|
|
|
The Kindness of Strangers 1 One summer I was driving from my hometown of Tahoe City, Calif. to New Orleans. In the middle of the desert, I came upon a young man standing by the roadside. He had his thumb out and held a gas can in his other hand. I drove right by him. There was a time in the country when you'd be considered a jerk if you passed by somebody in need. Now you are a fool for helping. With gangs, drug addicts, murderers, rapists, thieves lurking everywhere, "I don't want to get involved?has become a national motto. 2 Several states later I was still thinking about the hitchhiker. Leaving him stranded in the desert did not bother me so much. What bothered me was how easily I had reached the decision. I never even lifted my foot off the accelerator. 3 Does anyone stop any more? I wondered. I recalled Blanche DuBois's famous line: "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.?Could anyone rely on the kindness of strangers these days? One way to test this would be for a person to journey from coast to coast without any money, relying solely on the good will of his fellow Americans. What kind of Americans would he find? Who would feed him, shelter him, carry him down the road? 4 The idea intrigued me. 5 The week I turned 37, I realized that I had never taken a gamble in my life. So I decided to travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic without a penny. It would be a cashless journey through the land of the almighty dollar. I would only accept offers of rides, food and a place to rest my head. My final destination would be Cape Fear in North Carolina, a symbol of all the fears I'd have to conquer during the trip. 6 I rose early on September 6, 1994, and headed for the Golden Gate Bridge with a 50-pound pack on my back and a sign displaying my destination to passing vehicles: "America." 7 For six weeks I hitched 82 rides and covered 4,223 miles across 14 states. As I traveled, folks were always warning me about someplace else. In Montana they told me to watch out for the cowboys in Wyoming. In Nebraska they said people would not be as nice in Iowa. Yet I was treated with kindness everywhere I went. I was amazed by people's readiness to help a stranger, even when it seemed to run contrary to their own best interests. 8 One day in Nebraska a car pulled to the road shoulder. When I reached the window, I saw two little old ladies dressed in their Sunday finest. "I know you're not supposed to pick up hitchhikers, but it's so far between towns out here, you feel bad passing a person," said the driver, who introduced herself as Vi. I didn't know whether to kiss them or scold them for stopping. This woman was telling me she'd rather risk her life than feel bad about passing a stranger on the side of the road. 9 Once when I was hitchhiking unsuccessfully in the rain, a trucker pulled over, locking his brakes so hard he skidded on the grass shoulder. The driver told me he was once robbed at knifepoint by a hitchhiker. "But I hate to see a man stand out in the rain," he added. "People don't have no heart anymore." 10 I found, however, that people were generally compassionate. Hearing I had no money and would take none, people bought me food or shared whatever they happened to have with them. Those who had the least to give often gave the most. In Oregon a house painter named Mike noted the chilly weather and asked if I had a coat. When he learned that I had "A light one," he drove me to his house, and handed me a big green army-style jacket. A lumber-mill worker named Tim invited me to a simple dinner with his family in their shabby house. Then he offered me his tent. I refused, knowing it was probably one of the family's most valuable possessions. But Tim was determined that I have it, and finally I agreed to take it. 11 I was grateful to all the people I met for their rides, their food, their shelter, and their gifts. But what I found most touching was the fact that they all did it as a matter of course. 12 One day I walked into the chamber of commerce in Jamestown, Tenn. to find out about camping in the area. The executive director, Baxter Wilson, 59, handed me a brochure for a local campground. Seeing that it cost $12, I replied, "No, that's all right. I'll try something else.?Then he saw my backpack. "Most people around here will let you pitch a tent on their land, if that's what you want," he said. Now we're talking, I thought. "Any particular direction??I asked. "Tell you what. I've got a big farm about ten miles south of here. If you're here at 5:30, you can ride with me." 13 I accepted, and we drove out to a magnificent country house. Suddenly I realized he'd invited me to spend the night in his home. His wife, Carol, a seventh-grade science teacher, was cooking a pot roast when we walked into the kitchen. Baxter explained that local folks were "Mountain stay-at-home people?who rarely entertained in their house. "When we do," he said, "It's usually kin."This revelation made my night there all the more special. 14 The next morning when I came downstairs, Carol asked If I'd come to their school and talk to her class about my trip. I agreed, and before long had been scheduled to talk to every class in the school. The kids were attentive and kept asking all kinds of questions: Where were people the kindest? How many pairs of shoes did you have? Did anybody try to run you over? Did you fall in love with someone? What were you most afraid of? 15 Although I hadn't planned it this way,
I discovered that a patriotic tone ran through the talks I gave that
afternoon. I told the students how my faith in America had been renewed.
I told them how proud I was to live in a country where people were still
willing to help. I told them that the question I had had in mind when
I planned this journey was now clearly answered. In spite of everything,
you can still depend on the kindness of strangers. 我们先来看一看这篇文章的整体布局。作者在三十七岁的时候做了一次横跨美国的徒步旅行。他随身不带分文，靠搭便车、借宿、与别人分享食物来完成全部行程。文章的前四段向读者讲述了触发他做这样一次旅行的原因。一次，当一个过路人想要搭他的车时，他毫无反应，飞驰而过，之后他为自己的麻木不仁所震惊，因此他想到了这个问题，他决定只有做一次长途的才能够对此作出检验。文章从第5段到结束是对旅行过程中所见所闻所感的描述，他举了很多例子来证明美国人的乐善好施：两位毫无反抗能力的老妇人主动让他搭车；一位曾遭搭车者抢劫的司机()，再次冒着生命危险让他搭车；一个油漆工（)送给他大衣御寒；一位家境贫寒的伐木工人把家里的帐篷送给他；商会的官员邀请他回自己家过夜并同妻子热情地款待他，等等。文章没有把这些实例杂乱地堆砌在一起，而是使用过渡词、过渡句和过渡段将它们有条有理地组织起来，为传达文章的中心思想服务。例如： 这些句子将文章各部分内容贯穿在一起，使文章读来前后统一，自然流畅。这种写作技巧是我们应该学习和掌握的。 阅读这篇文章的另外一个重要方面是获取背景知识。首先我们可以从这篇文章中了解到一些与美国的地理位置和区域划分有关的知识。美国国土辽阔，东邻太平洋，因此作者说的是指他旅程的起点是美国著名的标志物之一金门大桥（)，金门大桥是世界第二长桥，修建在美国西海岸加利福尼亚州旧金山湾。作者行程的终点是位于北卡罗来纳州的一座小岛，由于地处洋流交汇点，水流湍急，沙堤流动，故而是让水手们望而生畏的地方。作者谈到了选择作为旅行终点的用意：它象征着旅途中需要战胜的全部艰难险阻（)。文章中还出现了不少美国的州名，我们不妨把它们列个清单，并在地图上对号入座，看看它们处在什么位置，而且知道它们的正确读音：1) 加利福尼亚州 2)依阿华州 3) 蒙大拿州 4) 内布拉斯加州 5) 新奥尔良州 6) 北卡罗来纳州 7) 俄勒冈州 8) 怀俄明州 其次，通过阅读这篇文章我们可以对美国的教育略做一瞥。在美国，5-11岁的孩子上, 11-14岁上, 14-18岁上。 第13、14段中讲到的妻子是, 这位中学教师邀请作者到她班上去为孩子们讲述他的旅行经历，并让孩子们自由提问。由此我们可以看出美国教育注重实践知识和自由思维的特点。 文章还向我们展现了美国人的一些生活情况。例如在第十二段中作者到Jamestown的商会（)去打听露营（)信息。美国设有很多露营地（)， 这些露营地为休闲度假的人们提供水、天然气、食物等服务。第八段中 .这句话告诉我们在美国星期天去教堂参加宗教活动是一件严肃的事，人们都要正装前往。。 从语言上来看， 这篇文章基本上没有晦涩难懂之处，只有几个地方需要我们多花一些力气仔细体会：1) 第５段 .
基督徒把上帝奉为无所不能的神灵，他主宰世间一切，而在美国这个商业社会中，人们把金钱等同于上帝，有钱就意味着拥有一切，所以意思是拜金的美国。2) 第８段.
这句话应该理解为我真不知道应该感谢这两位老人的善良还是因为她们如此冒险而批评她们。作者这样说是想表达他感激的心情，强调两位老人的善良之举。3)
第9段.这是一句用双重否定表示否定意义的句子，属于不规范的英语，意为. 人们不再有善心了。3)第12段. 也可以说. 这是一个固定说法，用来表示赞同别人的提议或想法。4) 第13段... 这句话的意思是说当地人通常习惯于和家人安静地呆在一起，很少在家中举办社交活动或外出参加社交活动。 |