美文欣赏

【Transcript】

I work at a company where there are about a gazillion employees. I can’t say that I know them all by name, but I know my fair share of them. I think that almost all of them know me. I’d say that’s the reason I’ve been able to go wherever it is I’ve made it to in this world. It’s all based on one simple principle: I believe every single person deserves to be acknowledged, however small or simple the greeting.

When I was about 10 years old, I was walking down the street with my mother. She stopped to speak to Mr. Lee. I was busy trying to bulls-eye the “O” in the stop sign with a rock. I knew I could see Mr. Lee any old time around the neighborhood, so I didn’t pay any attention to him. After we passed Mr. Lee my mother stopped me and said something that has stuck with me from that day until now. She said, “You let that be the last time you ever walk by somebody and not open up your mouth to speak, because even a dog can wag its tail when it passes you on the street.” That phrase sounds simple but it’s been a guidepost for me and the foundation of who I am.

When you write an essay like this, you look in the mirror and see who you are and what makes up your character. I realized mine was cemented that day when I was 10 years old. Even then, I started to see that when I spoke to someone, they spoke back. And that felt good.

It’s not just something I believe in; it’s become a way of life. I believe that every person deserves to feel someone acknowledge their presence, no matter how humble they may be or even how important.

At work, I always used to say hello to the founder of the company and ask him how our business was doing. But I was also speaking to the people in the cafe and the people that cleaned the buildings, and asked how their children were doing. I remembered after a few years of passing by the founder, I had the courage to ask him for a meeting. We had a great talk. At a certain point I asked him how far he thought I could in go in his company. He said, “If you want to, you can get all the way to this seat.”

I’ve become vice president but that hasn’t changed the way I approach people. I still follow my mother’s advice. I speak to everyone I see, no matter where I am. I’ve learned that speaking to people creates a pathway into their world, and it lets them come into mine, too.

参考译文

【Translation】

我在一家有很多工人的公司里工作，我不敢说我可以叫出他们每个人的名字，但是我知道我在他们的心中有个地儿。我想他们大部分的人都认识我。我想说，这就是为什么我可以自由自在地到达这个世界上任何我想到的角落。都是由于一个原因：我相信每个人都享用被他人认可的权利，不论这个认可是多大还是多小。

当我10岁的时候，我和母亲在一条街上走着，她突然停下来和李先生打招呼，我正忙着盯着一块石头站牌上的“O”发呆，我很清楚，在邻里这一块，我任何时候都有机会看到李先生，因此我们太过注意他。当我们与李先生分手之后，母亲对我说了一句至今仍影响着我的话。她说“在你最后一次经过那个人的时候，你竟然一句话都没说，就算是狗，如果在路上碰到你，也会朝你摇摇尾巴的”。这句话看似简单，却是我人生当中的路标，也是我的成长的基石。

当你在写这样一篇文章的时候，你照照镜子，看清楚自己是谁，看清楚自己的性格。我知道自己的性格在10岁那天之后就定型了。就算是那个时候，我也发现了，当我和别人打招呼的时候，别人也会主动地回复我。这让我感觉很好。

这并不是我所信任的事情，而是我生活的一种方式。我相信每个人都值得受到他人对自己存在的一种认可，无论对方是多么卑微或者重要。

工作的时候，我经常和公司的建立者打招呼，向他询问工作的进展状况，不过，我也会主动地与咖啡厅里的人，打扫大楼的人打招呼，询问他们子女的情况。我记得，和创立者打过几年的招呼之后，我鼓起勇气邀请他对话一次。我们谈的很开心。有一次，我什么问他，我在这个公司能够做得多好。他说“只要你愿意，你可以做到这个位子上来”。

后来，我成为了一名副总，但这并没有改变我和他人打招呼的习惯，我仍然听取母亲的教诲，我和碰见的每一个人打招呼，不论身在何地。我发现与他人交流是通过对方心灵的桥梁，同时也敞开了自己的心扉。

听力破解

【Listening】

1.I was busy trying to bulls-eye the “O” in the stop sign with a rock.
我正忙着盯着一块石头站牌上的“O”发呆

在这句话当中，the "O"中的the因为在原因之前，所以发"[ði:]",句子当中的with a rock用来修饰the stop sign；其中“was busy trying to”是be busy doing sth的结构，表示“忙于做某事”，例如：He was busy writing an essay.他正忙着赶论文。

2.在第三段当中，有这样一句话When you write an essay like this, you look in the mirror and see who you are and what makes up your character. “当你在写这样一篇文章的时候，你照照镜子，看清楚自己是谁，看清楚自己的性格。”这个句子是一个主从复合句，主句是有并列谓语“ look ”和“see”引导的简单句，从句是“When you write an essay like this”，整个句子是一个时间状语从句。

口语要点

【Oral English】

1.I work at a company where there are about a gazillion employees.
我在一家有大量员工的公司里工作

gazillion：a very large indefinite number (usually hyperbole); "there were millions of flies"

如：这个问题是值亿万美元(a gazillion-dollar question)。

2.I remembered after a few years of passing by the founder, I had the courage to ask him for a meeting.
我记得，和创立者打过几年的招呼之后，我鼓起勇气邀请他对话一次。

have the courage to:有勇气去;有胆量
如：have the courage of one's opinions 敢于坚持和实行自已的信念

如：Tell me the reason (why) he refused to listen to（follow） my advice.
告诉我为何他拒绝听从我的劝告。

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