Chapter3 The Story of My Life-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《假如给我三天光明Three Days to See》

The Story ofMyCife CHAPTER3 EANWHILE, the desire to express myself grew. The few signs I used .became less and less adeauate, and my failures to make mvself understood were invariably followed by outbursts of passion. I felt as if invisible hands were holding me, and I made frantic efforts to free myself. I struggled -- not that struggling helped matters^{①}, but the spirit of resistance was strong within me: 1 generally broke down in tears and physical exhaustion. If my mother happened to be near I crept into② her arms, too miserable even to remember the cause of the tempest. After awhile{③} the need of some means of communication became so urgent that these outbursts occurred daily, sometimes hourly My parents were deeply grieved^{} and perplexed. We lived a long way from any school for the blind or the deaf, and it seemed unlikely that any one would come to such an out- of-the-way place as Tuscumbia to teach a child who was both deaf and blind. Indeed, my friends and relatives some times doubted whether I could be taught. My mother's only ray of hope came from Dickens's "American Notes." She had read his account of Laura Bridgman. and remembered vaguely that she was deaf and blind. yet had been educated. But she also remembered with a hopeless pang{} that Dr. Howe, who had discovered the way to teach the deaf and blind, had been dead many years. His methods had probably died with him: and if they had not. how was a little girl in a far-off towr in Alabama to receive the benefit of them? .054· 我的生活l 第三章 随着年龄的增长,我渴望表达自已的欲望与日俱 增。过去使用的手势已经不能满足我现在的表达需求 每次手语无法传达我的意思后,我都要大发脾气。仿佛 ① not help matters 无济于 有双无形的手正掌控着我。于是,我疯狂地想挣脱它们。 事 然而挣扎无果后,满腔的烈火在胸中燃烧,却无法释放, 只好大哭,直至筋疲力尽。如果碰巧母亲在附近,我就 ②creep into溜进,钻进 会钻到她的怀里,悲痛欲绝,甚至都不记得自己发脾气 ③ awhile [a'hwail] ad.-/小 会儿 的原因了。我渴望交流的欲望越来越强烈,以至于每天 都会发脾气,有时甚至每隔一小时就折腾一番。 ④ )grieved fqritvd]a. 伤心 的 为此,我的父母非常伤心,不知所措。我们家离任 )perplexed [pa'plekst] a 何一所聋哑学校都很远,而且也几乎没有人愿意到塔斯 困惑的 坎比亚这种偏僻的地方来教一个又聋又瞎的孩子。当时 亲朋好友甚至怀疑我还能不能接受教育。而母亲则从狄 更斯的《美国礼记》中看到了一线希望。从书中她读到 了狄更斯对劳拉·布里奇曼的描述,并隐约记得劳拉也 是一个又聋又瞎的孩子,但她却接受了教育。然而,母 pang [pen]n.-阵剧痛 亲得知那位发明教育盲聋人方法的豪博士已经去世多年 时,一阵绝望再次向她袭来。或许豪博士的方法已经失 传;即使没有,那豪博士的传人愿意到亚拉巴马州这偏 远的小镇来教一个小女孩吗 .055. The Story ofMy Cife When I was about six years old, my father heard of an eminent^{} oculist^{② in Baltimore, who had been successful in many cases that had seemed hopeless. My parents at once determined to take me to Baltimore to see if anything coul be done for my eyes. The journey, which I remember well, was very pleasant. I made friends with many people on the train. One lady gave me a box of shells. My father made holes in these so that I could string{③} them, and for a long time they kept me happy and contented. The conductor, too, was kind. Often when he went his rounds I clung to his coat tails while he collected and punched{} the tickets. His punch, with which he let me play, was a delightful toy. Curled up in a corner of the seat I amused myself for hours making funny little holes in bits of cardboard My aunt made me a big doll out of towels. It was the most comical^{}. shapeless thing, this improvised{} doll, with no nose, mouth, ears or eyes- nothing that even the imagination of a child could convert into a face. Curiously enough, the absence of eyes struck me more than all the other defects^{} put together, I pointed this out to everybody with provoking persistency, but no one seemed equal to{} the task of providing the doll with eyes. A bright idea however, shot into my mind, and the problem was solved. I tumbled^{} off the seat and searched under it until I found my aunt's cape{, which was trimmed with large beads^{}. I pulled two beads off and indicated to her that I wanted her to sew them on my doll. She raised my hand to her eyes in a questioning way. and I nodded energetically. The beads were sewed in the right place and I could not contain myself for joy: but immediately I lost all interest in the doll. During the whole trip I did not have one fit of^{} temper, there were so many things to keep my mind and fingers busy When we arrived in Baltimore, Dr. Chisholm received us kindly: but he could do nothing. He said, however, that I could be educated, and advised my father to consult Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, of Washington, who would be able to give him information about schools and teachers of deaf or blind children. Acting on the doctor's advice, we went immediately to Washington to see Dr. Bell, my father with a sad heart and many misgivings^{}, I wholly .056. 我的生活l ① eminent l'eminantl a. 卓 我六岁时,父亲听说在巴尔的摩有一位著名的眼科 越的 ② oculist Fokjulist] n. 眼科 医生,他医好了很多临绝望的盲人。于是,父母立即 医生 决定带我去那里就诊 我清楚地记得那次旅行非常愉快。在火车上,我交 了很多朋友。其中,一位女士还给了我一盒见壳。父亲 把贝壳打上孔,这样我就可以用线把它们穿起来了。很 ③ string Istrinlv 用线穿 长一段时间,这些贝壳给我带来了无限的欢乐和满足。 列车员也很和葛,在他来回查票或检票时,我都可以拉 ④ punch [pantfy 用打孔 着他的衣角跟在他身后。他会让我拿着他检票的剪子玩 器打(孔) 要,那真是一个好玩具,我蟋缩在座位的一角,把一些 卡片打上小孔,一玩就是几个小时,其乐无穷。 comical ['komikol]a. 清 姑妈用毛巾给我做了个大洋娃娃。那是世界上最滑 稽的 稽的、毫无形状的洋娃娃,没有鼻子、嘴巴、耳朵或者 improvised l'impravaizd] a.即兴的 眼睛,即使富有想象力的孩子也不能说出那张脸是什么 defect ldi:fekt] n. 缺陷. 缺点 样子的。奇怪的是,在它所有的缺陷中,让我最不能接 ⑧equal to胜任 受的是它没有眼睛。我指出了这点,并坚持让所有人想 办法给它安装上眼睛。可是,没有一个人能够想出来。 tumble ['tambl]v: 推翻 然而,我灵机一动,颤抖着从座位上滑下来,在座位底 cape [keip]n. 披肩 下的行李中找到姑妈缀着大珠子的披肩。我扯下两颗珠 bead [bid]n.(有孔的) 子,示意姑妈我想让她把它们缝到洋娃娃上。姑妈拉着 小珠 我的手举到她的眼睛处,询问我的用意,我用力地点了 点头。她把珠子缝好后,我兴奋不已,但很快我就对它 失去了兴趣。在整个旅途中,我一次脾气也没发,因为 afit of阵发:突发一阵 有很多新奇的事情让我忙个不停 我们抵达巴尔的摩后,奇泽姆医生亲切地接待了我 们,可对于我的病情,他也无能为力。但是,他说我可 以接受教育,并建议父亲带我去华盛顿咨询一下亚历山 大·格雷厄姆·贝尔博土,他应该能够给我们提供关于 聋哑儿童学校和教师的资料。听了奇泽姆医生的建议, misgivings L.mis'qivinz] 我们即刻动身去了华盛顿见贝尔博士。一路上,父亲满 n. [复]疑虑,担忧 腹忧伤和焦虑,而我对之却毫无察觉,反倒因来往于不 .057· The Story ofMyCife unconscious of his anguish①}, finding pleasure in the excitement of moving from place to place. Child as I was, I at once felt the tenderness^{② and sympathy which endeared Dr. Bell to{} so many hearts, as his wonderful achievements enlist^{} their admiration. He held me on his knee while I examined his watch. and he made it strike for me. He understood my signs, and I knew it and loved him at once. But I did not dream that that interview would be the door through which I should pass from darkness into light, from isolation to friendship, companionship, knowledge, love. Dr. Bell advised my father to write to Mr. Anagnos, director of the Perkins Institution in Boston. the scene of Dr. Howe's great labors for the blind. and ask him if he had a teacher competent to begin my education. This my father did a once, and in a few weeks there came a kind letter from Mr. Anagnos with the comforting assurance that a teacher had been found. This was in the summer of 1886. But Miss Sullivan did not arrive until the following March Thus I came up out of Egypt and stood before Sinai, and a power divine touched my spirit and gave it sight, so that I beheld many wonders. And from the sacred{} mountain I heard a voice which said. "Knowledge is love and ligh and vision." .058. 我的生活l ① anguish I'aenqwif]n. 悲 同的城市而感到兴奋和快乐。那时,我虽然还是个孩 痛 ② tenderness I'tendonas]n 子,但是见到贝尔博士后我马上就感受到了他的亲切和 亲切 ③ endear to 受人喜爱 同情,这也让很多人对他充满了喜爱,再加上他卓越的 ④ enlist lin'list]:赢 成就,人们对他钦佩不已。他让我坐到他的膝盖上,玩 得.....的支持 弄他的手表,还让手表为我震动起来。他看得懂我的手 势,我立刻就喜欢上了他。但我当时并没梦想着那次会 面竟然为我的生命开启了另一扇门,从此我就从黑暗走 向了光明,从封闭走向了友谊,陪伴,知识和爱。 贝尔博土建议我父亲给波十顿帕金斯盲人学院的 校长阿纳戈诺斯先生写信,并询问他有没有适合我的启 蒙老师。帕金斯盲人学院是豪博士为盲人孜孜不倦地工 作过的地方。父亲立刻给阿纳戈诺斯先生写了信,几周 后便收到了回信。信的内容让我们轻松愉快了很多,因 为他已经找到了能够胜任我启蒙教育的老师。这发生在 1886年,但等老师到我们家的时候,已经是次年3月 的事了。 sacred I'seikridl a. 神圣 就这样我走出了埃及,站到了西奈山的面前。一股 的 神圣的力量触摸到我的灵魂,并赐予我光明,这样,我 看到了无数的奇迹。我从那座圣山听到了这样的声音 “知识给人以爱,赐人以光明,馈人以想象力。” .059.