Unit 6

Text A

One summer holiday, a teenager volunteered to work in a soup kitchen and got her first big lesson there. What was the lesson she drew from the experience? Let's read the following story.

Becoming a Better Person

Laura Hennessey

In the summer of 1992 I got my first big lesson in community service. I can still remember how I felt the first day of my volunteer assignment. I thought I was one of the most selfless teenagers around, giving a whole month of my precious summer to work in a soup kitchen.
At 7 a.m. every morning, I would walk to the bus stop in my suburban neighborhood, board the 67A and settle in for the hour-long ride into, what seemed to be, another world. Goodbye air-conditioning, big grassy yards and pedigree dogs. Hello smelly soup kitchen, sweltering street corners and trash-filled alleyways. I felt like a saint.
Two experiences from that month in the soup kitchen still stand out in my mind. One day the kitchen got a huge cardboard box filled with unpeeled baby shrimp. Needless to say, I, with the help of other volunteers, spent the whole morning sorting through and peeling a million little shrimp for the gumbo. I couldn't eat shrimp for years.
The second experience was far more influential than the shrimp incident, but it was also much more difficult. Part of our job at the soup kitchen was to come up with activities for the neighborhood kids. We would see the same kids almost every day, so we got to know them quite well. I became particularly fond of a young boy named Bruce.
One rainy day Bruce, who was normally very outgoing and laughed easily, sat motionless, all alone at a big table in the corner. We tried to get him to join in the fun with the other kids, but he refused to take part in the silly games. Eventually, I approached him and sat down to talk.
"Hi, Bruce. How are you?" No response. "What's wrong, Bruce? Are you sad?"
"No."
"Are you angry at somebody?"
"No."
"OK, Bruce. Are you tired?"
"No."
"Are you sick?"
Once again Bruce replied, "No."
I was beginning to get a little frustrated and starting to realize that maybe Bruce just wanted to be left alone. But then, he finally filled me in. He said, in his meek voice, "I'm hungry; my mom forgot to feed me."
I smiled as my heart simultaneously broke. "Well then, Bruce. Let's find you some food." Then, hand in hand, we went into the kitchen and found the only food that was around that time of day — a couple of doughnuts. Bruce eagerly ate the tasty sweets, and I felt like a hero.
When I got off the bus that day I hurried home to fill my mom in on my day. I relayed the story to her in a tone tinged with excitement. Then, slowly, I saw a look of concern and worry spread across my mother's face. She then sat down with me and said, "Laura, that's great that you were there for him today, but you have to realize that it is only one day. What's going to happen tomorrow, or next week or a month from now, when you are no longer there? You really have very little control over this little boy's diet, let alone his life."
Her words struck me hard, but in that instant I realized a great many things about what it means to "make a difference." For a brief moment I felt useless, and I wanted to give up my dreams of changing the world for the better. But that moment quickly passed when I realized that giving up my dreams would mean giving up a very important part of myself. Quitting was not an option.
It was then that I knew service was going to be a part of my life for the rest of my life. It's not about becoming a saint or a hero. It is about becoming a better person.
(642 words)

New Words

community
n. a group of people living together and/or united by common interests, background, nationality, etc. 社区

assignment
n. a piece of work given to a particular person or group （分派的）任务，工作

selfless
a. caring only for others and not for oneself 无私的；毫不利己的

teenager
n. a young person between 13 and 19 years old （指13岁19岁的）青少年

soup
n. 汤

kitchen
n. 厨房；灶间

suburban
a. of, for or in an outer area of a town or city 郊区的

soup kitchen
（救济贫民、灾民等的）施粥所，（免费或以极低价格供应汤和面的）施食处

* air-conditioning
n. the system that uses machines to control the temperature in a building, esp. to keep it cool and dry 空调系统

grassy
a. covered with growing grass 覆盖着（青）草的；长满草的

pedigree
a. (of an animal) of known descent, pure-bred, and of good stock （动物）纯种的，有系谱证明的

smelly
a. having a bad smell 有（强烈或难闻）气味的

sweltering
a. unpleasantly hot 闷热的

trash
n. rubbish 垃圾，废物

activity
n. sth. done esp. for interest or pleasure （尤指娱乐或兴趣方面的）活动

alleyway
n. a narrow passage 小巷，胡同

saint
n. 圣人

cardboard
n. & a. 硬纸板（制的）

unpeeled
a. 未削皮（或剥壳）的

shrimp
n. 虾，小虾

needless
a. not needed; unnecessary 不需要的；不必要的

sort
vt. group; arrange; pick out 把…分类；整理；拣选

* peel
vt. remove the outer covering from 削去…的皮；剥去…的壳

gumbo
n. 秋葵汤（一种用秋葵英调浓的鸡汤、肉汤或海味汤）

influential
a. having great influence 有影响（力）的

fond
a. (of) having a great liking or loving for sb. or sth. 喜爱的

rainy
a. having a lot of rain 多雨的

normally
ad. usually; in the usual way 通常；正常地

outgoing
a. friendly; sociable 友好的；外向的；爽直的

motionless
a. without any movement 不动的，静止的

approach
v. come nearer (to) 靠近

response
n. (to) 1. a reply 回答
(to) 2. (an) action done in answer 反应

frustrate
vt. 1. cause (sb.) to feel annoyed or discouraged 使受挫折
2. prevent the plans or efforts of (sb. or sth.) from being achieved 挫败，阻碍

meek
a. quiet, gentle, and accepting others' actions and ideas without argument 温顺的，顺从的

simultaneously
ad. happening or being done at exactly the same time 同时发生地；同时完成地

doughnut
n. 油炸面圈饼

tasty
a. having a strong and very pleasant flavor 美味的

* relay
vt. pass (a message) from one person to another 传达，传递（信息）

tinge
vt. (with) (usu. pass.) give a slight degree of a quality to ［常用被动态］使带有一点…性质

excitement
n. the state or quality of being excited 兴奋；激动

diet
n. 1. the sort of food and drink usually taken by a person or group 日常饮食
2. a limiting of what a person eats or drinks, for medical or personal reasons 特种饮食；规定饮食

instant
n. an extremely short moment of time 片刻，刹那

brief
a. 1. short in time 短暂的
2. containing few words 简短的

useless
a. not of any use 无用的

option
n. thing that is or may be chosen; choice 可供选择的事物；选择

Phrases and Expressions

settle in
get used to new surroundings; make oneself comfortable and prepare to stay somewhere for a period of time 适应新环境；安顿下来；舒舒服服地坐下

stand out
become very noticeable as a result of being different 清晰地显出

needless to say
of course 不用说，当然

come up with
think up (a plan, response, etc.); produce 想出（计划、答复等）；提出

join in
become involved in (an activity with other people) 参加

take part in
have a share in (some activity) 参加

fill in
tell (sb.) about recent events 给…提供最新情况

hand in hand
手拉着手地；密切关联地

feel like
感觉好似

no longer
not any more 不再

let alone
更不用说

a great many
a very large number of 许许多多的

give up
stop doing or owning 放弃

Proper Names

Laura Hennessey
劳拉·黑纳西（人名）

Bruce
布鲁斯（男子名）