Lesson Twelve-Text.doc

Lesson Twelve 1. One summer I was driving from my home town of Tahoe City, Calif. （加利福尼亚州的塔霍湖市） to New Orleans.（新奥尔良） In the middle of the desert, I came upon（met with遇到） a young man standing by the roadside. He had his thumb out（竖起拇指请求搭车） and held a gas can （汽油罐）in his other hand. I drove right by him. There was a time in the country （国家）when youd be considered a jerk（愚蠢） if you passed by somebody in need.（需要帮助的人） Now you are a fool for helping. With gangs, （歹徒）drug addicts,（吸毒成瘾者） murderers, rapists, （强奸犯）thieves lurking （隐藏）everywhere, I dont want to get involved（我不想惹麻烦） has become a national motto.（民族格言, 座右铭） 2. Several states later （始过了几个州）I was still thinking about the hitchhiker.（搭便车的旅行者） Leaving him stranded in the desert （把他束手无策的留在沙漠）did not bother me so much. What bothered me was how easily I had reached(arrived at) the decision. I never even lifted(raised) my foot off the accelerator.（油门） 3. Does anyone stop any more? I wondered. I recalled Blanche DuBoiss famous line:（布兰奇.杜包尔斯那句著名的台词）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(travel) from coast to coast without any money, relying solely（only） on the good will(heart) （好心）of his fellow Americans. (美国同胞)What kind of Americans would he find? Who would feed(give food to) him, shelter (give house)him, carry him down the road?(载他一程) 4. The idea intrigued (interested)me.(这个想法激起了我的好奇心) 5. The week I turned 37, (我步入37岁那周)I realized that I had never taken a gamble (risk冒险)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（country国家） of the almighty dollar(金钱万能的国家). I would only accept offers of rides,(别人提供的便车) food and a place to rest my head(sleeping place). My final destination would be Cape Fear in North Carolina, (北卡罗来纳州的恐怖角)a symbol of all the fears(恐惧) Id have to conquer during the trip. 6. I rose （got up起床）early on September 6, 1994, and headed for （went to/left for动身前往）the Golden Gate Bridge (金门桥)with a 50-pound pack (行李)on my back and a sign displaying(showing) my destination to passing vehicles: America.(美国)7. For six weeks I hitched 82 rides (我免费搭车82次)and covered (traveled)4223 miles across 14 states.(穿越14个州,行程达到4223英里) As I traveled, folks（people） were always warning (提醒)me about someplace else. In Montana(蒙大拿州) they told me to watch out for(be careful about提防) the cowboys in Wyoming.(怀俄明州) In Nebraska(内布拉斯加州) they said people would not be as nice in Iowa. (衣阿华州) Yet I was treated (entertained/received)with kindness everywhere I went. I was amazed by (对感到吃惊) peoples readiness to help a stranger, even when it seemed to run contrary to(与背道而驰) their own best interests.(利益) 8. One day in Nebraska (内布拉斯加州)a car pulled to(drove to驶向) the road shoulder.(路边) When I reached the window, I saw two little old ladies dressed in (wearing)their Sunday finest. (穿着节日盛装)I know youre not supposed to pick up hitchhikers, (拉免费搭车的旅行者)but its so far between towns out here, you feel bad passing a person, said the driver, who introduced herself as Vi.(维) I didnt know whether to kiss them (thank them感谢她们)or scold them(criticize them批评她们) for stopping. This woman was telling me shed rather risk her life than feel bad about passing a stranger on the side of the road.(她宁愿冒生命危险也不愿对路边的陌生人置之不理而感到不安) 9. Once when I was hitchhiking unsuccessfully in the rain,(我在雨中搭不到车) a trucker pulled over,(一个卡车司机把车开道路边) locking （applying/slamming on）his brakes so hard he skidded on the grass shoulder. (刹车过猛,车子滑到草地上了)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 dont have (no) heart anymore.(人们不在有同情心了) 10. I found, however, that people were generally compassionate.(sympathetic有同情心的) 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 (俄勒岗州)a house painter(建筑油漆工) named Mike（迈克） noted（noticed注意到） the chilly (cold)weather and asked if I had a coat. When he learned（heard of得知） that I had a light（not thick） one, he drove me to his house, and handed(gave) me a big green army-style jacket.(绿色军用夹克衫) A lumber-mill worker（锯木场工人） 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 familys most valuable possessions. But Tim was determined that I have it, and finally I agreed to take it. 11. I was grateful to （thankful to感谢）all the people I met for their rides, their food, their shelter, and their gifts. But what I found most touching（moving感动） was the fact that they all did it as a matter of course.（认为是理所当然的） 12. One day I walked into the chamber of commerce in Jamestown, Tenn. （田纳西州詹母斯敦的商会）to find out（查一下） about camping in the area. （露营的地方） The executive director, Baxter Wilson, 59,（该商会的执行理事，59岁的巴克斯特.威尔逊）handed me a brochure for a local campground. Seeing that it cost $12, I replied, No, thats all right. I11 try something else. Then he saw my backpack. Most people around here will let you pitch a tent(搭帐篷) on their land, if thats what you want, he said. Now were talking, I thought. Any particular direction. (有具体的方向吗?) I asked. Tell you what.（听我说） Ive got a big farm about ten miles south of here. If youre here at 5: 30, you can ride with me.(你可以搭我的车) 13. I accepted, and we drove out to a magnificent country house. (漂亮的乡村房屋)Suddenly I realized hed invited me to spend the night in his home. His wife, Carol,(卡罗尔) a seventh-grade science teacher,(理科教师) was cooking a pot roast (正在炖肉)when we walked into the kitchen. Baxter (巴克斯特)explained that local folks were mountain stay-at-home people (不爱出门的山里人)who rarely entertained in their house. When we do(entertain), (当我们在家里招待客人时)he said, its usually kin.(relatives) (通常是自己的亲属)This revelation (这个意外的发现)made my night there all the more special. 14. The next morning when I came downstairs, Carol (卡罗尔)asked if Id come to their school and talk to her class about my trip. I agreed, and before long(I) had been scheduled （arranged）to talk to every class in the school. The kids（pupils） were attentive （专心）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? (hit somebody bya car有人试图撞你吗?)Did you fall in love with someone? What were you most afraid of? 15. Although I hadnt planned it this way, I discovered that a patriotic tone(爱国气氛) ran through the talks I gave that afternoon. I told the students how my faith in America had been renewed.(returned/came back) (我对美国的信任是如何恢复的)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, (regardless of; despite无论怎样)you can still depend on the kindness of strangers.Lesson Twelve 1. One summer I was driving from my home town of Tahoe City, Calif. （加利福尼亚州的塔霍湖市） to New Orleans.（新奥尔良） In the middle of the desert, I came upon（meet遇到） a young man standing by the roadside. He had his thumb out（竖起拇指请求搭车） and held a gas can （汽油罐）in his other hand. I drove right by him. There was a time in the country （国家）when youd be considered a jerk（愚蠢） if you passed by somebody in need.（需要帮助的人） Now you are a fool for helping. With gangs, （歹徒）drug addicts,（吸毒成瘾者） murderers, rapists, （强奸犯）thieves lurking （隐藏）everywhere, I dont want to get involved has become a national motto.（民族格言, 座右铭） 2. Several states later （始过了几个州）I was still thinking about the hitchhiker.（搭便车的旅行者） Leaving him stranded in the desert （把他束手无策的留在沙漠）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.（油门） 3. Does anyone stop any more? I wondered. I recalled Blanche DuBoiss famous line:（布兰奇.杜包尔斯那句著名的台词）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 （only）on the good will of his fellow Americans. (美国同胞)What kind of Americans would he find? Who would feed him, shelter him, carry him down the road?(载他一程) 4. The idea intrigued me.(interested me这个想法激起了我的好奇心) 5. The week I turned 37, (我步入37岁那周)I realized that I had never taken a gamble (冒险)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(金钱万能的国家). I would only accept offers of rides,(别人提供的便车) food and a place to rest my head. My final destination would be Cape Fear in North Carolina, (北卡罗来纳州的恐怖角)a symbol of all the fears(恐惧) Id have to conquer during the trip. 6. I rose early on September 6, 1994, and headed for the Golden Gate Bridge (金门桥)with a 50-pound pack (行李)on my back and a sign displaying my destination to passing vehicles: America.(美国)7. For six weeks I hitched 82 rides (我免费搭车82次)and covered 4223 miles across 14 states.(穿越14个州,行程达到4223英里) As I traveled, folks were always warning (提醒)me about someplace else. In Montana(蒙大拿州) they told me to watch out for(be careful about提防) the cowboys in Wyoming.(怀俄明州) In Nebraska(内布拉斯加州) they said people would not be as nice in Iowa. (衣阿华州) Yet I was treated with kindness everywhere I went. I was amazed by (对感到吃惊) peoples readiness to help a stranger, even when it seemed to run contrary to(与背道而驰) their own best interests.(利益) 8. One day in Nebraska (内布拉斯加州)a car pulled to(驶向) the road shoulder.(路边) When I reached the window, I saw two little old ladies dressed in their Sunday finest. (穿着节日盛装)I know youre not supposed to pick up hitchhikers, (拉免费搭车的旅行者)but its so far between towns out here, you feel bad passing a person, said the driver, who introduced herself as Vi.(维) I didnt know whether to kiss(thank感谢) them or scold (criticize)them for stopping. This woman was telling me shed rather risk her life than feel bad about passing a stranger on the side of the road.(她宁愿冒生命危险也不愿对路边的陌生人置之不理而感到不安) 9. Once when I was hitchhiking unsuccessfully in the rain,(我在雨中搭不到车) a trucker pulled over,(一个卡车司机把车开道路边) locking his brakes so hard he skidded on the grass shoulder. (刹车过猛,车子滑到草地上了)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 dont have no heart anymore.(人们不在有同情心了) 10. I found, however, that people were generally compassionate.( sympathetic有同情心的) 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 (俄勒岗州)a house painter(建筑油漆工) 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.(绿色军用夹克衫) 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 familys most valuable possessions. But Tim was determined that I have it, and finally I agreed to take it. 11. I was grateful to （感谢）all the people I met for their rides, their food, their shelter, and their gifts. But what I found most touching（感动） was the fact that they all did it as a matter of course.（as a most natural way to act认为是理所当然的） 12. One day I walked into the chamber of commerce in Jamestown, Tenn. （田纳西州詹母斯敦的商会）to find out about camping in the area. The executive director, Baxter Wilson, 59,（该商会的执行理事，59岁的巴克斯特.威尔逊）handed me a brochure for a local campground. Seeing that it cost $12, I replied, No, thats all right. I11 try something else. Then he saw my backpack. Most people around here will let you pitch a tent(to set up a tent搭帐篷) on their land, if thats what you want, he said. Now were talking, I thought. Any particular direction. (有具体的方向吗?) I asked. Tell you what. Ive got a big farm about ten miles south of here. If youre here at 5: 30, you can ride with me.(你可以搭我的车) 13. I accepted, and we drove out to a magnificent country house. (漂亮的乡村房屋)Suddenly I realized hed invited me to spend