自考英语综合二上册课文 lesson 16

　　[00:00.00]Lesson Sixteen

[00:03.21]Text

[00:05.77]A Social Event William Inge

[00:10.92]CHARACTERS Randy Brooks 1 Carole Mason Muriel

[00:18.08]The scene is the bedroom in the home of a young Hollywood couple

[00:24.14]Randy Brooks and Carole Mason,

[00:28.29]who have been married only a short time

[00:32.37]and whose careers are still in the promising 2 stage.

[00:37.83]There  is  abundant luxury in the room but a minimum of taste.

[00:43.47]It is late morning and both Randy and Carole are asleep,

[00:48.74]but Randy soon comes awake , reaches for a cigarette, lights it,

[00:55.59]and rubs his forehead worriedly.

[00:59.66]Something profound is troubling him.He gets out of bed ,

[01:05.52]slips a robe on and paces the floor  worriedly.

[01:10.84]Finally, he presses the buzzer 3 on the house phone and speaks to the cook.

[01:17.92]R:Muriel?  We're getting up now.Bring up the usual breakfast.

[01:23.57]( He hangs up and goes into the bathroom to wash.Now Carole wakes up.

[01:30.23]She too lights a cigarette and looks troubled.Then she calls to Randy.)

[01:37.31]C:I hardly slept a wink 4 all night, just thinking about it.

[01:43.47]There's nothing to do but" face the fact that we're not invited

[01:48.75]C:Oh, there's got to be a way. There's got to be.

[01:54.49]R:After all, honey,there's no reason to feel slighted.

[02:00.76]We're both pretty new in pictures.

[02:04.71]It's not as though we were old timers who had worked with Scotty.

[02:10.06]C:Sandra and Don never worked with Scotty, either.

[02:14.92]Neither did Debby and Chris, or Anne and Mark.

[02:20.28]R:I know, honey.We've been through all this before.

[02:25.42]C:And I may never have worked with Scotty,

[02:29.97]but I did meet him once, and he danced with me at a party.

[02:35.53]He was very nice to me too, and said some very complimentary 5 things.

[02:41.91]I met his wife,too.(An afterthought. ) I didn't much like her

[02:47.16]R:Maybe I'd better call Mike again.

[02:50.71](He picks up the telephone and dials.)

[02:54.86]CAROLE:What good can an agent do? We're not looking for jobs.

[03:00.64]R:He may have found some way of getting us invited.

[03:04.76]C:I bet.

[03:07.53]R:Mike?Randy.Look, Mike,Carole and I still haven't been invited,

[03:26.89]and I can't help wondering if there's been an oversight 6 of some kind.

[03:32.66]After all,Carole was a great friend of Scotty's

[03:37.39]and she feels pretty hurtthat she's been over looked...

[03:42.35]I never knew himbut everyone knows how much I've always admired him.

[03:48.21]In an interview just last week,

[03:51.68]I said,"Scotty Woodrow is still the greatest.

[03:56.96]"Now,I didn't have to say that. . . if you ask me,

[04:01.71]it showed a lot of humility 7 on my part

[04:06.26]to say a thing like that when,after all,I've got a career of my own to consider..

[04:13.02]well look,try to do something,Mike.

[04:17.49]Carole and I both should be seen there.

[04:21.85]OK.Mike, call us as soon as you find out.(He hangs up. )

[04:30.11]C:He couldn't get us an invitation to Disneyland.

[04:34.94]R:He said just Scotty's closest friends are being invited.

[04:39.90]C:Oh. yes! Half the people going,I bet,have never met him.

[04:46.25]R:Well! What are we going to do?

[04:50.61]C:Sandra had an entire new outfit 8 made.Perfectly 9 stunning 10.

[04:57.17]And she had the dress made so that she can have the sleeves taken out later and

[05:03.12]wear it to cocktails 11 and supper parties.

[05:07.70]After all, black is a very smart color now.

[05:12.24]R:Did you tell Sandra and Don we weren't invited?

[05:16.68]C:Of course not.

[05:20.03]I lied and said we were going Now, if we don't get an invitation,

[05:26.87]I'll have to lie again and say we came down with food poisoning,or something

[05:33.84]R:How did Anne and Mark get invited?

[05:37.40]C:Mark played Scotty's son in a picture once.

[05:41.94]R:When? I don't remember.

[05:46.70]C:A long time ago,before either of us came on the scene.

[05:51.84]R:That means Mark's a little older than he admits.

[05:58.01]C:I don't know. The part was very young,practically an infant

　　[06:03.86]R:Just the same, I'll bet Mark's thirty.

[06:08.25]C:Damn,what am I going to tell Sandra?

[06:12.51]She invited us to come to her house afterwards and I accepted.

[06:19.35]R:She's not giving a party!

[06:22.69]C:No. She just invited some friends to come in afterwards to have a few drinks

[06:30.64] talk about what a great guy Scotty was,and everything.

[06:35.60]She said she thought we'd all feel terribly depressed 12.

[06:40.56]After all, Scotty Woodrow was practically a landmark,or something.

[06:47.41]Think of it. He's been a star for forty years.

[06:52.37]R:Yes. He was really great.

[06:56.42]It makes me very humble 13 to think of a guy like Scotty.

[07:01.38]C:They say flowers came from the President,and from Queen Elizabeth,and...

[07:07.86]R:The guest list is going to be published in every paper in the country

[07:13.50]C:You know we could crash.R:No,honey.C:Who'd know the difference?

[07:20.87]R:How would we feel afterwards,when we had to shake hands with Mrs. Woodrow?

[07:27.11]C:She's probably forgotten whether she invited us or not.

[07:32.68]R:Honey, I'm not going to crash. That's all.I'm not.

[07:39.05]C:Everyone would just take it for granted we'd been invited.I mean

[07:44.09]we're both just as prominent as Sandra and Don,or any of the others.

[07:50.86]If you ask me, it'd be a lot better to crash than not to be seen at. . .

[07:57.02]well,you can't call it a social affair exactly,but it's a social event.

[08:04.39]Anyway, everyone will be there. Everyone.

[08:09.35]R:It could be some of the others who are lying about their invitations, too

[08:14.92]You realize that,don't you?

[08:18.16]C: I wonder... well,anyway,they're all going.

[08:26.51]I think they got invitations.

[08:30.17]R:I don't know why the studio couldn't have managed it  for us with a little pull

[08:36.23]They should realize it's in the best interests of my career to be seen there,

[08:41.80]and my career means as much to them as it does to me.

[08:46.65]C:Same here.

[08:49.53]Oh,I just don't know how I can face Sandra and Anne and all the others,

[08:56.79]and make them believe that we really did have food poisoning.

[09:02.67]R:You know, we could give ourselves food poisoning.

[09:07.11]Just a light case.A little rotten meat would do it.

[09:11.97]Then we'd call the doctor and...

[09:15.94]C:No!I'm not going to make myself sick.

[09:21.50]R:Just a slight case so you could tell them with a straight face.

[09:27.07](A soft tap comes at the door.) Come in.

[09:32.34](Muriel, the  maid,enters with a tray.)Hi Muriel!

[09:38.87]M:Good morning!

[09:41.80]C:Hi, Muriel. Put it here on the coffee table.( Muriel does as sheis told.)

[09:49.66]M:Miss Carole, I hope you remember I told you I'd be gone this morning.

[09:56.43]C:Oh,yes,I'd forgotten. What time will you be back, Muriel?

[10:03.38]M:Oh, I'll be back in time to fix dinner.

[10:08.42]R:Is this your day off Muriel?

[10:11.89]M:No, Mr. Randy. I'm going to Mr. Woodrow's funeral.

[10:18.14]( There is a slight air of supei iority about her now.

[10:23.28]Randy and Carole look at her with sudden surprise.)

[10:28.43]R:Oh... is that right?

[10:32.27]M:And after the funeral,

[10:35.82]Mrs.Woodrow has asked me to join the family at their home.

[10:41.99]C:Muriel, you didn't tell me!R:Uh. . . were you a friend of Scotty,Muriel?

[10:50.03]M:My mother worked for him when he was starting out in the business.

[10:56.40]I was born in Mr.Woodrow's beach house,

[11:01.13]before he bought that big house up in the canyon 14.

[11:06.28]( She has thus established herself as near royalty 15 to Randy and Carole. )

[11:13.04]R:(Amazed.) Really?

[11:16.00]M:Oh, yes. Mr. Woodrow was very good to me when I was a child.

[11:23.15]Mama worked for him until she died. I could have stayed on,

[11:29.32]but after Mr.Woodrow got married the last time,

[11:34.96]she hired a lot of French servants I didn't get on with,at all.

[11:41.41]But they went right on sending me Christmas cards every year.

[11:47.29]R:Uh. . . Muriel, do you have a ride to the funeral?

[11:52.93]M:No, Mr. Brooks. Mrs.Woodrow's secretary said I could bring my family,

　　[12:01.19]but now that Vincent has left me and taken the car,

[12:06.94]I'll have to take a taxi.

[12:10.72]Gee... that's too bad.

[12:14.77]C:Yes.Isn't it?

[12:18.85]M: Well, I have to be getting ready now.

[12:23.00]I got a new black dress to wear.All the big names in Hollywood will be there

[12:29.84]I want to look my best.

[12:33.61]R: Uh. .Muriel, you don't want to go to the services all alone!

[12:39.38]M:Oh, I don't mind.

[12:42.72]C:Look, Muriel, why don't we all go together?

[12:48.60]I: mean. .. well, of course, Randy and I are invited,too,

[12:54.56]but we'd be glad to go along with you. . .

[12:58.92]as your family, you know.Well, after all,you're one of us,Muriel.

[13:06.57]M:All of us go together, huh?C:Of course.

[13:12.74]R:I'll drive us all there in the Cadillac.

[13:16.58]M: Oh.. .that'd be nice.And then after the funeral,we'll take you to the house

[13:25.25]M: I see.R:And you won't have to worry about coming back to fix-dinner.

[13:32.02]C:Of course not.M:Well, it suits me.I didn't want to have to call a taxi.

[13:41.37]If you folks want to come along, fine and dandy.

[13:46.23]You'll have to pardon me now.

[13:49.88]I have to get into my new black dress.

[13:54.74]We'll meet you downstairs in fifteen minutes,Muriel

[14:00.31]( Muriel exits. Carole and Randy both jump into action ,

[14:06.24]getting their clothes out of their respective closets. )

[14:10.81]C:I told you we'd find a way.R:Yah.

[14:15.56](Taking a suit from closet ) Say,this suit could stand a pressing.

[14:22.51]Do I have to wear black?

[14:25.67]C:Of course, honey.After all, it's a very solemn occasion.Well, O.K.

[14:34.11]C:I'll have to call Sandra. (She picks up the telephone and dials.)

[14:40.56]R:It's going to look all right, isn't it? I mean, our going with Muriel.

[14:54.72]C:Of course. You don't worry about things like that at a funeral.

[15:01.25](Into the telephone. )

[15:04.18]Sandra? Carole.

[15:07.94]Darling I'm awfully 16 sorry

[15:12.67]but Randy and I won't be able to come to your house after the funeral...

[15:19.54]well,you see, we have a duty to Muriel, our cook.

[15:25.39]She's the daughter of Scotty's old housekeeper 17..yes,Scotty practically raised her

[15:33.83]And we feel that we should take her with us,and then,

[15:39.39]of course,we'll have to go to the home afterwards.

[15:44.12]Just family and a few of his very closest friends.

[15:50.65]We can't get out of it you'll forgive us, won't you, darling?

[15:56.92]Oh, it's all going to be terribly sad.

[16:01.57]R:( To himself, while dressing 18.) I guess it'll look all right.

[16:07.73]After all, funerals are very democratic affairs.CURTAIN