词汇训练三

3 .The view out of window 窗外的风景

Two men, both in serious illness, occupied the same ward of a hospital. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to undergo therapy and drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window .The other man had to lie flat on his back all the time.

The two men talked for hours on end. They talked about their families, their jobs, their experiences in the military service and a whole lot of things. Every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the outdoor things he could see through the window.

The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods when his world would be broadened and restored to freshness by all the activities and view of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely stream and a stone bridge, the man said. Ducks and geese played in the water while kids sailed their model boats a gang of lads played volleyball on the lawn nearby the bridge .Lovers walked arm in arm amid blooms of brilliant colors. A range of grand oaks and some flourishing palms graced the spectacular landscape. As the man by the window described all these in vivid details, the man or the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the magnetic scenery, which gave him deep impression.

One fine afternoon the man by the window described a troop (procession) of soldiers striding across the square of downtown. Although the other man could not hear the band, he was charmed by the invisible scene.

Unexpectedly, a thought entered his head: why should he have all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything? It seemed unfair. As the thought arose in his mind, the man felt upset and annoyed at first .But with several days passing, his inward (internal) envy turned into resentment and soon turned him sour. He turned indifferent and isolated, almost neglected all the surroundings. Then, a wicked intention controlled his life- he should lie by that window. He almost couldn’t withstand the torture of his intention, and sighed from dawn to dusk. Finally, his health became worse and worse, but the doctors couldn’t find the cause.

Later one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, abruptly, the man by the window began to cough. He was choked by the fluid in his lungs. The other man peered his panic expression and quivering fingers in the dim room as the man by the window exerted all his strength for the button to call for help. At the critical moment, listening to his crawling (creeping)sound across the room, the other man disguised that he had been fallen asleep, never moved, never pressed down his own handy button which would have brought the nurse coming. It lasted about five minutes, and then the sound of cough and breath stopped. There was only silence-deathly silence.

The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the rigid lifeless body of the man by the window, with enormous grief, she called the hospital maid to take it away –no words, no fuss.

As soon as it seemed to be an appropriate opportunity, the man asked if the could be moved next to the window. The nurse was glad to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, with the acute ache, he sustained himself up on one elbow, and strained to

turn to look out of the window. It was incredible that he faced a blank wall.

3.窗外的风景

两名患有重病的男人住在同一间病房。每天下午其中的一位都要在床头坐上一个小时以接受治疗并排空肺部的积液。他的病床临窗，那是病房里唯一的窗子。另一位却不得不整天卧在病床上。

两个人一聊就是数小时。他们谈各自的家庭、工作和当兵的经历，真是无所不谈。每天下午当临窗的男人从床上坐起时，他都要向自己的室友描述窗外看到的一切，以此来打发时光。

临床的男人开始为这一小时而活着，只有这一刻听着对有关窗外世界的一切活动和景色的描述，他的世界才变得开阔并恢复了生机。透过窗户可以看到一个公园，公园里面有条小溪和一座石桥。鸭子和鹅在水中嬉戏，小孩们玩着自己心爱的模型船。一群少年在草地上打排球。年轻的情侣携手漫步于姹紫嫣红的花丛中。一排伟案的橡树和几棵茂盛的棕榈树美化着这引人入胜的风景、、、、、、、当窗外的男士娓娓道出这一切时，房里另一边的男士就会闭上眼睛想象那如画的风景。一幅幅美丽的风景给他留下了深刻的印象。

一个晴朗的下午，窗外的人描述起外面一队士兵正大踏步的穿过市区的广场。虽然听不见乐队的奏乐声，但他还是被这看不见的场景吸引了。

出乎意料的是，不靠窗的病人突然产生了一个想法：为什么偏偏是他有幸观赏到窗外的一切？为什么自己没有机会得到这种机会的？这似乎不公平。起初，他为自己的这种想法感到不安和烦恼。几天后，他内心的妒忌变成了愤怒，脾气也变坏了。他变得冷漠孤僻，无视周围的一切。然后，一个邪恶的想法形成了-他应该躲在靠窗的病床上。他整天唉声叹气，难以承受这一想法的折磨。结果，病情一天天加重了。医生们对其病因不得而知。

一天晚上，他照例睁着双眼盯着天花板，他的同伴突然开始咳嗽，积液已经充满了他的肺腔。在光线暗淡的房间里，他瞥了一眼同伴惊慌的表情，他两手颤抖着，在摸索电铃的按钮，只要电铃一响，值班的护士就会立即赶来。在那关键时刻，听着病友在房间里爬行的声音，他却假装已经入睡、纹丝不动地看着，没有按下手边的按钮。大约5分钟以后，咳嗽声和呼吸声都停止了，四围死一般的寂静。

第二天早上，日间护士端水到病房，却只发现了窗边那个男人僵直的躯体，他已经在睡梦中安详地死去。她十分悲痛，打电话叫医院的护工将尸体抬走。

等到一个适当的机会，病房里的另一个男人请求搬到靠窗的床铺。护士很乐意，帮他调换了床铺，把一切安排妥当，她就走了。

伴着剧烈的疼痛，他缓慢而艰难地用单肘支撑起自己，挣扎着向窗外望去。令他难以置信的是-他发现自己面对的是一面空白的墙壁。