英语智慧背囊 10-行胜于言
 音频下载[点击右键另存为][00:01.61]Louder than Anything You Can Say行胜于言[00:06.26]I teach economics at UNLV (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) three times per week. [00:13.14] Last Monday, at the beginning of class, [00:15.38] I cheerfully asked my students how their weekend had been. [00:18.76] One young man said that his weekend had not been so good. [00:22.91] The young man then proceeded to ask me [00:25.62]why I always seemed to be so cheerful. [00:28.72]His question reminded me of something I’d read somewhere before: [00:32.44]“Every morning when you get up, [00:34.54] you have a choice about how you want to approach life that day,” I said. [00:39.39] “I choose to be cheerful.” [00:41.25]“Let me give you an example,” I continued. [00:44.64]“In addition to teaching here at UNLV, [00:47.70]I also teach out at the community college in Henderson, [00:51.21]17 miles down the freeway from where I live. [00:54.33] One day I drove those 17 miles to Henderson. [00:57.87]I exited the freeway and turned onto College Drive. [01:01.70] I only had to drive another quarter mile down the road to the college. [01:06.41] But just then my car died. [01:09.03] So I put my flashers on, grabbed my books, [01:12.54]and marched down the road to the college.” [01:15.70]“As soon as I got there I called AAA [01:18.54]and arranged for a tow truck to meet me at my car after class. [01:22.88]The secretary in the Provost’s office asked me what has happened. [01:26.61]‘This is my lucky day,’ I replied, smiling.” [01:30.31]“‘Your car breaks down and today is your lucky day?’ [01:33.81] She was puzzled. ‘What do you mean?’” [01:36.88]“I live 17 miles from here.” I replied. [01:40.23]“My car could have broken down anywhere along the freeway. [01:43.79]It didn’t. [01:45.00]Instead, it broke down in the perfect place: [01:47.82]off the freeway, within walking distance of here. [01:50.88]I’m still able to teach my class, [01:53.39] and I’ve been able to arrange for the tow truck to meet me after class. [01:57.55]If my car was meant to break down today, [02:00.40]it couldn’t have been arranged in a more convenient fashion.” [02:04.23]“The secretary’s eyes opened wide, and then she smiled. [02:08.00]I smiled back and headed for class.” So ended my story. [02:12.75]I scanned the sixty faces in my economics class at UNLV. [02:17.89] Despite the early hour, no one seemed to be asleep. [02:21.82] Somehow, my story had touched them. [02:24.67] Or maybe it wasn’t the story at all. [02:27.26]In fact, it had all started with a student’s observation that I was cheerful. [02:32.33]An Indian wise man once said, [02:35.17]“Who you are speaks louder to me than anything you can say.” [02:39.76] I suppose it must be so. |
