21世紀大學英語讀寫教程第4冊單元2課文詳析

導語：生活中我們少不了要接受別人的恩惠，我們接受恩惠的時候要滿懷感激之情，下面是一篇題為我們“需要的感激之情”的英語課文，歡迎大家來學習。

First Listening

Before listening to the tape, have a quick look at the following words.

fare

乘客

buck

(俚)(一)元

trace

找到

glare

盯視

gratitude

感激

gracefully

得體地

Second Listening

Listen to the tape again and choose the best answer to each of the following questions.

1. How did the man who had lost his wallet react to it being returned?

A) He acted hostile towards the cabdriver.

B) He took it without a word, but smiled his thanks.

C) He gave the driver some money, but no thanks.

D) He thanked the driver, but gave him no reward.

2. What does the story of the cabdriver show?

A) Cabdrivers are usually honest people.

B) People need to be shown gratitude.

C) You should always give a tip for good service.

D) It's not worthwhile to help other people.

3. Which of the following is NOT an example of expressing gratitude?

A) returning a wallet someone has left behind

B) gracefully receiving an act of kindness from another person

C) thanking and praising coworkers, family, and friends

D) making a small gesture of appreciation

4. Why does the author consider gratitude so important?

A) It keeps people from getting angry.

B) It helps you to get what you want.

C) It makes others like you more.

D) It makes the world a more pleasant place to live.

　　A.J. Cronin

On a fine afternoon in New York, I got into a taxi. From the driver's expression and the way he slammed in his gears, I could tell that he was upset. I asked him what was the trouble. "I've got good reason to be sore," he growled. "One of my fares left a wallet in my cab this morning. Nearly three hundred bucks in it. I spent more than an hour trying to trace the guy. Finally I found him at his hotel. He took the wallet without a word and glared at me as though I'd meant to steal it."

"He didn't give you a reward?" I exclaimed.

"Not a cent. But it wasn't the dough I wanted..." he fumbled, then exploded, "If the guy had only said something..."

Because his helpful, honest act had not been appreciated, that cabdriver's day was poisoned, and I knew he would think twice before rendering a similar service. The need for gratitude is something we all feel, and denial of it can do much to harm the spirit of kindness and cooperation.

During World War II a mother in Cincinnati received a letter from her son in the army in which he spoke of a woman in a village in Normandy who had taken him into her home when he was wounded and hungry, and hidden him from the Germans. Later on, unhappily, the boy was killed in the Ardennes offensive. Yet the mother was moved by an irresistible intention. She saved up for two years, crossed the Atlantic and located the village referred to by her son. After many inquiries, she found the woman who had sheltered her son—the wife of an impoverished farmer—and pressed a package into her hand. It was the gold wristwatch her son had received on his graduation, the only object of real value the boy had ever possessed. The mother's act of gratitude so touched people's hearts that it has become something of a legend in and around the village. It has done more than fine speeches to foster good feeling toward Americans.

Gratitude is the art of receiving gracefully, of showing appreciation for every kindness, great and small. Most of us do not fail to show our pleasure when we receive hospitality, gifts and obvious benefits, but even here we can perfect our manner of showing gratitude by making it as personal and sincere as possible. Recently, when touring in southern Italy with my wife, I sent to a friend in Connecticut several bottles of a local wine which had taken our fancy. It was a trifling gift, yet to our surprise, instead of the conventional letter of thanks, we receive a phonograph record. When we played it, we heard our friend's voice speaking after dinner, describing how he and his guests had enjoyed the wine and thanking us for our thoughtfulness. It was pleasant to have this unusual proof that our gift had been appreciated.

Gratitude is sometimes more than a personal affair. My son, studying medicine at McGill University, told me of a patient brought into hospital in Montreal whose life was saved by a blood transfusion. When he was well again he asked: "Isn't there any way I can discover the name of the donor and thank him?" He was told that names of donors are never revealed. A few weeks after his discharge he came back to give a pint of his own blood. Since then he has returned again and again for the same purpose. When a surgeon commented on this splendid record of anonymous service, he answered simply: "Someone I never knew did it for me. I'm just saying 'thanks'".

It is a comforting thought that gratitude can be not merely a passing sentiment but a renewal which can, in some instances, persist for a lifetime. A husband who recalls appreciatively some generous or unselfish act on his wife's part, or a wife who never forgets the gifts her husband has given her, does much to keep the domestic wheels spinning smoothly. W.H. Hudson, British author and naturalist, has written: "One evening I brought home a friend to share our usual evening meal. Afterward he said to me:‘You are fortunate to have a wife who, despite ill health and children to look after, cooks such excellent meals.' That tribute opened my eyes and taught me to show gratitude for my wife's day-to-day heroism, which I had hitherto taken for granted."

It is, above all, in the little things that the grace of gratitude should be most employed. The boy who delivers our paper, the milkman, the mailman, the barber, the waitress at a restaurant, the elevator operator—all oblige us in one way or another. By showing our gratitude we make routine relationships human and render monotonous tasks more agreeable.

A patient of mine in London who worked as a bus conductor once confided to me, "I get fed up with my job sometimes. People grumble, bother you, haven't got the right change for their tickets. But there's one lady on my bus morning and evening, and she always thanks me in a particularly friendly way when I take her ticket. I like to think she's speaking for all the passengers. It helps me to keep smiling."

Arnold Bennett had a publisher who boasted about the extraordinary efficiency of his secretary. One day Bennett said to her, "Your employer claims that you are extremely efficient. What is your secret?" "It's not my secret," the secretary replied. "It's his." Each time she performed a service, no matter how small, he never failed to acknowledge it. Because of that she took infinite pains with her work.

Some persons refrain from expressing their gratitude because they feel it will not be welcome. A patient of mine, a few weeks after his discharge from the hospital, came back to thank his nurse. "I didn't come back sooner," he explained, "because I imagined you must be bored to death with people thanking you."

"On the contrary," she replied, "I am delighted you came. Few realize how much we need encouragement and how much we are helped by those who give it."

Gratitude is something of which none of us can give too much. For on the smiles, the thanks we give, our little gestures of appreciation, our neighbors build up their philosophy of life.

gratitude

n. being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness 感激;感謝的心情

slam

vt. shut loudly and with force; push, move, etc., hurriedly and with great force 猛然關上;猛力推移

sore

a. painful or aching; angry, esp. from feeling unjustly treated 疼痛的;惱怒的'

growl

v. make a deep, angry sound; complain angrily 咆哮;怒衝衝地抱怨

fare

n. a paying passenger (esp. in a taxi) (尤指出租車)乘客

trace

vt. find or discover 查出，找到

glare

vi. look fiercely or fixedly 瞪著眼看

dough

n. (sl.) money (俚語)錢

fumble

v. speak in a clumsy and unclear way支支吾吾地說，笨嘴拙舌地說

render

vt. 1. give (esp. help) 給予;提供(幫助等)

2. cause to be 使得;使成為

denial

n. the act of denying 否認;否定;拒絕

offensive

n. a planned military attack involving large forces over a long period 軍事進攻;攻勢

intention

n. sth. one proposes or plans to do 意圖;目的;打算

inquiry

n. the act of inquiring; an investigation or examination 查詢;調查

wristwatch

n. a small watch worn on a strap around the wrist 手錶

foster

vt. help the growth and development of; encourage or promote 培養，促進;鼓勵，助長

gracefully

ad. in a graceful way 優雅地;優美地;得體地

appreciation

n. gratefulness; gratitude 感激;感謝

hospitality

n. friendly reception; generous treatment of guests or strangers 款待;好客

sincere

a. free from pretense or deceit; genuine 真誠的;真摯的

trifling

a. of slight importance; of little value 微不足道的;沒什麼價值的

conventional

a. of the usual type; commonly used or seen 慣常的;通常的

phonograph

n. an instrument that reproduces the sounds from records 留聲機;電唱機

thoughtfulness

n. the quality of being careful or considerate of others 關心;體貼

proof

n. 1. (piece of) evidence that shows that something is true or is a fact 證據; 證物

2. testing of whether something is true or a fact; demonstration or proving 驗證;證明;證實

transfusion

n. the transfer of blood from one person or animal to another 輸血

discharge

n. act of giving somebody permission to leave the army, hospital, etc. 允許離開;退伍;出院

pint

n. a measure for liquids (and some dry goods) equal to about 0.57 of a litre 品脫

surgeon

n. a doctor who performs operations 外科醫生

sentiment

n. a mixture of thought and feeling 感情;情緒

renewal

n. the act of renewing or fact of being renewed 更新;恢復;重新開始;(中斷後的)繼續

appreciatively

ad. gratefully; thankfully 感激地

generous

a. showing readiness to give money, help, kindness, etc. 慷慨的，大方的

unselfish

a. not selfish; caring for others 無私的;為他人著想的

naturalist

n. a person who studies plants or animals, esp. outdoors 博物學家

tribute

n. a thing said or done or given as a mark of respect or affection, etc. 表示尊敬或讚美的言辭或舉止;稱讚;禮物

hitherto

ad. until this/that time 迄今;至今

barber

n. a person whose work is cutting men's hair and shaving them 理髮師

elevator

n. a moving platform or cage to carry people and things; up and down in a building, mine, or the like 電梯

elevate

vt. lift up; raise to a higher place or rank; improve (the mind, morals, etc.) 舉起，提高;提升…的職位;提高(思想修養、道德品質等)

operator

n. a person who works a machine, apparatus, etc. 操作人員

monotonous

a. lacking in variety; boring through sameness 單調的;乏味的

agreeable

a. giving pleasure, pleasant 愉悅的;愉快的

confide

vt. tell (a secret) to sb. 吐露(祕密)

boast

vi. talk too proudly 吹牛，自誇

employer

n. a person or firm that employs others 僱主

think twice

think carefully; reconsider; hesitate 仔細考慮;重新考慮;躊躇，猶豫

save up

put aside (money) for future use 儲蓄;存(錢)

refer to

mention 提及

something of a

rather a; to some degree 有點兒;有幾分;可以說是一個

take /catch sb.'s fancy

attract or please sb. 吸引住某人;令某人喜歡

on sb.'s part/on the part of sb.

made or done by sb. 某人所做的;某人有責任的

in one way or another

by some means or method 以某種方式(或方法)

be /get fed up with /about

be(come) tired or bored; be(come) unhappy or depressed 厭倦;厭煩;沮喪

boast about /of

talk too proudly about /of 自吹;誇耀

take pains with

make an effort to do 努力;下功夫

refrain from

hold oneself back from; avoid 剋制;避免

A. J. Cronin

克羅寧(1896—1981，英國醫生和小說家)

Cincinnati

辛辛那提(美國俄亥俄州西南部城市)

Normandy

諾曼底(法國西北部一地區)

Ardennes

阿登高地(歐洲西部一高原森林區)

Connecticut

(美國東北部)康涅狄格州

McGill University

(加拿大蒙特利爾)麥吉爾大學

Montreal

蒙特利爾(加拿大東南部港市)

W. H. Hudson

赫德森(1841—1922，英國作家、博物學家)

Arnold Bennett

阿諾德·本涅特(1867—1931，英國小說家)