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AMERICAN STORIES - the Turtle

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AMERICAN STORIES - the Turtle
By

Broadcast: Saturday, October 16, 2004

Now the VOA Special English program "American stories". Today's story is called "the Turtle". It was written by George Buklage. Here is Shep O'Neal with the story.

Old Joe and his son Tony were on their way to White River to catch some fish. They started on the trip long before the sun came up. Old Joe drove1 the car. Tony slept in the back seat. Joe enjoyed looking at the empty city streets in the early morning. The cool wind blew pieces of paper across the dark road. These days he often felt as empty as the streets. As he grew older, loneliness became a close friend who was always with him. Outside the city, Joe drove slowly down the river road. The dark sky began to grow lighter2. He looked down at his hands and took a deep breath3. Not long ago he had worked hard with those hands, but now they did not do much, just drive the car and hold a fishing stick.

Farther4 on he saw something in the middle of the road, he stopped the car. Tony sat up in the back seat.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a sleepy voice.

"What're we stopping for?"

Old Joe pushed his head forward to see what blocked the road. He turned on the brightest car lights.

"It's one of those fish-killing5 turtles." He said, "It's a big one too."

Tony opened his eyes wide and looked at the strange thing. It was the biggest turtle he had ever seen.Is it dead yet? The two men got out of the car and stood looking down at the turtle. It looked like a large green rock. Suddenly it moved a little and left sharp marks in the dirt. Then it stopped.

"Probably going to the river." Tony said. "These turtles kill fish especially trout6. "They watched it.

"I could crush7 him under the wheels of the car." Tony said, "But he's too big." He looked around and walked to the side of the road. He came back with a long stick. He pushed it in the turtle's face. With one quick movement that turtle bit the stick and broke it into little pieces.

"Look at that!" Tony said softly8, "As strong as a machine."

"He sure is." Old Joe said and moved back, "He must weight a hundred pounds, maybe more."

The turtle pushed his ugly head toward9 the men.

"He thinks there is going to be a fight." Tony said, "I wish I had brought my gun."

"You are not going to kill him, are you?" Old Joe asked.

"Why not?" Tony said, "Turtles kill our fish, don't they? The more trout they eat, the less we can catch."

They both lit cigarettes and stood there smoking10 and looking at the turtle. It had pulled his head inside under the hard cover on his back.

"There is a heavy tool in the car. I can hit him with it." Tony said, "But it is too short. I do not want to put my hand near him, he might try to bite it off."

Old Joe said nothing.

"You watch him," Tony said, "I'll go find something heavy and strong in the back of the car."

Slowly, Joe got closer to the turtle. He smoked and looked at it.

"Poor thing," he said, "It is sad to be caught,now you will be killed."

The turtle pushed a foot out of his hard cover. Old Joe looked at his foot with his sharp cutting claws11.

"It would be different in the water, wouldn't it, turtle?" He said. "In the water, you could cut down your enemies with those short claws. " He thought about the turtle in the water. It would probably move as fast as a bullet12 from a gun. Nothing would try to fight it in the water. Yet here it was in the middle of a dirt road as helpless13 as a baby.

Old Joe dropped his cigarette. Now why was he getting so excited about the turtle? He was an old man and he was acting14 like a child. They were going to White River to catch fish and he was worrying about a turtle.

His son Tony came back from the car holding a heavy tool.

"I think this is long enough," he said, "What do you think?"

"Do you care what I think?" Old Joe said.

Tony answered, "You are worrying about something. What's wrong, Dad?"

"This is not right." Old Joe said slowly and carefully.

The young man was surprised.

"Well, what do you mean?"

"The turtle does not have a chance." Old Joe said, "I do not feel good about killing it."

"You talk like an old woman," Tony said, "a tired old woman."

Old Joe did not look at his son but said, "I can understand how the turtle feels, must be terrible to have no hope."

"You think he does not have a chance?" Tony asked.

"How could he?" answered the old man quietly, "While you have such a heavy weapon."

Tony shook his father's arm. "And that worries you?" he asked. Old Joe looked deep into Tony's eyes.

"That is right." he said, "it worries me."

"Whereof all the foolish things?" Tony answered, "What do you want / me to do , get down on my hands and knees and fighting?"

"No," said his father, "not on your hands and knees. In the water, fight this turtle in the water, where he is at home.

That will be a brave thing, my son."

Tony put the weapon down. He looked at the turtle for a long time. At last, he said, "I think you are sick, Dad." Old Joe smiled.

"It is a thought, my son, just a thought. This old one is weak here on the dirt road, but in the water, he could cut down anyone, anything, even a man. Fight him in the water, Tony, use your weapon in the water."

"The years have changed you." Tony said. Old Joe shook his head.

"This does not seem fair to you, en? To be in the water with this one?" he pointed15 to the turtle. "This seems foolish to you because in the water he could hit you, perhaps even kill you, because in the water you are not as strong as he is."

Tony looked at his father. "What are you trying to prove, Dad?"

"Tony," his father said, "You could kill the turtle here and you will lose nothing, not a finger or a hand or your life, nothing. You can crush him with that weapon and he can not hit you."

"So?" asked Tony.

Old Joe put an arm around the son's broad shoulders.

"So." he answered, "I want you to fight honestly. You should have something to lose too."

Tony looked at his father and then backed to the turtle.

"Any fool can kill a turtle here." Old Joe said. "It is easy."

"That would be easy. Dad," Tony said, " It's only a turtle, you are making it a big thing."

Joe dropped his hands to his sides.

"All right." he said, "Do what you like, I'll say nothing more."

Tony threw the tool into the car, it made a loud crashing sound.

"All right," he shouted angrily, "all right you win." "

No," his father said, "I do not win. You, you win."

"But, Dad," Tony argued, "They do kill fish."

"Yes," agreed Old Joe, "They kill fish, nature lets them do it. The turtle kills fish to eat and live. We kill fish too, we men. Do we kill them so we can live? No, we do it for fun. This old turtle takes what he needs. I do not kill him, I do not act like God."

Tony got into the driver seat and laughed. "Dad, you have strange ideas."

Old Joe walked around behind the turtle and gently pushed it with his shoe. The turtle went forward across the road and into the tall grass. He was going toward the river. Joe watched until he could not see that turtle any longer. Then he got into the car beside his son. The two men sat and looked at each other.

The sun was coming up strong now, and the sky was bright. Tony started the engine. Old Joe brought out his cigarettes. They sat and smoked and looked at each other. Then they started to smile. The car moved slowly along the dirt road toward the morning sun. They did not stop until they reached the quiet waters of White River.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 drove brAxi     
vbl.驾驶,drive的过去式;n.畜群
参考例句:
  • He drove at a speed of sixty miles per hour.他以每小时60英里的速度开车。
  • They drove foreign goods out of the market.他们把外国货驱逐出市场。
2 lighter 5pPzPR     
n.打火机,点火器;驳船;v.用驳船运送;light的比较级
参考例句:
  • The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色,色调明朗了一些。
  • The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。
3 breath 9SCyv     
n.呼吸,气息,微风,迹象,精神,一种说话的声音
参考例句:
  • I'm just going out for a breath of fresh air.我正要出去呼吸新鲜空气。
  • While climbing up the stairs the old man always loses his breath.那老人上楼时总是气喘吁吁的。
4 farther olHxM     
adj.更远的,进一步的;adv.更远的,此外;far的比较级
参考例句:
  • I can throw the ball farther than you can.这个球我能比你扔得远。
  • The farther hill is five kilometres away.那座更远的小山在五公里以外。
5 killing kpBziQ     
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财
参考例句:
  • Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
  • Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
6 trout PKDzs     
n.鳟鱼;鲑鱼(属)
参考例句:
  • Thousands of young salmon and trout have been killed by the pollution.成千上万的鲑鱼和鳟鱼的鱼苗因污染而死亡。
  • We hooked a trout and had it for breakfast.我们钓了一条鳟鱼,早饭时吃了。
7 crush jy4xx     
v.压垮,压倒,压服,镇压;压碎,碾碎
参考例句:
  • This machine is made to crush the rock into powder.这台机器是用来把石头压成碎末的。
  • You can't crush so many people into the classroom.不能让这么多人挤进教室。
8 softly HiIzR4     
adv.柔和地,静静地,温柔地
参考例句:
  • He speaks too softly for her to hear.他讲话声音太轻,她听不见。
  • She breathed her advice softly.她低声劝告。
9 toward on6we     
prep.对于,关于,接近,将近,向,朝
参考例句:
  • Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
  • Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了,并跑了过去。
10 smoking NilzKh     
n.吸烟,抽烟;冒烟
参考例句:
  • He was wise to give up smoking.他戒烟是明智的。
  • He has decided to cut out smoking and drinking.他已决心戒烟、戒酒。
11 claws ffbb278337131c55f78ce543de4e55fb     
n.爪( claw的名词复数 );(有壳水生动物的)螯;爪形夹具;(机械的)爪
参考例句:
  • the claws of a crab 螃蟹的螯
  • The lion's claws had gouged a wound in the horse's side. 狮爪在马身一侧抓了一道深口。
12 bullet GSUyA     
n.枪弹,子弹
参考例句:
  • The bullet wound in his shoulder was opened up for treatment.切开他肩上的枪伤进行治疗。
  • The bullet missed me by a hair's s breadth.那颗子弹差一点就打中了我。
13 helpless FdAxb     
adj.无助的,无依无靠的;不能自力的
参考例句:
  • The other team was helpless and we had a real field day.对方队很弱,我们轻易取胜。
  • They felt helpless to do anything about it.他们对这事感到无能为力。
14 acting czRzoc     
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
参考例句:
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
15 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

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