Lesson Eight The Kindness of Strangers
Mike Mclntyre
1. One summer I was driving from my home town of Tahoe City， Calif, to New Orleans。 In the middle of the dert, I came upon a young man standing by the roadside. He had his thumb out and held a gas can in his other hand. I drove right by him。 There was a time in the country when you' d be considered a jerk if you pasd by somebody in need。 Now you are a fool for helping。 With gangs, drug addicts, murderers， rapists, thieves lurking everywhere, ”I don’t want to get involved” has become a national motto.
animation2。 one love mp3Several states later I was still thinking about the hitchhiker。 Leaving him stranded in the dert did not bother me so much. What bothered me was how easily I had reached the decision. I never even lifted my foot off the accelerator。
3. 美国之声第一季下载Does anyone stop any more？ I wondered. I recalled Blanche DuBois’s famous line： ”I have always depended on the kindness of strangers。” Could anyone rely on the kindnes
s of strangers the days? One way to test this would be for a person to journey from coast to coast without any money， relying solely on the good will of his fellow Americans。 What kind of Americans would he find? Who would feed him, shelter him， carry him down the road?
4。 lilacThe idea intrigued me。
5。 The week I turned 37, I realized that I had never taken a gamble in my life。 So I decided to travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic without a penny. It would be a cashless journey through the land of the almighty dollar. I would only accept offers of rides， food and a place to rest my head. My final destination would be Cape Fear in North Carolina, a symbol of all the fears I'd have to conquer during the trip.
6。 I ro early on September 6, 1994， and headed for the Golden Gate Bridge with a 50-pound pack on my back and a sign displaying my destination to passing vehicles： "America。" 2016年3月11日
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7. For six weeks I hitched 82 rides and covered 4223 miles across 14 states. As I traveled, folks were always warning me about someplace el。 In Montana they told me to watch out for the cowboys in Wyoming， In Nebraska they said people would not be as nice in Iowa. Yet I was treated with kindness everywhere I went. I was amazed by people’s readiness to help a stranger, even when it emed to run contrary to their own best interests.
8. One day in Nebraska a car pulled to the road shoulder。 When I reached the window， I saw two little old ladies dresd in their Sunday finest。" I know you’re not suppod to pick up hitchhikers, but it’s so far between towns out here， you feel bad passing a person,” said the driver， who introduced herlf as Vi。 I didn't know whether to kiss them or scold them for stopping. This woman was telling me she’d rather risk her life than feel bad about passing a stranger on the side of the road.
9. Once when I was hitchhiking unsuccessfully in the rain, a trucker pulled over， locking his brakes so hard he skidded on the grass shoulder. The driver told me he was o
nce robbed at knifepoint by a hitchhiker。 ”But I hate to e a man stand out in the rain，” he added。 ”People don’t have no heart anymore."
10。 I found, however, that people were generally compassionate. Hearing I had no money and would take none, people bought me food or shared whatever they happened to have with them. Tho who had the least to give often gave the most。 In Oregon a hou painter named Mike noted the chilly weather and asked if I had a coat. When he learned that I had ”a light one，” he drove me to his hou， and handed me a big green army-style jacket。 A lumber-mill worker named Tim invited me to a simple dinner with his family in their shabby hou。 Then he offered me his tent。 I refud, knowing it was probably one of the family's most valuable posssions。 But Tim was determined that I have it, and finally I agreed to take it.
clean怎么读11。 I was grateful to all the people I met for their rides, their food, their shelter， and their gifts. But what I found most touching was the fact that they all did it as a matter of cour。
12。 适合英语学习的电影One day I walked into the chamber of commerce in Jamestown, Tenn。 to find out about camping in the area。 The executive director, Baxter Wilson， 59, handed me a brochure for a local campground。 Seeing that it cost ＄12, I replied, ”No， that's all right。 I’ll try something el。” Then he saw my backpack。 ”Most people around here will let you pitch a tent on their land， if that’s what you want，" he said。 Now we’re talking， I thought. "Any particular direction？” I asked。 ”Tell you what。 I've got a big farm about ten miles south of here。 If you’re here at 5：30， you can ride with me.”
13. I accepted， and we drove out to a magnificent country hou。 Suddenly I realized he’d invited me to spend the night in his home。 His wife， Carol, a venth-grade science teacher， was cooking a pot roast when we walked into the kitchen。 Baxter explained that local folks were ”mountain stay-at-home people" who rarely entertained in their hou。 "When we do，" he said, ”it's usually kin。" This revelation made my night there all the more special.
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