美国国家公共电台 NPR Sword Swallower Makes Triumphant Return As He Battles Severe Health Issues

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

We're going to spend the next few minutes talking with artists and performers who are taking their work in new directions. And we're going to start with Johnny Fox. Fox is a sword swallower whose humor and bravado¹ have made him a beloved figure to audiences at the Maryland Renaissance² Festival. He's been performing there for nearly 40 years. And as Tara Boyle tells us, he's back this year even as he deals with serious health problems.

TARA BOYLE, BYLINE³: Johnny Fox has a routine he follows most every time he's on stage. He picks up a small bronze cup, pours a circle of water around him on the floor and utters this phrase.

JOHNNY FOX: Water from India.

BOYLE: Water from India. This protective montra is your clue that Fox is about to do something crazy, like swallowing a 22-inch stainless⁴ steel sword.

FOX: It's gross, but you'll watch.

BOYLE: He's right. Over the years, fans have watched as he throws back his head and swallows all kinds of swords - long ones, short ones, even a neon one whose light glowed through the skin of his throat. He's also been known to swallow a massive screwdriver⁵.

FOX: Twist it around a couple of times so my butt⁶ doesn't fall off and make sure I do it clockwise, not counterclockwise.

BOYLE: This year, Fox isn't swallowing screwdrivers⁷ or swords. He's been sticking to magic tricks and talking with audiences in a way they've never heard before.

FOX: About, oh, March, April, I was told that I was not going to live anymore. They said, You're not going to ever perform again. Forget about it. I said, you don't know who you're talking to.

BOYLE: Fox is being treated for hepatitis C, cirrhosis and liver tumors. He's lost a lot of weight and tires easily these days, but friends and fans are helping⁸ to raise money for his care. And he says he's fiercely optimistic about the future.

FOX: We're all in this crazy, crazy world together. And there's love and there's fear. I choose love.

BOYLE: Tara Boyle, NPR News.

1 bravado   

n.虚张声势，故作勇敢，逞能

参考例句：

• Their behaviour was just sheer bravado. 他们的行为完全是虚张声势。
• He flourished the weapon in an attempt at bravado. 他挥舞武器意在虚张声势。

2 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 stainless   

adj.无瑕疵的，不锈的

参考例句：

• I have a set of stainless knives and forks.我有一套不锈钢刀叉。
• Before the recent political scandal,her reputation had been stainless.在最近的政治丑闻之前，她的名声是无懈可击的。

5 screwdriver   

n.螺丝起子；伏特加橙汁鸡尾酒

参考例句：

• He took a screwdriver and teased out the remaining screws.他拿出螺丝刀把其余的螺丝卸了下来。
• The electric drill can also be used as a screwdriver.这把电钻也可用作螺丝刀。

6 butt   

n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶

参考例句：

• The water butt catches the overflow from this pipe.大水桶盛接管子里流出的东西。
• He was the butt of their jokes.他是他们的笑柄。

7 screwdrivers   

n.螺丝刀( screwdriver的名词复数 )；螺丝起子；改锥；伏特加橙汁鸡尾酒

参考例句：

• No, I have everything: hammer, screwdrivers, all that stuff. 不用了，我什么都有了：锤子、螺丝刀，全套家伙。 来自休闲英语会话
• Aussies are injured each year by using sharp knives instead of screwdrivers. 每年有58个澳洲佬因使用锋利的刀子来代替螺丝刀而受伤。 来自互联网

8 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。