英语美文：A Brother like that

 Paul received an automobile¹ from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street child was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it.

　　"Is this your car, Mister?" he asked.

　　Paul nodded, "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was astounded³, "You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you anything? Boy, I wish..." He hesitated. Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels. 

　　"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that."

　　Paul looked at the boy in astonishment⁴, then impulsively⁵ he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?"

　　"Oh yes, I'd love that."

　　After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes aglow⁶, said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?" Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again.

　　"Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked. He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed⁷ to the car. "There he is, Buddy⁸, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent. And some day I'm gonna give you one just like it... then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've been trying to tell you about."

　　Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable⁹ holiday ride.

　　That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant when he had said: "It is more blessed to give..."

　　My Holiday Wish for the World Is That We all could Be Brothers Like That. 

精美译文： 

　　保罗的哥哥送给他一辆汽车作为圣诞礼物。圣诞节前夜，当保罗走出办公室的时候，他看见一个小男孩正围着闪闪发亮的新车走来走去，脸上显出羡慕的神情。

　　“这是你的车吗，先生？”他问道。

　　保罗点点头，“我的哥哥送给我的，作为圣诞礼物。”男孩儿很吃惊。“你是说你的哥哥送给你的，你没有花一分钱？天呀，我希望…”他有点迟疑没往下说。保罗知道男孩当然希望有一个这样的哥哥。但是男孩的话却让保罗非常吃惊。

　　“我希望，”男孩接着说，“我也可以成为这样的哥哥。”

　　保罗惊讶地看着男孩，激动地说：“你愿意坐坐我的车吗？”

　　“哦，当然了，我喜欢。”

过了一会儿，男孩转向保罗，眼睛闪着光芒说，“先生，你能开车到我家门前去吗？”保罗微笑着。他想他知道这个小孩儿想做什么：他想向他的邻居显示一下他是坐车回家的。但是保罗再次判断错了。

　　“你能把车停到那两个台阶那儿吗？”男孩问道。男孩上了台阶。过了一会儿他回来了，但是他走地很慢。他抱着一个腿脚有残疾的弟弟。他把弟弟放在最下面的那层台阶上，抱着他指着车说，“就在这呢，巴迪，就像我跟你在楼上说的一样吧。他的哥哥送给他做生日礼物，所以他没有花一分钱。有一天我也会送你一个的。这样的话，你就可以自己坐在车上看圣诞橱窗里我告诉过你的那些漂亮的东西啦?”

　　保罗从车上走下来，把小男孩放在副驾驶的位置上。眼睛闪闪发光的哥哥也爬上了车，坐在了弟弟旁边，三个人开始了难忘的假日之旅。

　　圣诞夜，保罗明白了耶稣那句话的含义：“给予比得到更让人感到幸福…”

　　我的圣诞节祝愿就是我们每个人都成为这样的哥哥。

注释： 

1. automobile n. (美) 汽车

2. nod v. 点头

3. astound² v. 使吃惊，使大吃一惊

4. hesitate v. 犹豫

5. jar v. 震动，震惊

6. heel n. 脚后跟

7. astonishment n. 惊讶

8. impulsively adv. 冲动地，感情充沛地

9. aglow adj. 发光的，兴奋的

10. lad n. 青年，小家伙

11. sort of 多少

12. squeeze v. 挤，压，紧紧抱住

13. crippled adj. 残废的，有残疾的

1 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

2 astound   

v.使震惊，使大吃一惊

参考例句：

• His practical grasp of affairs and his energy still astound me.他对事物的实际掌握和他充沛的精力实在使我惊异。
• He used to astound his friends with feats of physical endurance.过去，他表现出来的惊人耐力常让朋友们大吃一惊。

3 astounded   

v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶

参考例句：

• His arrogance astounded her. 他的傲慢使她震惊。
• How can you say that? I'm absolutely astounded. 你怎么能说出那种话？我感到大为震惊。

4 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

5 impulsively   

adv.冲动地

参考例句：

• She leant forward and kissed him impulsively. 她倾身向前，感情冲动地吻了他。
• Every good, true, vigorous feeling I had gathered came impulsively round him. 我的一切良好、真诚而又强烈的感情都紧紧围绕着他涌现出来。

6 aglow   

adj.发亮的；发红的；adv.发亮地

参考例句：

• The garden is aglow with many flowers.园中百花盛开。
• The sky was aglow with the setting sun.天空因夕阳映照而发红光。

7 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

8 buddy   

n.（美口）密友，伙伴

参考例句：

• Calm down,buddy.What's the trouble?压压气，老兄。有什么麻烦吗？
• Get out of my way,buddy!别挡道了，你这家伙！

9 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。