大学英语精读文本1-6册

Unit 7 Text Several neighbors hope to find safety in the only bomb shelter on their street when an announcement comes over the radio that enemy missiles are approaching. Can it shelter all of them? Does its owner let them in?¡¡Here is the story¡­¡­ The Shelter Rod Serling SYNOPSIS OF ACT ONE: On a summer evening, a birthday celebration is going on at Dr. Stockton's. Among those present are his neighbors: the Hendersons, the weiss's and the Harlowes. In the midst of it comes unexpectedly over the radio the announcement of the President of the United States declaring a state of emergency of for suspected enemy missiles approaching. The party breaks up and the neighbors hurry home. However, shortly afterwards they return one after another to the stockton house for the simple reason that they want to survive ¡ª¡ª want to share with the Stocktons the bomb shelter which is the only one on their street. ACT TWO (abridged) OUTSIDE STOCKTON HOME HENDERSON: It'll land any minute. I just know it. It's going to land any minute¡ª¡ª MRS. HENDERSON: (grabs hold of him) What are we going to do? Throughout above and following dialogue, a portable radio carried by one of the children carries the following announcement: ANNOUNCER'S VOICE: This is Conelrad. This is Conelrad. We are still in a state of Yellow Alert. If you are a public official or government employee with an emergency assignment, or a civil defense worker, you should report to your post immediately. If you are a public official or government employee¡­¡­ MRS. HARLOWE: Jerry, ask again. HARLOWE: Don't waste you time. He won't let anyone in. He said he didn't have any room or supplies there and it's designed for three people. MRS.HENDERSON: What'll we do? HARLOWE: Maybe we ought to pick out just one basement and go to work on it. Poll all our stuff. Food, water, everything. MRS.HARLOWE: It isn't fair. (she points toward Stockton house) He's down there in a bomb shelter completely safe. And our kids have to just wait around for a bomb to drop and ¡ª¡ª HENDERSON: Let's just go down into his basement and break down the door? A chorus of voices greet this with assent. As HENDERSON rushes through toward the basement entrance, HARLOWE overtakes him saying: HARLOWE: Wait a minute, wait a minute. All of us couldn't fit in there. That would be crazy to even try. WEISS: Why don't we draw lots? Pick out one family? HARLOWE: What difference would it make? He won't let us in. HENDERSON: We can all march down there and tell him he's got the whole street against him. We could do that. HARLOWE: What good would that do? I keep telling you. Even if we were to break down the door, it couldn't accommodate all of us. We'd just be killing everybody and for no reason. MRS. HENDERSON: If it saves even one of these kids out here¡ª¡ªI call that a reason. The voice comes up again. WEISS: Jerry, you know him better than nay of us. You're his best friend. Why don't you go down again? Try to talk to him. Pleased with him. Tell him to pick out one family ¡ª¡ª Draw lots or something ¡ª¡ª HENDERSON: One family, meaning yours, Weiss, huh? WEISS: (whirls around to him) Why not? I've got a three-month-old infant¡ª¡ª MRS. HENDERSON: What difference does that make? Is your baby's life any more precious than our kids? WEISS: (shouting at her) I never said that. If you're going to start trying to argue about who deserves to live more than the next one ¡ª¡ª HENDERSON: Why don't you shut your mouth, Weiss? (with a wild, illogical anger) That's the way it is when the foreigners come over here. Aggressive, greedy, semi-Americans¡ª¡ª WEISS: (his face goes white) Why you garbage-brained idiot you¡ª¡ª MRS. HENDERSON: It still goes, Weiss! I bet you're at the bottom of the list¡ª¡ª WEISS suddenly flings himself through the crowd toward the man and there's a brief, hand-to-hand fight between them broken up by HARLOWE who stands between them breathless. HARLOWE: Keep it up, both of you. Just keep it up. We won't need a bomb. We can slaughter each other. MRS.WEISS: (pleading) Marty, go down to Bill's shelter again. Ask him ¡ª¡ª WEISS: I've already asked him. It wouldn't do any good. One again the siren sounds and the people seem to move closer together, staring up toward the night sky. Off in the distance we see searchlights. HARLOWE: Searchlights. It must be coming closer. HENDERSON: (as he suddenly pushes HARLOWE aside and heads for the steps) I'm going down there and get him to open up that door. I don't care what the rest of you think. That's the only thing left to do. MAN # 1: He's right. Come on, let's do it. INSIDE THE SHELTER GRACE is holding tight to PAUL. STOCKTON stands close to the door listening to the noises from outside as they approach. There's a pounding on the shelter door that reverberates. OUTSIDE THE SHELTER HENDERSON: Bill? Bill Stockton? You've got a bunch of your neighbors out here who want to stay alive. Now you can open the door and talk to us and figure out with us how many can come in there. Or else you can just keep doing what you're doing ¡ª¡ª and we'll fight our way in there. HARLOWE appears and pushes his way through the group and goes over to the shelter door. HARLOWE: Bill. This is Jerry. They mean business out here. STOCKTON'S VOICE: And I mean business in here. I've already told you, Jerry. You're wasting you time. You're wasting precious time that could be use for something else¡­¡­like figuring out how you can survive. NAM # 1: Why don't we get a big, heavy log to break the door down? HENDERSON: We could go over to Bennett Avenue. Phil Kline has some giant logs in his basement. I've seen them. Let's get one. And we'll just tell Kline to keep his mouth shut as to why we want it. WEISS: Let's get hold of ourselves. Let's stop and think for a minute¡ª¡ª HENDERSON: (turning to face WEISS) Nobody cares what you think. You or your kind. I thought I made that clear upstairs. I think the first order of business is to get you out of here. With this he strikes out, smashing his fist into WEISS's face in a blow so unexpected and so wild that WEISS, totally unprepared, is knocked against the wall. His wife screams and, still holding the baby, rushes to him. There's a commotion as several men try to grab the neighbor and HARLOWE is immediately at WEISS's side trying to help him to his feet. Once again the sirens blast. HENDERSON: (should over the noise and commotion) Come on, let's get something to smash this door down. They start out of cellar toward the steps. INSIDE THE SHELTER STOCKTON slowly turns to face his wife. The angry screaming cries of the people ring in their ears even as they depart. GRACE (looks up) Bill? Who were those people? STOCKTON (turning to stare toward the door) "Those people?" Those are our neighbors, Grace. Our friends. The people we've lived with and alongside for twenty years. (then in a different fixed expression and in a different tone) Come on. Paul. Let's put stuff up against this door. Everything we can. The man and boy then start to pile up a barricade, using furniture, the generator, books, any movable object they can get their hands on. OUTSIDE OF THE SHELTER The mob marches down the street carrying a large heavy log that is perhaps fifteen feet long. Their own shouts mix with the sound of the intermittent siren and with the voice of the announcer on the Conelrad station. ANNOUNCER'S VOICE: We've been asked to once again remind the population that they are to remain calm, stay off the streets. This is urgent. Please remain off the streets. Everything possible is being done in the way of protection. But the military and important civil defense vehicles must have the streets clear.