温馨夜读II PART1 4.The Most Important Body Part

 

[00:02.37]4.The Most Important Body Part

[00:05.64]My mother used to ask me what is the most important part of the body. 

[00:10.21]Through the years I would guess at what I thought was the correct answer.

[00:15.01]When I was younger, I thought sound was very important to us as humans, so I said, “My ears, Mommy.”

[00:23.06]She said, “No. Many people are deaf. 

[00:26.43]But you keep thinking about it and I will ask you again soon.”

[00:30.57]Several years passed before she asked me again. 

[00:34.49]Since making my first attempt, I had contemplated¹ the correct answer. 

[00:38.85]So this time I told her, “Mommy, sight is very important to everybody, so it must be our eyes.”

[00:46.77]She looked at me and told me, “You are learning² fast, 

[00:50.91]but the answer is not correct because there are many people who are blind.”

[00:55.05]Over the years, Mother asked me a couple more times and always her answer was, 

[01:00.81]“No, but you are getting smarter every year, my child.”

[01:03.43]Then last year, my Grandpa died. Everybody was hurt. 

[01:08.80]Everybody was crying. 

[01:10.97]My Mom looked at me when it was our turn to say our final good-bye to Grandpa. 

[01:16.53]She asked me, “Do you know the most important body part yet, my dear?”

[01:21.64]I was shocked when she asked me this now. 

[01:25.46]I always thought this was a game between her and me. 

[01:28.83]She saw the confusion³ on my face and told me, “This question is very important. 

[01:35.15]It shows that you have really lived your life.” 

[01:38.63]I saw her eyes well up with tears. 

[01:41.46]She said, “My dear, the most important body part is your shoulder.”

[01:47.67]I asked, “Is it because it holds up your head?”

[01:51.92]She replied, “No, it is because it can hold the head of a friend or loved one when they cry. 

[01:59.13]Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometimes in life, my dear. 

[02:03.40]I only hope that you have enough love and friends that you will have a shoulder to cry on when you need it.”

[02:10.07]Then and there I knew the most important body part is not a selfish⁴ one. 

[02:15.54]It is sympathetic⁵ to the pain of others.

1 contemplated   

adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The doctor contemplated the difficult operation he had to perform. 医生仔细地考虑他所要做的棘手的手术。
• The government has contemplated reforming the entire tax system. 政府打算改革整个税收体制。

2 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

3 confusion   

n.困惑，迷乱，混淆，混乱，骚乱

参考例句：

• His answers to my questions have only added to my confusion.他对我的问题的回答只是使我更加困惑不解。
• His unexpected arrival threw us into total confusion.他的突然来访使我们完全不知所措。

4 selfish   

adj.自私的，利己主义的，自我中心的

参考例句：

• You must learn to share and not be so selfish.你一定要学会与他人分享，不要那么自私。
• She is a selfish person.她是一个自私自利的人。

5 sympathetic   

adj.有同情心的；表示好感或赞同的

参考例句：

• He is a sympathetic person.他是一个有同情心的人。
• They were quite sympathetic to our proposals.他们很赞同我们的建议。