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The Audiovisual
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In March of 1995, a limousine1 carrying Ted2 Koppel, the host of ABC-TV's "Nightline" pulled up to the snow-covered curb3 outside Morrie's house in West Newton, Massachusetts.

Morrie was in a wheelchair full-time5 now, getting used to helpers lifting him like a heavy sack from the chair to the bed and the bed to the chair. He had begun to cough while eating, and chewing was a chore. His legs were dead; he would never walk again.

Yet he refused to be depressed6. Instead, Morrie had become a lightning rod of ideas. He jotted7 down his thoughts on yellow pads, envelopes, folders8, scrap9 paper. He wrote bite-sized philosophies about living with death's shadow: "Accept what you are able to do and what you are not able to do"; "Accept the past as past, without denying it or discarding it"; "Learn to forgive yourself and to forgive others"; "Don't assume that it's too late to get involved."

After a while, he had more than fifty of these "aphorisms," which he shared with his friends. One friend, a fellow Brandeis professor named Maurie Stein, was so taken with the words that he sent them to a Boston Globe reporter, who came out and wrote a long feature story on Morrie. The headline read:

A PROFESSOR'S FINAL COURSE: HIS OWN DEATH

The article caught the eye of a producer from the "Nightline" show, who brought it to Koppel in Washington, D. C.

"Take a look at this," the producer said.

Next thing you knew, there were cameramen in Morrie's living room and Koppel's limousine was in front of the house.

Several of Morrie's friends and family members had gathered to meet Koppel, and when the famous man entered the house, they buzzed with excitement-all except Morrie, who wheeled himself forward, raised his eyebrows10, and interrupted the clamor with his high, singsong voice.

"Ted, I need to check you out before I agree to do this interview."

There was an awkward moment of silence, then the two men were ushered11 into the study. The door was shut. "Man," one friend whispered outside the door, "I hope Ted goes easy on Morrie."

"I hope Morrie goes easy on Ted," said the other.

Inside the office, Morrie motioned for Koppel to sit down. He crossed his hands in his lap and smiled.

"Tell me something close to your heart," Morrie began.

"My heart?"

Koppel studied the old man. "All right," he said cautiously, and he spoke12 about his children. They were close to his heart, weren't they?

"Good," Morrie said. "Now tell me something, about your faith."

Koppel was uncomfortable. "I usually don't talk about such things with people I've only known a few minutes."

"Ted, I'm dying," Morrie said, peering over his glasses. "I don't have a lot of time here."

Koppel laughed. All right. Faith. He quoted a passage from Marcus Aurelius, something he felt strongly about. Morrie nodded.

"Now let me ask you something," Koppel said. "Have you ever seen my program?"

Morrie shrugged13. "Twice, I think." "Twice? That's all?"

"Don't feel bad. I've only seen `Oprah' once." "Well, the two times you saw my show, what did you think?"

Morrie paused. "To be honest?"

"Yes?"

"I thought you were a narcissist14." Koppel burst into laughter.

"I'm too ugly to be a narcissist," he said.


Soon the cameras were rolling in front of the living room fireplace, with Koppel in his crisp blue suit and Morrie in his shaggy gray sweater. He had refused fancy clothes or makeup15 for this interview. His philosophy was that death should not be embarrassing; he was not about to powder its nose.

Because Morrie sat in the wheelchair, the camera never caught his withered16 legs. And because he was still able to move his hands-Morrie always spoke with both hands waving-he showed great passion when explaining how you face the end of life.

"Ted," he said, "when all this started, I asked myself, `Am I going to withdraw from the world, like most people do, or am I going to live?' I decided17 I'm going to live-or at least try to live-the way I want, with dignity, with courage, with humor, with composure.

"There are some mornings when I cry and cry and mourn for myself. Some mornings, I'm so angry and bitter. But it doesn't last too long. Then I get up and say, `I want to live . . .'

"So far, I've been able to do it. Will I be able to continue? I don't know. But I'm betting on myself that I will."

Koppel seemed extremely taken with Morrie. He asked about the humility18 that death induced.

"Well, Fred," Morrie said accidentally, then he quickly corrected himself. "I mean Ted . . . "

"Now that's inducing humility," Koppel said, laughing.

The two men spoke about the afterlife. They spoke about Morrie's increasing dependency on other people. He already needed help eating and sitting and moving from place to place. What, Koppel asked, did Morrie dread19 the most about his slow, insidious20 decay?

Morrie paused. He asked if he could say this certain thing on television.

Koppel said go ahead.

Morrie looked straight into the eyes of the most famous interviewer in America. "Well, Ted, one day soon, someone's gonna have to wipe my ass4."


The program aired on a Friday night. It began with Ted Koppel from behind the desk in Washington, his voice booming with authority.

"Who is Morrie Schwartz," he said, "and why, by the end of the night, are so many of you going to care about him?"

A thousand miles away, in my house on the hill, I was casually21 flipping22 channels. I heard these words from the TV set "Who is Morrie Schwartz?"-and went numb23.


It is our first class together, in the spring of 1976. I enter Morrie's large office and notice the seemingly countless24 books that line the wall, shelf after shelf. Books on sociology, philosophy, religion, psychology25. There is a large rug on the hardwood floor and a window that looks out on the campus walk. Only a dozen or so students are there, fumbling26 with notebooks and syllabi27. Most of them wear jeans and earth shoes and plaid flannel28 shirts. I tell myself it will not be easy to cut a class this small. Maybe I shouldn't take it.

"Mitchell?" Morrie says, reading from the attendance list. I raise a hand.

"Do you prefer Mitch? Or is Mitchell better?"

I have never been asked this by a teacher. I do a double take at this guy in his yellow turtleneck and green corduroy pants, the silver hair that falls on his forehead. He is smiling.

Mitch, I say. Mitch is what my friends called me.

"Well, Mitch it is then," Morrie says, as if closing a deal. "And, Mitch?"

Yes?

"I hope that one day you will think of me as your friend."


   1995年的3月,一辆小客车带着美国广播公司“夜线”电视节目的主持人特德•科佩尔驶到了马萨诸塞州西纽顿的莫里家外面覆盖着积雪的路缘上。
   莫里现在整天坐着轮椅,他已经习惯了让助手把他像沙袋一样从轮椅上搬到床上,从床上搬到椅子上。他吃东西的时候也会咳嗽,嚼咽食物成了件困难的事。他的两腿已经死了,再也无法行走。
   然而,他不想因此而沮丧。相反,他的思维比以前更加活跃。他把自己的思想随手写在黄泊纸簿、信封、文件夹或废纸上。他片言只语地写下了自己对在死亡的阴影下对生活的思考:“接受你所能接受和你所不能接受的现实”;“承认过去,不要否认它或抛弃它”;“学会原谅自己和原谅别人”;“生活中永远别说太迟了”。
   没多久,他有了五十多条这样的“格言”。他常常和朋友们谈论起它们。布兰代斯大学一位名叫毛里•斯但因的教授深深地被这些话语所感动,于是就把它们寄给了《波士顿环球》杂志的一名记者,后者写了一篇长长的报道,标题是:
教授的最后一门课:他的死亡
   这篇文章被“夜线”节目的制作人看到了,他把它送到了在华盛顿的科佩尔手里。
   “读读这篇东西,”制作人对他说。
   接下来发生的事情便是:摄制人员来到了莫里的起居室,科佩尔的小客车停在了莫里家的门口。
   莫里的几个朋友和家人一起等着见科佩尔,当这位大名鼎鼎的主持人一走进屋子,他们都兴奋地骚动起来——只有莫里是例外,他坐着轮椅上前,扬起眉毛,用他尖细、富有音调的话语声打断了眼前的喧闹。
   “特德,在我同意进行这次采访之前,我得对你作些考查。”
   一阵令人尴尬的沉寂之后,两个人进了莫里的书房。
   “我说,”门外有一个朋友说,“希望特德不会使莫里太难堪。”
   “我希望莫里别使特德太难堪,”另一个说。
   书房里,莫里示意科佩尔坐下。他两手交叉着搁在腿上,对科佩尔笑笑。
   “你最关心的是什么?”莫里问。
   “最关心的?”
   科佩尔端详着眼前这位老人。“好吧,”他谨慎他说,他谈起了他的孩子,他们是他最关心的,不是吗?
   “很好,”莫里说。“现在谈谈你的信仰。”
   科佩尔觉得有些不自在。“通常我不跟一个只相见了几分钟的人谈论这种话题。”
  “特德,我快要死了,”莫里从眼镜的后面盯着对方说。“我没有多少时间了。”
   科佩尔笑了。好吧,信仰。他引用了一段对他很有影响的马可•奥勒利乌斯的话。
   莫里点点头。
   “现在让我来问你几个问题,”科佩尔说,“你看过我的节目吗?”
   莫里耸耸肩。“大概看过两次。”
  “就两次?”
   “别感到不好受。‘奥普拉’我也只看过一次。”
   “唔,那两次你看了我的节目,有什么感想?”
   莫里有些迟疑。“说真话?”
   “是的。”
   “我觉得你是个自恋狂。”
   科佩尔哈哈大笑。
   “我这么丑还配自恋?”他说。
   不一会,摄像机在客厅的壁炉前转动起来,科佩尔身穿那件挺括的蓝西装,莫里则还是那件皱巴巴的灰毛衣。他不愿为这次采访而特意换上新衣服或打扮一番。他的哲学是,死亡不应该是一件令人难堪的事;他不愿为它涂脂抹粉。
   由于莫里坐在轮椅上,摄像机一直拍不到他那两条萎缩的腿。加上他的手还能动——莫里说话时总喜欢挥动双手——因此他显得非常有激情地在阐述如何面对生命的终结。
   “特德,”他说,“当这一切发生后,我问自己,'我是像大多数人那样退出生活 舞台呢,还是继续生活下去?'我决定活下去--至少尽力去那么做--像我希望的那 样活下去,带着尊严、勇气、幽默和平静。
   “有时早上醒来我会暗自流泪,哀叹自己的不幸。我也有怨天怨地、痛苦不堪的时候。但这种心情不会持续很久。我起床后便对自己说,‘我要活下去……’
   “眼下,我已经能应付了。可我能继续应付下去吗?我不知道。但我愿意为自己押这个宝。”
   科佩尔看来完全被莫里吸引住了。他问及由死亡引起的羞怯感。
   “嗯,弗雷德,”莫里意外地叫错了名字,他很快纠正了自己。“我是说特德……”
   “这句话引出了羞怯感,”科佩尔大笑着说。
   两人还谈到了来世,谈到了莫里对别人越来越多的依赖性。他现在吃、坐、移动都需要有人帮助。科佩尔问莫里,面对这种不知不觉在加剧的衰亡,他最怕的是什么。
   莫里迟疑了片刻。他问能不能在电视上谈论这种事。
   科佩尔说没关系。
   莫里直视着这位美国最著名的采访记者的眼睛。“那好吧,特德,用不了多久,有人就得替我擦屁股。”
   这个节目在星期五的晚上播出了。节目开始时,特德•科佩尔在他华盛顿的工作台后面用他富有魅力的语调说:"谁是莫里•施瓦茨?为什么你们这么多人今晚要去关心他?”
   几千英里之外,在我山上的那幢住宅里,我正随意地调换着电视的频道。我听见了那句话——“谁是莫里•施瓦茨?”——我一下子愣住了。
   ※※※
   那是在1976年的春天,我第一次上他的课。我走进莫里那间大办公室,注意到沿墙而立的一排排书架。书架上叠放着有关社会学、哲学,宗教和心理学的书籍,看上去无以计数,硬木地板上铺着一块大地毯,窗户对着校园的林荫道。课堂上只有十来个学生,正忙着翻笔记本和教学提纲。他们中大多数人穿着牛仔裤。大地鞋①和格子衬衫。我暗自说,这么个小班要逃课可没那么容易。也许我不该选这门课。
   ①一种前掌比后掌厚、穿看舒适的方头鞋。
   “米切尔?”莫里看着点名册说。
   我举起了手。
   "喜欢称你米奇?还是米切尔?”
   从来没有一个老师这么问过。我不禁再次打量起了这个穿着黄色高领衫、绿色灯芯绒裤,白发覆盖到前额的老头。他在微笑。
   米奇,我说。朋友们都叫我米奇。
   “那好,就叫你米奇了,”莫里说,像是跟人成交了,“嗯,米奇?”
   什么?
   “我希望有一天你会把我当成你的朋友。”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 limousine B3NyJ     
n.豪华轿车
参考例句:
  • A chauffeur opened the door of the limousine for the grand lady.司机为这个高贵的女士打开了豪华轿车的车门。
  • We arrived in fine style in a hired limousine.我们很气派地乘坐出租的豪华汽车到达那里。
2 ted 9gazhs     
vt.翻晒,撒,撒开
参考例句:
  • The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
  • She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。
3 curb LmRyy     
n.场外证券市场,场外交易;vt.制止,抑制
参考例句:
  • I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
  • You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。
4 ass qvyzK     
n.驴;傻瓜,蠢笨的人
参考例句:
  • He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。
  • An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。
5 full-time SsBz42     
adj.满工作日的或工作周的,全时间的
参考例句:
  • A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
  • I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作,我不知道她是如何对付的。
6 depressed xu8zp9     
adj.沮丧的,抑郁的,不景气的,萧条的
参考例句:
  • When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
  • His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。
7 jotted 501a1ce22e59ebb1f3016af077784ebd     
v.匆忙记下( jot的过去式和过去分词 );草草记下,匆匆记下
参考例句:
  • I jotted down her name. 我匆忙记下了她的名字。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The policeman jotted down my address. 警察匆匆地将我的地址记下。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
8 folders 7cb31435da1bef1e450754ff725b0fdd     
n.文件夹( folder的名词复数 );纸夹;(某些计算机系统中的)文件夹;页面叠
参考例句:
  • Encrypt and compress individual files and folders. The program is compact, efficient and user friendly. 加密和压缩的个人档案和folders.the计划是紧凑,高效和用户友好。 来自互联网
  • By insertion of photocopies,all folders can be maintained complete with little extra effort. 插入它的复制本,不费多大力量就能使所有文件夹保持完整。 来自辞典例句
9 scrap JDFzf     
n.碎片;废料;v.废弃,报废
参考例句:
  • A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
  • Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。
10 eyebrows a0e6fb1330e9cfecfd1c7a4d00030ed5     
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
  • His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。
11 ushered d337b3442ea0cc4312a5950ae8911282     
v.引,领,陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The secretary ushered me into his office. 秘书把我领进他的办公室。
  • A round of parties ushered in the New Year. 一系列的晚会迎来了新年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
12 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
13 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
  • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
14 narcissist 0c4685508ce880c22cfdc9473294fec9     
n.自我陶醉者
参考例句:
  • Don't get caught in the trap of always trying to please a narcissist. 不要让自己一直陷入讨好自恋者的困境中。 来自互联网
15 makeup 4AXxO     
n.组织;性格;化装品
参考例句:
  • Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
  • Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗?
16 withered 342a99154d999c47f1fc69d900097df9     
adj. 枯萎的,干瘪的,(人身体的部分器官)因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句:
  • The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
  • The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。
17 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
18 humility 8d6zX     
n.谦逊,谦恭
参考例句:
  • Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
  • His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和,甚至有点谦卑。
19 dread Ekpz8     
vt.担忧,忧虑;惧怕,不敢;n.担忧,畏惧
参考例句:
  • We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
  • Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。
20 insidious fx6yh     
adj.阴险的,隐匿的,暗中为害的,(疾病)不知不觉之间加剧
参考例句:
  • That insidious man bad-mouthed me to almost everyone else.那个阴险的家伙几乎见人便说我的坏话。
  • Organized crime has an insidious influence on all who come into contact with it.所有和集团犯罪有关的人都会不知不觉地受坏影响。
21 casually UwBzvw     
adv.漠不关心地,无动于衷地,不负责任地
参考例句:
  • She remarked casually that she was changing her job.她当时漫不经心地说要换工作。
  • I casually mentioned that I might be interested in working abroad.我不经意地提到我可能会对出国工作感兴趣。
22 flipping b69cb8e0c44ab7550c47eaf7c01557e4     
讨厌之极的
参考例句:
  • I hate this flipping hotel! 我讨厌这个该死的旅馆!
  • Don't go flipping your lid. 别发火。
23 numb 0RIzK     
adj.麻木的,失去感觉的;v.使麻木
参考例句:
  • His fingers were numb with cold.他的手冻得发麻。
  • Numb with cold,we urged the weary horses forward.我们冻得发僵,催着疲惫的马继续往前走。
24 countless 7vqz9L     
adj.无数的,多得不计其数的
参考例句:
  • In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
  • I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。
25 psychology U0Wze     
n.心理,心理学,心理状态
参考例句:
  • She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
  • He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。
26 fumbling fumbling     
n. 摸索,漏接 v. 摸索,摸弄,笨拙的处理
参考例句:
  • If he actually managed to the ball instead of fumbling it with an off-balance shot. 如果他实际上设法拿好球而不是fumbling它。50-balance射击笨拙地和迅速地会开始他的岗位移动,经常这样结束。
  • If he actually managed to secure the ball instead of fumbling it awkwardly an off-balance shot. 如果他实际上设法拿好球而不是fumbling它。50-50提议有时。他从off-balance射击笨拙地和迅速地会开始他的岗位移动,经常这样结束。
27 syllabi 5732958d60e879e4c36fc32683079bb7     
判决理由书的要旨
参考例句:
28 flannel S7dyQ     
n.法兰绒;法兰绒衣服
参考例句:
  • She always wears a grey flannel trousers.她总是穿一条灰色法兰绒长裤。
  • She was looking luscious in a flannel shirt.她穿着法兰绒裙子,看上去楚楚动人。


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