论文部分内容阅读
“予人玫瑰,手有余香”的故事听过很多,但每次听到都还是会很感动。圣诞节清晨的一次邂逅,使三个孩子心中关于圣诞老人的童话梦幻免于破灭,同时也令另外三个孩子学到了宝贵的一课并收获了帮助他人所得到的满足感。
A light 1)drizzle was falling as my sister Jill and I ran out of the Methodist Church, 2)eager to get home and play with the presents that 3)Santa had left for us and our baby sister, Sharon. Across the street from the church was a 4)Pan-American gas station where the Greyhound bus stopped. It was closed for Christmas, but I noticed a family standing outside the locked door,
5)huddled under the narrow 6)overhang in an attempt to keep dry. I wondered briefly why they were there but then forgot about them as I raced to keep up with Jill.
Once we got home, there was 7)barely time to enjoy our presents. We had to go off to our grandparents’ house for our annual Christmas dinner. As we drove down the highway through town, I noticed that the family was still there, standing outside the closed gas station.
My father was driving very slowly down the highway. The closer we got to the 8)turnoff for my grandparents’ house, the slower the car went. Suddenly, my father U-turned in the middle of the road and said, “I can’t stand it!”
“What?” asked my mother.
“It’s those people back there at the Pan Am, standing in the rain. They’ve got children. It’s Christmas. I can’t stand it.”
When my father pulled into the service station, I saw that there were five of them: the parents and three children—two girls and a small boy.
My father rolled down his window. “Merry Christmas,” he said.
“9)Howdy,” the man replied. He was very tall and had to 10)stoop slightly to peer into the car.
Jill, Sharon, and I stared at the children, and they stared back at us.
“You waiting on the bus?” my father asked.
The man said that they were. They were going to Birmingham, where he had a brother and 11)prospects of
a job.
“Well, that bus isn’t going to come along for several hours, and you’re getting wet standing here. Winborn’s just a couple miles up the road. They’ve got a 12)shed with a cover there, and some benches,” my father said. “Why don’t y’all get in the car and I’ll run you up there.”
The man thought about it for a moment, and then he 13)beckoned to his family. They climbed into the car. They had no luggage, only the clothes they were wearing.
Once they settled in, my father looked back over his shoulder and asked the children if Santa had found them yet. Three 14)glum faces 15)mutely gave him his answer.
“Well, I didn’t think so,” my father said, 16)winking at my mother, “because when I saw Santa this morning, he told me that he was having trouble finding you all, and he asked me if he could leave your toys at my house. We’ll just go get them before I take you to the
bus stop.”
All at once, the three children’s faces lit up, and they began to 17)bounce around in the back seat, laughing and 18)chattering.
When we got out of the car at our house, the three children ran through the front door and straight to the toys that were spread out under our Christmas tree. One of the girls
19)spied Jill’s doll and immediately 20)hugged it to her breast. I remember that the little boy 21)grabbed Sharon’s ball. And the other girl picked up something of mine. All this happened a long time ago, but the memory of it remains clear. That was the Christmas when my sisters and I learned the joy of making others happy.
My mother noticed that the middle child was wearing a short-sleeved dress, so she gave the girl Jill’s only sweater to wear.
My father invited them to join us at our grandparents’ for Christmas dinner, but the parents refused. Even when we all tried to talk them into coming, they were firm in their decision.
Back at the car, on the way to Winborn, my father asked the man if he had money for bus fare.
His brother had sent tickets, the man said.
My father reached into his pocket and pulled out two dollars, which was all he had left until his next payday. He pressed the money into the man’s hand. The man tried to give it back, but my father insisted. “It’ll be late when you get to Birmingham, and these children will be hungry before then. Take it. I’ve been broke before, and I know what it’s like when you can’t feed your family.”
We left them there at the bus stop in Winborn. As we drove away, I watched out the window as long as I could, looking back at the little girl hugging her new doll.
天上下着毛毛细雨,我和姐姐吉尔跑出卫理公会教堂,满心只想着快点回到家玩圣诞老人送给我们和小妹妹莎伦的礼物。教堂对面是一家泛美加油站,灰狗长途汽车会在那里停站。由于是圣诞节,所以加油站当天没有营业,但我发现在紧锁着的站门外站着一家人,他们就挤在店外狭小的檐篷下,好不让雨淋湿。我脑中闪过一丝疑问:他们为什么站在那里呢?但我很快就把他们给忘了,只顾着追上吉尔。
回到家后其实根本就没有时间让我们去尽情把玩礼物,因为我们得马上动身前往祖父母家同他们共进一年一度的圣诞大餐。当我们开车经过刚才那条穿越城镇的公路时,我看到那家人依然站在紧闭的加油站门外。
爸爸开得很慢,车在那条公路上缓缓前进。当我们的车越接近去往祖父母家的分叉路口时,车子就越慢。突然,我爸爸在半路上来了个180度转弯,口中念着:“我实在不忍心。”
“什么?”我妈妈问。
“就是泛美加油站前面的那家人啊,他们就站在雨中,还带小孩呢。今天可是圣诞节,我实在不忍心。”
当爸爸把车开到加油站旁停下时,我看清楚了那一家一共有五人:夫妻俩和三个小孩——两个女孩和一个小
男孩。
我爸爸摇下车窗对他们说:“圣诞快乐。”
“你好。”那个男人答道。他很高,必须稍微弯下腰来往我们车里瞧。
吉尔、莎伦和我盯着那三个孩子看,他们也盯着我
们看。
“你们在等汽车吗?”爸爸问。
那个男人回答说是。他们准备前往伯明翰,他有一个哥哥在那边,而且在那儿有望找到一份工作。
“唔,汽车起码还得过几个小时才到,你们站在这儿会淋湿的。往前几英里就是温邦站,那儿有个棚屋,还有些板凳,”爸爸说。“你们何不上车,我带你们上那儿去。”
那个男人考虑了一会儿,然后示意他的家人(上车)。他们钻进车里,除了身上穿着的衣服,他们没有任何
行李。
等他们坐好了,爸爸就转过头问那几个孩子圣诞老人有没有找到他们。三张忧郁的脸无声地回答了他。
“喔,我想应该还没吧。”我爸爸边说边朝我妈妈使眼色,“因为我早上碰到圣诞老人时,他跟我说他找不到你们,想把给你们的玩具暂时放到我家。在我带你们去公车站前我先带你们到我家把礼物取了吧。”
他们三人的脸上顿时乐开了花,开始在后座蹦蹦跳跳,笑笑嚷嚷起来。
到了我们家门口一下车,那三个孩子穿过正门就直奔散放在圣诞树下的礼物堆里。其中一个女孩看中了吉尔的玩偶,立即把它揽入怀中。我记得那个小男孩一把抱起莎伦的小球。而另一个女孩则挑走了一件我的东西。这些都是很久以前的事了,然而回忆起来依然记忆犹新。就是在这个圣诞节,我和我的姐妹领会到了帮助别人是快乐的。
妈妈注意到他们家老二穿着的衣服是短袖的,便把吉尔仅有的毛衣给了那个女孩。
爸爸邀请他们一起去参加祖父母家的圣诞大餐,但他们夫妇俩拒绝了。不管我们怎么游说,他们还是坚持自己的决定。
回到车里在去往温邦车站的路上,爸爸问那个男人有没有足够的钱买车票。
那个男人说他的哥哥给他们寄来了车票。
爸爸伸手到口袋里掏出了仅有的两美元,那本来是我们要熬到他到下次发工资的,他却把钱塞到那个男人的手里。男人试图把钱推回,但爸爸硬要他收下。“你们到达伯明翰时会很晚,而孩子们可能在到达那儿之前已经饿了。收下吧。我以前也潦倒过,无法养家糊口的滋味不好受,我懂。”
把他们送到温邦的车站后,我们就开车离开了。我从车窗外回望良久,凝望着那个小女孩抱着她的新玩偶。
A light 1)drizzle was falling as my sister Jill and I ran out of the Methodist Church, 2)eager to get home and play with the presents that 3)Santa had left for us and our baby sister, Sharon. Across the street from the church was a 4)Pan-American gas station where the Greyhound bus stopped. It was closed for Christmas, but I noticed a family standing outside the locked door,
5)huddled under the narrow 6)overhang in an attempt to keep dry. I wondered briefly why they were there but then forgot about them as I raced to keep up with Jill.
Once we got home, there was 7)barely time to enjoy our presents. We had to go off to our grandparents’ house for our annual Christmas dinner. As we drove down the highway through town, I noticed that the family was still there, standing outside the closed gas station.
My father was driving very slowly down the highway. The closer we got to the 8)turnoff for my grandparents’ house, the slower the car went. Suddenly, my father U-turned in the middle of the road and said, “I can’t stand it!”
“What?” asked my mother.
“It’s those people back there at the Pan Am, standing in the rain. They’ve got children. It’s Christmas. I can’t stand it.”
When my father pulled into the service station, I saw that there were five of them: the parents and three children—two girls and a small boy.
My father rolled down his window. “Merry Christmas,” he said.
“9)Howdy,” the man replied. He was very tall and had to 10)stoop slightly to peer into the car.
Jill, Sharon, and I stared at the children, and they stared back at us.
“You waiting on the bus?” my father asked.
The man said that they were. They were going to Birmingham, where he had a brother and 11)prospects of
a job.
“Well, that bus isn’t going to come along for several hours, and you’re getting wet standing here. Winborn’s just a couple miles up the road. They’ve got a 12)shed with a cover there, and some benches,” my father said. “Why don’t y’all get in the car and I’ll run you up there.”
The man thought about it for a moment, and then he 13)beckoned to his family. They climbed into the car. They had no luggage, only the clothes they were wearing.
Once they settled in, my father looked back over his shoulder and asked the children if Santa had found them yet. Three 14)glum faces 15)mutely gave him his answer.
“Well, I didn’t think so,” my father said, 16)winking at my mother, “because when I saw Santa this morning, he told me that he was having trouble finding you all, and he asked me if he could leave your toys at my house. We’ll just go get them before I take you to the
bus stop.”
All at once, the three children’s faces lit up, and they began to 17)bounce around in the back seat, laughing and 18)chattering.
When we got out of the car at our house, the three children ran through the front door and straight to the toys that were spread out under our Christmas tree. One of the girls
19)spied Jill’s doll and immediately 20)hugged it to her breast. I remember that the little boy 21)grabbed Sharon’s ball. And the other girl picked up something of mine. All this happened a long time ago, but the memory of it remains clear. That was the Christmas when my sisters and I learned the joy of making others happy.
My mother noticed that the middle child was wearing a short-sleeved dress, so she gave the girl Jill’s only sweater to wear.
My father invited them to join us at our grandparents’ for Christmas dinner, but the parents refused. Even when we all tried to talk them into coming, they were firm in their decision.
Back at the car, on the way to Winborn, my father asked the man if he had money for bus fare.
His brother had sent tickets, the man said.
My father reached into his pocket and pulled out two dollars, which was all he had left until his next payday. He pressed the money into the man’s hand. The man tried to give it back, but my father insisted. “It’ll be late when you get to Birmingham, and these children will be hungry before then. Take it. I’ve been broke before, and I know what it’s like when you can’t feed your family.”
We left them there at the bus stop in Winborn. As we drove away, I watched out the window as long as I could, looking back at the little girl hugging her new doll.
天上下着毛毛细雨,我和姐姐吉尔跑出卫理公会教堂,满心只想着快点回到家玩圣诞老人送给我们和小妹妹莎伦的礼物。教堂对面是一家泛美加油站,灰狗长途汽车会在那里停站。由于是圣诞节,所以加油站当天没有营业,但我发现在紧锁着的站门外站着一家人,他们就挤在店外狭小的檐篷下,好不让雨淋湿。我脑中闪过一丝疑问:他们为什么站在那里呢?但我很快就把他们给忘了,只顾着追上吉尔。
回到家后其实根本就没有时间让我们去尽情把玩礼物,因为我们得马上动身前往祖父母家同他们共进一年一度的圣诞大餐。当我们开车经过刚才那条穿越城镇的公路时,我看到那家人依然站在紧闭的加油站门外。
爸爸开得很慢,车在那条公路上缓缓前进。当我们的车越接近去往祖父母家的分叉路口时,车子就越慢。突然,我爸爸在半路上来了个180度转弯,口中念着:“我实在不忍心。”
“什么?”我妈妈问。
“就是泛美加油站前面的那家人啊,他们就站在雨中,还带小孩呢。今天可是圣诞节,我实在不忍心。”
当爸爸把车开到加油站旁停下时,我看清楚了那一家一共有五人:夫妻俩和三个小孩——两个女孩和一个小
男孩。
我爸爸摇下车窗对他们说:“圣诞快乐。”
“你好。”那个男人答道。他很高,必须稍微弯下腰来往我们车里瞧。
吉尔、莎伦和我盯着那三个孩子看,他们也盯着我
们看。
“你们在等汽车吗?”爸爸问。
那个男人回答说是。他们准备前往伯明翰,他有一个哥哥在那边,而且在那儿有望找到一份工作。
“唔,汽车起码还得过几个小时才到,你们站在这儿会淋湿的。往前几英里就是温邦站,那儿有个棚屋,还有些板凳,”爸爸说。“你们何不上车,我带你们上那儿去。”
那个男人考虑了一会儿,然后示意他的家人(上车)。他们钻进车里,除了身上穿着的衣服,他们没有任何
行李。
等他们坐好了,爸爸就转过头问那几个孩子圣诞老人有没有找到他们。三张忧郁的脸无声地回答了他。
“喔,我想应该还没吧。”我爸爸边说边朝我妈妈使眼色,“因为我早上碰到圣诞老人时,他跟我说他找不到你们,想把给你们的玩具暂时放到我家。在我带你们去公车站前我先带你们到我家把礼物取了吧。”
他们三人的脸上顿时乐开了花,开始在后座蹦蹦跳跳,笑笑嚷嚷起来。
到了我们家门口一下车,那三个孩子穿过正门就直奔散放在圣诞树下的礼物堆里。其中一个女孩看中了吉尔的玩偶,立即把它揽入怀中。我记得那个小男孩一把抱起莎伦的小球。而另一个女孩则挑走了一件我的东西。这些都是很久以前的事了,然而回忆起来依然记忆犹新。就是在这个圣诞节,我和我的姐妹领会到了帮助别人是快乐的。
妈妈注意到他们家老二穿着的衣服是短袖的,便把吉尔仅有的毛衣给了那个女孩。
爸爸邀请他们一起去参加祖父母家的圣诞大餐,但他们夫妇俩拒绝了。不管我们怎么游说,他们还是坚持自己的决定。
回到车里在去往温邦车站的路上,爸爸问那个男人有没有足够的钱买车票。
那个男人说他的哥哥给他们寄来了车票。
爸爸伸手到口袋里掏出了仅有的两美元,那本来是我们要熬到他到下次发工资的,他却把钱塞到那个男人的手里。男人试图把钱推回,但爸爸硬要他收下。“你们到达伯明翰时会很晚,而孩子们可能在到达那儿之前已经饿了。收下吧。我以前也潦倒过,无法养家糊口的滋味不好受,我懂。”
把他们送到温邦的车站后,我们就开车离开了。我从车窗外回望良久,凝望着那个小女孩抱着她的新玩偶。