听力阅读材料：If Only I had Known

If Only I had Known
假如我知道……

Thomas Carlyle lived from 1795 until 1881. He was a Scot essayist and historian. During his lifetime he became one of the world's greatest writers. But he was a human and humans make mistakes.
托马斯卡莱尔（17951881）是苏格兰的散文家和历史学家，也是世界上一流的作家。 但无论这位作家有多么地了不起，他毕竟也是一个凡人，凡人就免不了会犯错误。

On October 17, 1826, Carlyle married his secretary Jane Welsh. She was an intelligent, attractive and somewhat temperamental daughter of a well-to-do doctor. They had their quarrels and misunderstandings, but still loved each other dearly.
在1826年，10月17日，卡莱尔与他的秘书简威尔斯结了婚。 简的父亲是一位非常富有的医生，她聪明、美丽，但就是有点喜怒无常。 虽然夫妇俩不时也会吵吵架，但感情还是蛮好的。

After their marriage, Jane continued to serve as his secretary. But, after several years of marriage, Jane became ill. Being a hard worker, Carlyle became so absorbed in his writings that he let Jane continue working for several weeks after she became ill. She had cancer, and though it was one of the slow growing kind, she finally became confined to her bed. Although Carlyle loved her dearly, he very seldom found time to stay with her long. He was busy with his work.
结了婚后，简仍给卡莱尔当秘书。 可是几年后，简却病倒了。 但简还是继续带病工作了好几周，由于卡莱尔侗ΡΥ作非常地投入，所以，他并没有阻止简。 简得的是癌症，虽然发作得比较慢，但最终，她还是病倒在床。 尽管卡莱尔非常地爱简，但因为忙于工作，他很少抽时间来陪简。

When Jane died they carried her to the cemetery for the service. The day was a miserable day. It was raining hard and the mud was deep. Following the funeral Carlyle went back to his home. He was taking it pretty hard. He went up the stairs to Jane's room and sat down in the chair next to her bed. He sat there thinking about how little time he had spent with her and wishing so much he had a chance to do it differently. Noticing her diary on a table beside the bed, he picked it up and began to read it. Suddenly he seemed shocked. He saw it. here, on one page, she had written a single line. "Yesterday he spent an hour with me and it was like heaven; I love him so."

简死后，她的亲朋好友都到她的墓地参加葬礼。 那是一个悲痛的日子。天上下着滂沱大雨，道路泥泞不堪。 葬礼后，卡莱尔回到家里，心情非常沉重。他爬上楼梯，来到简的房间，坐在她床边的椅子上。 回想起自己很少抽时间陪伴爱侣，卡莱尔非常地后悔，恨不得时间可以倒流。 卡莱尔瞥见桌上放着简的日记本，便拿起来看。突然，他好象感到非常震惊。 他看到了这样的一句话，“昨天，他陪了我一个小时，我感觉到了天堂般幸福。我喜欢他这样做。”

Something dawned on him that he had not noticed before. He had been too busy to notice that he meant so much to her. He thought of all the times he had gone about his work without thinking about and noticing her. Then Carlyle turned the page in the diary. There he noticed she had written some words that broke his heart. "I have listened all day to hear his steps in the hall, but now it is late and I guess he won't come today."
他开始意识到一些曾被自己忽略了的事情。他一直以来都忙于工作，竟然不知道妻子是那么地需要自己。 他回想起自己埋头工作，置妻子于一边的日子。 翻看着简的日记，他留意到几句令他伤心欲绝的话：“我一整天都在留意他的脚步声，但现在为时已晚了，我想他今天不会来了。”

Carlyle read a little more in the book. Then he threw it down and ran out of the house. Some of his friends found him at the grave, his face buried in the mud. His eyes were red from weeping. Tears continued to roll down his cheeks. He kept repeating over and over again, "If I had only known, if I had only known." But it was too late for Carlyle. She was dead.
卡莱尔再读了一会儿，然后丢下了日记本，冲出了屋外。 朋友们在墓地里找到了他。他的脸粘满了泥浆，眼睛哭得红肿不堪，眼泪不停地在他脸庞上滑落, 他不停地念叨着, "如果我知道, 如果我知道……," 但一切对于卡莱尔来讲都太晚了，简已经不在人世了。

After Jane's death, Carlyle made little attempt to write again. The historians say he lived another 15 years, "weary, bored and a partial recluse." I share the story with in the hope that you will not make the same mistake. While our loved ones must have the money we make to live, it is the love we have that they really want. Give it now before it is too late.
自从简死后, 卡莱尔就没怎么再写作了。 据这位历史学家称，在他妻子死后的15年, 他的生活完全变了样, 生活对于他来讲是 “苦闷、无趣、寂寞的”。 我把这个故事告诉大家，就是希望大家不要重蹈覆辙，悲剧重演。 爱人是需要我们努力工作赚钱，但其实他（她）们更需要的是我们的爱。趁还来得及，去关怀你的爱人吧。

听力材料：点击

听力阅读材料：Charlotte Church

Charlotte Church

Charlotte was born in Cardiff, Wales on February 21, 1986. She has been singing since she was three years old. She has loved music as far as she can remember. "When I was three and half, I sang Ghostbusters with my cousin at a seaside holiday camp in Caernafon. When we finished she left the stage but I refused to go. They had to drag me off," says Charlotte.

At five, Charlotte, according to her Dad, was competing against professional singers. At nine and a half, she asked her parents if she could take singing lessons. Her Mum and Dad readily agreed. The teacher or coach, as they would prefer to be called, was and still is Louis Ryan. Here is what she had to say, "Very quickly in a little over a year according to her Mum, she developed a soprano voice."

Suddenly everybody wanted to see and hear this girl with the golden voice. Charlotte auditioned with the CEO of Sony Records Paul Burger who was so impressed not only with her voice but her personality.

Sony signed her to a five record mega deal. Soon TV, print media and radio was pulling her from school for interviews and how does Charlotte feel about all this? She said laughingly, "It all went a bit mad."

In spite of her talent and sudden fame, she still wants to live the life of a typical teenager. Like any other girl she said, "I like to go shopping, play computer games, go to arcades and roller blade." Her favorite solo artists are the Corrs, Puff Daddy and Gloria Estefan.

Charlotte's first album "Voice of an Angel", soared to platinum in the UK and double platinum shortly after. During this time 750,000 records were sold in the U.S. This astounding debut in the U.S. was followed by countless television appearances on shows.

Other highlights followed for Charlotte, namely singing for Prince Charles on his birthday as well as opening the Welsh Assembly for the Queen. An audience was also found with Prime Minister Blair in the UK. She also sang for President Clinton during her tour of the U.S.

Despite jet setting around the world and meeting with some of its most powerful figures Charlotte never stopped being a normal school girl. She tried her best to maintain her high grades in school and at the same time have a normal social life back at home in Wales. By all accounts she succeeded greatly.

Now everywhere Charlotte went her megawatt smile drew crowds. Her contagious laughter and bubbly personality held the whole world on a string. Her radiance continued to glow even brighter as success after success piled up.

As David Foil Said "Through it all, Charlotte remains herself, a warm genuine Welsh girl. She's entering her teens, sweet and energetic, full of fun and she has a pure love of singing. That, in the end is what puts audiences everywhere in the palm of her hand. The megawatt smile, the teddy bear, the irresistible charm and the vaulting, crystalline voice."

Now, as a full-fledged superstar, not a month or sometimes a week goes by without Charlotte appearing on TV on both sides of the Atlantic.

Shortly before the release of her second album, Charlotte was awarded "The Double Platinum Award" in the UK. Meanwhile her record sales skyrocketed in the United States, Japan, Hong Kong, China and Australia. In May the big award came for Charlotte when she was chosen as "The Best British Artist of the Year" during the inaugural Classical Brit Awards.

Charlotte's season of fame has been lovely but this new century will be remembered as a time when we all heard the "Voice of an Angel."


天使宝贝

一九八六年二月二十一日，夏洛特出生于威尔士首府卡笛福。 三岁时她开始唱歌，似乎自记事以来她就酷爱音乐。 夏洛特说：“三岁半的时候，我和表姐一起在卡那封海滩假日营地演唱《鬼老兄》，唱完以后她就下台了，而我却不肯下来，最后人们只好把我拽了下来。”

夏洛特的父亲说她五岁时就敢于向专业歌手们挑战。 九岁半时，她要求父母送她去学唱歌，父母也欣然同意， 她的音乐老师（而她本人更喜欢被称为音乐教练）一直都是路易丝瑞恩。 她是这样说的：“据夏洛特的妈妈说一年多以后，女儿很快就练就了女高音的嗓子。”

一下子几乎每个人都想听听这位有着金嗓子女孩的歌声，并一睹她的风采。 索尼唱片公司总裁保罗伯格为她做了试音，他不仅喜欢夏洛特的嗓音，也极为钦佩她鲜明的个性。

索尼唱片与她签了五张大碟的百万合同， 不久，电视、报刊杂志和广播电台都把她从学校里请了出来，对她进行采访报道。夏洛特本人对此有何看法呢？她笑着说：“所有的一切都似乎有点疯狂。”

虽然才华横溢，一夜成名，但她却仍然希望过典型的青少年的生活。 跟其他女孩一样，她说：“我喜欢逛街、玩电脑游戏、赶集市和滑旱冰。” 她最喜欢的演奏家是卡尔斯、普夫戴蒂和格洛丽丝易斯坦夫。

夏洛特首张唱片“天使之音”在英国创白金销量，不久之后更是创下双白金记录。 在此期间，她的唱片在美国销售量达75万张，首场演出，声惊四座，于是夏洛特应邀频频出现在美国的电视节目上。

接下来夏洛特更成为了引人注目的焦点：她为查尔斯王子唱生日祝歌，为英国女皇举办的威尔士集会演唱开场曲 ， 英国首相布莱尔也成为了她的忠实听众，在美国巡回演出期间她甚至为克林顿总统献歌。

尽管周游世界，并能与全球的大人物接触，夏洛特却从未间断自己的普通女学生生活。 在学校，她努力取得优异成绩；回到威尔士的家中，她也努力去过普通人的社会生活，据说她做得非常成功！

无论走到哪里，夏洛特迷人的微笑吸引了大批观众。 她那极其富感染力的笑声、活泼的个性，使整个世界为之倾倒。 随着不断的成功，她也将更加星光环绕，光彩照人。

正如大卫福尔所说：“虽然经历了一切，夏洛特保留了个人风采一个充满热情、真正的威尔士姑娘， 她正当少年，甜美、幽默而又充满活力，对音乐有着纯真的爱。 这也就是任何地方的观众都能为之折服的原因。 她的微笑，她的玩具熊般的可爱，不可抗拒的魅力以及那水晶般清亮的嗓音。

现在，作为如日中天的巨星，夏洛特几乎没有哪个月、哪个星期不在大西洋两岸的电视上露面。

在她第二张唱片发行前不久，夏洛特获得了英国“双白金奖”。 同时，在美国、日本、香港、中国和澳大利亚，她的唱片销售量不断攀升。 今年五月在英国古典音乐颁奖典礼上，夏洛特再捧大奖她被评为“英国年度最佳艺人”。

夏洛特的成功是美丽而动人的，而当我们听到《天使之音》时，我们也定会记住这样一个新世纪

听力材料：点击

听力阅读资料：In search of brotherhood

In search of brotherhood

I am not really sure when our boundaries went up. Men tend to build walls quietly, without warning. All I know is that when I looked up, me and my buddy weren't talking anymore. Somehow we had become like strangers.

This rift--a simple misunderstanding magnified by male ego--didn't happen overnight. Men aren't like some women I know; we don't announce that we are cutting each other off. Instead, we just slowly starve the relationship of anything substantive until it fades away.

Me and my buddy had let our friendship evaporate to a point where we hadn't spoken in almost two years. Then one morning my mother called me at work and shared something she'd heard about him. "You know, his wife is sick with cancer," she said.

I had to close my office door. I don't cry often, but the news broke me down. I thought of his wedding day four years ago and a picture I snapped of him beaming at me as he wrapped his bride in his arms. I remember telling my wife that I'd never seen him so happy, so sure about something.

As it hit me that he now faced the possibility of losing his love, a deep sense of shame came over me. I wondered how he was coping and who was helping him through this crisis. I thought how devastated I'd be if my own wife were suffering. And I wondered whether he and I could ever be tight again.

We had always been like family, sharing an unusual history that dated back to the turn of the century when our great-grandparents were pals growing up in a small town not far from Nashville. Both our families migrated north to Detroit for better-paying jobs, and remained close hrough the generations.

When I was born 36 years ago, he was among my first playmates. As we grew older, we became what we called true boys--real aces, spending most of our time together running the streets, hanging at bars and clubs, watching games and chasing women. Our friendship came so easily that we took it for granted, and when it began to unravel, neither of us had a clue how to mend it.

What Real Men Are--and Aren't

Like so many brothers, I have always been clumsy talking openly to other men about matters beyond box scores, babes or general BS on the job. Not that I believe male kinship is for "soft" or "weak" or "gay" types. It's just that expressing my most personal thoughts to another man, no matter how close we are, feels awkward at times, unnatural.

Growing up, I learned from the males in my life that real men are tough, independent, dispassionate. Women, while they may possess these attributes, are also allowed to be tender, vulnerable and compassionate. But I am learning that men, too, must grant ourselves more freedom in defining how we communicate. If we don't, we risk losing what's most important to us- -our women, families, friends and even ourselves.

A few years ago my father and I went to the Million Man March. It was a rare opportunity for us to spend an entire day together, amid the throngs of other Black fathers and sons and friends. For hours we stood on the Mall in the crisp October air while the world marveled at our historic moment.

There were many things I could have shared with my father that day--mistakes I'd made in my life, triumphs big and small, times he'd made me proud and times he'd disappointed me. Instead, we both stood there, soaking in the event and retreating into our own thoughts. Around us I noticed a profound silence.

My memory of that day will always be somewhat bittersweet because it revealed that beneath a dramatic fade of togetherness, Black men-myself included--mostly chose to stand apart.

Most of us brothers understand the nature of intimacy. Through the women in our lives, we have witnessed the bounty of wisdom, counsel and encouragement that comes channeling through their tight female networks.

A few years ago, when word spread that my wife, Robyn, was pregnant with our first child, the phone rang constantly for months with female relatives and friends eager to talk about everything from breast-feeding to keeping the marital flame burning with an infant in the house. It became clear that sisters are able to benefit from a deep reservoir of insight offered to them by other wise and generous sisters.

Transcending the Mythology of Our Masculinity

My impending role as new father brought up a host of issues, too. I was trying to navigate Robyn's mild mood swings and a much-altered sex life brought on by her hormonal and physical changes. And I was grappling with how a new baby would affect our finances.

With a needy newborn, would we ever get out of the house, or should we plan on life becoming a blur of working and changing diapers? But the fathers I knew seemed caught off guard by my questions, offering little more than a pat on the back and a vow to share a congratulatory cigar once the baby was born. I realized that discussing our experiences might have required us to reveal shortcomings or failures and compromise that fragile thing we call our masculinity.

It's tough to transcend the powerful mythology of masculinity, to imagine our heroes as anything ess than solitary dudes who depended only on God and their own wits and brawn to triumph.

We just can't picture Nelson Mandela, during his 27-year imprisonment, turning to a cell mate and confiding: "Man, I've got this weird feeling. I hope Winnie ain't cheatin' on me." Or Martin Luther King, Jr., after the March on Washington, mumbling to Ralph Abernathy, "I was so nervous speaking in front of all those people." Or even Michael Jordan, during his brief venture into pro baseball, lamenting over a beer, "It hurts when fans tell me I suck at this. Am I really that bad?"

Though we may rarely admit it, men are plagued with many of the same doubts, fears and insecurities as women. And to survive our humiliating legacy--the enslavement of our families, the rape and exploitation of our women, the auctioning off of our children and our groping for dignity in the shadowy freedoms that form our reality today--Black men have withdrawn, adopting a vow of silence.

But we can't expect to become better husbands, fathers, friends and everything else we say we want to become without talking to one another. Our definition of manhood must include having the confidence and trust in our brothers to share our most intimate feelings.

Brick by brick we must deconstruct the fortress that has kept our pain, insecurities and even our dreams locked away for fear of scorn or ridicule. We must unburden ourselves and our sons from a warped and limited notion of masculinity, from thinking that intimacy is the exclusive terrain of women and that showing any emotion beyond anger makes us sissies. Like women, we have our own rich bank of wisdom and insight, but the vaults have been closed much too long.

Bridging Time, Bridging Distance

The day after my mother called, my wife and I drove over to visit my buddy and his family. It was a sweet reunion, warm and easy. We all embraced anapologized for letting so much time slip between us.

His wife looked frail, but her spirits were up. For the first time they saw our 2-year-old boy and marveled at the blessing. Their little girl, 2 1/2, instantly took to our son, and the two darted off together.

With yet another generation of our families starting a new relationship, me and my friend stepped outside, hoping to rebuild our old one. As he sat beside me on the patio, I could see the anguish in his face. Knowing that a pat on the back simply wasn't enough to touch all he was going through, I put my hand on his. We both knew there was no longer a place for bravado, false pride or ego in our friendship. Yet for a moment we just sat there, not really knowing how to begin. "So how are you survivin', my brother?" I asked finally. He looked at me directly. "Damn, man," he said, his jaw tightening. "This s--- is real. It's been hard."

He stood up and paced for a moment, then sat back down. And then we began to talk, about our lives, ourselves, in a way we had never done before. He spoke about the sudden trip to the hospital, the grim diagnosis, the countless tests and surgery, and his own pain at watching his wife suffer while his daughter tried to figure out why.

I told him how glad I was to be back in touch with him, and that I would be there for him, to talk, to laugh, to help bear this load. When I told him that, he seemed suddenly energized. He sat back in his chair, gazed up at the sky and began telling me some of the lessons he'd been learning about faith and courage and pushing forward even when things look bleak. As he shared these things with me, I listened closely and learned something from my boy about what it really takes to be a man.

兄弟情谊

很难说清从什么时候开始我们之间开始渐渐疏远的。男人间的隔阂总是产生于无声无息之间，事先没有任何的预兆。 直到一天蓦然回首时才发现我们不再促膝倾谈，疏远得有些形同陌路了。

这种隔阂并不会在一夜之间突然形成，它是男人的自我中心在作祟。 男人不会像我认识的一些女人一样宣称断 绝彼此的往来， 他们会渐渐地淡化彼此的关系，直到这感情慢慢地烟消云散。

我与朋友的关系就处在这样的淡却中，两年来，我们没说过一句话。 直到一天早上，在上班的时候母亲打来一 个电话，告诉我她刚刚知道的关于他的消息：“他的妻子患了癌症。”

我关上了房门，眼泪流了下来，我很少哭，但这消息让我很心痛。 四年前参加他婚礼的情景还历历在目，当时 他把新娘拥在怀中，对着我的镜头灿烂地笑。 我还记得后来对我妻子说，我从没见过他那么肯定、那么幸福。

如今，想到他可能会由此失去爱人，我忽然觉得很惭愧。 他该如何面对，又有谁会帮他共渡难关呢？ 如果自己 处在这样的境况，该是多么绝望！ 我们能不能重拾旧谊呢？我不由问自己。

我们曾经就像一家人，两家的渊源可追溯到本世纪之初，我们的曾祖父母是同在田纳西州纳什维尔市不远的小 镇上一起长大的伙伴。 两家后来又都为了寻求更好的工作向北迁移到了底特律，大家仍然保持密切的联系，几代世交。

从我出生到现在我36岁，他一直是我从小玩到大的亲密伙伴。 我们共同成长，一起度过躁动的青春时光，成天 在街头闲逛，流连在酒吧舞台，为球赛呐喊助威，一起追凤逐蝶，还自认为是少年风范，男儿本色。 我们的友 谊仿佛与生俱来，自然得让我们觉得理所当然，以至当裂缝悄然出现，我们竟都不知该如何缝补。

男儿本色

像其他男人一样，我很自然地会和别的男人讲比赛、讲女人，或对工作瞎说一通，谈其他方面的话题却让我很 难为情。 我认为也并不能因此认为男人之间的情谊是淡薄、轻浅或是基佬类型的， 只是不论我们之间的关系多密切，要向另外一个男人吐露自己最隐秘的心事都会让我感到尴尬和牵强。

随着年岁渐长，生活逐渐让我认识到真男儿应该是刚毅、独立而隐忍的。 虽然女人也可能拥有这些品质，她们 却可以表露出温柔、脆弱和怜惜的一面。 然而，同时我也认识到男人也必须学会更放松地与人交流， 否则就可 能失去最宝贵的东西妻子、亲朋、甚至迷失自己。

几年前，我与父亲一起参加了美国黑人百万大游行， 和无数的黑人父子、兄弟、朋友在一起度过了难忘的一天。 那是一个寒风凛冽的11月天，我们站在华盛顿草地广场上，整个世界都在见证我们历史性的时刻。

那天本来有很多事情我可以和父亲分享我犯过的种种过失、取得的大大小小的成绩、父亲让我骄傲和失望的时刻等等。 然而，我们都没有说话，只是专注地站在那里，沉浸在自己的思绪中。我还注意到四周都是一片沉寂。

想起那天总让我觉得百感交集，因为在黑皮肤男人团结一致的表象下面，多数人包括我在内，选择了袖手旁观。

大多数男人都知道亲昵的含义， 通过身边的女性，我们得以见证到女性亲昵关系产生出来的倾诉、鼓励和智慧。

就在几年前，当我太太骆冰怀上第一胎的消息传开后， 家里的电话连续几个月都没停过。各路女性的亲朋好友抢着与太太交换心得，从母乳喂养到有了孩子后如何维系夫妻关系等等。 很明显女性因为与其他聪明慷慨的姐 妹不吝交流而获益良多。

阳刚神话

即将成为人父也给我带来了许多新问题。 我必须学会适应骆冰易怒的情绪波动，还有由于她的荷尔蒙分泌和生理变化所引起的夫妻生活变化， 而有了孩子以后的家庭开支问题也让我着实头痛。

面对一个嗷嗷待哺的小家伙，我们是撒手不管呢，还是事事亲为，工作之余就忙着换尿布，围着小孩团团转呢？ 我所认识的那些父亲们似乎对这个问题没有思想准备，只是拍拍我的肩膀，表示孩子出生后要分享一口雪茄烟表示庆祝。 我这才意识到，要分享彼此的经验，就得把我们的弱点和失败揭露出来，并反思我们对阳刚的理解。

要超越阳刚神话绝非易事，对那些蒙主恩惠，凭借自己的强健体魄和坚定意志赢取胜利的英雄，我们很难把他们想象成平常又孤独的凡人。

谁能想象曼德拉在漫长的27年牢狱生涯中，曾向同监的人吐露心事说：“伙计，我有个奇怪的感觉，我希望温妮没有骗我。” 而马丁路德金在华盛顿大游行之后，居然跟拉尔夫阿布纳奇嘀咕说：“在这么多人面前讲话我其实好紧张。” 甚至是迈克乔丹，在他短暂的职业棒球生涯期间，曾借酒消愁地跟人抱怨说：“那些球迷说我打得很臭，想着就让我难受，我真的那么差劲吗？”

虽然我们不愿意承认，但男人有时候也和女人一样没有安全感，会疑惑和胆怯。 然而，面对黑人耻辱的历史 家人被奴役、妇女被蹂躏、孩子被贩卖， 男人们在艰难的时世中默默抗争，以夺回生存的尊严。时光流逝， 旧日的残酷造就了今天的孤独，男人们学会了隐忍，选择了沉默。

然而，埋藏心事注定了我们不能更好的为人父、为人夫、为人友。 男子汉的定义应该包括我们对手足弟兄的信和信任，彼此间可以敞开胸怀，分享最贴心的感受。

不再害怕别人的蔑视和嘲弄而隐藏自己的伤痛和梦想，只有这样心头的堡垒才会逐渐拆除。 我们要引导自己和 我们的子辈们从被曲解的“男性阳刚”的观念中解脱出来亲昵并非女性的专利， 除了愤怒之外男人也可宣 泄百种情感，而这绝非软弱怯懦。 和女人们一样，我们本身也是充满智慧和远见的宝库，只是大门已被关闭了太久太久。

重拾旧谊

这天接到母亲的电话以后，我和妻子驱车前往探望朋友和他的家人。 重聚的情景温馨而热烈。我们互相拥抱， 自责疏于联系。

他的妻子身体虚弱，但兴致高昂。 他们第一次见到我家两岁的儿子，惊讶于神主的眷顾，让他如此快速成长。 他们两岁半的女儿很快就和我的儿子打成了一片。

眼见我们两家的新一代开始建立联系，我和朋友走出露台，盼望能重拾旧谊。 他坐在我身边，脸上写满了忧愁。 拍拍肩膀如何能够平复他正经历的痛苦，我不由握紧了他的双手。 我们的友谊中已经没有了往日的浮夸和自负， 一时间，我们坐在那里，竟都不知道该如何开口。最后，我问道：“兄弟，你是怎么扛过来的？” 他直直地看着我，咬紧了牙关：“他妈的，这次，真的……太难了。”

他站起身来，走了几步，又回来坐下。 我们开始以一种以前从没有过的方式倾谈，谈论我们的生活，还有我们自己。 他回忆了那次突然的医院之行，无情的诊断和数不清的化验和手术。看着爱妻在痛苦地煎熬，看着女儿费劲地想着为什么，他感到心如刀绞。

我告诉他能再续旧谊我由衷高兴，忧患时刻，我愿与他时时交流、分享快乐、分担困苦。 讲到这里，他似乎突 然增添了勇气。 他靠在椅背上，凝视天空，告诉我他的一些体会：愈是艰难困苦，愈要坚定信念，鼓足勇气，绝不放弃。 我认真地听着，从他的话中我忽然理解了男人的真正含义。


听力资料：点击

听力阅读学习资料：The Baby Eagle Story

The Baby Eagle Story

Once upon a time there was a baby eagle living in a nest perched on a cliff overlooking a beautiful valley with waterfalls and streams, trees and lots of little animals, scurrying about enjoying their lives.

The baby eagle liked the nest. It was the only world he had ever known. It was warm and comfortable, had a great view, and even better, he had all the food and love and attention that a great mother eagle could provide. Many times each day the mother would swoop down from the sky and land in the nest and feed the baby eagle delicious morsels of food. She was like a god to him, he had no idea where she came from or how she worked her magic.

The baby eagle was hungry all the time, but the mother eagle would always come just in time with the food and love and attention he craved. The baby eagle grew strong. His vision grew very sharp. He felt good all the time.

Until one day, the mother stopped coming to the nest

The baby eagle was hungry. "I'm sure to die," said the baby eagle, all the time.

"Very soon, death is coming," he cried, with tears streaming down his face. Over and over. But there was no one there to hear him.

Then one day the mother eagle appeared at the top of the mountain cliff, with a big bowl of delicious food and she looked down at her baby. The baby looked up at the mother and cried "Why did you abandon me? I'm going to die any minute. How could you do this to me?"

The mother said, "Here is some very tasty and nourishing food, all you have to do is come get it."

"Come get it!" said the baby, with much anger. "How?"

The mother flew away.

The baby cried and cried and cried.

A few days later, "I'm going to end it all," he said. "I give up. It is time for me to die."

He didn't know his mother was nearby. She swooped down to the nest with his last meal.

"Eat this, it's your last meal," she said.

The baby cried, but he ate and whined and whined about what a bad mother she was.

"You're a terrible mother," he said. Then she pushed him out of the nest.

He fell.

Head first.

Picked up speed.

Faster and faster.

He screamed. "I'm dying I'm dying," he cried. He picked up more speed.

He looked up at his mother. "How could you do this to me?"

He looked down.

The ground rushed closer, faster and faster. He could visualize his own death so clearly, coming so soon, and cried and whined and complained. "This isn't fair!" he screamed.

Something strange happens.

The air caught behind his arms and they snapped away from his body, with a feeling unlike anything he had ever experienced. He looked down and saw the sky. He wasn't moving towards the ground anymore, his eyes were pointed up at the sun.

"Huh?" he said. "What is going on here!"

"You're flying," his mother said.

"This is fun!" laughed the baby eagle, as he soared and dived and swooped.

"Yes it is!" said the mother.
小鹰的故事

很久以前，在一个峭壁上有一个鹰巢，里面住着一只小鹰。峭壁下是一个美丽的河谷，小溪流淌，瀑布飞泻，绿树婆娑，各种小动物四处奔跑，无忧无虑。

小鹰很喜欢这个巢，自出生以来这个巢就是它所有的天地。 这个窝温暖舒适、环境怡人。而最重要的是，在巢里，它可以得到母亲给予的一切食物、关怀和爱心。 每天好几次，母亲都会从高空飞下来，一口一口地喂它可口的食物。 在它眼里，母亲就像神一样，它不知道母亲从哪里来，到底懂些什么魔法。

小鹰老是想吃东西，母亲每次总能及时赶到，给它送来它渴求的一切食物，关怀和爱心。 小鹰茁壮成长，它的眼光变得越来越锐利。这一切都让小鹰感觉很惬意。

直到有一天，母亲再也不来巢窝了。

小鹰感到非常饥饿，“这回我死定了。”它老是这样想。

“死神很快就要降临了，”它哀号着，泪流满面。它不停地哭着，但就是没人来答理它。

直到一天，鹰妈妈又出现在悬崖上，带来了一大碗可口的食物。她看着自己的小宝贝， 小鹰抬头看着妈妈，哭着道：“你为什么要抛弃我呀？我快要死了，你怎么可以这样对我啊？”

妈妈说：“我这儿有一些又可口又有营养的食物，要吃呢，你就自己来拿！”

“自己来拿？”小鹰很气愤地说，“叫我怎么拿啊？”

妈妈飞走了。

小鹰又继续不停地哭啊，哭。

几天后，小鹰说：“死就死，我放弃了，我的死期已到。”

它不知道母亲就在附近。她俯冲而下，给小鹰带来它最后的饭餐。

“把这个吃了，这是你最后的饭餐。”她说。

小鹰哭了，它边吃边埋怨母亲不是一个称职的好妈妈。

“你真是一个很糟糕的妈妈。”待它说完，母亲把它推下了巢。

它很快往下掉。

头朝下。

下跌的速度加快了。

越来越快。

它尖叫着，“我要死了，我要死了！”它下坠得更快了。

它抬头看着妈妈，“你怎么可以这样对我呢？”

它朝下看了一下。

眼看着地面离自己越来越近了，它可以清晰地预见到自己的死亡，它叫喊着、抱怨着，“这太不公平了！”

奇怪的事情发生了。

空气托起了它的翅膀，翅膀随之啪地打开了，这种感觉是它从未体验过的。 它朝下看，看到了天空。它已经不再往下跌了，它的眼睛正对着太阳。

“咦？”它说，“这是怎么回事呢？”

“你在飞呢！”鹰妈妈说。

“这太好玩了！”小鹰笑着说，它一会儿高飞，一会儿俯冲，一会儿飞扑。

“没错，是很好玩！”母亲说道。


听力资料：点击

听力阅读学习资料：Revenge

Revenge 我的野蛮祖母

My grandmother was an iron-willed woman, the feared matriarch of our New York family back in the 1950s.

When I was five years old, she invited some friends and relatives to her Bronx apartment for a party.Among the guests was a neighborhood big shot who was doing well in business. His wife was proud of their social status and let everyone at the party know it.They had a little girl about my age who was spoiled and very much used to getting her own way.

Grandmother spent a lot of time with the big shot and his family.She considered them the most important members of her social circle and worked hard at currying their favor.

At one point during the party, I made my way to the bathroom and closed the door behind me. A minute or two later, the little girl opened the bathroom door and grandly walked in. I was still sitting down.

"Don't you know that little girls aren't supposed to come into the bathroom when a little boy is using it!?" I hollered.

The surprise of my being there, along with the indignation I had heaped upon her, stunned the little girl.Then she started to cry.She quickly closed the door, ran to the kitchen, and tearfully complained to her parents and my grandmother.

Most of the partygoers had overheard my loud remark and were greatly amused by it. But not Grandmother.She was waiting for me when I left the bathroom. I received the longest, sharpest tongue-lashing of my young life. Grandmother yelled that I was impolite and rude and that I had insulted that nice little girl.

The guests watched and 8)winced in absolute silence. So forceful was my grandmother's personality that no one dared stand up for me.

After her harangue was over and I had been dismissed, the party continued, but the atmosphere was much more subdued.

Twenty minutes later, all that changed. Grandmother walked by the bathroom and noticed a torrent of water streaming out from under the door.

She shrieked twicefirst in astonishment, then in rage. She flung open the bathroom door and saw that the sink and tub were plugged up and that the faucets were going at full blast.

Everyone knew who the culprit was. The guests quickly formed a protective barricade around me, but Grandmother was so furious that she almost got to me anyway, flailing her arms as if trying to swim over the crowd.

Several strong men eventually moved her away and calmed her down, although she sputtered and fumed for quite a while.

My grandfather took me by the hand and sat me on his lap in a chair near the window. He was a kind and gentle man, full of wisdom and patience. Rarely did he raise his voice to anyone, and never did he argue with his wife or defy her wishes.

He looked at me with much curiosity, not at all angry or upset. "Tell me," he asked, "why did you do it?

"Well, she yelled at me for nothing," I said earnestly. "Now she's got something to yell about.

Grandfather didn't speak right away. He just sat there, looking at me and smiling.

"Eric," he said at last, "you are my revenge."


我的野蛮祖母

20世纪50年代我们家住在纽约，当时祖母是一家之主，也是一个令人敬畏的强悍女人。

我5岁那年，她邀请了一些亲戚朋友到布朗克斯的公寓里聚会。 在客人中有个做生意发了财的大款，他的妻子神气地向大家炫耀他们家的社会地位。 他们有个娇气的小女儿，年纪跟我差不多，脾气很蛮横。

祖母殷勤地伺候着那个大款和他的家人， 她把他们看作是她的社交圈里最重要的人物，因此她不遗余力地逢迎他们。

晚会进行中，我走进了洗手间并随手把门关上。 大概一两分钟后，我当时还坐在马桶上，那个小女孩推开洗手间的门，大模大样地走了进来。

“难道你不知道当一个男孩在使用洗手间的时候女孩子是不可以进来的吗！？”我生气地嚷着说。

听到我生气的吼声，她一下子惊呆了，然后“哇”的一声哭了起来。 她飞快地关上门向厨房跑去，边哭边向她的父母和我的祖母告状。

大多数的客人其实都听到了我的怒骂声，他们都被逗乐了，可祖母一点都没笑。

当我从洗手间出来，祖母劈头盖脸地把我骂了一通， 骂我没礼貌、少教养、冲撞了那可爱的小女孩。 客人们都在静静地看着，我的祖母实在太霸道了，根本没有人敢为我说话。

等她骂完叫我滚开之后，晚会继续进行，但气氛已经大大减弱。

可二十分钟之后，一切全都变了。当祖母从洗手间走过的时候，她发现有股水流从门缝里涌出来。

她先是惊异地叫了一声，很快又愤怒地尖叫起来。 她猛力地撞开洗手间的门，发现洗手盆和浴缸都被塞子塞住了，水龙头被拧到最大，水正哗啦啦地直流。

每个人都知道是谁搞的鬼， 客人们马上在我周围形成了一堵人墙保护我。愤怒的祖母使劲地挥舞着双手，样子就像在人堆里游泳一样。好几次她差点够着我。

最后几个魁梧的男人才把祖母制住，把她拉开让她冷静下来，但她还是气急败坏地嚷了好一阵子。

祖父这时走了过来，牵着我的手到靠窗的一张椅子上坐下，还把我抱到他的膝盖上坐。 祖父的性格好，脾气也特别好。他很少提高嗓门和别人说话，也从来没有和祖母吵架，也从来没有违背过祖母的意愿。

他很好奇地打量着我，没有半点生气或烦恼的样子，“告诉我，”他说，“你为什么要这样做呢？”

“是这样的，她先无缘无故地骂了我一顿，”我认真地说，“这回她骂我就有理由了！”

祖父没有马上说话，他只是坐在那儿，笑眯眯地看着我。

最后他终于开口说：“艾里克，我的乖孙子，你总算替爷爷出了口气！”

听力下载：点击

呵呵，最好有个练习贴是关于游戏介绍的，顺便背游戏用的单词

为什么 要用 秋X ？？

写不写清名字不重要，自己明白就行了。
我想说的是那些听力资料的连接好像失效了······