My Father’s Music

陶敏玲

（武汉市新洲一中邾城校区）

海顿说，艺术的真正意义在于使人幸福，而音乐就是人类这样的一个朋友。学习乐器之路是艰辛的，却可以让人受用终生。虽然经济上并不富足，父亲坚持让我认真学习手风琴，让我有机会给家人带来骄傲和快乐。我花了几十年才发现父亲充满睿智的爱。

I remember the day Dad first lugged the heavy accordion（手风琴）up our front stoop.If my thin smile didn’t match his fall-fledged grin（露齿笑）,it was because I had prayed for a guitar or a piano.Then one evening Dad announced that I would start lessons the following week.

Spending $300 for an accordion and $5 per hour was out of character for my father.He was practical always—something he learned on a Pennsylvania farm.Clothes,heat and sometimes even food were scarce.

One day,I found a violin case.“It’s your father’s.”Mom said.“His parents bought it for him.He got too busy on the farm to play it.”

Shortly after,my lessons began with Mr.Zelli.Confirmed I got fine for the first lesson,Dad glowed with hope.

Though ordered to practice half an hour every day,I tried to get out of it.My future seemed to be outside playing ball.But my parents hounded me to practice.Gradually,anyway,I was able to string notes together and coordinate my hands to play simple songs.

“Very nice,better than last week,”he’d say.Father enjoyed listening to me practice and he would drift off to sleep.I took it as a compliment that he could relax under the spell of my playing.

Throughout the summer,Mr.Zelli’s lessons grew more difficult.All the while I could hear my buddies outside playing heated games.I’d also hear occasional taunts（嘲笑）.

Such humiliation（耻辱）paled,though,beside the impending fall recital.I would have to play a solo on a local movie theater’s stage.I wanted to skip the whole thing.

“I don’t want to play a solo,”I shouted.“You didn’t get to play your violin when you were a kid.So why should I?”

Dad pointed at me.“Because you can bring people joy.You can touch their hearts.That’s a gift I won’t let you throw away.”He added softly,“Someday you’ll have the chance I never had: you will play the beautiful music for your family.And you’ll understand why you’ve worked so hard.”

I was speechless.I had rarely heard Dad speak with such feeling about anything,much less the accordion.From then on,I practiced without my parents’ making me.

The evening of the concert Mom wore glittery earrings and more makeup than I could remember.Dad got out of work early and put on a suit and tie,his hair shiny.They were ready an hour early.I got the unspoken message that playing this one song was a dream come true for them.

Finally,I finished performing without a mistake.The applause spilled out,with a few hands still clapping after others had stopped.I was lightheaded,glad my ordeal was over.

After the concert Mom and Dad came backstage.The way they walked—heads high,faces flushed—I knew they were pleased.My parents gave me a big hug tightly.

As the years went by,the accordion drifted to the background of my life.Having had my own family,I brought the accordion to my home and put it in the attic（阁楼）.

There it remained a dusty memory,until one afternoon many years later,my two children discovered it by accident.When I opened the case,they urged,“Play it,play it.”Surprised,I found my skills hadn’t rusted away.Soon the kids were dancing in circles and giggling.Even my wife Terri,was laughing and clapping to the beat.I was amazed at their unbridled glee.

I finally knew what it meant to work hard and sacrifice for others.Dad had been right: the most precious gift is to touch the hearts of those who you love.It took me almost 30 years to discover the legacy.

Dad never learned to coax（小心地摆弄）sweet sounds from his violin.Yet he was wrong to think that he would never play for his family.On that wonderful evening,as my wife and children laughed and danced,they heard my accordion.But it was my father’s music.

【作品背景简介】20 世纪60 年代，岁月艰难，父亲却坚持督促我学习手风琴。我年少的心被窗外同伴的戏耍声撩拨着。我一度认为，父亲是因自己小时候未能学习小提琴而逼迫我学琴。成年后，当看到家人们因为我的演奏而陶醉，我才深刻地理解了父亲的爱和良苦用心。

人教版重点单词复现

announcev.宣布（必二U4）

confirmv.核实（必二U3）

skipv.跳过，不参加（选必三U2）

spillv.溢出，泼出（必三U2）

clapv.拍手，鼓掌，击掌（必三U1）

urgev.敦促，催促，力劝，鞭策（选必二U5）

标外词汇积累

lugvt.用力拉或拖

stoopv.弯腰，附身，弓背

houndvt.烦扰;激励

coordinatevt.调整;整合

renditionn.演奏

impendvi.迫近;逼迫

recitaln.独唱会;独奏会

solon.独奏

ordealn.严酷的考验

gigglen.&v.咯咯笑

unbridled glee奔放的欢乐

scarceadj.稀少的，缺乏的，不足的

buddyn.伙伴，朋友

glitteryadj.闪闪发光的

flushedadj.脸红的

sacrificen.&v.牺牲

legacyn.遗产

glown.光亮;灯光 v.发光

driftvt.使……漂流

rustvi.生锈

熟词生义

spell作动词时，表“拼写”；作名词时表“咒语；魔力，魔咒”，如本文中的用法。

string作名词时表“琴弦；带子”；作动词时，表“串（到一起）”，如本文中的用法。

全篇译文

记得那天爸爸第一次把那沉甸甸的手风琴拖上我们家的门廊。我淡淡的笑称不上他的笑逐颜开，那是因为我一直祈盼着有一把吉他或一架钢琴。然后有天晚上，爸爸宣布，下周起我就开始上手风琴课。

花300 美元买一架手风琴，每上一课还得交5 美元，这可不符合我父亲的性格。他向来都很现实，这是他在宾夕法尼亚州的农场上学到的。穿的、取暖的、有时甚至连吃的都很少。

有一天，我突然发现了一个小提琴盒子。妈妈说：“那是你爸爸的。他父母给他买的。但他在农场里太忙了，所以他没有时间学。”

不久，泽利先生的手风琴课开始了。核实了我第一天学得不错，爸爸眼中闪烁着希望的光芒。

虽然被勒令每天练半个小时，我想赖掉它。我的将来似乎应该在户外打球。然而，父母激励我练习。不管怎么样，渐渐地，我竟然能把几个音符连起来，手指还能协调地拉出几首简单的曲子了。

他会说：“不错，比上周好。”父亲喜欢听我练琴，听着听着就慢慢地睡着了。他能在我的演奏的魔力中放松，我把这看着是一种赞扬。

整个夏天，泽利先生的课更难了。练琴时，我总是听到小伙伴们在外面热热闹闹地玩球的嬉笑声，偶尔还听到他们的嘲弄。

不过这种羞辱与即将来临的秋季演奏会相比算不得什么。我得在当地影剧院的舞台上进行独奏表演。我想逃避这一切。

“我不想独奏，”我大喊道。“你倒好，小时候从来不用拉琴，那为什么我必须演奏?”爸爸用手指着我说：“因为你能给人们带来快乐，你能拨动他们的心弦。这是个天分，我不会让你丢掉它。”爸爸又温和地说：“终有一天你会有我从未有过的机会——你能为你的家人弹奏美妙的音乐。那时你会明白你的努力到底是为了什么。”

我无言以对了。我很少听到爸爸如此语重心长地跟我谈论什么事情，更别说是为了拉手风琴。自此以后，我练琴再也不用父母逼我了。

音乐会的那个晚上，妈妈戴着亮闪闪的耳环，妆容之隆重是从未有过的。爸爸也早早下班回家，身着西装领带，头发油亮油亮的。他们提前一个小时就准备好了。他们不说我也感知到了，我上台演奏这首曲子意味着他们的一个梦想成真了。

最终，我毫无差错地完成了表演。顿时掌声四起，还有几个观众的掌声经久不息。我轻松了一大截，庆幸我的考验终于结束了。

音乐会后，爸妈来到后台，昂着头，容光焕发。从他们走路的样子我知道他们开心。爸爸妈妈紧紧地抱住了我。

随着岁月的流逝，那架手风琴退出了我的生活。自己成家后，我把它带回我的家里，放在阁楼上。

于是，手风琴就躺在那里，成了一段尘封的记忆。直到若干年后的一个下午，我的两个孩子偶然发现了它。我打开盒子时，他们怂恿着说：“来一曲! 来一曲！”我感到惊讶，我的技艺竟然没有荒废掉。很快，孩子们咯咯地笑，围成圈跳起舞来。甚至连我妻子特瑞也笑着，双手打着拍子。看着他们肆意奔放的欢乐劲儿，我惊叹不已。

我终于明白了为别人努力和做出牺牲的意义是什么。爸爸是对的：最珍贵的礼物莫过于触动你所爱的人的心灵。我几乎花了30 年才发现这份财富。

爸爸从未学着用他的小提琴为家人拉出美妙的音乐。他以为他不会为家人演奏，然而这个想法是错误的——就在那个神奇的夜晚，当我的妻子和孩子们笑着翩然起舞之时，虽然他们听到的是我的手风琴，但那却是我父亲的音乐。

阅读小练

Ⅰ.Choose the best answer.

1.What’s the author’s first reaction to the accordion?

A.He grinned and treasured it.

B.He was not ready to accept it.

C.He disbelieved it.

D.He was keen on it.

2.Which of the following can best decribe my Dad’s personality?

A.Wise and persistent.

B.Mean and stubborn.

C.Rich and wasteful.

D.Reluctant and odd.

3.When did the author understand his father’s message of playing the instrument?

A.Before the solo performance.

B.With his companions’ tease.

C.With his parents’ growing old.

D.With his children’s discovery of the instrument.

4.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A.The hard way to becoming a musician.

B.Losing and getting the sense of music.

C.Delighting loved ones is what music is about.

D.Music is the cure for pain.

Ⅱ.Filling the blanks with the proper form of the words or phrases given in the box below.

1.He was _____________ satisfaction when knowing his son’s academic performance.

2.No wonder the play was badly thought of by the audience.The leading actress was merely _______.

3.Tony is a(n) ______________ young man who always dreams of succeeding overnight.

4.On seeing the horrible drawing created by her daughter,the mother was ___________.

5.Has the iron rod ____________ after being exposed to the damp air for a long time?

6.Alice was so occupied with her work that she could only call on her grandparents _______________.

7.It’s said that magpies like __________ objects very much.

8._____________ had he sat down on his seat when the lecture began.

9.If you keep _________ class like this,you will find it hard to catch up with the other students.

10.I came across an old photo of my father’s___________ the other day.

答案和解析

Ⅰ、1.B。细节理解题。题目问作者第一次看到手风琴时的反应是什么。根据文章第一段可知，作者本来期望得到的是吉他或钢琴。所以手风琴并非他想要的。所以是他思想上没准备好要手风琴。

2.A。推理判断题。题目问下面哪一项能最好地描述父亲的性格。A 项是明智而执着的，B 项是吝啬而固执的，C 项是富有而浪费的，D 项是不情愿又古怪的。根据整篇文章，我们知道，父亲有音乐细胞。他发现儿子有音乐天赋，而且深知音乐能带给人们欢乐。所以他在孩子想退却时态度是坚决的。所以父亲是明智而执着的。

3.D。细节理解题。题目问作者是什么时候理解父亲买琴并督促他练琴的。正是在孩子们找到手风琴后，要求作者献上一曲，才有他看到妻儿们的热烈反响，这时他才深刻理解到父亲的用心的。

4.C。主旨大意题。整个文章讲的是父亲送我手风琴，督促我学琴和练琴，以及我成年后给家人表演后顿悟父亲的用意的故事。整个故事告诉我们，学乐器的真谛就是带给家人快乐。

Ⅱ、1.glowing with 2.out of character 3.impractical 4.speechless 5.rusted away6.occasionally 7.shiny 8.Scarcely 9.skipping 10.by accident