大學(xué)英語(yǔ)綜合教程第三冊(cè) 13

[00:00.00] Making a living as a door-to-door salesman demands a thick skin, both to protect against the weather [00:07.94]and against constantly having the door shut in your face. Bill Porter puts up with all this and much, much more. [00:18.26]LIFE OF A SALESMAN By Tom Hallman Jr. [00:22.67]The alarm rings. It’s 5:45. He could linger under the covers, listening to the radio and a weatherman who predicts rain. [00:31.66]People would understand. He knows that. [00:35.00]2 A surgeon’s scar cuts across his lower back. The fingers on his right hand are so twisted that he can’t tie his shoes. [00:38.35]Some days, he feels like surrendering. But his dead mother’s challenge echoes in his soul. So, too, [00:46.81]do the voices of those who believed him stupid, incapable of living independently. [00:53.29]All his life he’s struggled to prove them wrong. He will not quit. [00:59.17]3 And so Bill Porter rises. [01:03.03]4 He takes the first unsteady steps on a journey to Portland’s streets, the battlefield where he fights alone [01:11.29]for his independence and dignity. He’s a door-to-door salesman. Sixty-three years old. And his enemies [01:20.43]—a crippled body that betrays him and a changing world that no longer needs him—are gaining on him. [01:27.67]5 With trembling hands he assembles his weapons: dark slacks, blue shirt and matching jacket, brown tie, tan raincoat and hat. [01:38.59]Image, he believes, is everything. [01:42.24]6 He stops in the entryway, picks up his briefcase and steps outside. A fall wind has kicked up. [01:49.90]The weatherman was right. He pulls his raincoat tighter. [01:54.65]7 He tilts his hat just so. [01:57.39]8 On the 7:45 bus that stops across the street, [02:01.65]he leaves his briefcase next to the driver and finds a seat in the middle of a pack of bored teenagers. [02:08.78]9He leans forward,stares toward the driver,sits back,then repeats the process.His nervousness makes him laugh uncontrollably. [02:19.10]The teenagers stare at him. They don’t realize Porter’s afraid someone will seal his briefcase, [02:25.82]with the glasses, brochures, order forms and clip-on tie that he needs to survive. [02:32.56]10 Porter senses the stares. He looks at the floor. [02:36.89]11 His face reveals nothing. In his heart, though, he knows he should have been like these kids, like everyone on this bus. [02:45.85]He’s not angry. But he knows. His mother explained how the delivery had been difficult, [02:52.70]how the doctor had used an instrument that crushed a section of his brain and caused cerebral palsy, [02:58.94]a disorder of the nervous system that affects his speech, hands and walk. [03:05.18]12 Porter came to Portland when he was 13 after his father, a salesman, was transferred here. [03:12.16]He attended a school for the disabled and then Lincoln High School, where he was placed in a class for slow kids. [03:20.07]13 But he wasn’t slow. [03:22.74]14 His mind was trapped in a body that didn’t work. Speaking was difficult and took time. People were impatient and didn’t listen. [03:32.17]He felt different—was different—from the kids who rushed about in the halls and planned dances he would never attend. [03:41.07]15 What could his future be? Porter wanted to do something and his mother was certain that he could rise above his limitations. [03:49.62]With her encouragement, he applied for a job with the Fuller Brush CO. only to be turned down. [03:56.51]He couldn’t carry a product briefcase or walk a route, they said. [04:01.82]16 Porter knew he wanted to be a salesman. He began reading help wanted ads in the newspaper. [04:08.89]When he saw one for Watkins, a company that sold household products door-to-door, [04:14.80]his mother set up a meeting with a representative.The man said no,but Porter wouldn’t listen. [04:21.51]He just wanted a chance.The man gave in and offered Porter a section of the city that no salesman wanted. [04:29.56]17 It took Porter four false starts before he found the courage to ring the first doorbell. [04:36.09]The man who answered told him to go away, a pattern repeated throughout the day. [04:42.36]18 That night Porter read through company literature and discovered the products were guaranteed. [04:48.76]He would sell that pledge. He just needed people to listen. [04:53.59]19 If a customer turned him down, Porter kept coming back until they heard him. And he sold. [05:00.96]20 For several years he was Watkins'top retail salesman. [05:06.10]Now he is the only one of the company’s 44,000 salespeople who sells door-to-door. [05:13.16]21 The bus stops in the Transit Mall, and Porter gets off. [05:17.81]22His body is not made for walking.Each step strains his joints.Headaches are constant visitors.His right arm is nearly useless. [05:28.31]He can’t fully control the limb. His body tilts at the waist; he seems to be heading into a strong, [05:36.14]steady wind that keeps him off balance. At times, he looks like a toddler taking his first steps. [05:44.11]23 He walks 10 miles a day. [05:47.45]24 His first stop today, like every day, is a shoeshine stand where employees tie his laces. [05:54.32]Twice a week he pays for a shine. At a nearby hotel one of the doormen buttons [06:01.46]Porter’s top shirt button and slips on his clip-on tie. [06:06.00]He then walks to another bus that drops him off a mile from his territory. [06:11.30]25 He left home nearly three hours ago. [06:14.67]26 The wind is cold and raindrops fall. Porter stops at the first house. [06:20.94]This is the moment he’s been preparing for since 5:45 a.m. He rings the bell. [06:27.19]27 A woman comes to the door. [06:29.98]28 “Hello.” [06:31.73]29 “No, thank you, I’m just preparing to leave.” [06:35.02]30 Porter nods. [06:37.22]31 “May I come back later?” he asks. [06:40.27]32 “No,” says the woman. [06:43.04]33 She shuts the door. [06:45.39]34 Porter’s eyes reveal nothing. [06:48.32]35 He moves to the next house. [06:51.09]36 The door opens. [06:53.10]37 Then closes. [06:55.48]38 He doesn’t get a chance to speak. Porter’s expression never changes. He stops at every home in his territory. [07:03.68]People might not buy now. Next time. Maybe. No doesn’t mean never. [07:09.48]Some of his best customers are people who repeatedly turned him down before buying. [07:15.30]39 He makes his way down the street. [07:18.33]40 “I don’t want to try it.” [07:20.76]41 “Maybe next time.” [07:23.30]42 “I’am sorry. I’m no the phone right now.” [07:26.30]43 “No.” [07:28.44]44 Ninety minutes later, Porter still has not made a sale. But there is always another home. [07:35.08]45 He walks on. [07:37.20]46 He knocks on a door. A woman appears from the backyard there she’s gardening. [07:42.89]She often buys, but not today, she says, as she walks away. [07:46.42]47 “Are you sure?” Porter asks. [07:49.42]48 She pauses. [07:51.75]49 “Well…” [07:53.55]50 That’s all Porter needs. He walks as fast as he can, tailing her as she heads to the backyard. [08:00.57]He sets his briefcase down and opens it. He puts on his glasses, removes his brochures and begins his sales talk, [08:09.12]showing the woman pictures and describing each product. [08:13.22]51 Spices? [08:15.46]52 “No.” [08:17.37]53 Jams? [08:19.17]54 “No. Maybe nothing today, Bill.” [08:22.70]55 Porter’s hearing is the one perfect thing his body does. [08:27.48]Except when he gets a live one. Then the word “no” does not register. [08:33.02]56 Pepper? [08:34.95]57 “No.” [08:36.99]58 Laundry soap? [08:39.03]59 “Hmm.” [08:41.22]60 Porter stops. He smells blood. He quickly remembers her last order. [08:47.23]61 “Say, aren’t you about out of soap? That’s what you bought last time. You ought to be out right about now.” [08:54.60]62 “You’re right, Bill. I’ll take one.” [08:57.60]63 He arrives home, in a rainstorm, after 7 p.m. Today was not profitable. [09:04.63]He tells himself not to worry. Four days left in the week. [09:09.36]64 At least he’s off his feet and home. [09:13.04]65 Inside, an era is preserved. The telephone is a heavy, rotary model. There is no VCR, no cable. [09:21.87]66 His is the only house in the neighborhood with a television antenna on the roof. [09:27.28]67 He leads a solitary life. Most of his human contact comes on the job. [09:33.28]Now, he heats the oven and slips in a frozen dinner because it’s easy to fix. [09:40.21]68 The job usually takes him 10 hours. [09:44.10]69 He’s a weary man who knows his days—no matter what his intentions—are numbered. [09:50.05]70 He works on straight commission. He gets no paid holidays, vacations or raise. Yes, some months are lean. [09:59.51]71 In 1993, he needed back surgery to relieve pain caused from decades of walking. [10:06.51]He was laid up for five months and couldn’t work. He was forced to sell his house. [10:12.39]The new owners, familiar with his situation, froze his rent and agreed to let him live there until he dies. [10:20.98]72 He doesn’t feel sorry for himself. [10:24.22]73 The house is only a building. A place to live, nothing more. [10:28.92]74 His dinner is ready. He eats at the kitchen table and listens to the radio. [10:34.91]The afternoon mail brought bills that he will deal with later this week. The checkbook is upstairs in the bedroom. [10:42.48]75 His checkbook. [10:45.17]76 He types in the recipient’s name and signs his name. [10:49.59]77 The signature is small and scrawled. [10:53.14]78 Unreadable. [10:55.20]79 But he knows. [10:57.66]80 Bill Porter, 81 Bill Porter, salesman. [11:00.79]82 From his easy chair he hears the wind lash his house and the rain pound the street outside his home. [11:08.60]He must dress warmly tomorrow. He’s sleepy. With great care he climbs the stairs to his bedroom. [11:16.23]83 In time, the lights go off. [11:19.55]84 Morning will be here soon. [11:22.76]salesman linger weatherman surgeon [11:27.69]推銷員 磨蹭 氣象員 外科醫(yī)生 [11:32.61]scar battlefield dignity cripple [11:38.74]傷疤 戰(zhàn)場(chǎng) 尊嚴(yán) 使受傷致殘 [11:44.86]betray gain on tremble slacks [11:50.92]背叛 逼近 顫抖 寬松褲 [11:56.98]tan entryway briefcase kick up [12:01.57]棕褐色 入口 公文包 踢起 [12:06.15]tilt lean brochure clip-on [12:11.76]傾斜 傾斜 小冊(cè)子 用夾子夾牢 [12:17.36]delivery section cerebral palsy [12:22.56]分娩 部分 腦的 麻痹 [12:27.76]disorder transfer limitation apply for [12:34.30]失調(diào) 調(diào)動(dòng) 缺陷 申請(qǐng) [12:40.84]Co. representative literature pledge [12:46.11]公司 代表 宣傳資料 保證 [12:51.37]retail transit mall strain [12:56.05]零售 通行 購(gòu)物中心 損傷 [13:00.72]joint useless limb waist [13:07.50]關(guān)節(jié) 無(wú)效的 腿 腰 [13:14.28]off balance toddler shoeshine lace [13:20.12]不平衡 學(xué)步的兒童 擦皮鞋 花邊 [13:25.96]territory on the phone spice register [13:31.42]領(lǐng)土 在打電話 調(diào)料 登記 [13:36.88]laundry profitable off one's feet VCR [13:43.75]洗好的衣服 有益的 躺著 錄象機(jī) [13:50.62]antenna solitary oven commission [13:56.38]天線 單獨(dú)的 烤箱 傭金 [14:02.14]surgery be laid up(with) checkbook recipient [14:08.12]外科手術(shù) 無(wú)法工作 支票簿 接受人 [14:14.10]signature scrawl unreadable lash [14:19.68]簽名 潦草地寫(xiě) 難以辨認(rèn)的 鞭打 [14:26.57]及時(shí) 停止

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