英语美文：片刻的欢乐

 　A Moment of Joy

　　Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living. It was a cowboy's life, a life for someone who wanted no boss.

　　What I did not realize was that it was also a ministry¹. Because I drove the night shift, my cab became a moving confessional. Passengers climbed in, sat behind me in total anonymity², and told me about their lives. I encountered people whose lives amazed me, ennobled me, made me laugh and weep.

　　But none touched me more than a woman I picked up late one August night.

　　I was responding to a call from a small brick fourplex in a quiet part of town. I assumed I was being sent to pick up some people who had been partying, or someone who had just had a fight with a lover, or a worker heading to an early shift at some factory for the industrial part of town.

　　When I arrived at 2:30 a.m., the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. Under such circumstances, many drivers just honk³ once or twice, wait a minute, then drive away. But I had seen too many impoverished⁴ people who depended on taxis as their only means of transpor- tation.

　　Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door.

　　This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself. So I walked to the door and knocked. “Just a minute,” answered a frail⁵, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase.

　　The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils⁶ on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

　　“Would you carry my bag out to the car?” she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm, and we walked slowly toward the curb⁷.

　　She kept thanking me for my kindness. “It's nothing,” I told her. “I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.” “Oh, you're such a good boy,” she said.

　　When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, then asked, “Can you drive through downtown?” “It's not the shortest way,” I answered quickly. “Oh, I don't mind,” she said. “I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.” I looked in the rearview mirror. Her eyes were glistening⁸. “I don't have any family left,” she continued. “The doctor says I don't have very long.”

　　I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. “What route would you like me to take?” I asked.

　　For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse⁹ that had once been a ballroom¹⁰ where she had gone dancing as a girl.

　　Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

　　As the first hint of sun was creasing¹¹ the horizon, she suddenly said, “I'm tired. Let's go now.”

　　We drove in silence to the address she had given me.

　　It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico¹². Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous¹³ and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.

　　I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

　　“How much do I owe you?” she asked, reaching into her purse.

　　“Nothing,” I said.

　　“You have to make a living,” she answered.

　　“There are other passengers,” I responded.

　　Almost without thinking, I bent¹⁴ and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.

　　“You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,” she said. “Thank you.”

　　I squeezed her hand, then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

　　I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly, lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk.

　　What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked¹⁵ once, then driven away?

　　On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

　　We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve¹⁶ around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware¹⁷ - beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one. People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said... but they will always remember how you made them feel.

　　Take a moment to stop and appre- ciate the memories you have made, the memory making opportunies around you and make someone feel special today.

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 anonymity   

n.the condition of being anonymous

参考例句：

• Names of people in the book were changed to preserve anonymity. 为了姓名保密，书中的人用的都是化名。
• Our company promises to preserve the anonymity of all its clients. 我们公司承诺不公开客户的姓名。

3 honk   

n.雁叫声，汽车喇叭声

参考例句：

• Don't honk the horn indiscriminately.不要乱鸣喇叭！
• While passing another vehicle,you must honk your horn.通过另一部车时必须鸣按喇叭。

4 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 frail   

adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的

参考例句：

• Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了，身体虚弱，不便独居。
• She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上，看上去特别虚弱。

6 utensils   

器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物

参考例句：

• Formerly most of our household utensils were made of brass. 以前我们家庭用的器皿多数是用黄铜做的。
• Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。

7 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

8 glistening   

adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼里闪着晶莹的泪花。
• Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼睛中的泪水闪着柔和的光。 来自《用法词典》

9 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

10 ballroom   

n.舞厅

参考例句：

• The boss of the ballroom excused them the fee.舞厅老板给他们免费。
• I go ballroom dancing twice a week.我一个星期跳两次交际舞。

11 creasing   

（使…）起折痕，弄皱( crease的现在分词 )； （皮肤）皱起，使起皱纹； 挑檐

参考例句：

• "No, we mustn't use that money, Chiu," Feng Yun-ching gasped in horror, creasing his brow. “元丰庄上那一笔存款是不能动的。 来自子夜部分
• In severe creasing the frictional resistance plays only a minor role in determining the crease resistance. 在严重的折皱作用下，摩擦阻力在织物抗折皱能力中仅居次要地位。

12 portico   

n.柱廊，门廊

参考例句：

• A large portico provides a suitably impressive entrance to the chapel.小教堂入口处宽敞的柱廊相当壮观。
• The gateway and its portico had openings all around.门洞两旁与廊子的周围都有窗棂。

13 solicitous   

adj.热切的，挂念的

参考例句：

• He was so solicitous of his guests.他对他的客人们非常关切。
• I am solicitous of his help.我渴得到他的帮助。

14 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

15 honked   

v.（使）发出雁叫似的声音，鸣（喇叭），按（喇叭）( honk的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I drove up in front of the house and honked. 我将车开到屋子前面然后按喇叭。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He honked his horn as he went past. 他经过时按响了汽车喇叭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 revolve   

vi.(使)旋转；循环出现

参考例句：

• The planets revolve around the sun.行星绕着太阳运转。
• The wheels began to revolve slowly.车轮开始慢慢转动。

17 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。