高中英语美文

(1) The Hottest Day

It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain in almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. The creeks and streams were long gone back into the earth. It was a dry season that would bankrupt several farmers before it was through.

Every day, my husband and his brothers would go about the arduous process of trying to get water to the fields. Lately this process had involved taking a truck to the local water rendering plant and filling it up with water. But severe rationing had cut everyone off. If we didn?t see some rain soon...we would lose everything. It was on this day that I learned the true lesson of sharing and witnessed the only miracle I have seen with my own eyes.

I was in the kitchen making lunch for my husband and his brothers when I saw my six-year-old son, Billy, walking toward the woods. He wasn?t walking with the usual carefree abandon of a youth but with a serious purpose. I could only see his back. He was obviously walking with a great effort ... trying to be as still as possible.

Minutes after he disappeared into the woods, he came running out again, toward the house. I went back to making sandwiches; thinking that whatever task he had been doing was completed. Moments later, however, he was once again walking in that slow purposeful stride toward the woods. This activity went on for an hour: walking carefully to the woods, running back to the house.

Finally I couldn?t take it any longer and I crept out of the house and followed him on his journey (being very careful not to be seen...as he was obviously doing important work and didn?t need his Mommy checking up on him).

He was cupping both hands in front of him as he walked, being very careful not to spill the water he held in them ... maybe two or three tablespoons were held in his tiny hands. I sneaked close as he went into the woods. Branches and thorns slapped his little face, but he did not try to avoid them. He had a much higher purpose.

As I leaned in to spy on him, I saw the most amazing site. Several large deer loomed in front of him. Billy walked right up to them. I almost screamed for him to get away. A huge buck with elaborate antlers was dangerously close. But the buck did not threaten him...he didn?t even move as Billy knelt down.

And I saw a tiny fawn lying on the ground; obviously suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion, lift its head with great effort to lap up the water cupped in my beautiful boy?s hand. When the water was gone, Billy jumped up to run back to the house and I hid behind a tree.

I followed him back to the house to a spigot to which we had shut off the water. Billy opened it all the way up and a small trickle began to creep out. He knelt there, letting the drip, drip slowly fill up his makeshift “cup,” as the sun beat down on his little back.

And it came clear to me: The trouble he had gotten into for playing with the hose the week before. The lecture he had received about the importance of not wasting water. The reason he didn?t ask me to help him. It took almost twenty minutes for the drops to fill his hands. When he stood up and began the trek back, I was there in front of him.

His little eyes just filled with tears. “I?m not wasting,” was all he said.

As he began his walk, I joined him...with a small pot of water from the kitchen. I let him tend to the fawn. I stayed away. It was his job. I stood on the edge of the woods watching the most beautiful heart I have ever known working so hard to save another life. As the tears that rolled down my face began to hit the ground, other drops...and more drops...and more suddenly joined

them. I looked up at the sky.

It was as if God, himself, was weeping with pride.

Some will probably say that this was all just a huge coincidence. Those miracles don?t really exist. That it was bound to rain sometime. And I can?t argue with that... I?m not going to try.

All I can say is that the rain that came that day saved our farm just like the actions of one little boy saved a life.

(2) Family Christmas Tradition of Picking the Perfect Tree

I was in my early 20s when I discovered the truth about the perfect Christmas trees my sister and I found each year in the forest behind my grandparents? farmhouse.

When we were growing up, Colleen and I rode the train 300 miles from Seattle to Spokane every summer and Christmas vacation. Then we took a taxi 5 miles to the Greyhound（美国灰狗长途巴士） terminal, where we?d wait 2 hours for the bus to Loon Lake. Forty miles and another hour later, we would hop out at the Loon Lake post office, where Granddad and Gammie(=Grannie) met us with smiling faces and Granddad?s green 1954 Chevy pickup（皮卡）.

Our warmest childhood memories are of their farm on Grouse River Road. We bumped along on the broad back of their horse, Jenny, who was 15 hands high and blind in one eye. We milked cows and goats, slopped the pigs, ate berries off the vine and ran through newly plowed fields with dirt squishing between our toes, gathering worms for the chickens.

How …bout that One?

Christmases were always white at Loon Lake, with snow piled deep for building forts and playing with Blondie, our grandparents? cocker spaniel（可卡猎犬）. Before we finally ran inside to warm up, little balls of snow dangled from her long fur like Christmas ornaments.

But the fondest memory of all was when Granddad would hitch up Jenny and we?d trudge up the hill into the forest behind their house. It was slow going, partly because Colleen and I couldn?t resist flopping down regularly to make angels in the untouched snow. Then we?d search the grove of pine trees looking for that special one to honor as our Christmas tree. The search always involved excited chatter, for all three of us had to agree that we?d found the perfect tree before Granddad would swing his trusty ax.

After we girls gently guided the cut tree to the ground, Granddad would hitch it to Jenny and drag it back to the house. As we returned, we followed the snow angels back to our little bit of heaven on earth.

The Twinkle in Gammie?s Eye

Granddad passed away when my sister and I were grown. Only then did Gammie reveal his secret: He?d pick out a tree early each spring, then trim and shape it through the summer and fall so it would be ready for our big day in December.

As Colleen and I raced through the trees searching for the perfect tree, he would cleverly guide us toward its location, without actually pointing it out. We always thought we?d discovered it ourselves.

As Gammie told us this story, we realized that was why she always had that extra twinkle in her eye when we came rushing in the door, bursting with excitement about how this year we?d found the best Christmas tree ever.

Of all the Christmas presents we ever received, none is more special than the memory of Granddad?s secret gift. It remains as bright and beautiful as the snow on a clear December day or

the twinkle in Gammie?s eyes.

(3) A fib and the Matinee 小小的谎言与音乐会

I was six years old, my sister, Sally Kay, was a submissive（顺从的） three-year-old girl. For some reasons, I thought we needed to earn some money. I decided we should “hire out” as maids. We visited the neighbors, offering to clean houses for them for a quarter（2角5分硬币）.

Reasonable as our offer was, there were no takers. But one neighbor telephoned my mother to let her know what Mary Alice and Sally Kay were doing. Mother had just hung up the phone when we came bursting through the back door into the kitchen of our apartment. “Girls,” mother asked, “why were you two going around the neighborhood telling people you would clean their houses?”

Mother wasn?t angry with us. In fact, we learned afterwards she was amused that we had come up with such an idea. But, for some reason, we both denied having done any such thing. Shocked and terribly hurt that her dear little girls could be such “boldfaced (厚颜的) liars” . Mother then told us that Mrs. Jones had just called and told her we had been to her house and said we would clean it for a quarter.

Faced with the truth, we admitted what we had done. Mother said we have fibbed, we have not told the truth. She was sure that we knew better. She tried to explain why a fib (小谎) hurt, but she didn?t feel that we really understood.

Years later, she told us that the “lesson” that she came up with for trying to teach us to be truthful would probably have been frowned upon by child psychologists. The idea came to her in a flash, and our tender-hearted mother told us it was the most difficult lesson she ever taught us. It was a lesson we never forgot.

After admonishing(警告，劝告) us, mother cheerfully began preparing for lunch. As we munching on sandwiches, she asked:” Would you two like to go to see the movies this afternoon?”

“Wow, would we ever?”We wondered what movie would be playing. Mother said “The Matinee”. Oh, fantastic! We would be going to “the Matinee”. Weren?t we lucky?” We got bathed and all dressed up. It was like getting ready for a birthday party. We hurried outside the apartment, not wanting to miss the bus that would take us downtown. On the landing, Mom stunned (使震惊) us by saying, “Girls, we are not going to the movies today.”

We didn?t hear her right. “What?” we objected. “What do you mean? Aren?t we going to the Matinee? Mommy, you said that we were going to the Matinee.”

Mother stooped and gathered us in her arms. I couldn?t understand why there were tears in her eyes. We still had the time to get the bus. But hugging us, she gently explained this was what a fib felt like.

“It is important that what we say is true,”Mom said. “I fibbed to you just now and it felt awful to me. I don?t ever want to fib again and I?m sure you don?t want to fib again either. People must be able to believe each other. Do you understand?”

We assured her that we understood. We would never forget.

And since we had learned a lesson, why not go to the movie to the matinee. There was still time.

“Not today,” Mother told us. We would go another time.

That is how over fifty years ago, my sister and I learned to be truthful. We have never forgotten how much a fib can hurt.

(4) It?s All in a Person?s Attitude 一切都取决于一个人的态度

During the Second World War, a young bride from the east followed her husband to an Army camp at the edge of the desert in California. Living conditions were primitive at best; her husband had advised against it, but she wanted to be with him.

The only housing they could find was a rundown shack near an Indian Village. The heat was unbearable in the daytime—115 degrees in the shade. The wind blew constantly—spreading dust and sand all over everything. The days were long and boring. Her only neighbors were the Indians —none of whom spoke English. When her husband was ordered farther into the desert for two weeks of maneuvers, loneliness and the wretched living conditions got the best of (击垮)her. She wrote to her mother that she was coming home; she just couldn?t take it anymore. In a short time she received a reply, which included these lines:

Two men looked out from prison bars,

One saw mud; the other saw stars.

She read the lines over and over and began to feel ashamed of herself. She didn?t really want to leave her husband. All right, she?d look for the stars. In the following days, she set out to make friends with the Indians. She asked them to teach her weaving and pottery. At first they were distant, but as soon as they sensed her interest was genuine, they returned her friendship. She became fascinated with their culture, history—everything about them.

She began to study the desert as well, and soon it too changed from a desolate, forbidding place to a marvelous thing of beauty. She had her mother send her books. She studied the forms of the cacti, the yuccas, and the Joshua trees. She collected seashells that had been left there millions of years ago when the sands had been an ocean floor. Later, she became such an expert on the area that she wrote a book about it.

What had changed? Not the desert; not the Indians. Simply by changing her own attitude, she had transformed a miserable experience into a highly rewarding one.

(5) I wish you enough 祝你幸福永远

At an airport I overheard a father and daughter during their last moments together.

Her flight was ready for boarding and they were standing near the departure gate. They hugged and he said, “I love you, I wish you enough.” She in turn said, “Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Daddy.”

They kissed goodbye and she left. The man walked over towards the window near where I was seated. I could see that he wanted and needed to cry.

在机场我无意中听到父女俩在最后分别时刻的谈话。女儿正准备上飞机，他们站在飞机门附近。他们拥抱着，父亲说：”我爱你，我希望你能知足常乐，尽享人生。”女儿回答说：”爸爸，我们在一起生活了这么长时间我已经很知足了，您给我的爱也够了，我也希望你幸福永远，爸爸!”

吻别后，女儿走了。父亲朝着我座位附近的窗子走过来，我可以看出他忍不住要哭。

I tried not to intrude upon his privacy, but he welcomed me by asking, “Have you ever said goodbye to someone knowing that it would be forever?”

我尽力不触及他的隐私，但他却向我打招呼，问：”你曾经有过明知是永别却还对某人说再见的经历吗?”

”Yes, I have.”Saying that brought back memories I had of expressing my love and

appreciation for all that my Dad had done for me. Recognizing that his days were numbered, I took the time to tell him, face to face, how much he meant to me. So I knew what this man was going through.

”我有过这种经历。”这句话让我想起我曾为父亲为我所做的一切向他表示过我的爱和感激。知道他在世的日子不多后，我特意当面对他说他对我有多么重要。所以我理解这个人此时的感受。

“Forgive me for asking, but why is this goodbye forever?” I asked.

”请原谅我问一句，为什么是永别呢?”我问。

”I am old and she lives much too far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is, her next trip back will be for my funeral,” he said.

”我老了，她又住的那么远。我的未来难料。实际上，她再回来的时候便是参加我的葬礼了。”他说。

”I heard you say …I wish you enough? May I ask what that means?”

”我听到你说?我希望你幸福永远?，那是什么意思?”

He began to smile. “That is a wish that has been handed down through the generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.”

他露出微笑。”那个愿望是我们家代代相传的。我的父母过去常对每个人说。”

The man paused a moment, then looked up, as if trying to remember the details.

那人顿了一下，抬了抬头，像是在尽力回想其中的细节。

”When we say I wish you enough, we want the other persons to have a life filled with enough good things to sustain them.”

”我们对人们说知足常乐，尽享人生，就是希望对方的生活里充满幸事，支撑他们走下去。”

He then turned to me and shared the following, as if he were reciting it from memory:

他转向我，对我说了下面这些话，像是在背诵：

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.

我希望你有足够的阳光让你乐观。

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.

我希望你有足够的雨水让你更加感激阳光。

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirits up.

我希望你有足够的幸福使你情绪激昂。

I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.

我希望你有足够的痛苦感受生命中微小的欢乐带来的幸福。

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

我希望你得到更多，满足你的需要。

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

我希望你失去更多，珍惜所有。

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final Goodbye.

我希望你在永别后能广交朋友。

Then the man began to sob and walked away.

那个人开始抽泣，然后走开了。

My friends and loved ones, I wish you enough.

我的朋友及亲人们，祝你们幸福永远。

They say, “It takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love

them, but an entire lifetime to forget them”

有人说，”找到一个特别的人需要一分钟，喜欢上他需要一小时，爱上他需要一天，而忘掉他却需要一生的时间。”

I wish you enough.

祝你们幸福永远。

(6) The brick in life 生活中的”砖头”

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar（捷豹汽车）. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something.

As his car passed, one child appeared, and a brick smashed into the Jag?s side door. He slammed on the brakes and spun the Jag back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown.

He jumped out of the car, grabbed some kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting, “What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?” Building up a head of steam, he went on “That?s a new car and that brick you threw is gonna cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?”

”Please, mister, please, I?m sorry. I didn?t know what else to do!” pleaded the youngster.

”It?s my brother,” he said. “He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can?t lift him up.

Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He?s hurt and he?s too heavy for me.”

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be okay.

”Thank you, sir. And God bless you,” the grateful child said to him. The man then watched the little boy push his brother to the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long walk back to his Jaguar, a long, slow walk. He never did repair the side door. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention.

Life whispers in your soul and speaks to your heart. Sometimes, when you don?t have the time to listen... Life throws a brick at your head. It?s your choice: Listen to the whispers of your soul or wait for the brick!

Do you sometimes ignore loved ones because your life is too fast and busy leaving them to wonder whether you really love them?

汉译：

一位年轻有为的总裁，驾驶他崭新的捷豹车快速经过住宅区。在路边玩耍的孩子随时都可能跑到路中央，他必须十分小心，感觉孩子要跑出来时，就放慢车速。

就在这时，一个孩子突然出现在路旁，将一块砖头扔过来砸在他的车门上，他愤怒地急踩刹车，并将车后退到丢出砖头的地方。

他从车上跳下来，抓起那个小孩，将他按在车门上嚷道：”刚才是怎么回事？你是谁？你知道自己刚刚做了什么吗？”他怒气冲天地继续吼着：”你知道你得赔多少钱才能修好这辆新车吗？你为什么要这样做呢？”

”很对不起，先生，我不知道我还能怎么做。”小孩乞求道。

他继续说：”我哥哥从轮椅上摔了下来，我抱不动他。”

男孩哭着问总裁：”您愿意帮我把哥哥抬到轮椅上去吗？他受伤了。他太重我抱不动。”

这些话深深地打动了年轻的总裁，顿时喉咙哽塞，但他强忍着。他把那个受伤的哥哥抱回轮椅上。并拿出手帕为他擦拭伤口，看一下伤口是否有什么大问题。

”谢谢您，先生，上帝保佑您。”小男孩感激地说。总裁望着男孩推着哥哥回家了。

对于他的捷豹来说，返回的路似乎变得极为漫长。他没有修车门，让保留在车上的凹痕时刻提醒自己：不要在生活的道路上走得过于匆忙，那样别人只好向你扔砖头，引起你的注意。

当生命想与你的心灵窃窃私语，有时，你会没有时间去聆听……那么砖头就会落到你的头上，提醒你注意！

有两种选择摆在你面前：聆听心灵的声音或者等待砖头降临！

有时你会忽略深爱的人，那是因为你在生命的道路上行进太快，而无暇考虑是否真的爱他们。

(7) Good deeds beget good results善有善报

When I was in junior high, the eighth-grade bully punched me in the stomach. Not only did it hurt and make me angry, but the embarrassment and humiliation were almost intolerable. I wanted desperately to even the score! I planned to meet him by the bike racks the next day and let him have it.

For some reason, I told my plan to Nana, my grandmother -- big mistake. She gave me one of her hour-long lectures (that woman could really talk). The lecture was a total drag, but among other things, I vaguely remember her telling me that I didn?t need to worry about him. She said, ”Good deeds beget good results, and evil deeds beget bad results.” I told her, in a nice way, of course, that I thought she was full of it. I told her that I did good things all the time, and all I got in return was “baloney!” (I didn?t use that word.) She stuck to her guns, though. She said, ”Every good deed will come back to you someday, and every bad thing you do will also come back to you.”

It took me 30 years to understand the wisdom of her words. Nana was living in a board-and-care home in Laguna Hills, California. Each Tuesday, I came by and took her out to dinner. I would always find her neatly dressed and sitting in a chair right by the front door. I vividly remember our very last dinner together before she went into the convalescent hospital. We drove to a nearby simple little family-owned restaurant. I ordered pot roast for Nana and a hamburger for myself. The food arrived and as I dug in, I noticed that Nana wasn?t eating. She was just staring at the food on her plate. Moving my plate aside, I took Nana?s plate, placed it in front of me, and cut her meat into small pieces. I then placed the plate back in front of her. As she very weakly, and with great difficulty, forked the meat into her mouth, I was struck with a memory that brought instant tears to my eyes. Forty years previously, as a little boy sitting at the table. Nana had always taken the meat on my plate and cut it into small pieces so I could eat it.

It had taken 40 years, but the good deed had been repaid. Nana was right. We reap exactly what we sow. “Every good deed you do will someday come back to you.”

What about the eighth-grade bully?

He ran into（碰上） the ninth-grade bully.

(8) 2015年高考新课标I卷

My kids and I were heading into the superstore over the weekend. On the way, we

spotted a man wrapped in a blanket and holding a sign that said, “Lost my job. Family to Feed.”

At this store, a sight like this is not a normal occurrence. It was obvious the man was embarrassed, but desperate. My 10-year-old noticed him and commented on how bad it must be to have to stand outside in the cold wind.

While we were in the store, I asked each of the kids (I have seven :) to pick something they thought our “friend”outside would appreciate. They picked a couple of apples, a package of shrimp cocktail, a sandwich, some cheese and a bottle of juice.

Then my 17-year-old asked, “Can we get him a gift card?”

I thought about it. We were low on cash ourselves, but... well, sometimes giving from our “need” instead of our “abundance” is just what we need to do!

We talked about the fact that we might have to do away with some of the things we were going to buy if we bought a gift card. All the kids piped in.

“That?s ok!”

“I?ll eat oatmeal all this week!”

And on-and-on, each child declaring something they could do away with for the week.

In their eagerness, they said, “Hurry mom! Let?s get out there to give him his stuff before he gets too cold and leaves.”

We quickly checked out, with the items he could eat at the moment, and a gift card for the store. At the suggestion of my 16-year-old, we also grabbed a hot cup of coffee, then drove to the end of the parking lot, where our “friend” was holding his sign.

We handed him the coffee and the bag of food. He lit up and thanked us with watery eyes. When I handed him the gift card and said he could use it for whatever his family might need, he burst into tears, obviously overwhelmed and grateful.

Though I wished we could have done more, I can?t help but think about how this experience has been such a wonderful opportunity for our family. The impact of how it feels to help someone has rippled through them all — they cannot stop talking about it, and for four days now have been “scouting” for others we can help!

Things would have played out so differently if I had simply said, “No, we really don?t have money to give more,” or something to that effect. Stepping out definitely not only helped a brother in need, it also gave my kids the sweet taste of helping others.

(9) Address Unknown 地址不详by Roger Dean Kiser

"I wouldn?t buy that woman a Mother?s Day card if my life depended upon it," said the woman standing in the greeting card aisle at Wal-Mart.

I looked up and saw a look of total disgust and disappointment.

Having been dropped off at a Florida orphanage at age four I never knew what it felt like to have a mother or a father. Never once had I received a hug or a kiss from my parents. That portion of my life is a total blank.

She looked up, saw me looking at her and screamed, "Just what are you looking at idiot?"

"Sorry Ma?am. I never had a mother and I was taken aback by your statement."

"If you want the worthless woman you can have her," she replied.

I reached over and picked up a nice-looking card, opened it and began to read, "Thank you just for being my mother."

"Do you think your mother would like that card? Mine would, I think," I said.

"Do you know what it is like to be yelled at for years and never told that you are loved?" she asked.

"My mother didn?t care enough about me to yell. She just took me to the orphanage and that?s where I stayed until I grew up," I replied.

"Don?t you hate her?" she asked.

"Oh, I can?t hate her. She?s my mother. Being a mother is a position to be respected even if your mother is not a very nice person," I told her.

The woman stood there shaking her head.

"Do you like the President?" I asked.

"As I matter of fact, I don?t."

"Do you respect what he stands for?" I questioned.

"Of course I do. I?m an American."

"That?s why I don?t hate my mother. I respect what being a mother stands for," I told her.

She looked me straight in the eye and stared as hard as she could.

I looked down at the floor and said, "I know your mother might have done a lot of things that you dislike. It appears you almost hate the woman. But I can tell you this from experience that disliking her, or even hating her, is nowhere near as lonely as never having known a mother at all. Good or bad. At least you feel something. I feel nothing. It?s all just a large blank of loneliness inside my heart and that?s how I?ll feel until I die."

The woman stood there for several seconds. Slowly, she reached out and took the card from my hand, smelled it and placed it in her cart.

"I?m a good mother. I?m not like her," she said quietly.

"Then she must have done one thing right, somewhere along the way. That?s more than I got."

"I guess." She acknowledged, hesitantly.

After she left I picked out a nice card for my mother. I took it home, signed it and I placed it with the other Mother and Father?s Days cards I have bought throughout the years. Their address is the same as mine. They live in the file cabinet(档案柜) inside a folder marked "UNKNOWN."

(10) Never prejudge anyone不要轻易对一个人下结论

A doctor entered the hospital in a hurry after being called in for an urgent surgery. He answered the call as soon as possible, changed his clothes and went directly to surgery.

He found the boy?s father coming and going in the hall waiting for the doctor. On seeing him, the dad yelled, “Why did you take all this time to come? Don?t you know that my son?s life is in danger? Don?t you have a sense of responsibility?”

The doctor smiled and said, “I am sorry, I wasn?t in the hospital and I came the fastest I could after receiving the call…… And now, I wish you?d calm down so that I can do my work.”“Calm down?!” What if your son was in this room right now, would you calm down? If your own son dies now what will you do?” said the father angrily

The doctor smiled again and replied: “I will say what is said in the Holy Book. “From dust we came and to dust we return, blessed be the name of God”. Doctors cannot prolong lives. Go and intercede for your son, we will do our best by God?s grace.”

“Giving advice when it doesn?t concern you is so easy,” murmured the father.

The surgery took some hours after which the doctor went out happy. “Thank goodness! Your son is saved!” And without waiting for the father?s reply he carried on his way running. “If you have any questions, ask the nurse!!”

“Why is he so arrogant? He couldn?t wait some minutes so that I could ask about my son?s condition?”, commented the father, when seeing the nurse minutes after the doctor left.

The nurse answered, tears coming down her face: “His son died yesterday in a road accident, he was in the burial when we called him for your son?s surgery. And now that he saved your son?s life, he left running to finish his son?s burial.”

Never prejudge anyone or anything. Because you never know how their life is or as to what is happening or what they?re going through.

Just think about this for a moment.

(11) Run through the rain 雨中的记忆

She had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful brown haired, freckle-faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the Earth it has no time to flow down the spout.

We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Wal-Mart. We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I get lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

Her voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in. "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said.

"What?" Mom asked.

"Let's run through the rain!" She repeated.

"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain."

"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.

"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm."

"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"

"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say.

Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. Time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith. "Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said. Then off they ran.

We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few

who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing. Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories. So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories every day!

To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. I hope you still take the time to run through the rain.

(12) Forgiveness can enlarge the future 宽恕能开阔未来

It was probably her giggling that drew my attention. Sentence diagramming (句子分析)really wasn?t all that funny as far as I knew.

Walking over to the young offender, I asked for the note she had in her hands. Frozen, she refused to give it to me. I waited, all attention in the room on the quiet battle between teacher and student. When she finally handed it over she mumbled, “Okay, but I didn?t draw it.”

After getting the class going on a sentence diagramming competition, I finally had a chance to sneak a peek. It was a hand-drawn picture of me, dress details down to perfection, teeth blackened, nostrils flaring, and the words “I?m stupid” coming out of my mouth. The artist had done an amazing job and there was no doubt about who it was supposed to be.

I managed to fold it up calmly and return to directing the competition. My mind, however, was working furiously as I wavered between wanting to cry and wanting to ream a certain few students up one side and down the next. I figured I knew the two most likely candidates for drawing the picture. It would do them some good to get taken down a notch or two(一两个等级), and maybe it was high time that I did it!

Thankfully, I was able to keep myself controlled.

When there were about six minutes of class remaining， I had the kids stop what they were doing and get out a piece of paper. Then, suppressing（抑制住） my pride, I showed them the picture. The whole class was silent as I told them how hurtful this was for me. I told them there must be a reason behind that now was their chance to tell me anything they needed to tell me. Then I let them write silently while I sniffled in the back of the classroom.

As I looked over the notes later, many of them said something like, “I?ve got nothing ag ainst you,” or “I?m sorry your feelings were hurt.” Some kids said, “We?re afraid of you.” But two notes, from the girls I figured were behind the picture, had a list of issues. I was too mean, too strict, and I picked on certain people too much.

Reading those notes, I realized that over the course of this year of slipshod work and incomplete assignments I had moved from being disappointed to being downright angry. Instead of encouraging my students, I had begun commanding them to achieve. I?d set hig h expectations without allowing for grace. Where I thought I was driving them to success, I was actually driving them away.

I had some apologizing to do. When the kids walked into my classroom the next day one boy and one girl each handed me a card. The one signed by all the boys expressed sincere regret for the ugly joke. The one from the girls asked for forgiveness.

This was a lesson for both the kids and me. Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.

(13) Savor the coffee, not the cups!

A group of graduates，highly established in their careers ，got together to visit their old university professor.

一群毕业生，各自在事业上都已有所建树，相约一起去看望他们年老的大学教授。

The conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and a variety of cups—porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain-looking, some expensive, some exquisite—telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

谈话一会儿就变成了各自对工作和生活压力的抱怨。在用咖啡招待这些客人时，教授去厨房端来一大壶咖啡，并拿出各式各样的咖啡杯——陶瓷的、塑料的、玻璃的、水晶的，有看上去普通的、有价值不菲的、有做工精细的——让他们自己倒咖啡喝。

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said,

当所有学生手中都端了一杯咖啡后，教授发话了：

"If you have noticed, all the nice-looking expensive cups have been taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. "

“如果你们注意一下，就会发现所有好看的昂贵的杯子都被挑走了，剩下的只是那些普通的和便宜的。当然，每个人都只想拥有最好的，这很正常，但这也是你们的问题和压力的根源所在。”

"Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. "

“可以肯定的是，杯子本身与咖啡质量毫无关系。在很多时候，杯子让咖啡更昂贵，某些时候，甚至让我们看不清我们要喝的是什么。”

"What all of you really want is coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

“其实你们真正想要的是咖啡，而不是杯子，但你们却又都下意识去挑选最好的杯子，并观察别人拿到的杯子。”

"Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee. Savor the coffee, not the cups! Don't let the cups drive you ... enjoy the coffee instead."

“现在设想一下：如果生活是杯中的咖啡，工作、财富和社会地位就是那些杯子。他们只是维持生活的工具而已，并不改变生活质量。有时候，我们在过于关注杯子的同时却忘记了去品味上帝赐予的咖啡。所以，不要成为杯子的奴隶……好好品味杯中的咖啡。”

(14) A concert with son 参加儿子的聚会

When my oldest son was in high school, he planned to attend a Christian contemporary concert with the youth group from our church. To my amazement, Aaron invited me to go along; he knew I enjoyed the music of one of the performers.

I readily accepted; however, by the time the date of the concert arrived, I had questions about going. My youngest son, who has Down syndrome and progressive heart disease, had been ill, and I was concerned about him. My husband encouraged me to attend the concert, assuring me he was quite capable of taking care of our youngest. I wavered.

Finally, it hit me. Aaron was sixteen years old. How many opportunities would I have to do

something fun with him before he went away to college? And how many youth actually invited their mothers to attend a concert with them that was clearly geared for teens? The decision was made. I would not miss this opportunity.

At the concert, I sat with Aaron and his girlfriend in the third row, stuffing cotton in my ears to block out the loud, ear-splitting amplified music of the first performer. I stood when the kids stood, clapped when they clapped, and never let anyone know how nervous I was to feel the floor vibrate beneath my feet. Aaron and his friends were amused at my enthusiasm.

By the time we left the concert, I was certain my hearing was damaged forever. My ears were ringing and sounds seemed muf fled, but it quickly passed. So did my son?s teenage years. In no time he was in college and away from home. I missed him more than I could say. On days when I was especially lonely for his ready smile and his teasing manner, I would think back to the concert we attended and be thankful once again that I didn?t pass up an opportunity to spend time with my son.

Aaron is now grown and has a family of his own, but we are still very close. Some days he calls just to chat and tell me about his day. I drop everything and enjoy the moment, knowing these times too shall pass.

We sometimes reminisce on that concert of years ago when my teenage son and I made a lifetime memory. Aaron always laughs about the fact that his mom was the “only” pe rson in the whole youth group to get an autograph from the performer.

(15)A Christmas emergency 圣诞节急诊

It was unusually quiet in the emergency room on December 25.

十二月二十五日，急诊室里异乎寻常地安静。

I was triage nurse that day. I didn't think there would be any patients, sighing about having to work on Christmas. Just then five bodies showed up at my desk, a pale woman and four small children. 我是当天的分诊护士。我想不会有什么病人来的。当我正叹息着圣诞节还要工作的时候，五个人出现在我的办公桌前——一个面色苍白的妇女，带着四个小孩儿。

“Are you all sick?” I asked suspiciously.

我有些怀疑地问：“你们都病了吗?”

“Yes,” she sa id weakly and lowered her head.

“嗯。”她虚弱地回答道，低下了头。

But when it came to descriptions of their presenting problems, things got a little vague. Two of the children had headaches, but the headaches weren't accompanied by the normal body language of holding the head or trying to keep it still. Two children had earaches, but only one could tell me which ear was affected. The mother complained of a cough but seemed to work to produce it.

但是当他们开始描述现在的病情时，事情就有点让人摸不着头脑了。其中两个孩子头痛，但是他们的头痛并没有伴随着通常出现的肢体症状，像抱头或者试着让头保持不动等。还有，两个孩子说耳朵痛，但只有一个能告诉我是哪只耳朵痛。孩子的母亲诉说她有咳嗽症状，但咳嗽好像是用力装出来的。

Something was wrong, but I didn't say anything but explained that it might be a little while before a doctor saw her. She responded, “Take your time; it's warm in here.”

有点不对头，但是我也没说什么，只是解释说，过一阵儿医生才会来给她检查。她回答说：“不着急，医院里挺暖和的。”

On a hunch, I checked the chart after the admitting clerk had finished registering the family. No address—they were homeless. The waiting room was warm.

接诊员填好这个家庭的登记表后，出于直觉，我查看了一下。上面没写地址——他们无家可归。候诊室里很暖和。

I looked out at the family huddled by the Christmas tree. The littlest one was pointing at the television and exclaiming something to her mother. The oldest one was looking at an ornament on the Christmas tree.

我向外看去，只见这一家人挤在圣诞树旁，最小的孩子指着电视，正向母亲惊呼着什么，最大的那个正在看圣诞树上的一件装饰品。

I went back to the nurses' station and mentioned we had a homeless family in the waiting room. The nurses, grumbling about working Christmas, turned to compassion for a family just trying to get warm on Christmas. The team went into action, much as we do when there's a medical emergency. But this one was a Christmas emergency.

我回到护士室，讲述了候诊室里这无家可归的一家子的事。原本抱怨圣诞节还要上班的护士们都转而对在圣诞节只祈求温暖的这家人感到非常同情。这个团队马上展开行动，就好像我们对待医疗紧急情况一样，只不过这次是“圣诞节急诊”。

We were all offered a free meal in the hospital cafeteria on Christmas Day, so we claimed that meal and prepared a banquet for our Christmas guests. We needed presents. We put together oranges and apples in a basket. We collected from different departments candies, crayons and other things available that could be presents. As seriously as we met the physical needs of the patients that came to us that day, our team worked to meet the needs, and exceed the expectations, of a family who just wanted to be warm on Christmas Day.

圣诞节这天，医院食堂免费给我们提供一顿饭，于是我们都把饭领回来，为我们的圣诞客人准备了一次宴会。还需要一些礼物，我们就把苹果和橘子放到一起，装进篮子，还从各个科室收集了糖果、蜡笔和其他能当作礼物的现成的东西。我们的团队工作严肃，就像满足当天其他患者的需要一样，我们尽力满足这家人只想过一个温暖圣诞节的愿望，并远远超乎了他们的期望。

Later, as the family walked to the door to leave, the four year old came running back, gave me a hug and whispered, “Thanks for being our angels today.”

后来，当这家人走到门前要离开的时候，那个四岁的孩子跑回来，给了我一个拥抱，并在我的耳边悄悄地说：“谢谢你，今天你是我们家的天使。”