現代大學英語作文

From the various houses we can see candlelight but no electricity. There's a quiet that blankets the whole area, disturbed only by the almost whispered of the people as they stand around. CHARLIE stares across at GOODMAN's house.

Sally (a little timid): It doesn't seem right, though, keeping watch on them. Why, he was right when he said he was one of our neighbors. Why, I've known Ethel Goodman ever since they moved in. We've been good friends—

Charlie: That doesn't prove a thing. Any guy who'd spend his time looking up at the sky early in the morning—well, there's something wrong with that person. Maybe under normal circumstances we could let it go by, but these aren't normal circumstances.

(STEVE, from several yards away, walks down the steps of his porch, and down the street over to LES GOODMAN's house. He stops at the foot of the steps. GOODMAN stands there. MRS. GOODMAN stands behind him, very frightened.)

Goodman: Just stay right where you are, Steve. We don't want any trouble, but this time if anybody sets foot on my porch—that's what they're going to get—trouble!

Steve: Look, Les—

Goodman: I've already explained to you people. I don't sleep very well at night sometimes. I get up and I take a walk and I look up at the sky. I look at the stars! Mrs.

Goodman: That's exactly what he does. Why, this whole thing, it's... it's madness.

Steve (nods): That's exactly what it is—some kind of madness.

Charlie's voice (shrill, from across the street): You'd better watch who you're seen with, Steve! Until we get this all straightened out, you aren't exactly above suspicion yourself.

Steve (whirling around toward him): Or you, Charlie. Or any of us. From age eight and up!

Woman: What I'd like to know is—what are we going to do? Just stand around here all night?

Charlie: There's nothin' else we can do!

Steve (raising his voice): There's something you can do, Charlie. You could go

home and keep your mouth shut. You could quit walking around like a self-appointed hanging judge and just climb into bed and forget it.

Charlie: You sound real anxious to have that happen, Steve. I think we'd better keep our eye on you, too!

Don: I think everything might as well come out now. (He turns toward STEVE.)

Your wife's done plenty of talking, Steve, about how odd you are!

Charlie (picking this up, his eyes widening): Go ahead, tell us what she's said.

(STEVE walks toward them from across the street.)

Steve: Go ahead, what's my wife said? Let's get it all out. Let's pick out every unusual habit of every single man, woman, and child on the street. And then we might as well set up some kind of a kangaroo court. How about a firing squad at dawn, Charlie, so we can get rid of all the suspects?

Don: There's no need getting so upset, Steve. It's just that... well... Myra's talked about how there's been plenty of nights you spent hours down in your basement workin' on some kind of radio.

(By this time STEVE has reached the group. He stands there defiantly close to them.)

Charlie: Go ahead, Steve. What kind of "radio set" are you workin'on? Who do you talk to on the radio set? And who talks to you?

Steve: I'm surprised at you, Charlie. How come you're so dense all of a sudden? (a pause) Who do I talk to? I talk to monsters from outer space. I talk to three—headed green men who fly over here in what look like meteors.

(MRS. BRAND steps down from the porch, bites her lip, calls out.)

Mrs. Brand: Steve! Steve, please. (Then looking around frightened, she walks to ward the group.) It's just a ham radio set. A lot of people have them. I can show it to you. It's right down in the basement.

Steve (whirls around toward her): Show them nothing! If they want to look inside our house—let them get a search warrant.

Charlie: Look, man, you can't afford to—

Steve (interrupting): Don't start telling me who's dangerous and who isn't, and who's safe and who's a menace. (He turns to the group and shouts.) And you're with him, too—all of you! You're standing here all set to find a scapegoat—all desperate to point a finger at a neighbor! Well now, look, friends, the only thing that's going to happen is that we'll eat each other up alive—

(He stops abruptly as CHARLIE suddenly grabs his arm.)

Charlie (in a hushed voice): That's not the only thing that can happen to us. (A figure suddenly materializes in the darkness. In the silence we can hear the slow, measured footsteps on concrete as the figure walks slowly toward them. One of the women lets out a stifled cry.)

Tommy (shouting, frightened): It's the monster! It's the monster!

(The people fall back in a group, staring toward the darkness and the approaching figure. DON MARTIN joins them, carrying a shotgun. He holds it up.)

Don: We may need this.

Steve: A shotgun? (He pulls it out of DON 's hand.) Will you people wise up? What good would a shotgun do against—

(CHARLIE pulls the gun from STEVE's hand.)

Charlie: No more talk, Steve. You're going to talk us into a grave! You'd let whatever's out there walk right over us, wouldn't you? Well, some of us won't!

(He swings the gun around to point it toward the sidewalk. The dark figure continues to walk toward them. CHARLIE slowly raises the gun. As the figure gets closer, he pulls the trigger. The sound explodes in the stillness. The figure lets out a small cry, falls forward first onto his knees, and then on his face. DON, CHARLIE, and STEVE run over to him. STEVE is there first and turns the man over. The crowd gathers around them.)

Steve (slowly looks up): It's Pete Van Horn.

Don (in a hushed voice): Pete Van Horn! He was just going to go over to the next block to see if the power was on.

Woman: You killed him, Charlie. You shot him dead!

Charlie (looks around at the circle of faces, his eyes frightened): But. . . but I didn't know who he was. I certainly didn't know who he was. He comes walkin' out of the darkness—how am I supposed to know who he was? (He grabs STEVE.) Steve—you know why I shot! How was I supposed to know he wasn't a monster or something?

(He grabs DON.) We're all scared of the same thing. I was just tryin'to. . . tryin'to protect my home, that's all! (He looks down wildly at the body.) I didn't know it was somebody we knew! I didn't know...

(There 's a sudden hush in the group. Across the street all the lights go on in one of the houses.)

Woman (in a very hushed voice): Charlie... Charlie... the lights just went on in your house. Why did the lights go on?

Don: What about it, Charlie? How come you're the only one with lights now?

Goodman: That's what I'd like to know.

(There's a pause as they all stare toward CHARLIE.)

Goodman: You were so quick to kill, Charlie, and you were so quick to tell us who we had to be careful of. Well, maybe you had to kill. Maybe Pete there was trying to tell us something, to tell us who there was amongst us we should watch out for—

(CHARLIE backs away from the group, his eyes wide with fright.)

Charlie: No... 's nothing of the sort! I don't know why the lights are on. I swear I don't. Somebody's making a joke or something.

(He bumps against STEVE, who grabs him and furns him around.)

Steve: A joke? Charlie, there's a dead man on the sidewalk, and you killed him!

Does this thing look like a gag to you?

(CHARLIE breaks away and screams as he runs toward his house.)

(A man breaks away from the crowd to run after CHARLIE. The man tackles him and lands on top of him. The other people start to run toward them. CHARLIE gets up on his feet, breaks away from the other man's grasp and jumps up on his front porch. A rock thrown from the group smashes a window alongside of him. The broken glass flies past him. A couple of pieces cut him. He stands there, blood running down from a cut on his cheek. His wife breaks away from the group and throws herself into his arms. We can see the crowd moving in on the porch.)

First Voice: It must have been him.

Second Voice: He's the one.

Third Voice: We've got to get Charlie.

(Another rock lands on the porch. CHARLIE pushes his wife behind him and faces the group.)

Charlie: Look, look, I swear to you... it isn't me... but I do know who it is. I swear to you. I know who the monster is here.

Don: All right, Charlie, let's hear it!

Second Man (screaming): Go ahead, Charlie; tell us.

Charlie: It''s the kid. It's Tommy.

Sally: That's crazy. He's only a boy.

Woman: But he knew! He was the only one who knew! He told us all about it. Well, how could he have known?

(People in the crowd take this up and repeat the question aloud.)

First Voice: How could he know?

Second Voice: Who told him?

Third Voice: Make the kid answer.

(Sally grabs TOMMY and starts to run with him. The crowd starts to follow, at first walking fast, and then running after them. Suddenly CHARLIE's lights go off, and the lights in another house go on.)

Man (shouting): It isn't the 's Bob Weaver's house.

Woman: No, it's Don Martin's place.

Charlie: I tell you it's the kid.

Don: It's Charlie. He's the one.

(Various people shout, accuse each other, scream. House lights go on and off.)

Scene Two

In a nearby field sits a space craft in darkness. An open door throws out a beam of light from the inside. Two figures appear.

First Figure: Understand the procedure now? Just stop a few of their machines and radios and telephones and lawn mowers... throw them into darkness for a few hours, and then just sit back and watch the effect.

Second Figure: And this effect is always the same?

First Figure: With little difference. They pick the most dangerous enemy they can find. . it's themselves.

Second Figure: Then I take it this Maple not an exception.

First Figure: By no means. Their world is full of Maple Streets. And we 'll go from one to the other and let them destroy themselves. One to the to the to the other...

各家各户都亮起了蠟燭，沒有電。寂靜籠罩了整個社區，只能聽到人們站在那裏小聲説話的聲音。夏利的目光越過街道，盯着古德曼的房屋。

薩莉（有點兒害怕）：看起來不對勁兒，盯緊他們。為什麼，他説他是我們的鄰居，這是對的？為什麼，從他們搬來我就瞭解埃塞爾.古德曼的，我們一直是好朋友...

夏利：這説明不了什麼。這個總是大清早盯着天空看的傢伙...他有點兒問題。或許一般情況下我們會忽略這一點，但是現在不正常。

（史蒂夫從幾碼之外走下門廊的台階，沿街走到勒思.古德曼的房前，他在台階前停下來。古德曼站在那裏，古德曼夫人害怕地站在他身後。）

古德曼：就站在那裏別動，史蒂夫。我們不想有什麼麻煩，但是這次如果有人踏上我家門廊...他就會有麻煩的！

史蒂夫：聽着，勒思...

古德曼：我已經跟你們解釋了，有時候晚上睡不好，我會起來散步，看看天空，我看的是星星！夫人。

史蒂夫（點頭）：確實是...有點瘋狂。

夏利的聲音（尖叫，從街對面傳過來）：你最好清楚大家是怎麼看待你的，史蒂夫！在所有的事情澄清之前，你根本不是無可懷疑的！

史蒂夫（轉向他）：或者是你，或者我們中的哪個，八歲以上的哪個人！

婦女：我想知道的是--我們在這裏做什麼？站一整夜嗎？

夏利：除此之外沒什麼可做的！

史蒂夫（抬高嗓音）：你有事做的，夏利。你可以回家，閉上嘴。你可以像個自己做主判處絞刑的法官那樣爬到牀上，忘掉這件事。

夏利：看來你真的希望這樣，史蒂夫。我想我們最好也盯住你！

頓：我希望最好現在就真相大白。（他轉向史蒂夫。）你妻子總説你如何的古怪！

夏利（聽到這裏，他瞪大雙眼）：快説，她怎麼説的！

（史蒂夫從街對面走向人羣。）

史蒂夫：説，我妻子怎麼説的？一切都説清楚，讓我們找出街上每個男人、女人、孩子的不尋常的習慣。我們還可以設立個私設法庭之類的。天亮時成立個行刑隊怎麼樣，夏利？這樣我們就可以免受懷疑?

頓：沒必要這麼緊張，史蒂夫。只是...麥拉很多個晚上你總在地下室擺弄些無線電什麼的。

（這時史蒂夫走到人羣跟前，挑戰地站在他們面前。）

夏利：説吧，史蒂夫。你在擺弄哪種“無線電”呢？你在無線電裏跟誰説話呢？誰在跟你説話呢？

史蒂夫：我對你感到吃驚，夏利。你怎麼突然變得這麼愚蠢呢？（頓了下）誰跟我説話？我在跟太空的怪物説話，我跟三個...飛來的綠色腦袋、流星一樣的人説話。

（布蘭德夫人從門廊上走下，咬了下嘴脣，叫道。）

布蘭德夫人：史蒂夫，史蒂夫，請...（她害怕地看着四周，避開人羣。）那只是個業務無線電，很多人都有的，我可以給你們看，就在地下室裏。

史蒂夫（轉向妻子）：什麼都不要給他們看！如果他們想看我們的房間...讓他們拿搜索證來。

夏利：看，傢伙，你承擔不起...

史蒂夫（打斷他的話）：不要告訴我誰危險，誰不危險，誰是安全的，誰是威脅。（他轉向人羣，叫道。）你們跟他一樣---所有的人都是！你們站在那裏只是找一個替罪羊...拼命地在鄰居間找一個人出來！現在，看吧，朋友們，唯一要發生的事就是，我們要相互咬死對方...

（夏利猛地抓住他的胳膊，史蒂夫突然停下來。）

夏利（低聲地）：這不是唯一要發生的事。（黑暗中突然出現一個人影，人影慢慢走進時，寂靜中人們聽到水泥地上的緩慢、有規律的腳步聲，一個婦女發出一聲被抑制的叫聲。）

湯米（害怕地叫）：是怪物，怪物！

（人羣往後退，盯着黑暗中走來的人影。頓.馬丁帶上一支，加入人羣，他舉起槍。）

頓：我們可能需要這個。

史蒂夫：？（他把槍從頓手中奪過來。）你腦子昏了嗎？槍怎麼能用來打...

（夏利從史蒂夫手中奪過槍。）

夏利：別説話，史蒂夫。你會把我們弄死的！你會讓任何不明的東西逼近我們嗎？我們有的人不會的！

（他擺動槍，對準人行道。黑色人影繼續走向人羣。夏利慢慢舉起槍，人影走近時，他開動扳機。槍聲在寂靜中響起。人影發出輕微的呼叫，膝蓋首先着地，然後是臉。頓，夏利和史蒂夫跑上前。史蒂夫第一個把這個人翻過身，人羣把他們圍起。）

史蒂夫（慢慢地看了看）：是皮特.範.合恩。

頓（小聲地説）：皮特.範.合恩！他只是去臨近街區看有沒有電。

婦女：你殺了他，夏利，你殺死了他！

夏利（看看四周的面孔，眼神中露出害怕的神情來）：但是...我不知道是誰。我當然不知道他是誰。他從黑暗中走來...我怎麼能知道他是誰呢？（他抓住史蒂夫。）史蒂夫--你知道我為什麼開槍的！為什麼我會認為他不是怪獸什麼的呢？

（他抓住頓。）我們都害怕同一樣東西。我只是想試圖...試圖保護我的家，就是這樣！（他瘋狂地看着地下的屍體。）我不知道是我認識的人！我不知道...

（人羣突然安靜下來，街對面一家的每個燈都亮起來。）

婦女（低聲説）：夏利...夏利...你家的燈亮了。為什麼會亮呢？

頓：怎麼回事，夏利？為什麼只有你家的燈亮了？

古德曼：我也想知道這個。

（頓時人們盯着夏利。）

古德曼：你下手這麼快，夏利，你這麼快就告訴我們應該提防誰。或許你不得不殺人，或許皮特想告訴我們什麼，告訴我們應該提防我們中的哪個人---

（夏利後退幾步，眼睛睜大，滿是恐懼。）

夏利：不...不...根本沒這回事！我不知道燈為什麼會亮？我發誓我不知道。有人在開玩笑什麼的。

史蒂夫：玩笑？夏利，人行道上有人死人，使你殺的！你是在殺人滅口嗎？

（夏利突然掙脱開，尖叫着衝回家去。）

（一個人從人羣中跑開，追向夏利。他扭住夏利，把他推到在地。其他的人向他們跑過來，夏利從地上站起，掙脱另一個人，跳向他家前門廊。人羣中扔出的石頭打碎了他

旁邊的窗子，碎裂的玻璃從他身旁飛過，幾個碎片劃傷了他。他站在那裏，鮮血從臉上的傷口留下。他的妻子從人羣中跑出來，撲向他的懷抱。人羣向門廊走來。）

第一個聲音：肯定是他！

第二個聲音：就是他！

第三個聲音：我們抓住夏利了。

（另一塊石頭扔到門廊上，夏利把妻子拉到身後，自己面對着人羣。）

夏利：聽着，聽着，我對你們發誓...不是我...但是我確實知道是誰。我對你們發誓。我知道這裏誰是怪物。

頓：好的，夏利，説來聽聽！

第二個男人（尖叫）：説吧，夏利，告訴我們。

夏利：是...是這個孩子。湯米！

薩莉：你瘋了，他只是個孩子！

婦女：但是他知道！只有他知道！他告訴我們一切，他怎麼知道的呢？

（人們聽到這裏，再一次大聲反覆地問。）

第一個聲音：他怎麼知道的？

第二個聲音：誰告訴他的？

第三個聲音：讓這小孩説話！

（薩莉抓住湯米，開始跟他一起跑。人羣開始追起來，起初跑得很快，後來就被甩在後面。突然夏利家的燈熄了，另一家的'燈亮了。）

男人（大叫）：不是小孩家的...是鮑勃.韋弗家的。

婦女：不，是頓.馬丁家的。

夏利：我告訴你是這小孩家的。

頓：是夏利，就是他。

（很多人大叫起來，互相指責着，尖叫着，房子裏的燈亮了又熄了。）

場景二

附近黑暗中的田野裏，是一艘宇宙飛船，一束光從一個打開的門中射出，兩個身影出現了。

第一個身影：現在知道程序了嗎？只要停掉他們的少數機器、收音機、電話和割草機...讓他們在黑暗中呆上幾個小時，然後坐在這裏看結果吧。

第二個身影：結果總是一樣的嗎？

第一個身影：會有一點兒區別。他們找出能找到的最危險的敵人...就是他們自己。

第二個身影：那麼我覺得這裏...楓樹街...並不是個例外。

第一個身影：根本不是。這個世界到處都是楓樹街這樣的地方。我們將去一個又一個地方，讓他們自己毀掉自己。一個又一個...一個又一個...一個又一個...

htened adj. 受驚的, 受恐嚇的

例句：

Frightened children were calling for their mothers.

受驚的孩子們呼喊著找媽媽。

-appointed adj.自己作主的; 自行推薦[任命]的; 自封的

例句：

A leader is not self-appointed. His leadership has to be accepted and approved by the masses.

領導不是自封的，要看羣眾承認不承認，批准不批准。

aroo court n.私設之法庭, 非法法庭

例句：

To the people who refused to go on strike, the most difficult part of their decision was the possibility that they would later be subject to the union's kangaroo court.

對於那些拒絕參加罷工的人來説，他們這一決定最麻煩的地方是，他們以後可能受到工會袋鼠法庭的審判。

ng squad n. 行刑隊，執行死刑的射擊隊

例句：

The condemned man faced the firing squad with dignity;

那個被宣佈有罪的人大義凜然的面對着行刑的隊伍；

or n. 流星,大氣現象,一夜成名的人

例句：

A meteor shot across the sky.

流星劃過天空.

rialize v. 賦與實質,使體現,物質化; 成有形,體現,實現

例句：

A truck suddenly materialized out of the fog.

一輛卡車突然駛出煙霧。

ured adj. 量過的,慎重的,基於標準的

例句：

march in measured steps

用整齊的步伐行進

le v. 使不能呼吸,窒息,抑制

例句：

Our ideas were stifled.

我們的意見被壓了下來。

le v. 處理,抓住

例句：

Some people tackle the difficult jobs first.

有的人愛先做難做的工作。

ighten out v.改正, 清理, 澄清

例句：

He got it all screwed up, it will take a week to straighten out the mess.

他把事情全搞壞了，要花一星期時間才能把這一團糟的局面整理出頭緒來。

foot on v.踏上

例句：

Nobody has ever set foot on that island.

沒有人曾經登上過那個島嶼。

e suspicion adj. 無可懷疑(毫無可疑)

例句：

My conduct has always been above suspicion.

我的行為從來就是無可置疑的。

as well 最好

例句：

Since it is raining hard, you may as well stay here as leave.

既然雨下得這麼大，你與其離開倒不如待在這兒。

an eye on 留意,照看

例句：

Because we always keep an eye on the East European market.

因為我們總是注意着東歐的市場。

of a sudden adv.突然

例句：

All of a sudden he stopped.

他突然停了下來。

't afford to 負擔不起

例句：

Most people can't afford to go to the expensive entertainment places.

多數人不敢問津高檔娛樂場所。

up vt. 知道(意識到)

例句：

It's about time he wised up to the fact that people think his behaviour is ridiculous.

他早就該明白大家都認為他很荒唐.

come...? 怎麼會...的?

例句：

How come are you late?

你為什麼來晚了？

w out v.伸出, 扔掉, 説出, 派出, 放出, 使出局, 使突出, 顯示

例句：

They were determined to throw out the reactionary government.

他們決心把反動政府趕下台。