HSK 7–9Chapter 1 of 6908 characters
进山
Into the mountains
陈瑜到高岩村的时候,天已经快黑了。从县城坐了四个小时的班车,又沿着崎岖的山路走了两个多小时,她背包里的录音机、电池和三本笔记本,好像一路上都在变重。车在山路上颠簸得厉害,她一路紧紧抱着背包,生怕把机器摔坏了。村子建在一片陡坡上,灰瓦白墙的房子一层一层往上叠,屋檐下挂着成串的玉米,几缕炊烟正慢慢升起来。
她是语言学专业的研究生,这次来,是为了记录高岩话。这种方言只在这条山谷里流传,会说的人已经寥寥无几:年轻人都出去打工了,孩子们在学校里只说普通话。这些年,会说的人逐年减少,迄今还能完完整整讲一段故事的,只剩下七个老人。导师周教授在她出发前说得很直接:“这是一种濒危方言,再过十年,可能就没人会说了。你能录多少,就录多少。”这是她读研究生以来第一次真正的田野调查,她既兴奋,又有点儿紧张。她带来的调查表上有两千多个词,从“太阳”“月亮”到“借”“还”,每个词后面都留着一块空白,等着填上读音。
村里的书记把她带到村子最高处的一户人家。“杨老师在村小教了四十年书,全村识字的人,差不多都是他教出来的,”书记一边走一边说,“他的高岩话最地道,就是脾气有点儿倔强。”杨老师七十八岁,个子不高,背有点儿弯,拄着一根旧拐杖站在门槛上,眯着眼睛打量她。他脸上的皱纹很深,眼神却很亮。陈瑜赶紧说明自己为什么来,又把调查表递了过去。他一页一页地翻,神情十分专注,没有说好,也没有说不好,只是问她:“这些词,你打算怎么用?”“先把每个词的读音录下来,再分析它的声调和语法,写进论文里。”杨老师点点头,把表还给她:“你要的词,我都可以说给你听。不过,光有词,是留不住一种语言的。”
第二天上午,第一次正式录音。陈瑜把录音机放在桌子中间,翻开调查表第一页:“杨老师,‘太阳’用高岩话怎么说?”杨老师望着窗外,过了片刻才开口。他说的不是一个词,而是一段往事:小时候,他母亲每天天不亮就起床,站在院子里,等太阳从对面的山顶上出来。太阳一露头,她就对着它轻轻说上一句,然后才去烧火做饭。“她说的是什么?”陈瑜忍不住插嘴。“就是‘太阳’,”杨老师笑了,“可是从她嘴里说出来,那不是一个名字,是在跟一位老熟人打招呼。”陈瑜不知道该怎么把这一段填进表格,只好在“太阳”后面写上一个读音,又在旁边画了一个小小的问号。
那天晚上,陈瑜在借住的屋子里整理录音。四十分钟的录音,她反复听了三遍,调查表上却只填了三个空白。她有些着急,在笔记本上写:“明天要控制时间,别让他离题。”写完,她又把录音倒回去,想再确认一个声调,可听着听着,不知不觉就忘了自己是在工作。
Words in this chapter (32)
The HSK 7–9 words in this chapter, and any above it, in the order you meet them. Names are left out.
- 班车bānchē regular bus (service)Not on the HSK list
- 崎岖qíqū rugged; craggy
- 录音机lùyīnjī (tape) recording machine; tape recorderNot on the HSK list
- 颠簸diānbǒ to be jolted around (car on a bumpy road, boat on a rough sea, aircraft experiencing turbulence)
- 生怕shēngpà to fear; to avoid; afraid
- 陡dǒu steep; precipitous; (of a change) abrupt
- 瓦wǎ roof tile; abbr. for 瓦特
- 叠dié to pile up; to fold; (bound form) repeated
- 屋檐wūyán eaves; roof (i.e. home)
- 缕lǚ classifier for wisps (of smoke, mist or vapor), strands, locks (of hair); strand; thread
- 炊烟chuīyān smoke from kitchen chimneys
- 山谷shāngǔ valley; ravine
- 寥寥无几liáoliáo-wújǐ (idiom) very few
- 逐年zhúnián year after year; with each passing year; over the years
- 迄今qìjīn to date; so far; until now
- 濒危bīnwēi endangered (species); in imminent danger; critically ill
- 田野tiányě field; open land
- 空白kòngbái blank space
- 书记shūjì secretary (chief official of a branch of a socialist or communist party); clerk; scribe
- 倔强juéjiàng stubborn; obstinate; unbending
- 拄zhǔ to lean on; to prop on
- 拐杖guǎizhàng crutches; crutch; walking stick
- 门槛ménkǎn doorstep; sill; threshold
- 眯mī to narrow one's eyes; to squint; (dialect) to take a nap
- 打量dǎliang to size sb up; to look sb up and down; to take the measure of
- 皱纹zhòuwén wrinkle
- 眼神yǎnshén expression or emotion showing in one's eyes; meaningful glance; wink
- 神情shénqíng look; expression
- 往事wǎngshì past events; former happenings
- 插嘴chāzuǐ to interrupt (sb talking); to butt in; to cut into a conversation
- 不知不觉bùzhī-bùjué (idiom) unconsciously; unwittingly
- 文wén language; culture; writing
Check your understanding
Answer from the chapter. A free account checks your answers and says why.
1.书记说杨老师“脾气有点儿倔强”,从后文看,这种倔强主要表现在哪里?
- A他不愿意让陈瑜录音
- B他坚持用自己的方式回答问题
- C他不肯看陈瑜的调查表
- D他拒绝说普通话
2.杨老师说“光有词,是留不住一种语言的”,他的意思是:
- A调查表上的词太少了
- B一种语言不只是一个个单独的词
- C录音的质量不够好
- D年轻人不愿意学这些词
3.第一天录音以后,陈瑜的心情怎么样?
- A很满意,因为进度很快
- B既着急,又不知不觉被故事吸引
- C很生气,决定离开村子
- D很失望,不想再听录音
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