Word Bank bookish a. 书生气的 perk v. （使）振作，（使）活跃 John Durante （人名） non-conformist n. 非墨守成规的人 unreliability n. 不可靠, 不能信任 log off 在网络上中止联接 sarcastic a. 讽刺的 crop up 突然出现 balk v. 畏缩不前 keypal n. 笔友 windbreaker 防风夹克衫 fidget v. 坐立不安
Tapescript (woman’s voice)
A Stranger on the Internet
I was first introduced to the Internet when I was thirteen. While in real life I was a very shy and “bookish” girl, on the Internet I was a completely different person. I found myself able to talk to everyone online, and send e-mails saying things no one in my position would even dare think of in real life. I’m not exactly sure why, but I think it had something to do with no one being able to see my unattractive face.
Within just a few months I became active in writers’ circles. I even created my own young writers’ club and through that made writer friends of all ages.
I remember the day I first met Jack in a chat room. I’m not exactly sure how we got to talking but we did, and after that there was no stopping. One thing that perked his interest considerably was my mention that my favorite author was John Durante.
We talked about John Durante for an hour and there was a lot to talk about as John was a sort of “unconventional” writer who by his very nature invited discussion. His books were classified “young adult” but both Jack and I agreed that a person of any age could read them. Also, we both liked the unhappy endings that were present in many of the books. As Jack said, it was just more realistic that way. The good guy didn’t always win. I added that John was brave to be such a non-conformist. For some reason Jack found this amusing.
We were both very talkative. We drifted from one topic to another: writing, books, publishers, the unreliability of free e-mail services, and the weather. In the end, when my mother told me to log off and get to bed, we exchanged e-mail addresses.
The e-mails continued for about six months after that. Jack and I had a lot in common: a dry sarcastic sense of humor, a love of books and writing and practical jokes, the same hair color, the same favorite food… It’s amazing, though, how little we really knew about each other. I don’t think we ever bothered to ask for each other’s full names even. He was Jack. I was Alice. Nothing more. I never knew his age, either. I estimated through his e-mails that he was a youngish adult, college-age maybe, and I think he could tell that I was a teenager, but neither of us mentioned it. None of these issues ever seemed to crop up. So many things were left unasked, and while I knew so much about him, I never really knew who he was.
Jack was the one who suggested the meeting, and at first I balked. Not because I was afraid he was a serial killer or something, but because I had never met any of my keypals offline and I didn’t know how to act. But Jack could be gently persuasive, and I found myself agreeing to meet him in Central Park after school.
I was a bit nervous, and I told him that. He understood. “It’s okay,” he reassured me. “The meeting will go fine. I’ll ride my motorcycle from Worcester to Manhattan and you just walk.” He asked me if I had a distinctive piece of clothing. I answered yes, a red silk windbreaker. He told me to wear it at the meeting so he could recognize me.
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I can just see myself now: a nervous little girl, fidgeting in her black skirt and crimson jacket, the wind playing with her long dark hair. Sitting on the park bench, waiting for The Moment to arrive. The motorcycle pulled up and a tall and rather handsome dark-haired man was about to get off. He looked vaguely familiar, but just then a crazy Toyota ran straight into his motor and him. “Jack!” I screamed. Instantly the whole world of mine was overwhelmed by the flames.
Exercise
Listen to the passage just once and choose the best answers to the questions you hear.
1. What kind of person was the narrator in real life? a. A bookish and unattractive girl. b. A talkative and outgoing girl. c. An attractive girl of 13 years old.
d. A well-known writer who created a writers’ club.
2. What kind of person was the narrator online? a. A talkative and considerate girl. b. A famous but bookish writer. c. An outgoing and talkative person. d. A shy and cautious person.
3. What was the event that drew the two strangers together? a. The narrator showed an unusual wit on the Internet. b. Jack was a star in writers’ circles.
c. Jack was always there waiting for the narrator to chat. d. The narrator mentioned her favorite writer.
4. What kind of person was Jack according to the narrator? a. He was a young adult who didn’t like conventions. b. He was brave and had a sense of humor. c. He was very casual and considerate. d. He was curious and bold.
5. Which of the following words can be used to describe the ending of the story? a. Dramatic. b. Unexpected. c. Mysterious. d. Queer.
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