Lesson 1 What Courage Looks Like?
I know what courage looks like. I saw it on a flight I took six years ago, and only now can I speak of（谈到、讲到；显示出） it without tears filling eyes at the memory.
When our L1011 left the Orlando airport that Friday morning, we were a chipper（[ˈtʃipə] adj.爽朗的、活泼的、爽快的；v.使高兴起来，吱吱叫，喋喋而言）, high-energy（活力、能力，精力，能量） group. The early-morning（清晨） flights hosted(n.主人、节目主持人，vt.主持节目、款待，vi.做主人，做东道主) mainly professional （adj.职业的、专业的，内行的、有经验的，故意的；n.专业人士，内行，专家，职业选手）people going to Atlanta for a day or two of business手上下. As I looked around(四下观望), I saw lots of designer （由专门设计师设计的）suit电器店s（[sju:ts] n.一套外衣，西装，套装；vt.合身,适合于某人，尤指服装、颜色等相配；华为手机格式化vi. 合适，相称）[名牌西装] CEO-caliber （[ˈkæləbə] n.口径；能力；水准；枪弹的直径）haircuts（n.理发，发型）, leather （皮革）briefcas（[ˈbri:fkeis] 公文包） and all the trimmings （[ˈtrɪmɪŋ] n.整理，装饰、修饰，修剪，配料/trim v.整理）of asoned（adj.调过味的；成熟的，老练的） business travelers. I ttle
d（v.安排、安放、定居、使安定）back（背部） for some light reading and the brief flight ahead（adv.在（某人或某事物的）前面；向前；预先；在将来，为未来）.
Immediately （adv.立即、马上，直接地）upon(当......时候) takeoff, it was clear that something was amiss（出了差错的，有毛病的）. The aircraft was bumping大熊猫英语（[bʌmp] v.撞倒、冲撞，vi.颠簸着前进） up and down（上上下下） and jerking（vt.猛拉；v.（使…）猝然一动[颤动]n.突然的拉[推，扭]；急促而猛烈的动作，猛地一拉） left to right. All the experienced travelers, including me, looked around with knowing grins（[ɡrin] n.咧嘴笑，露齿而笑）. Our communal（[kəˈmju:nəl] adj.公社的；公民的；公共的；公用）looks acknowledged（vt.承认；公认；感谢；告知已收到）to one another（互相，彼此） that we had experienced minor （[ˈmainə] adj.较小的，少数的，小......，未成年的；n.未成年人，副修科目）problems and disturbances([disˈtə:bəns] n.打扰，骚乱，困扰) before. If you fly much（adv.很多地）, you e the things and learn to be completely indifferent to（对......漠不关心） them.
We did not remain indifferent for long. Minutes after we were airborne（[ˈeəˌbɔ:n] 空运
的，航空的）, our plane began dipping（导出液v.陡然下降、（迅速）下沉） wildly（[ˈwaɪldlɪ]，疯狂地；粗暴地，野蛮地；野生地；失去控制地）and one wing lunged（[lʌndʒ]，n.突然刺入，突然向前冲、扑等；v.突然向前冲、扑等） downward（adj,/adv 向下的/地）. The plane climbed（[klaim] vt.& vi.爬上，攀登；（太阳等）徐徐上升；（飞机）爬高；登山n.攀登；[航]爬高；需要攀登的地方，山坡vi.攀登；上升） higher but that didn't help. It didn't. The pilot （[ˈpailət] 飞行员）soon made a grave （[ɡreiv] adj.重大的，重要的；严重的；[音乐]沉重的；（颜色等）朴素的adv.沉重地，庄重地，严肃地；极慢地n.坟墓，墓穴；埋葬……的地方；下场；死亡vt.雕刻；铭记）announcement.
“We are having some difficulties（[ˈdifikəlti] n.困难，麻烦，难事；难度；异议，争论，纠葛；财政困难，（经济）拮据）,” he said. “At this time, it appears（link-v显得，似乎；vi出现，显现；产生，出版） we have no no-wheel（ [hwi:l] 前轮）steering（（汽车等的）转向装置）. Our indicators（[ˈɪndɪˌkeɪtə]指示器/物/者，指标） show that our hydraulic（[haɪˈdrɔ:lɪk] 液力的，液压的）system has failed（系统故障）. We will be returning to （返回到......，重新恢复）the Orlando airport at this time. [will be doing 将
来进行时，将来的某时正在干什么] Becau of the lack of hydraulics, we are not sure our landing（登陆，着陆） gear （[ɡiə] 用具，传动装置）背阔肌[起落装置] will lock（锁住，；卡住，不动）, so the flight attendants （服务人员）will prepare you for （（使）为......做准备）a bumpy（[ˈbʌmpi:] adj.崎岖的；颠簸的；气流不稳的）landing. Also, if you look out the windows, you will e that we are dumping（[dʌmp] vt.倾倒；丢下，卸下；摆脱，扔弃；倾销vi.突然跌倒或落下；卸货；转嫁（责任等）n.垃圾场；仓库；无秩序地累积）fuel（[fjuəl] n.燃料；（为身体提供能量的）食物；（维持、增加感情的）刺激物 ；vt.给…加燃料，给…加油；激起vi.补充燃料）from the airplane. We want to（（口语）应该） have as little on board as possible in the event of a rough（ [rʌf] adj.粗糙的，崎岖不平的；粗鲁的；狂暴的，汹涌的；未经加工的vt.粗暴地对待；使粗糙；草拟n.粗糙的部分；艰难，苦难；adv.粗暴地vi.举止粗野）touchdown（（空）着陆，降落）. ”
In other words, we were about to（将要，正打算） crash（[kræʃ] vt.& vi.（使）猛撞，（使）撞毁vi.撞坏；猛冲直撞；发出巨响；突然失败n.破产；失事，撞车事故；（机器或系统，尤指计算机或计算机系统的）崩溃；突然发出的巨响vt.坠落；破碎；撞碎）. No sight （情景、景象）has ever been so sobering（['səubəriŋ] 使清醒，使冷静）脚踝疼 as（像...
...一样） that fuel, hundreds of gallons（[ˈɡælən]） of it, streaming（[stri:m]n.河流，小河，川，溪；潮流，趋势，倾向；（事件等的）连续，（财富等的）滚滚而来；流出，流注，一连串vt.& vi.流，流动vi.飘扬；招展；鱼贯而行；一个接一个地移动vt.按能力分班（或分组）） past（经过） my window out of the plane's tank祠堂大门对联s（油箱）. The flight attendants helped people get into position（姿势） and comforted（[ˈkʌmfət] n.安慰；舒适；使人舒服的事物；给予援助或安慰的人或事vt.安慰，使舒适；使（痛苦等）缓和） tho who were already hysterical（[hisˈterikəl] adj.情绪异常激动的；歇斯底里般的）.
As I looked at the faces of my fellow business travelers, I was stunned by the changes I saw in their faces. Many looked visibly frightened now. Even the most stoic looked grim and ashen. Yes, their faces actually looked gray in color, something I'd never en before. There was not one exception. No one faces death without fear, I thought. Everyone lost composure in one way or another.
I began arching the crowd for one person who felt peace and calm that true courage or great faith gives people in the events. I saw no one. Then a couple of rows to my left,
I heard a still calm voice, a woman's voice, speaking in an absolutely normal conversational tone. There was no tremor or tension. It was a lovely, even tone. I had to find the source of this voice.
All around, people cried. Many wailed and screamed. A few of the men hold onto their composure by gripping armrests and clenching teeth, but their fear was written all over them. Although my faith kept me from hysteria, I could not have spoken so calmly, so sweetly at this moment as the assuring voice I heard. Finally I saw her.
In the midst of all the chaos, a mother was talking, just talking, to her child. The woman, in her mid-30's and unremarkable looking in any other way, was staring full into the face of her daughter, who looked to be four years old. The child listened cloly, nsing the importance of her mother's words. The mother's gaze held the child so fixed and intent that she emed untouched by the sounds of grief and fear around her.
