VOA慢速英语2018--学生步行32公里为到工作

Student Walks 32 Kilometers to New Job

This is What’s Trending Today…

How far would you go to make a good impression at a new job?

A college student in Alabama walked 32 kilometers in the dark to get to his new job.

The story begins with Walter Carr’s car breaking down the night before starting a new job at Bellhops, a furniture moving company.

Carr was unable to find a ride. So, he figured out how long it would take to walk from his house to the job in Pelham -- 32 kilometers away. He left at midnight so that he could make it the customer’s house by 8:00 am the next morning.

Pelham police saw him walking along a highway at 4:00 am. So, they stopped to see if he needed help. After hearing his story, they took him to a restaurant for breakfast and then to a church where he could safely wait until 8:00 am.

The police then took Carr to the home of customer Jenny Lamey. Lamey said that even though Carr had just walked the entire night, he refused her offer to rest. He just wanted to start working. While he worked, he talked with the customer, telling her how much he liked her kitchen.

Reporter Carol Robinson of the Birmingham News wrote that Carr also shared another story with his customer. He told Lamey that he and his mother moved from New Orleans, Louisiana to Birmingham, Alabama after losing their home in Hurricane Katrina. Katrina was an extremely destructive¹ and deadly hurricane that hit the Gulf² Coast of the U.S. in 2005.

Jenny Lamey later wrote this on Facebook: “I just can’t tell you how touched I was by Walter and his journey. He is humble³ and kind and cheerful and he has big dreams! He is hardworking and tough.”

She then started a GoFundMe page to help Walter with money to get his car fixed⁴. When the CEO of Bellhops, Luke Marklin, learned of Carr’s story, he drove from Tennessee to Alabama to give Walter his own 2014 Ford⁵ Escape.

Carr has decided⁶ to give a part of the donations to the Birmingham Education Foundation. And he has received more offers for jobs and scholarships for schools.

And that’s What’s Trending Today!

I’m Anna Matteo.

Words in This Story

impression – n. the effect or influence that something or someone has on a person's thoughts or feelings

destructive – adj. causing a very large amount of damage : causing destruction or harm

humble – adj. not proud : not thinking of yourself as better than other people

scholarship – n. an amount of money that is given by a school, an organization, etc., to a student to help pay for the student's education

1 destructive   

adj.破坏（性）的，毁灭（性）的

参考例句：

• In the end,it will be destructive of our whole society.它最终会毁灭我们整个社会。
• It is the most destructive storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的一次风暴。

2 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

4 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

5 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。