Lesson 22 By heart-英语听力

[00:01.080]--- lesson 22 By heart
熟记台词 [00:05.920]--- Listen to the tape then answer the question below.
^听录音，然后回答以下问题。 [00:11.600]--- Which actor read the letter in the end, the aristocrat or the gaoler? [00:19.600]Some plays are so successful that they run for years on end.
^有些剧目十分成功，以致连续上演好几年。 [00:24.680]In many ways, this is unfortunate for the poor actors who are required to go on repeating the same lines night after night.
^这样一来，可怜的演员们可倒霉了。因为他们需要一夜连着一夜地重复同样的台词。 [00:33.280]One would expect them to know their parts by heart and never have cause to falter.
^人们以为，这些演员一定会把台词背得烂熟，绝不会临场结巴的， [00:38.880]Yet this is not always the case.
^但情况却并不总是这样。 [00:42.400]A famous actor in a highly successful play was once cast in the role of an aristocrat who had been imprisoned in the Bastille for twenty years.
^有一位名演员曾在一出极为成功的剧目中扮演一个贵族角色，这个贵族已在巴士底狱被关押了20年。 [00:53.640]In the last act, a gaoler would always come on to the stage with a letter which he would hand to the prisoner.
^在最后一幕中，狱卒手持一封信上场，然后将信交给狱中那位贵族。 [01:00.480]Even though the noble was expected to read the letter at each performance,
^尽管那个贵族每场戏都得念一遍那封信。 [01:04.760]he always insisted that it should be written out in full.
^但他还是坚持要求将信的全文写在信纸上。 [01:09.360]One night, the gaoler decided to play a joke on his colleague to find out if,
^一天晚上，狱卒决定与他的同事开一个玩笑， [01:15.200]after so many performances, he had managed to learn the contents of the letter by heart.
^看看他反复演出这么多场之后，是否已将信的内容记熟了。 [01:21.280]The curtain went up on the final act of the play and revealed the aristocrat sitting alone behind bars in his dark cell.
^大幕拉开，最后一幕戏开演，贵族独自一人坐在铁窗后阴暗的牢房里。 [01:30.840]Just then, the gaoler appeared with the precious letter in his hands.
^这时狱卒上场，手里拿着那封珍贵的信。 [01:36.400]He entered the cell and presented the letter to the aristocrat.
^狱卒走进牢房，将信交给贵族。 [01:40.680]But the copy he gave him had not been written out in full as usual.
^但这回狱卒给贵族的信没有像往常那样把全文写全， [01:46.160]It was simply a blank sheet of paper.
^而是一张白纸。 [01:49.920]The gaoler looked on eagerly, anxious to see if his fellow actor had at last learnt his lines.
^狱卒热切地观察着，急于想了解他的同事是否记熟了台词。 [01:57.040]The noble stared at the blank sheet of paper for a few seconds.
^贵族盯着纸看了几秒钟， [02:01.200]Then, squinting his eyes, he said: 'The light is dim. Read the letter to me.'
^然后，眼珠一转，说道：“光线太暗，请给我读一下这封信。” [02:08.160]And he promptly handed the sheet of paper to the gaoler.
^说完，他一下子把信递给狱卒。 [02:11.920]Finding that he could not remember a word of the letter either,
^狱卒发现自己连一个字也记不住， [02:15.960]the gaoler replied: 'The light is indeed dim, sire. I must get my glasses.'
^于是便说：“陛下，这儿光线的确太暗了，我得去把眼镜拿来。” [02:22.800]With this, he hurried off the stage.
^他一边说着，一边匆匆下台。 [02:25.600]Much to the aristocrat's amusement,
^贵族感到非常好笑的是： [02:28.360]the gaoler returned a few moments later with a pair of glasses and the usual copy of the letter which he proceeded to read to the prisoner.
^一会儿工夫，狱卒重新登台，拿来一副眼镜以及平时使用的那封信，然后为那囚犯念了起来。