SECTION 3

LIZZIE: So how are you getting on with your teaching practice at the High School, Joe?

莉齐：乔，你在高中的教学实践怎么样了？

JOE: Well I've been put in charge of the school marching band, and it's quite a responsibility.

乔：嗯，我被安排负责学校的军乐队了，这是一个十分重要的任务。

I'd like to talk it over with you.

我想和你聊一聊这件事。

LIZZIE: Go ahead. You'd better start by giving me a bit of background.

莉齐：说吧。不过你最好先给我讲一些背景情况。

JOE: OK. Well the band has students in it from all years, so they're aged 11 to 18, and there are about 50 of them altogether.

乔：好的。乐队里面包括了所有年龄的学生，他们的年龄在11到18岁之间，总共有50个人左右。

It's quite a popular activity within the school.

这是学校里非常受欢迎的活动。

I've never worked with a band of more than 20 before, and this is very different.

我以前从未和超过20个人的乐队合作过，所以这很不一样。

LIZZIE: I can imagine.

莉齐：我可以想象得到。

JOE: They aren't really good enough to enter national band competitions, but they're in a regional one later in the term.

乔：他们还没有足够的能力进入全国乐队比赛，但是他们在这个学期后期会进入区域性比赛。

Even if they don't win, and I don't expect them to, hopefully it'll be an incentive for them to try and improve.

即使他们没有获胜，我也没指望他们能获胜，只是希望这会激励他们努力并且进步。

LIZZIE: Yes, hopefully.

莉齐：是的，希望如此。

JOE: Well, now the town council's organising a carnival in the summer, and the band has been asked to perform.

乔：嗯，现在小镇委员会要在夏天组织一个狂欢节，他们已经请了我们乐队去演出。

If you ask me, they aren't really up to it yet, and I need to get them functioning better as a band, and in a very short time.

硬要我说的话，其实他们还没有达到那个水平，我需要让他们在很短的时间内更好地发挥乐队的作用。

LIZZIE: Have you been doing anything with them?

莉齐：你有没有和他们一起做过什么？

Apart from practising the music, I mean.

我的意思是，除了练习音乐之外。

JOE: I played a recording I came across, of a drummer talking about how playing in a band had changed his life.

乔：我放了一个我偶然发现的录像，讲的是一位鼓手谈论参加乐队如何改变了他的生活。

I think it was an after-dinner speech.

我想这是一个餐后演讲。

I thought it was pretty inspiring, because being in the band had stopped him from getting involved in crime.

我觉得这很鼓舞人心，因为参加乐队使他没有卷入犯罪。

The students seemed to find it interesting, too.

学生似乎也觉得它很有趣。

LIZZIE: That's good.

莉齐：这很不错。

JOE: I'm planning to show them that old film from the 1940s 'Strike Up the Band', and talk about it with the students.

乔：我打算给学生们放一部40年代的老电影“Strike Up the Band”，然后跟他们讨论讨论。

What do you think?

你觉得怎么样？

LIZZIE: Good idea.

莉齐：好主意。

As it's about a school band, it might make the students realise how much they can achieve if they work together.

这部电影是关于一个学校乐队的，它可能会让学生意识到如果他们齐心协力，他们可以做得多好。

JOE: That's what I've got in mind.

乔：这就是我想做的。

I'm hoping I can take some of the band to a parade that's going to take place next month.

我希望我能把乐队中的一些人带到下个月即将举行的游行中。

A couple of marching bands will be performing, and the atmosphere should be quite exciting.

到时候有几个军乐队将会表演，气氛应该会非常令人兴奋。

It depends on whether I can persuade the school to hire a coach or two to take us there.

这取决于我是否可以说服学校租用一辆或两辆长途车带我们去。

LIZZIE: Mmm. They sound like good ideas to me.

莉齐：嗯。我觉得听起来是很好的主意。

JOE: Thanks.

乔：谢谢。

JOE: Can I tell you about a few people in the band who I'm finding it quite difficult to cope with?

乔：我可以和你讲讲，乐队里的一些很难应付的人吗？

I'm sure you'll have some ideas about what I can do.

我相信你会对于我能做什么提些建议。

LIZZIE: Go ahead.

莉齐：说吧。

JOE: There's a flautist who says she loves playing in the band.

乔：有一个吹横笛的学生说她非常喜欢在乐队里演奏。

We rehearse twice a week after school, but she's hardly ever there.

我们放学后每周排练两次，但她几乎没来过。

Then she looks for me the next day and gives me a very plausible reason - she says she had to help her mother, or she's been ill, but to be honest, I don't believe her.

然后她会在第二天找我，并给我一个貌似可信的理由——她说她必须帮她母亲干活，或者她病了，但说实话，我不相信她。

LIZZIE: Oh dear! Any more students with difficulties?

莉齐：天哪！还有其他不好处理的学生吗？

JOE: Plenty! There's a trumpeter who thinks she's the best musician in the band, though she certainly isn't.

乔：太多了！有一个小号手认为她是乐队中最好的乐手，尽管很显然她不是。

She's always saying what she thinks other people should do, which makes my job pretty difficult.

她总念叨着她认为其他人应该做的事情，这使我的工作变得非常困难。

LIZZIE: She sounds a bit of a nightmare!

莉齐：她听起来有点难以对付！

JOE: You can say that again.

乔：一点儿没错。

One of the trombonists has got an impressive sense of rhythm, and could be an excellent musician - except that he has breathing difficulties, and he doesn't really have enough breath for the trombone.

有一个长号手有一种令人敬佩的的节奏感，并且可能成为一位出色的乐手——只可惜他有呼吸困难，他吹长号时没有足够的气息。

He'd be much better off playing percussion, for instance, but he refuses to give up.

如果他演奏打击乐会好得多，但他拒绝放弃长号。

So he ends up only playing half the notes.

所以他最终只吹奏了一半的音符。

LIZZIE: I suppose you have to admire his determination.

莉齐：我想你必须佩服他的决心。

JOE: Hmm, maybe. One of the percussionists isn't too bad, but he never seems to interact with other people, and he always rushes off as soon as the rehearsal ends.

乔：嗯，或许吧。有一个打击乐手没什么太大的问题，但他似乎永远不会与其他人互动，而且他总是在排练结束后立即走人。

I don't know if there are family reasons, or what.

我不知道是否有家庭原因，或者是别的什么原因。

But it isn't good in a band, where people really need to feel they're part of a group.

但是这样在一个乐队中并不好，他们真的需要觉得自己是这个团队的一部分。

LIZZIE: Hmm.

莉齐：嗯。

JOE: There are others too, but at least that gives you an idea of what l'm up against.

乔：其实还有其他人也有相似的问题，但至少他们能让你对我需要解决的事情了解个大概。

Do you have any thoughts about what I can do, Lizzie?

莉齐，关于我能做些什么，你有什么建议吗？