’d like to play for you a favorite song of our family. I know it’s a favorite of your family, too. Here we go! One, two, three…

[The fiddle music on the radio starts again.]

An: Richard, look at that sign. There, that one.

Ri: Which one? Oh, I see it. “Welcome to Richwood, West Virginia.”

An: Yes, we just heard it on the radio. It’s the home of the county⁶ fair.

Ri: Hey, we have to make a stop anyway. We’re low on gas. Let’s find a gas station in Richwood and hit the county fair!

An: “Hit” the county fair?

Ri: To hit the fair, Andreas, means to visit the fair, to take in the fair, to enjoy the fair. It means let’s go to the county fair!

An: What will we find at a county fair?

Ri: Oh, music, crafts⁷, animals, and food.

An: Food! Let’s hit the fair!

Introduction to act II

This time on Tuning in the U.S.A., Richard Stewart and Andreas Pappas stop at a county fair in West Virginia. A county fair is a fun place to be. There is usually music, and there is always good food, as Richard and Andreas discover. A county fair is a place for people to meet. Farmers show their best animals. And people show and sell their crafts. At the county fair, Richard will find another subject for his book of photographs, Family Album, U.S.A.

Act II

Richard: Andreas, look at all that food! Are you hungry?

Andreas: I sure am. I can’t believe my eyes!

Woman: Then believe your stomachs, fellows. Don’t be shy. Step right up, and have a piece of homemade pie.

Ri: There are so many kinds of pie.

Wo: Twelve kinds, to be exact. You must not be from around these parts.

Ri: No, we’re not. We’re just passing through, on our way to Nashville, Tennessee.

Wo: Well, you’re lucky to find us. People come from all over for these pies. What kind would you like?

Ri: What do you recommend?

Wo: Pecan.

An: What’s pecan?

Ri: Pecan is a kind of nut. It makes great pie. What do you say, Andreas? Ok. Two pieces of pecan pie.

Wo: [She gives them their pie.] There you go. Help yourself to a napkin and a fork. And welcome to the county fair!

Ri: Thanks.

An: Thank you.

Ri: Mmm. Oh, I think I’m in heaven. This is delicious!

An: It sure is. We were lucky to find the county fair.

Ri: There are lots of county fairs, you know.

An: This isn’t the only one?

Ri: Oh, no. Every state has a number of counties⁸. And most counties have a fair. Listen! What’s that sound?

An: [He listens.] I don’t know. Let’s find out.

Ri: I think the sound is coming from over there. It’s a blacksmith⁹! You don’t see them much anymore.

An: A blacksmith?

Ri: You know. He makes shoes for horses, and metal tools. [He shouts to the blacksmith.] Excuse me. May I ask you something?

Blacksmith: Sure. Go ahead.

Ri: I’m Richard Stewart. I’m a photographer. I’m taking photographs for a book about America and Americans. I call it Family Album, U.S.A. May I take a picture of you working?

Bl: Of course, you can! I come to county fairs because I want people to see my work.

Ri: Tell us about your work.

Bl: What can I tell you? I’m a craftsman¹⁰, a blacksmith. I like the old ways. I work with my hands.

Ri: Tell us about that tool in your hands.

Bl: This hammer? My grandfather used this hammer. It still works¹¹ perfectly¹². Watch. [He uses the hammer.]

Ri: Beautiful!

1 tuning   

n.调谐，调整，调音v.调音( tune的现在分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• They are tuning up a plane on the flight line. 他们正在机场的飞机跑道上调试一架飞机。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The orchestra are tuning up. 管弦乐队在定弦。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

3 fiddle   

n.小提琴；vi.拉提琴；不停拨弄，乱动

参考例句：

• She plays the fiddle well.她小提琴拉得好。
• Don't fiddle with the typewriter.不要摆弄那架打字机了。

4 fiddles   

n.小提琴( fiddle的名词复数 )；欺诈；（需要运用手指功夫的）细巧活动；当第二把手v.伪造( fiddle的第三人称单数 )；篡改；骗取；修理或稍作改动

参考例句：

• He fiddles with his papers on the table. 他抚弄着桌子上那些报纸。 来自辞典例句
• The annual Smithsonian Festival of American Folk Life celebrates hands-hands plucking guitars and playing fiddles. 一年一度的美国民间的“史密斯索尼安节”是赞美人的双手的节日--弹拔吉他的手，演奏小提琴的手。 来自辞典例句

5 announcer   

n.宣布者；电(视)台播音员，报幕员

参考例句：

• The radio announcer said it was nine o'clock.电台播音员报时9点整。
• The announcer tells the listeners what programme comes next.广播员告诉听众下一个是什么节目。

6 county   

n.县，郡

参考例句：

• When the good news reached there,the whole county rejoiced.喜讯传到那里时，全县的人都欢欣鼓舞起来。
• In that year county after county fell to the enemy.那一年一个又一个的县城沦入敌人手中。

7 crafts   

n.工艺( craft的名词复数 )；行业；飞机；飞行器

参考例句：

• traditional crafts like basket-weaving 像编篮子之类的传统工艺
• an arts and crafts emporium 工艺品商店

8 counties   

郡，县( county的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The deposits spread for 100 kilometers across four counties. 这些矿藏绵延一百公里，跨越四个县。
• The Jinggang Mountains stand where the boundaries of four counties meet. 井冈山位于四县之交。

9 blacksmith   

n.铁匠，锻工

参考例句：

• The blacksmith is hammering the red-hot metal.铁匠正在锤烧红的铁。
• The blacksmith forged a bar of iron into a hook.铁匠把一根铁条锻造成一个钩子。

10 craftsman   

n.技工，精于一门工艺的匠人

参考例句：

• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。
• The craftsman is working up the mass of clay into a toy figure.艺人把一团泥捏成玩具形状。

11 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

12 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。