Words and Their Stories: nose and ears

Now the VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories.
A person's nose is important for breathing and smelling. The nose is also used in many popular expressions. Some people are able to lead other people by the nose.(牵着某人的鼻子走) For example, if a wife leads her husband by the nose. She makes him do whatever she wants him to. Some people are said to be hard-nosed.( 顽强的, 倔强的, 顽固的)They will not change their opinions or positions on anything. If someone is hard-nosed, chances are he will never pay through the nose(被勒索) or pay too much money for an object or service. It is always helpful when people keep their nose out of (别管闲事)other people's business They do not interfere. The opposite of this is someone who noses around (窥探, 探听)all the time. This kind of person is interested in other people's private matters. He is considered nosy. Someone who keeps his nose to the grindstone (努力工作, 埋头苦干) works very hard. This can help a worker keep his nose clean (遵纪守法, 行为检点)or stay out of trouble. One unusual expression is that is no skin off my nose (我根本不在乎). This means that a situation does not affect or concern me. We also say that sometimes a person cuts off his nose to spite his face. (赌气做出不顾后果的事)That is he makes a situation worse for himself by doing something foolish because he is angry. More problems can develop if a person looks down his nose at someone or something. (看不起)The person acts like something is unimportant or worthless. This person might also turn up his nose at (轻视, 看不起) something he considers not good enough. This person thinks he is better than everyone else. He has his nose in air (目中无人). In school, some students thumb their nose at(轻视(规则, 法律等), 不在乎(别人的看法))the teacher. They refuse to obey orders or do any work. Maybe these students do not know the correct answers. My mother always told me if you study hard, the answers should be right under your nose (眼皮底下, 公然的)or easily seen.
I think we have explained the nose expressions. What about ears? Well. I hope you are all ears (洗耳恭听)or very interested in hearing more expressions. We might even put a bug in your ear (关于…给你个点子)or give you an idea about something. We also advise you to keep your ear to the ground (对某事态表示关注). This means to be interested in what is happening around you and what people are thinking. If you are a good person, you will lend an ear to your friends (洗耳恭听某人的诉说). You will listen to them when they have a problem they need to talk about. Our last expression is to play it by ear. This has two meanings. One is to play a song on a musical instrument by remembering the tune and not by reading the music(不看乐谱进行弹奏). Play it by ear also means to decide what to do at the last minute instead of making detailed plans. (见机行事, 随机应变)
This VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories was written by Joe Mars. I'm Faith Lapidus.

American Stories: Singing Woman

And now, the VOA Special English program American Stories. Our story today is called Singing Woman. It was written by Ada Jack Carver in 1927. She won an O. Henry Award for the story. Singing Woman is about an old professional mourner in the southern state of Louisiana. She lives on Albertville, a community of French-speaking people of mixed race. They are part black, part white. Now, here is Mary Tillotson with the story.
Little by little, Albertville was changing and the old ways were disappearing. People did not even die as they used to in any brides with time to receive the sacrament and be pardoned for their sins. They died just anywhere, everywhere killed by trains or the growing number of automobiles that raced by on the big new roads. No wondered the buryings were often poor, hurried affairs without even a singing woman.
Oriate and her close friend, dead old Josie * were the only singing women left on Albertville. There was a time when a singing woman was as necessary as a priest. No one who amounted to anything would be buried without a professional mourner. Nowadays, people seemed to have lost the fear, the dignity of death. They did not care how they died or were born. They just came into and went out of the world, any old way. All these troubled Oriate. She sat in her corner and mumbled and grumbled to God about it. "Look liking nothing in right," Numbly used to be. It had been nearly 10 years now since Oriate had wailed for a funeral. Her friend Josephine had had the last one. That was 6 years ago when Madam Mary died. That made 98 for Josephine and 99 for herself. She was one funeral ahead of her friend. How proud Oriate was of her record. She, Oriate, had sung for more buryings than any singing woman in the parish. Of course, old Josephine was a mighty close second.
Oriate kept a record of her own and Josephine's funerals in a little black book locked up in a safe place. On one page was her own name Oriate; and underneath it 99 crosses in neat little rows of five. On the opposite page, was Josephine's name and beneath it 98 crosses in neat little rows of five. Well, they had served death long and loyally, she and Josephine. There was a time when as a special treat, Oriate would take out her funeral book and named the crosses. This one was Maradio barred, and this one she * her daughter. Here was all way who died at time of Coloracam in 1860.
Sometimes, Oriate wondered sadly if she would ever wail again. There was, on Albertville, only one-person left who, if he died, would want a wailing woman. This was Tony Fildbear, the only show on Albertville, older than Oriate. Tony and Oriate and Josephine had been young folks together. Now, it became a sort of game between the two women who would get Tony when he died. "If I get Tony," Oriate would say, "me, I have two more crosses than you, I will have a hundred." And Josephine sitting back in her chair would laugh, "minority if I get him we'll be even at them, my friend." Tony himself and all old men were pleased with the fast they made over him, sometimes he would joke with them when he met them in a church.
"Well, well, old and *, I’m yet, Oriate love both you girls, just wait me, I'll show you." Sometimes, when the weather was fine and the sun not too hot or too bright, Oriate would take her stick and hobble down to Josephine's house to talk of old times. What grand living and dying they're used to be back in steamboat days.
It was like remembering a wedding festival or a muddy grave to look back to the yellow fever scare of 1890. "A funeral everyday and sometimes two."
She and Josephine had had their hands for shocks. The land was too healthy now what was training the swarm in such. The people would get into a pity out waiting death like that. Good thing after all that the automobiles bumped some of them off, Outstate would never quit the earth.
Sometimes, Oriate and Josephine would make wild little jokes, slapping at the flights with fear untiring fans. I've seen Tony last week at the church. He was looking weak, may know?" And both would laugh.
He aimed her too long, but old Tony who for almost 20 years has had one foot in the grave look like he meant to hang on to the earth for ever and ever, Amen. He has always been like that, a lover of life and living. Hey, Lord, what a lad old Tony used to be. What a way with the girls."
It was on a terribly hot August day, but Tony Fildbear had a stroke. Oriate's grandson came in and told her about it. Oriate was excited, "So, Tony was sick?" "Very low." She got down some coffee and got her stick and was off to Josphine's house. She was so heavy with news, she could hardly breathe. "Ah, well, poor old Tony was dying. Which one would he want to sing for him, herself or old Josephine?" A week went by and another, and it began to look as if old Tony did not mean to die after all. It was just like Tony to keep death waiting to play with death like that.
Every night, Oriate got out her funeral book, 99 crosses for herself, a record any singing woman might be proud of. If only she could get one more to complete her final five if only she could get Tony. How she would crow over Josephine then, "Me, I got one hundred crosses, one hundred funerals I've sung for."
Then, one night in late September, Tony died and his son came to ask Oriate to the funeral. "Papa, he told us to get you, the funeral is tomorrow at 10." In the morning, when Oriate awakened, she found that something terrible had happened to her voice. It was gone. She could not speak too much excitement and she let herself get wet outside. Her grandchildren put warm things on her throat and gave her a Rome toddy. But it did no good. Her throat hurt when she opened mouth. She sounded like a frog. She had to stay in bed.
In the evening, the family returned from the burying, but they said nothing about the funeral and how nice Josphine's song and carried on. When Oriate thought no one was looking, she took out her funeral book from under her pillow and made a cross mark under Josephine's name. Now, they were even, each had 99 crosses. Her old hands shook, and one tear rolled out of her one eye.
The next day, Oriate awoke. She heard much excitement around the house. She sat up against her pillow. Her grandchildren crowded around her bed and told her that Josephine had gotten sick in the night, and passed away early this morning. "How do you feel, granny, if Josephine rolled away. Josephine asked for you in the night to come in singing for her funeral." "Well, Lord you, love you." All day, the children made preparations to take Oriate to Josephine's funeral. They said, "You stay in bed and rest many so your voice will be good tomorrow."
The next morning, they came in to help her when she was dressed and ready to go. They brought her the funeral book, "Now, let me look, mark it down one hundred funerals. You've sung for more burying than anyone in the parish." But Oriate brushed them away. "Don't interfere," she cackled, "you wait till I come home from Josephine's burial."
She was unsteady on her feet as they started it out. She was so little, so little and thin. In her mourning veil, she looked like a little black bride. She hobbled painfully, slowly along the road. There was not much strength left than her. A loneliness passed over her, a loneliness and heartache. "Josie," she called, "Josie, I'm coming."
She reached the turn of the road where the willows grew and had to stop. She could go no further. She became dizzy, weaker, sick with fear. She turned her face toward Josephine's house and whispered, "Josie." Everything around her seemed less clear. A darkness took hold of her, "Josie, Josie. I believe my friend that after all. You and me will quit even."
You have heard the story called Singing Woman. It was written by Ada Jack Carver. It was edited and adapted for Special English by Herald Berman. Your narrator was Mary Tilloston. Listen again next week at the same time for another Special English program of American Stories. This is Shirley Griffith.

歌词

乡村民谣 You are my sunshine

you are my sunshine my only sunshine
you make me happy when skies are gray
you'll never know dear how much i love you
pleaes don't take my sunshine away

you are my sunshine my only sunshine
you make me happy when skies are gray
you'll never know dear how much i love you
pleaes don't take my sunshine away
pleaes don't take my sunshine away

经典情歌Another day in paradise

She calls out to the man on the street
Sir can you help me
It's cold and I've nowhere to sleep
Is there somewhere you can tell me
He walks on doesn't look back
He pretends he can't hear her
Starts to whistle
As he crosses the street
Seems embarrassed to be there

Oh think twice
It's another 4 day for you and me In paradise
Oh think twice
It's just another day for you In this paradise
Just think about it

She calls out to the man on the street
He can see she's been crying
Shen's got blisters
On the soles of her feet
She can't walk but she's trying

Oh lord is there nothing more Anybody can do
Oh lord there must be something you can say
You can tell From the lines on her face
You can see That she's been there
Probably been moved on From every place
Cause she didn't fit in there

最新流行Stronger

Ooh hey, yeah
Hush, just stop
There's nothing you can do or say, baby
I've had enough
I'm not your property as from today, baby
You might think that I won't make it on my own
But now I'm Chorus Stronger than yesterday
Now it's nothing but my way
My lonliness ain't killing me no more
I'm.. stronger
End Chorus That I ever thought that I could be, baby
I used to go with the flow Didn't really care 'bout me
You might think that I can't take it, but you're wrong
Cause now I'm…
But now I'm Chorus Stronger than yesterday
Now it's nothing but my way
My lonliness ain't killing me no more
I'm.. stronger
Come on, now
Oh, yeah
Here I go, on my own I don't need nobody, better off alone
Here I go, on my own now I don't need nobody, not anybody
Here I go, alright, here I go
But now I'm Chorus Stronger than yesterday
Now it's nothing but my way
My lonliness ain't killing me no more
I'm.. stronger
Stronger than yesterday
Now it's nothing but my way
My lonliness ain't killing me no more
Chorus Stronger than yesterday
Now it's nothing but my way
My lonliness ain't killing me no more
I'm.. stronger

乐队组合As long as you love me

Although loneliness has always been a friend of mine
I'm leaving my life in your hands
People say I'm crazy and that I am blind
Risking it all in a glance
How you got me blind is still a mystery
I can't get you out of my head
Don't care what is written in you history
As long as you're here with me

I don't care who you are
Where you're from
What you did
As long as you love me
Who you are
Where you're from
Don't care what you did
As long as you love me

Every little thing that you have said and done
Feels like it's deep within me
Doesn't really matter if you're on the run
It seems like we're meant to be

I've tried to hide it so that no one knows
But I guess it shows
When you look in to my eyes
What you did and where you're comin from
I don't care, as long as you love me, baby.

I Don't Care