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Japanese
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04:21 |
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J01 |
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Words and Their Stories -- a program in Special English. American English
has many little words that do big jobs. The word, "side," for example,
does an endless number of jobs.
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J02 |
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Sometimes, it is easier to remember new words when they are heard in a
story. Our story today begins at seven o'clock -- almost anywhere in
America. At the stroke of seven, Americans jump out of bed for work. Many
jump out of the wrong side of the bed. They got to bed late and had little
sleep. They are tired and anxious. It is rush, rush, shave, shower and
brush, eat, and rush again for the train or the bus. No wonder they feel
nervous and angry at being waked up by the clock on the sidepiece.
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J03 |
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A dream was so pleasant, and so, in the rush, we rise unhappy on the wrong
side of the bed. Breakfast may be waiting, and the smell of fresh coffee
is good. We may even give our wife a sideglance as we read the headlines:
"Train Sideswipes Car; Two Hurt." But then, we grab our hat and coat, and
are off down the sidewalk to the waiting train.
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J04 |
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There, we meet our old friends, our sidekicks, and already the morning
seems better. Charley, an old sidekick, works for the government, but he
has a sideline. He sells shoes at night. Jim with the long sideburns never
gives a straight answer to a question. He sidesteps any issue as if he
wanted to stay on the good side of people. And then there is Bill. He is a
bit of a clown, always ready with a joke or sidesplitting story. Sometimes
he tells them at the wrong time, and they are not so funny. Henry is the
quiet one, serious about life. Perhaps it is because he had to fight his
way to success. You see, Henry was from a poor family. He was born on the
wrong side of the tracks. And each day we ride the train to work, we see
where he once lived in the old brokendown homes on the east side of the
city.
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J05 |
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All of us have good jobs, and all of us have stayed on the right side of
the law. But every morning in the train, we somehow fall into a discussion
of politics. We take different sides. Bill and Charley are Republicans.
Jim and I are Democrats. Sometimes we argue so loudly the others in the
train give us sideglances as if we were all clowns taking part in a
sideshow. But at last, the train reaches the north side, and we part. It
is rush again down the sidewalk, sidestepping the slower ones, and once in
the office we put our foolishness to one side and settle down to work
right side up.
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Voice of America
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