现代大学英语精读 1 Unit12
时间:2018-12-04 作者:英语课 分类:现代大学英语精读
Lesson Twelve
TEXT A
The Kindness of Strangers Mike Mclntyre
Pre-class Work I
Read the text once for the main idea. Do not refer to the notes, dictionaries or the glossary 2 yet.
One summer I was driving from my home town of Tahoe City, Calif, to New Orleans. In the middle of the desert, I came upon a young man standing 3 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 4. With gangs, drug addicts 6, murderers, rapists, thieves lurking 8 everywhere, "I don't want to get involved" has become a national motto.
Several states later I was still thinking about the hitchhiker. Leaving him stranded 10 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.
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 11 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?
The idea intrigued 13 me.
The week I turned 37, I realized that I had never taken a gamble in my life. So I decided 14 to travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic without a penny. It would be a cashless journey through the land of the almighty 15 dollar. I would only accept offers of rides, food and a place to rest my head. My final destination would be Cape 16 Fear in North Carolina, a symbol of all the fears I'd have to conquer during the trip.
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."
For six weeks I hitched 17 82 rides and covered 4223 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. 1 was amazed by people's readiness to help a stranger, even when it seemed to run contrary to their own best interests.
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.
Once when I was hitchhiking unsuccessfully in the rain, a trucker pulled over, locking his brakes so hard he skidded 19 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."
I found, however, that people were generally compassionate 21. 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 22 the chilly 23 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 24 that I have it, and finally I agreed to take it.
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 25 was the fact that they all did it as a matter of course.
One day I walked into the chamber 26 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."
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 1." This revelation made my night there all the more special.
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 27 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?
Although I hadn't planned it this way, I discovered that a patriotic 28 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.
Read the text a second time. Learn the new words and expressions listed below.
Glossary
accelerator
n. a machine used for increasing speed 加速器
addict 5
n. a drug ~ : a person who cannot stop taking drugs 吸毒成瘾的人;瘾君子
almighty
adj. having unlimited 29 power 无所不能的;万能的;~ dollar: taking money as the main goal in life or basis of power 金钱万能的;拜金主义的
attentive
adj. giving or paying attention
amaze
v. to fill with great surprise
backpack
n. a bag carried on the back, often supported by a metal frame, used especially by mountain climbers or walkers 旅行专用背包
brake
n. 刹车
brochure
n. a thin book giving information 小册子;介绍材料
Calif.
n. = California, a state in the U. S. 加利福尼亚
campground
n. a place where people can camp for a small fee 露营地
cashless
adj. not having any money
chamber of commerce
an organization or group of people in a particular town or area for the purpose of trade 商会
chilly
adj. rather cold
compassionate
adj. feeling or showing pity or sympathy for other people who need help 有同情心的
conquer
v. to defeat or overcome 击败;征服
contrary
adj. opposite 相反的
cowboy
n. a person who looks after cattle in the western parts of the U. S. (美国西部的)牛仔
entertain
v. to invite people to one's home for a meal 招待
executive
adj. 执行的;负责的;行政的;an ~ director: 行政长官;此处指商会负责人
folk
n. people
gamble
n. a risky 30 action or decision 冒险的事;赌博;take a ~ : to take an action that is risky hoping that it may succeed
gang
n. a group of persons who stick together, especially for criminal or other antisocial purposes
hitch 9
v. = hitchhike: to travel by asking drivers of passing cars for free rides 沿途搭车旅行
hitchhiker
n. a person who hitchhikes 沿途搭乘他人便车旅行的人
intrigue 12
v. to arouse the interest or curiosity 激起……好奇心
lowa
n. a state in the U. S. 衣阿华州
Jamestown
n. 詹姆斯敦(这里指田纳西州的一个城市)
journey
v. to travel
kin
n. (集合名词)relatives 亲戚
lumber-mill
n. a building where trees are cut up to make wood 锯木厂
lurk 7
v. to wait quietly and secretly in order to attack 埋伏以便伺机攻击
magnificent
adj. extremely good, beautiful or impressive 不平凡的;了不起的
Montana
n. a state in the U. S. 蒙大拿州
motto
n. a short statement used as a guide of behavior 座右铭
murderer
n. a person who unlawfully kills another person
Nebraska
n. a state in the U. S. 内布拉斯加州
New Orleans
n. a city in the U. S. 新奥尔良
North Carolina
n. a state in the U. S. 北卡罗来纳州
Oregon
n. a state in the U. S. 俄勒冈州
patriotic
adj. feeling or showing love, support and loyalty 31 to one's country 爱国的
rapist
n. 强奸犯
readiness
n. willingness or eagerness to do sth.
renew
n. to find sth. again after it has been lost 重新恢复
revelation
n. sth. which is made known and was previously 32 unknown 突然显示的事实
risk
v. to take an action, even though it might have unpleasant consequences 冒险
schedule
v. to arrange for sth. to be done; to plan that sth. will happen at a particular time
shabby
adj. in bad repair or condition 破旧不堪的
shelter
v. to provide a place to stay or rest
n. a place where you can stay or rest
skid 18
v. to suddenly slide sideways and get out of control 滑向一旁
solely
adv. only
stranded
adj. unable to move from the place where you are
symbol
n. a sign or object which represents an idea or value 象征
Tenn.
n. = Tennessee, a state in the U. S. 田纳西州
the Atlantic
n. 大西洋
the Pacific
n. 太平洋
thumb
n. 拇指
trucker
n. a truck driver
vehicle
n. a thing such as a car or bus etc. used for carrying people or things from one place to another 车辆
Wyoming
n. a state in the U. S. 怀俄明州
TEXT B
In Chelsea, Back to Sleep Suzanne Falter-Barns
Suzanne Falter-Barns is a novelist and essayist. Her novel, Doin' the Box Step, was published in 1992. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, Adweek, and other periodicals. Her essay on a murder on the street outside her apartment in the Chelsea district of Manhattan appeared in the Times on November 25, 1989.
On a cool night recently, a woman was murdered in front of my apartment in Chelsea. She was sleeping in her car when someone—evidently trying to steal her car radio—was surprised by her, and slashed 33 her throat with a knife.
The woman killed was only a few years older than I, and her photograph in the papers was familiar. Many neighbors had seen her coming and going from the Buddhist 34 temple next door, and so she was one of us—another daily face you'd pass, unknown but still part of the surroundings. That she slept in her car was not even surprising, just another thing people do in New York. We regard it with the silence with which one sees everything in this city—the silence of blase 35 acceptance.
Here is the core of the tragedy. An upstairs neighbor, wakened by her car horn, watched from his window as the stabbed woman staggered from her car, made her way up the steps of the temple and rattled 36 the doorknob in vain. In the darkness, he could not see her profuse 37 bleeding, but he could hear her speaking strangely, asking for what sounded like her mother. She was drunk, he assumed, or high, and he watched her make her way back to the car and drive away quickly. She died a few moments later.
Even at 4 o'clock in the morning, on a deserted 38 block in Chelsea, what our neighbor saw did not seem unusual. He had the New York reaction of the 1980's, and assumed she was just another one of the city's huge corps 39 of the deranged 40, the homeless, the addicted 41, the drunk. He didn't even consider going downstairs to help her; after all, how many dozens didn't he help just that day? To do so would have taken hours and dollars that cannot be spared, so my neighbor did what any of us would have done. He went back to sleep.
I cannot say I blame him. I was sitting in my living room while the murder took place right in front of my windows. In my sleeplessness 42, I was drinking hot milk and flipping 43 through a travel magazine, steadfastly 44 ignoring the weird 45 murmurings of the girl outside. In fact, I didn't even think of getting up to see what might be wrong. Years of living in New York City had trained me: The distress 46 you hear is nothing serious. It's only a drunk or a bum 47.
A few hours later, when the detectives questioned me, I was ashamed to admit what I had heard. Perhaps it wasn't her, but it probably was. If only I hadn't been so smug, if only I'd gone to the window, perhaps I could have done something. The doctor next door says no one could have saved her, but I tell myself I could have held her, or reassured 48 her, or even tried to get a description of the assailant. At least she wouldn't have died so pitifully, ignored by her neighbors because they thought she was a drunk, when in fact, she was looking for help.
That this should be a normal reaction says something about our life here. What begins as compassion 20, when you first arrive, gets ground to dust by the daily barrage 49 of people dressed in garbage bags, passed out in doorways 50, making loud, plaintive 51 pitches on the subway or displaying their mutilated limbs in an attempt to get some change. The sheer numbers of these people exhaust the soul. To live here at all, you have to be callous 52.
The morning after the murder, I washed away the victim's bloodstains that covered the sidewalk; as I did, a stream of people in business clothes walked by, neatly 53 picking their way past the stains, papers and briefcases 54 tucked under their arms. No one seemed to notice or care what I was doing. No one asked what had happened. They averted 55 their eye—avoiding the pain—keeping their mind on more important things. That someone died here was just another incident to file away, another fact of this strange place.
- He comes of good kin.他出身好。
- She has gone to live with her husband's kin.她住到丈夫的亲戚家里去了。
- The text is supplemented by an adequate glossary.正文附有一个详细的词汇表。
- For convenience,we have also provided a glossary in an appendix.为了方便,我们在附录中也提供了术语表。
- After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
- They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
- The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
- By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
- He became gambling addict,and lost all his possessions.他习染上了赌博,最终输掉了全部家产。
- He assisted a drug addict to escape from drug but failed firstly.一开始他帮助一个吸毒者戒毒但失败了。
- a unit for rehabilitating drug addicts 帮助吸毒者恢复正常生活的机构
- There is counseling to help Internet addicts?even online. 有咨询机构帮助网络沉迷者。 来自超越目标英语 第3册
- Dangers lurk in the path of wilderness.在这条荒野的小路上隐伏着危险。
- He thought he saw someone lurking above the chamber during the address.他觉得自己看见有人在演讲时潜藏在会议厅顶上。
- Why are you lurking around outside my house? 你在我房子外面鬼鬼祟祟的,想干什么?
- There is a suspicious man lurking in the shadows. 有一可疑的人躲在阴暗中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- They had an eighty-mile journey and decided to hitch hike.他们要走80英里的路程,最后决定搭便车。
- All the candidates are able to answer the questions without any hitch.所有报考者都能对答如流。
- He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里, 身无分文,一筹莫展。
- I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市,既没有钱,又没有朋友。
- Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
- The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。
- Court officials will intrigue against the royal family.法院官员将密谋反对皇室。
- The royal palace was filled with intrigue.皇宫中充满了勾心斗角。
- You've really intrigued me—tell me more! 你说的真有意思—再给我讲一些吧!
- He was intrigued by her story. 他被她的故事迷住了。
- This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
- There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
- Those rebels did not really challenge Gods almighty power.这些叛徒没有对上帝的全能力量表示怀疑。
- It's almighty cold outside.外面冷得要命。
- I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
- She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。
- They hitched a ride in a truck. 他们搭乘了一辆路过的货车。
- We hitched a ride in a truck yesterday. 我们昨天顺便搭乘了一辆卡车。
- He braked suddenly,causing the front wheels to skid.他突然剎车,使得前轮打了滑。
- The police examined the skid marks to see how fast the car had been travelling.警察检查了车轮滑行痕迹,以判断汽车当时开得有多快。
- The car skidded and hit a lamp post. 那辆汽车打滑撞上了路灯杆。
- The car skidded and overturned. 汽车打滑翻倒了。
- He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
- Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。
- She is a compassionate person.她是一个有同情心的人。
- The compassionate judge gave the young offender a light sentence.慈悲的法官从轻判处了那个年轻罪犯。
- The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
- Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
- I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
- I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后,寒气逼人。
- I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
- He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
- For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说,牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
- The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。
- She was very attentive to her guests.她对客人招待得十分周到。
- The speaker likes to have an attentive audience.演讲者喜欢注意力集中的听众。
- His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
- The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。
- They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
- There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。
- It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险,但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
- He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。
- She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
- His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。
- The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
- Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿,解释原先发生了什么。
- Someone had slashed the tyres on my car. 有人把我的汽车轮胎割破了。
- He slashed the bark off the tree with his knife. 他用刀把树皮从树上砍下。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
- In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里,人世上一切事情都是空的。
- She's very blase about parties.她非常腻烦聚会。
- The film star is blase about endless flattery now.那位电影明星现在对无休无止的吹捧已经厌烦了。
- The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
- Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里,窗户都格格作响。
- The hostess is profuse in her hospitality.女主人招待得十分周到。
- There was a profuse crop of hair impending over the top of his face.一大绺头发垂在他额头上。
- The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
- The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。
- The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
- When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时,他自愿参加了海军陆战队。
- Traffic was stopped by a deranged man shouting at the sky.一名狂叫的疯子阻塞了交通。
- A deranged man shot and killed 14 people.一个精神失常的男子开枪打死了14人。
- He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
- She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。
- Modern pharmacy has solved the problem of sleeplessness. 现代制药学已经解决了失眠问题。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. 医生们对他的奇异的不眠感到疑惑。 来自英语晨读30分(高三)
- So he sat, with a steadfastly vacant gaze, pausing in his work. 他就像这样坐着,停止了工作,直勾勾地瞪着眼。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
- Defarge and his wife looked steadfastly at one another. 德伐日和他的妻子彼此凝视了一会儿。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
- From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来,他好像有点怪。
- His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。
- Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
- Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。
- A man pinched her bum on the train so she hit him.在火车上有人捏她屁股,她打了那人。
- The penniless man had to bum a ride home.那个身无分文的人只好乞求搭车回家。
- The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The attack jumped off under cover of a barrage.进攻在炮火的掩护下开始了。
- The fierce artillery barrage destroyed the most part of the city in a few minutes.猛烈的炮火几分钟内便毁灭了这座城市的大部分地区。
- The houses belched people; the doorways spewed out children. 从各家茅屋里涌出一堆一堆的人群,从门口蹦出一群一群小孩。 来自辞典例句
- He rambled under the walls and doorways. 他就顺着墙根和门楼遛跶。 来自辞典例句
- Her voice was small and plaintive.她的声音微弱而哀伤。
- Somewhere in the audience an old woman's voice began plaintive wail.观众席里,一位老太太伤心地哭起来。
- He is callous about the safety of his workers.他对他工人的安全毫不关心。
- She was selfish,arrogant and often callous.她自私傲慢,而且往往冷酷无情。
- Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
- The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。
- Portfolio, Name Card Holder, Pen, Briefcases, Computer Bags, Bags and Cases. 采购产品文件夹,名字备置卡片烛台,钢笔,公文包,计算机袋子,袋子和情形。 来自互联网
- We have quite an array of leather briefcases. 我们有相当的一批公文包。 来自互联网