working at a disability/welfare office 在社会福利部门任职 and I got to see the coolest thing today. 今天,我看到了最美的风景 A homeless man, Charlie, 一个名叫Charlie的无家汉 came in with a power wheelchair 坐在一辆电动轮椅上走了进来 that didn't work. 轮椅坏了 Its batteries would no longer charge. 电池充不了电 As I was pushing him around the office, 我推着他在办公室里走动 first to get checked in, 先是去登记 then to an outlet 然后走向一个出口 to get some charge in his batteries, 去给他的电池充电 then back to a window to be seen... etc. 然后来到一个窗口边进行人脸识别 A woman noticed 一个女士注意到了我们 and asked Charlie if his chair was dead 问查理,他的轮椅是不是坏了 and how long he had it. 他用了多久了 He's needed it for about three years now, 他已经靠着它四处行走足有三年了 after he got stabbed in the back of the neck 三年前,他被人从背后刺中了颈椎 leaving him paralyzed on the left side. 左侧身体全部瘫痪 He's on disability 他靠社会福利金过活 and doesn't have much money to replace the battery 没有钱去换电池 which will now only hold a charge for about ten minutes, 现在充电之后只能用大概十分钟 so he mostly just pushes himself around with his right foot, 所以,他大多数时候只能用右脚推着自己移动 traveling backwards. 向后倒着走 The Woman, Diane, 那位女士名叫Diane explained that her brother is also paralyzed 她说,她的哥哥也瘫痪了 and they have an older chair that they're not using. 他们有一架没有再用的久轮椅 She asked Charlie if he would like it. 她问Charlie是否愿意接受那架旧轮椅 Charlie said yes. Charlie说愿意 Diane left and came back about an hour later. Diane离开大概一小时后回来了 She asked me to unload the new chair, 她让我帮她把新轮椅搬下来 which I did. 我照办了 Now, 其实 I don't know much about powered wheelchairs, 我对电动轮椅所知甚少 but I can tell this is no basic model. 但我可以看出,眼前的新轮椅绝不是简单的款式 It not only drives, 它不仅可以向前行驶 it can lift up, 还可以托举 recline, 后倾 and do other stuff too. 还有很多其他功能 Turns out it's like a $20,000 chair. 原来这是一个价值约2万美元的轮椅 Charlie looked it over Charlie 仔细打量了一番 and said it sure is nice. 说这的确是把好轮椅 But Diane tells us there's one small problem, 不过Diane对我们说,有一个小小的问题 the new chair won't charge 新轮椅无法充电 because it hasn't been used in two years. 因为它已经有两年没有被用过了 So what does Diane do? Diane如何解决这个问题? She tells Charlie 她告诉Charlie she will take it over to the Medical Supply Store 她会把这架轮椅带到医疗用品专卖店去 that's just a block away 商店离这里只有一个街区 and see if they can put new batteries in it 询问店家,是否能换上新的电池 or get it working. 或者用其他办法让轮椅启动 So I loaded the chair back into her van, 于是我把轮椅搬到了她的车里 and they all took off 于是两人出发了 to get the new chair up and running. 去让新轮椅站起来,跑起来 Let me tell you, 让我告诉你 in 13 years of law enforcement and security work, 我干了13年执行法律,维护治安的工作 I've never seen anything like that. 却从没见过这样的事情 The funny thing was 有趣的是 Diane actually told me I was so kindDiane 还对我说,我真善良 for helping Charlie get around the office. 会帮助Charlie在办公室里走来走去 No, ma'am it's you. 不,女士,善良的人是你。 |