《瘋狂英語》精選輯:心靈的語言

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The Language of the Heart
Written by Maureen Fredrickson
Read by Ruth Ross

Soapy Smith is a twenty-four-pound 1)calico 2)rex rabbit. People look 3)startled when they first touch him and remark how soft he is. I’ve noticed he seems to make everyone who meets him a little softer, too.

One day, Soapy Smith and I visited a shelter for 4)battered women located in a 5)bedraggled section of the city. No one smiled a greeting, and they appeared uninterested in Soapy’s 6)carrier. One little girl in particular moved like a 7)wisp 8)in the background. The staff informed me that she had been there for over a month and had not spoken the entire time. Her mother said she had talked at one time but not in recent memory. I didn’t want to imagine what could have happened to rob this little girl of the natural curiosity and enthusiasm so natural to childhood. Spreading a blanket on the floor, I sat down and opened Soapy’s carrier. As the silent child circled past me, I told the group that Soapy would come to talk to them if they sat on his blanket. Several children did this, including the silent girl. She sat 9)rigidly at the edge of the blanket, legs held 10)stiffly out straight in front of her. She was staring hard at Soapy. It appeared that he kept making eye contact with her. She didn’t reach out to him or encourage him in any way. Rather she sat 11)tensely, just staring. Finally Soapy came to a stop about two inches from her 12)thigh. He quietly reached out and laid his chin on her knee. I was 13)astonished. While a common behavior for dogs, this is not a behavior 14)exhibited by rabbits, especially not by this rabbit. The child did not reach out to pet Soapy. Instead, she slowly leaned toward him. When her face was within inches of his, she carefully reached out and circled him with her arms. So softly that no one in the room could hear, she began to talk. Folded around the rabbit, she 15)pillowed her head on his back and whispered to him. Soapy remained 16)motionless. I looked up and noticed that the shelter workers had stopped talking. Every adult in the room froze in place. Time seemed 17)suspended...

The little girl reappeared when I was preparing to leave. She reached her hands out and looked me directly in the eye. I held soapy out to her. She wrapped him in a big hug and pressed her face against him. Suspended from my hands as he was, I was concerned that he would begin to struggle. Instead he reached out his head again and laid it on the child’s shoulder. His breathing slowed and he closed his eyes. As quickly as it happened, the little girl released her hug and stepped back. As she turned away, I thought I saw the beginnings of a 18)faint smile. The rabbit in his cloud of soft, warm fur had touched something deep in the child-something that had died from too much hard experience. Soapy’s 19)innocence and trust appeared to 20)kindle those very same qualities in the little girl. It seems the language of the heart is simple after all.
注釋：
1) calico adj. （馬等）有斑點的
2) rex rabbit 雷克斯兔（在我國多稱為“獺兔”），原產地法國，以絨毛平整富光澤，手感柔軟、舒適著名
3) startled adj. 震驚的
4) battered adj. 受重創(chuàng)的，連續(xù)打擊的
5) bedraggled adj. 荒廢的，破舊的
6) carrier n. （自行車等）行李架，置物架
7) wisp n. 小物體，纖細的東西
8) in the background 在不引人注目的地方，在隱蔽的地方
9) rigidly adv. 僵硬地，死板地
10) stiffly adv. 呆板地，僵硬地
11) tensely adv. 緊張地
12) thigh n. 大腿
13) astonished adj. 驚訝的
14) exhibit v. 展出，展示
15) pillow v. 把……枕在……上
16) motionless adj. 不動的，靜止的
17) suspended adj. 暫停的，懸浮的
18) faint adj. 微弱的，暗淡的
19) innocence n. 天真，單純
20) kindle v. 引起，照亮

心靈的語言

泡泡·史密斯是一只24磅重的雷克斯斑點兔。第一次撫摸它的人都會驚詫于它的柔軟。而據我所見，它似乎也能軟化那些見過它的人。

一天，我?guī)е菖?middot;史密斯去了一家被虐婦女收容所。那地方在城市破爛的一角，沒有一個人對我笑著問聲好，也沒人對裝著泡泡的籃子顯出絲毫的興趣。一個極瘦弱的小女孩仿佛一小撮移動的干草，在不為人注意的地方走著。那兒的工作人員告訴我，她已經來了一個多月了，可一句話也沒說過。她母親說她曾經說過一次話，但那已不是最近的事了。我不愿去想象究竟是什么經歷奪走了這個小女孩童年應有的好奇和熱心。我在地板上鋪了張?zhí)鹤幼聛?，打開了裝著泡泡的籃子。當時，那位沉默的女孩在我身邊繞圈子經過，我向那里的人說，如果誰坐在泡泡的毯子上，它就會上前和他說話。幾個孩子坐到了毯子上，其中也有那個不說話的女孩。她拘謹地坐在毯子的邊緣，兩條腿硬梆梆地伸在前面。她緊緊盯著泡泡，而看起來泡泡也不停地在用眼神和她交流。她沒有伸出手去抱它，也沒有使出什么法子來逗它，只是緊張地坐在那兒，盯著泡泡。泡泡終于在離她大腿兩英寸遠的地方停了下來。它輕輕地探出頭，把下巴擱在她的膝蓋上。我不禁吃了一驚。一般說來這是狗才有的舉動，兔子不會這樣做的，而泡泡就更不用說了。
小女孩沒有伸出手去摸泡泡，只是慢慢把上身往前傾，直到她的臉離泡泡還有幾英寸的時候，才小心地張開雙臂將它圍住。她開始說話了，聲音很輕很柔，屋子里的人誰也聽不見。她身體蜷在泡泡身邊，把頭枕在它的背上，對它竊竊私語，而泡泡也一動不動地趴在那兒。我抬起頭來，發(fā)現收容所的工作人員都停止了說話，屋子里的每一個大人都僵在原地。時間仿佛凝固了……

在我準備離開的時候，小女孩又出現了。她伸開雙手，直視著我。我把泡泡捧給她。她緊緊地抱著泡泡，臉貼在它上面。開始時我擔心泡泡會掙扎，因為那時它的半個身子都懸在空中?？墒撬鼌s又一次把頭探出來，擱在女孩的肩上。它的呼吸漸漸慢了下來，眼睛也閉了起來。女孩一察覺到這點，便連忙松開手，向后退了一步。就在她轉身的剎那，我相信我看到了一絲淡淡的微笑開始浮現在她臉上。
這只毛茸茸、暖烘烘的兔子觸及了女孩內心深處的某種感受，這種感受早已被太多太多的苦難生活所扼殺。泡泡的天真和信任似乎喚醒了女孩心中同樣的天性。畢竟，心靈的語言是簡單的。