EZCNN 易英网

Random Acts of Kindness 随手善举，敦亲睦邻

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Mr. Robinson, a bishop, meets his neighbor Shirley in their apartment block:  罗宾森主教在他们的公寓遇到他的邻居雪莉：

R: Ah, Shirley, you’re mopping the stairs. What a kind thought.

啊！雪莉妳在擦楼梯，实在设想周到。

S: Yes, you’ve inspired me. You’ve done so much for your neighbors since you’ve moved in.

是啊，是你激发我这么做的。自从你搬进来以后，已经为邻居做很多事了。

R: It’s nothing really. I like to think of them as random acts of kindness.

那实在不算什么。我愿意把这些事当作是举手之劳。

S: You’re too modest. Not many people would go to the trouble of replacing all the light bulbs in the corridors.

你太客气了。没有很多人愿意那么大费周章地换掉走廊上的所有灯炮。

R: Well, someone had to do it. We can’t all just sit back and hope that things will somehow get done without us.

嗯，总是要有人去做。我们不能坐视不管，而希望有些事不必我们去做就可以解决。

S: The light bulbs were a very practical touch, but giving gifts to all your neighbors – people who you hadn’t even met yet – is definitely my idea of going the extra miles.

换灯泡确实是一个很实际的方式，但给每个邻居都送上小礼物──甚至那些你都还没见过的人──那实在是太过客气了。

R: Perhaps, but I had an ulterior motive there too. It was just my way of getting to know you all better. And it worked: otherwise, might not be talking to you now.

或许，但是我那样做是另有作用的，我想进一步认识你们。的确有效：否则我现在或许就不能和妳在这儿说话了。

S: I’m ashamed to say that you’re right. Most people don’t make the effort to get to know their neighbors anymore.

很惭愧我得告诉你，你是对的。现在大部分的人不再费心去认识他们的邻居。

R: And in my opinion, that’s a real shame. You’re such a lovely person.

依我之见，那才真的是令人觉得可惜。妳人真好。

S: Mr. Robinson! If I didn’t know you better, I’d think you were flirting with me!

罗宾森先生，如果我跟你不熟的话，我会以为你是在恭维我！

－by Michael Costello

Vocabulary

单词发音

random [ˋrændəm] adj. 随意的﹐ 任意的﹐ 随机的

bishop [ˋbɪʃəp] n.（天主教及英国国教等的）主教

mop [mɑp] v. 用拖把拖洗

modest [ˋmɑdɪst] adj. 谦虚的﹐ 谦逊的﹐ 谦恭的

corridor [ˋkɔrɪdɚ] n. 走廊，回廊，通道

touch [tʌtʃ] n. 风格; 手法; 特有方式

go the extra mile 做比期望的多得多的努力；做更多，取得更大的成就 to try harder to please someone or to get the task done correctly; to do more than one is required to do to reach a goal

ulterior [ʌlˋtɪrɪɚ] adj. 别有用心的(动机/目的等)

ashamed [əˋʃemd] adj. 羞愧的，感到难为情的

shame [ʃem] n. 憾事

flirt [flɝt] v. 调情﹐ 打情骂俏

Sentence of the Day

He was full of the milk of human kindness.

他很有恻隐之心。

the milk of human kindness 人类的善良本性, 恻隐之心