VOA慢速英语2015 收集秘密的男人

The Man Who Collects Secrets 收集秘密的男人

Some people collect postage stamps -- the small pieces of paper you place on letters or postcards before mailing them. Other people collect works of art, antiques² or musical instruments. But a man in the American state of Maryland collects…secrets.

For the past 10 years, people from throughout the world have been sending Frank Warren postcards and other objects with secrets written on them. He now has a million secrets.

“It’s a drawing of an elevator. And the secret says: ‘I feel guilty when I take elevators for one floor, so I limp³ when I get out.’”

Mr. Warren lives in Germantown, Maryland, near Washington, D.C. Ten years ago, he created an art project he calls “PostSecret.”

“I invited strangers from all around the world to write down their deepest confession⁴ on a postcard, something they’d never told anyone else before, but something that was true. And I asked them to mail it to my home anonymously⁵.”

People send him postcards, other objects and emails telling their secrets. Every Sunday, he chooses 10 secrets and puts them on the PostSecret website.

“The way I choose to see it is someone is finally finding the strength and courage to make their heart vulnerable⁶.”

Mr. Warren says he created PostSecret so people would have a safe place in which to share their secrets.

“I was struggling with secrets in my own life. And it was by creating this safe place where others could share their secrets with me without judgment⁷ -- anonymously -- I think that space was something I needed just as much as they did.”

He has published six books full of the secrets people have shared with him. One secret in each book is his.

Eric Perry delivers mail for the U.S. Postal⁸ Service. He has brought thousands of secrets to Mr. Warren’s home over the past three years.

“I have a couple of the books that Frank’s given me and I’ve read 'em all and my family’s looked at em all and it’s, it’s wild!”

The project itself was once one of Mr. Warren’s secrets. His wife Jan did not know exactly what he was doing until the first book was published.

“The publisher actually called me, and told me that the address was going to be on the book, and I said ‘No, it’s not.’ And she said, ‘Yes, it is -- it’s in the contract.’ And I said, ‘No, it’s not!’ I mean, I was really...I wasn’t very happy about that.”

Some people tell Frank Warren of their secret desire to kill themselves. So he and the PostSecret community have raised more than $1 million to help prevent suicides⁹.

Words in This Story

postcard – n. a card on which a message may be sent by mail without an envelope and that often has a picture on one side

antique¹ – n. art, furniture, jewelry¹⁰ or other objects that were made at an earlier time and are often valuable

elevator – n. a machine used for carrying people and things to different levels in a building

limp – v. to walk in a slow and awkward¹¹ way because of an injury to a leg or foot

confession – n. a written or spoken statement in which you say that you have done something wrong or committed a crime

anonymously – adv. being done by a person who is not named or identified

wild – informal/adj. very enjoyable, lively, interesting or exciting

1 antique   

adj.古时的，古代的；n.古物，古器，古玩

参考例句：

• The Sunday antique market is a happy hunting ground for collectors.周日的古董市场是收藏家的淘物乐园。
• I saw the vase in the window of an antique shop.我在一家古玩店的橱窗里看见了这个花瓶。

2 antiques   

n.古玩，古董，古物( antique的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The room was furnished with antiques. 房间里摆放了古董。
• a priceless collection of antiques 价值连城的古文物收藏

3 limp   

adj.软弱的，无精神的，松沓的；vi.蹒跚；n.跛行

参考例句：

• His limp is result of a car accident last year.他的跛足是去年一次车祸所致的结果。
• He gave her a limp,cold handshake.他有气无力且冷淡地与她握了一下手。

4 confession   

n.自白，供认，承认

参考例句：

• Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。
• The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。

5 anonymously   

ad.用匿名的方式

参考例句：

• The manuscripts were submitted anonymously. 原稿是匿名送交的。
• Methods A self-administered questionnaire was used to survey 536 teachers anonymously. 方法采用自编“中小学教师职业压力问卷”对536名中小学教师进行无记名调查。

6 vulnerable   

adj.易受伤的，脆弱的，易受攻击的

参考例句：

• He volunteered to protect her as she looked so vulnerable.她看上去很脆弱，他就主动去保护她。
• The company is in an economically vulnerable position.该公司目前经济状况不稳定。

7 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

8 postal   

adj.邮政的，邮局的

参考例句：

• A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。

9 suicides   

n.自杀( suicide的名词复数 )；自取灭亡；自杀者；自杀性行为

参考例句：

• Since when do suicides miss twice, lay down a rug and start over? 自杀什么时候会失手二次后铺好地毯然后再试一次？ 来自电影对白
• Chris: And the reality is suicides go to hell? 克里斯：而现实就是自杀者要下地狱？ 来自互联网

10 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

11 awkward   

adj.笨拙的，尴尬的，使用不便的，难处理的

参考例句：

• John is so shy and awkward that everyone notices him.约翰如此害羞狼狈，以至于大家都注意到了他。
• I was the only man among the guests and felt rather awkward.作为客人中的唯一男性，我有些窘迫。