Hitching a Ride
佚名 / Anonymous
My mother had just died from cancer， and I was a wreck. We hadn’t been very close and it had killed me that I never got to actually know who she is. Sometimes I feel it is worse that I didn’t know her than if I actually did and cared for her much more. So I was on my way to the funeral home and suddenly my car broke down. I pulled over onto the shoulder and began to feel sorry for myself. It felt to me that God was punishing me， first my mother dying， now this！ I slowly stumbled out of my car and checked to see what the problem was. It turned out my tire was flat and I did not have a spare. It seemed my luck was getting as worse as it could be. Then it began to rain. I quickly hopped back into my car and began to cry. I turned my emergencies on and just sat there crying.
Then it seemed out of nowhere this older woman pulled up behind me. I got out of nay car and she asked what the problem was. I told her and she said， “Well dear， I guess I’ll just have to take you to the funeral myself.” Then unbelievably she ushered me into her car and began driving. Soon I could feel the sun beaming on my face and felt my luck was suddenly changing. I smiled to myself. I was telling the lady the directions as we went and she told me she was headed to her sister’s house for dinner the exactly opposite way. I felt bad making her go out of her way but she would not stand for it； she told me she wanted to help me. So I just went along， telling her the directions， and eventually we came to the funeral home. I asked her for her name and number. She wrote it down for me. I thanked her for her help and felt a tear roll down my cheek， not for my mother， but for the kindness of the stranger I had just met.
I attended the funeral service， but always in the back of my mind was this old lady that had helped me. I hitched a ride with my brother back to my house and arranged for my car to be fixed. Everything became back to normal for me and soon I forgot about this lady who had helped me. Yesterday I was looking through some old shoeboxes and stumbled upon her number and decided to call her. A younger woman answered and she said she was the older woman’s daughter and that her mother had recently passed away. I was so shocked by that， and didn’t talk for a minute or two. Finally I asked where the funeral was and made plans to go to it.
The funeral was sad but it really made me realize something. That you never know when you will die， so you must do your best to help others in order to make your life meaningful. People look for the easiest ways to do things. They think money and fame is the best way to achieve a meaningful life. But I think the only way is to help people. I am very grateful to this woman whom I never really had known， because she changed my hfe. I now realize that in order for us to be truly happy， we all must love one another and work towards a caring world and society.
母亲因癌症去世的事让我备受打击。我们之间不是很亲密，更令我内疚的是，我从未真正去了解她。有时我想，如果我能多了解和关怀她，现在就不会这样糟糕。在去参加母亲葬礼的途中，我的车却突然抛锚了。把车靠在路边，我开始有点同情自己：先是母亲去世，现在又是这样，我觉得上帝是在惩罚我。我垂头丧气地下了车，检查哪儿出了毛病。原来是爆胎了，而我没有备用胎。更倒霉的是又下起了大雨。我急忙钻进车里，打开应急灯，坐在那儿开始哭。
后来不知怎的，一位老太太在后面停下了车。我走下车，她问我怎么回事，我就把事情的经过告诉了她。她说：“好了，宝贝，我送你去参加葬礼。”令我不敢相信的是，她让我坐上车，并驱车前往我的目的地。我立刻感受到了一股暖流，觉得自己时来运转，于是我对自己笑了。我给她指路，她告诉我她本来要去妹妹家吃饭，而那个方向和现在正好相反。我为自己这么麻烦她而感到很内疚。但她并不介意，说想帮助我。于是我们继续往前走，最后她把我送到了殡仪馆。我留下了她的姓名和电话。对她的帮忙我非常感激，不知不觉地落了一滴泪，不是为母亲，而是为我遇到的这位好心的陌生人。
参加葬礼时，这位帮助我的老太太一直浮现在我的脑海里。后来我搭乘弟弟的车回了家，并把我的车送去修好。不久一切恢复了正常，我也忘了帮我的那位老太太。直到昨天我在翻旧鞋盒时，看到了她的电话号码，便决定给她打个电话。接电话的是一位年轻的女士，她说她是老太太的女儿，她母亲刚刚去世了。我吃惊了好久，都说不出话来。最后我问了举行葬礼的地点，决定去参加。
这个沉痛的葬礼让真正我明白了一些事情。人们总喜欢寻找捷径，他们认为金钱和名利是让人生有意义的最佳途径。但我认为帮助别人才是唯一的方法。你永远不会知道自己何时会死，所以为了让生命更有意义，你必须尽最大的努力去帮助他人。我很感激这位素不相识的老太太，因为她改变了我的一生。现在我明白了，我们应该相互关爱，共同追求真正的快乐，让我们的整个世界更有人情味。
记忆填空
1. I slowly stumbled out of my and checked to see the problem was. It turned out my tire was flat and I did have a spare. It seemed my was getting as worse as it could be. it began to rain.
2. I asked her her name and number. She wrote it for me. I thanked her for her trouble and a tear roll down my cheek， not for my mother， but the kindness of the stranger I had just met.
3. The funeral was but it really made me realize something. you never know when you will die， so you do your best to help in order to make your life meaningful.
佳句翻译
1. 有时我想，如果我能多了解和关怀她，现在就不会这样糟糕。
2. 我给她指路，她告诉我她本来要去妹妹家吃饭，而那个方向和现在正好相反。
3. 人们总喜欢寻找捷径，他们认为金钱和名利是让人生有意义的最佳途径。
短语应用
1. My mother had just died from cancer， and I was a wreck.
die from：死于……
2. It turned out my tire was flat and I did not have a spare.
turn out：结果是；证明是，原来是