英语美文背诵 撒播爱心(上)

A Little Care Goes a Long Way

撒播爱心

He was driving home one evening, on a two-lane country road. Work, in this small, mid-western community, was almost as slow as his beat-up Pontiac. But he never quit looking. Ever since the Levis factory closed, he'd been unemployed¹, and with winter raging on, the chill had finally hit home.

一天晚上，在一条双车道的乡间小路上，一位男子正驾车回家。在这个中西部的小村落，生活节奏犹如他那辆破旧了的旁蒂克车一样缓慢，但他还是对未来充满了希望。自从利维斯牛仔裤工厂倒闭后，他就没了工作。冬天渐渐来临，生活的艰辛犹如寒流一般侵袭着这个家庭。

It was a lonely road. Not very many people had a reason to be on it, unless they were leaving. Most of his friends had already left. They had families to feed and dreams to fulfill². But he stayed on. After all, this was where he buried his mother and father. He was born here and knew the country.

路上一个人也没有，这个时候没人会经过这条路，除非他们是远走他乡。他的许多朋友都离开了，他们要养家糊口，要实现梦想，但他留了下来。毕竟，这里是他出生的地方，也是他安葬父母让他们安息的地方，他对这里了如指掌。

He could go down this road blind, and tell you what was on either side, and with his headlights not working, that came in handy. It was starting to get dark and light snow flurries were coming down. He'd better get a move on.

即使他闭着眼睛开车，即使车的前灯已经坏掉，他也能信手拈来地告诉你路两边的景色。天色暗了下来，开始飘起雪花，他的赶快回家。

You know, he almost didn't see the old lady, stranded³ on the side of the road. But even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering⁴ when he approached her.

他差点没看到滞留在路边的哪位上了年纪的老太太，即使天色昏暗，他也看得出来她需要帮助。他在她的梅赛德斯车前停了下来，下了车。他都走到他面前了，他那辆旁蒂车还在那儿呼哧呼哧的喘气呢。

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe, he looked poor and hungry. He could see that she was frightened, standing⁵ out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill that only fear can put in you. He said, "I'm here to help you ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm. By the way, my name is Joe."

尽管看到他脸上挂着微笑，她还是很担忧。刚才的一个多小时里一直没有人停下来帮忙。他会伤害她吗？他让人感觉不安全，因为它看上去又穷又饿。他看得出来，她站在冷风中，惊恐万分。他知道他在 想什么，这么冷的天，人心中就只剩下恐惧了。他说：“女士，我是来帮助你的，你在暖和的车里等着吧。顺便说一下，我叫比尔。

1 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

2 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

3 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• 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。

4 sputtering   

n.反应溅射法；飞溅；阴极真空喷镀；喷射v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的现在分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出

参考例句：

• A wick was sputtering feebly in a dish of oil. 瓦油灯上结了一个大灯花，使微弱的灯光变得更加阴暗。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• Jack ran up to the referee, sputtering protest. 贾克跑到裁判跟前，唾沫飞溅地提出抗议。 来自辞典例句

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• 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。