Fourteen Steps

Hal Manwaring

1              They say a cat has nine lives,¹and I am inclined to think that possible since I am nowliving my third life and I’m not even a cat. My first life began on a clear,cold day in November 1934, when I arrived as the sixth of eight children of afarming family. My father died when I was 15, and we had a hard struggle tomake a living. As the children grew up, they married, leaving only one sisterand myself to support and care for Mother, who became paralyzed in her last years and diedwhile still in her 60s. My sister married soon after, and I followed her example withinthe year.

2              This was when I began to enjoy my firstlife. I was very happy, in excellent health, and quite a good athlete. My wifeand I became the parents of two lovely girls. I had a good job in San Jose and a beautiful home up the peninsula in San Carlos. Life was apleasant dream. Then the dream ended. I became afflicted with a slowly progressive disease of the motor nerves, affectingfirst my right arm and leg, and then my other side. Thus began my second life …

3              In spite of my disease I still drove to andfrom work each day, withthe aid of special equipmentinstalled in my car. And I managed to keep my health andoptimism, to a degree, because of 14 steps.

4              Crazy? Not at all. Our home was asplit-level affair with 14 steps leading up from the garage to the kitchendoor. Those steps were a gauge of life. They were my yardstick, my challenge tocontinue living. I felt that if the day arrived when I was unable to liftone foot up one step and then drag the other painfully after it — repeating theprocess 14 times until, utterly spent, I would be through — I could then admitdefeat and lie down and die.² So I kept on working, kept onclimbing those steps. And time passed. The girls went to college and werehappily married, and my wife and I were alone in our beautiful home with the 14steps.

5             You might think that here walked a man ofcourage and strength. Not so. Here hobbled a bitterly disillusioned cripple, a man who held on to his sanity and his wife and his home and his jobbecause of 14 miserable steps leadingup to theback door from his garage.³ As Ibecame older, I became more disillusioned and frustrated.

6              Then on a dark night in August, 1971, Ibegan my third life. It was raining when I started home that night; gustywinds and slashing rain beat down on the car as I drove slowly down one of theless-traveled roads.⁴ Suddenly the steering wheel jerked in my hands and the car swerved violently to theright. In the same instant I heard the dreaded bang of a blowout. I fought thecar to stop on the rain-slick shoulder of the road and sat there as theenormity of the situation swept over me.⁵It was impossible for me to change that tire! Utterly impossible! A thoughtthat a passing motorist might stop was dismissedat once. Why should anyone? I knew I wouldn’t!Then I remembered that a short distance up a little side road was a house. Istarted the engine and thumped slowly along, keeping well over on the shoulderuntil I came to the dirt road, where I turned in — thankfully. Lighted windowswelcomed me to the house and I pulled into the drivewayand honked the horn.

7              The door opened and a little girl stoodthere, peering at me. I rolled down the windowand called out that I had a flat tire and needed someone to change it for mebecause I had a crutch and couldn’t do it myself. She went into the house and amoment later came out bundled in raincoat and hat, followed by a man who calleda cheerful greeting. I sat there comfortable and dry, and felt a bit sorry forthe man and the little girl working so hard in the storm. Well, I would paythem for it. The rain seemed to be slackening abit now, and I rolled down the window all the way to watch. It seemed to methat they were awfully slow and I was beginning to become impatient. I heardthe clank of metal from the back of the car and the little girl’s voice cameclearly to me. “Here’s the jack-handle, Grandpa.” She was answered by themurmur of the man’s lower voice and the slow tilting of the car as it was jacked up.⁶ There followed a long interval of noises, jolts and low conversation fromthe back of the car, but finally it was done. I felt the car bump as the jackwas removed, and I heard the slam of the truck lid, and then they were standingat my car window.

8              He was an old man, stooped and frail-looking under his slicker. The little girl wasabout eight or ten, I judged, with a merry face and a wide smile as she lookedup at me. He said, “This is a bad night for car trouble, but you’re all setnow.” “Thanks,” I said. “How much do I owe you?” He shook his head. “Nothing.Cynthia told me you were a cripple — on crutches. Glad to be of help. I know you’d do thesame for me. There’s no charge, friend.” I heldout a five-dollar bill. “No! I like to pay my way.” He made no effort to takeit and the little girl stepped closer to the window and said quietly, “Grandpacan’t see it.”

9              Inthe next few frozen seconds the shame and horror of that moment penetrated and I was sick with an intensity I hadnever felt before.⁷ A blind man and a child! Fumbling, feeling with cold, wet fingers for bolts andtools in the dark —a darkness that for him would probably never end until death. I don’t rememberhow long I sat there after they said good night and left me, but it was longenough for me to search deep within myself and find some disturbing traits. Irealized that I was filled to overflowing withself-pity, selfishness, indifference to theneeds of others and thoughtlessness.⁸I sat there and said a prayer.

10           “Thereforeall things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so tothem: for this is the law and the prophets.”⁹ To me now, monthslater, this Scriptural admonition is more than just a passage in the Bible. Itis a way of life, one that I am trying to follow. It isn’t always easy.Sometimes it is frustrating, sometimes expensive in both time and money, butthe value is there. I am trying now not only to climb 14 steps each day, but inmy small way to help others. Someday, perhaps, I will change a tire for a blindman in a car — someoneas blind as I had been.

 

Paragraphs 1-2

Questions:

1. What can we infer about the author’s childhood? (Paragraph 1)

   We can infer that he lived an unhappy andhard life in his childhood because of the early death of his father and thepoor health of his mother.

2. How didhis second life begin? (Paragraph 2)

    His second life began when he was afflictedwith a slowly progressive disease of the motor nerves, affecting first hisright arm and leg, and then his other side.

 

Words and Expressions

1. be inclined to be likely or tend to do sth.

e.g.In the first instance I was inclined torefuse, but then I reconsidered.

起初我想拒绝，但后来还是重新考虑了。

He was inclined to give them a free hand.

他倾向于放手让他们干。

Synonym:

 tend to, be likely to

 

2. follow one’s example imitate

e.g. Brian persuaded his brother to follow his example and join thearmy.

I suggest you followTed’s example and take some regular exercise.

Synonym:

follow one’s lead

 

3. afflict vt. cause severe suffering or pain

e.g. He was afflicted with cancer.

他患了癌症。

She was afflicted with conscience.

她受良心责备。

Collocation:

  be afflicted with

Derivation:

afflictivea.

afflictionn.

Translation:

1. 我对那些受苦受难的人们充满同情。

I havegreat sympathy for people in affliction.

2. 这种病女人比男人更容易患上。

It is an illness which afflicts women more than men.

 

4. progressive a. developing gradually

e.g. The build-up ofpollutants in the atmosphere has led to a progressive weakening of the ozonelayer.

Since the 1950s therehas been a progressive fall in the numbers of adults who cannot read and write.

Synonym:

gradual, little bylittle

 

Sentences

1. a cathas nine lives (Paragraph 1)

Explanation: It is a proverb. Cats are verytough and seem able to survive accidents or hardships.

 

Paragraphs 3-5

Questions:

1.What does the author mean by “Imanaged to keep my health and optimism, to a degree, because of 14 steps”? (Paragraph 3)

In a way, the daily exercise of climbing helped to keep his physicalcapability (health), which in turn made him optimistic that he could continueliving.

2. Why does the author call these steps “14miserable steps”? (Paragraph 5)

Because the fact that everything in his life (his home, his job, his wifeand his sanity) seemed to totally depend on these 14 steps made him miserable.

 

Words and Expressions

5. with the aid of with the help of

e.g. The bacteria can only be seen with the aid ofahigh-power microscope.

The child was saved and brought back to lifewith the aid of an international rescue team.

这个孩子在国际救援队的帮助下得救了。

 

6. install vt. set up

e.g.To minimize the risk of burglary,install a good alarm system.

安装可靠的报警设备，以降低被盗的风险。

The workers are installing aheating system.

工人们正在安装供暖系统。

Derivation:

installation n.

 

7.to a / some degree partly

e.g. The film was boring to a degree.

这部影片相当枯燥。

A country’s futureprosperity depends, to a degree, upon the quality of education of its people.

Synonym:

 in a sense, in someway

 

8. hobble vi. walk in anawkward way because your feet are injured

e.g. The old man hobbled along (the road) with the aid of hisstick.

那老汉拄着拐杖一瘸一拐地走着。

Synonym:

 limp

 

9. disillusioned a. disappointed

e.g. Disillusioned by his team’s poorperformance, the manager resigned.

 

10. hold on to keep one’s grip on; not letgo of

e.g. He tried hard to be in hissuperior’s good graces in order to hold on to his job.

他想方设法讨上司的欢心，以保住自己的饭碗。

I’d hold on tothat house for the time being; house prices are rising sharply at the moment.

目前我不能出让那所房子，此刻房价正在急剧上涨。

 

11. lead up to come before and result in

e.g. The events that led up to themurder were shown in a series of flashbacks.

The report describes thenegotiations that led up to the settlement.

 

Activity: Choose a word orphrase and change its form if necessary to fill in each blank in the followingsentences.

 

with the aid of         lead up to   hold on to              hobble       disillusion

 

 

1. ____ your umbrella so that it won’t be blown away. (Hold on to)

2. She was anxious to enlighten me about the events that _____ thedispute. (led up to)

3. All the other teachers are thoroughly _____with their colleagues.(disillusioned)

4. Some of the runners could only manage to ____ over thefinishing line. (hobble)

5. _____ the searchingdog, the rescue team has rescued many people’s lives in the earthquake. (Withthe aid of)

 

Sentences

2. I felt that if the day arrived when I was unable to lift one foot up one step and then drag the other painfully after it — repeating the process 14 times until,utterly spent, I would be though — I couldthen admit defeat and lie down and die. (Paragraph 4)

Translation: 我感到如果哪天我不能先抬起一只脚，另一只脚再痛苦地跟上，并把这一动作重复14次，直到疲惫不堪，那我就完了。这一天到来之时，就是我承认失败、倒下、死亡之时。

 

3. Here hobbled a bitterly disillusioned cripple, a man who held on to his sanity andhis wife and his home and his job because of 14 miserable steps leading up tothe back door from his garage. (Paragraph 5)

Paraphrase: Painfully and bitterly, adisabled man hobbled around here. Owing to the 14 miserable steps leading up tothe back door from his garage, the man could keep up to his sanity and his wifeand his home and his job.  

Translation: 这是一个梦想破灭、痛苦失望的残疾人，他蹒跚着，正是因为有了这条从车库通向后门的可怕的14级台阶，他才能保持理智、陪伴妻子、维护家庭、坚持工作。

 

Paragraph 6

Questions:

Why did theauthor dismiss the thought at once that any passing motorist would offer helpat the moment?(Paragraph6)

Because he knewthat he would not stop if he were a passing driver in that situation.

 

Words and Expressions

12. swerve vi. turnsharply and suddenly

e.g. The car swerved to the right.

I will never swervefrom my declared policy on this matter.

我决不背离我已经宣布的在这个问题上的政策。

Synonym:

  turn, change

 

13. sweep vi. to move, especially quickly and powerfully

e.g. Hereyes swept the room.

她的眼睛扫视了一下房间。

A wave of panic swept over her.

一阵惊恐袭上她的心头。

Comparison:

clean the mostcommon word, clean a dirty place or dirty object
clearto remove or get rid of whatever is blocking or filling something, or to stop

being blockedor full

sweep give a cleaning with a broom, sometimes used figuratively
mopto wash or wipe with or as if with a mop
wipe to slide something,especially a piece of cloth, over the surface of something else,

in order to remove dirt, food orliquid

scrub to rub something hardin order to clean it, especially using a stiff brush, soap

and water

Exercise: Choose a word from the list and use its appropriateform to fill in the blanks:

 

clean     clear      mop      wipe       scrub

1.      I _____my shoes on the mat before Icame in. (wiped)

2.      The mayor is determined to____ up thecity. (clean)

3.      It took several hours to ___ the roadafter the accident. (clear)

4.      I have to____ the kitchen floor atleast once a day. (mop)

5.      Although she ____ the old potthoroughly, she could not make it look completely clean. (scrubbed)

 

14. dismiss vt.

1)refuse to accept that sth. might be true or important

e.g. Thegovernment has dismissed criticisms that the country’s health policy is a mess.

2)formally ask or order someone to leave; fire

e.g. At first she threatened to dismiss us all, but latershe relented.

起初她威胁要解雇我们所有的人，但是后来她态度软化了。

Derivation:

dismissible a.

 

Sentences

4. … gustywinds and slashing rain beat down on the car as I drove slowly down one of theless-traveled roads. (Paragraph 6)

Paraphrase: Strong winds andheavy rain slammed the car when I drove slowly along the less-traveled roads.

Translation: 狂风阵阵，倾盆大雨敲打着车身，我缓缓地驾车沿着一条车辆罕至的公路行驶。

 

5. … theenormity of the situation swept over me. (Paragraph 6)

Paraphrase: … the seriousness of thesituation gripped me.

Translation: ……坐在车内，我深感形势危急。

 

Paragraph 7

Questions:

1.      Wasthere any hint that indicates something unusual about the man? (Paragraph 7)

There were some indications:first, they were working awfully slow; second, the little girl obviously handedto the man something (the jack-handle) the man was unable to find.

2. How did the author feel when the man andthe little girl were working in the storm? (Paragraph 7)

The author first felt sorrythat he sat in the car dry and comfortable, while they were working in the heavyrain. But his uneasiness was soon relieved by the thought that he would paythem.

 

Words and Expressions

15. peerat look very carefully or hard at

e.g.Walter peered anxiously athis father’s face.

Collocation:

peer through

peer into

e.g. She peersthrough the mist, trying to find the right path.

The driver was peering into thedistance trying to read the road sign.

 

16. slacken vt. become sloweror less active

e.g. The trainslackened speed as it approached the station.

火车快到站时减慢了速度。

We slackened our pace as wereached the village.

 

17.jack up lift with a jack (a devicefor lifting heavy objects)

e.g. Why don’t youjack it up and we’ll have a look at the suspension?

Fred jacked up the car andstarted to unscrew the wheel nuts.

 

18.interval n. a period of time between activities

e.g.  He comes backto see us at regular intervals.

他每隔一段时间就回来看我们。

There is an hour’s interval tothe next train.

下一火班车还要过一小时才开。

Collocation:

at intervals不时，时时；每隔一段时间（距离）

at intervals of相隔，每隔

 

Activity:Fill in each of the following blanks with a word or expression in its properform.

 

at  regular intervals     interval      jack up     bundle up     peer

1. Inthe budget the chancellor is bound to____ the price of cigarettes. (jack up)

2. _____ in heavy clothes, thepedestrians walked hurriedly against the piercing cold wind. (Bundled up)

3. When no one answered the door, she ____throughthe window to see if anyone was there. (peered)

4. Wesee each other _____ — usually about once a month. (at regular intervals)

5. There’s often a long ___between an author completing a book and it appearing in the shops. (interval)

 

Sentences

6. Shewas answered by the murmur of the man’s lower voice and the slow tilting of thecar as it was jacked up. (Paragraph 7)

Translation: 老人用低沉的声音回应了她。随着千斤顶把汽车托起，车身缓慢地倾斜。

 

Paragraph 8

Questions:

1. Why did the old man refuse toaccept the author’s payment?

Because the old man took it forgranted that offering free help to disabled people is what everyone should do,especially when they are in trouble. He believed that the author would havedone the same for others.

2. When did the author realizethat the old man was blind?

The author did not realize ituntil the little girl explained to him “Grandpa can’t see it.”

 

Words and Expressions

19. frail a. weak and poor inhealth

e.g. A frail oldwoman with a walking stick came slowly down to the gate to meet us.

His frail arm could barely holdhis plate.

 

20.charge n. the price that you have to pay for a service or for sth. you buy

e.g. No charge is made for repairs.

They are happy to give theirservices free of charge.

Derivation:

  chargeable a.

 

Activity:Translate the following sentences into English:

1. 她身体虚弱已有好几个月了。

Her health has been frail formonths.

2. 只要你预先付款，我们就不收你送货费。

As long as you’ve paid inadvance, we won’t make any charge to you for delivery.

 

Paragraphs 9-10

Questions:

1. How did the author react to the girl’swords? (Paragraph9)

On hearing the little girl’s words, the author was stunned for a fewseconds, full of shame and horror, because as a handicapped man, he had takenothers’ help for granted and had never expected that a blind man would work onthe dark stormy night for him out of pure warm-heartedness for a fellow humanbeing. This contrasts his own selfishness and indifference to the needs ofothers before the incident.

2. How did the author re-evaluate the 14steps? (Paragraph10)

The author came to be aware that some people who had the same or worseadversity were always ready to offer help. For him the 14 steps were not thewhole thing in his life. There are other people he should give help to when hewas struggling against his own adversity.

 

Words and Expressions

21. penetrate vt. enter, pass (into or through)

e.g.  Amazingly, thebullet did not penetrate his brain.

In most jellyfish,these stinging cells are so small that they can’t penetrate human skin.

Derivation:

penetration n. a movement into or through somethingor someone; insight

e.g. He writeswith penetration.

他写的文章尖锐深刻。

What is your idea toward globalization and culturalpenetration?

你对全球化和文化渗透有什么想法？

 

22. fumble vi. move thefingers in an attempt to do sth. awkwardly

e.g. She fumbled about in her handbag for a pen.

她在手提袋中搜寻钢笔。

They fumbled around / about (= movedawkwardly) in the dark, trying to find their way out of the cinema.

 

23. overflow vi./vt. be sofull that the contents go over the sides; be very full

e.g. The river overflowed its banks.

河水漫过了两岸。

Thecrowd overflowed the auditorium.

礼堂里挤满了人。

Synonym:

flood, fill

 

24. indifference n. lack ofinterest, love, etc.

e.g. Her apparent indifference made him even more nervous.

她表面上若无其事反而使他更加紧张。

His indifference was a fuel toher hatred.

他无动于衷使她的怨恨火上加油。

Derivation:

indifferent a.

 

25.thoughtlessness n. the attitude of forgetting about the needs of other people

e.g. I’m sorry to make you so painful. Please forgive mythoughtlessness.

Note:

thoughtless a.

e.g. It wasthoughtless not to phone and say you’d be late.

She’s not intentionally unkind —she’s just a little thoughtless sometimes.

 

Section Four Consolidation Activities

I .Vocabulary Analysis

1. Phrasepractice

1. withthe aid of with the help of 在……的帮助下

e.g. With the aid of my friends, I finished my task on time.  在朋友的帮助下，我按时完成了任务。

 

2. peerat look very carefully and hard at 凝视

e.g. She peersat him closely, as if not believing it really is him.  她仔细地瞧着他，似乎不相信真会是他。

  

3. beall set be ready 准备就绪，安排妥当

e.g.We were all setto leave when it started to rain.  我们正准备离开，这时候却开始下雨了。

He is all set for an early morning start.  他已做好清晨出发的一切准备。

 

4. indifferenceto not caring about 对……漠不关心

e.g.His indifference to futureneeds is unfortunate.  他对未来的需要漠不关心，这真令人遗憾。

It shows an unattractiveindifference to your employerand to your job. 它表明你对雇主和你的工作态度冷漠，不感兴趣。

 

 2. Wordderivation

Fillin the blanks with the appropriate forms of the given words.

1. You always follow your own inclination(incline) instead of thinking of our feeling.

2. The men stood in front of the bar, indifferent(indifference) to the argument that was going on across the road.

3. The company has had a successful firstyear at home but penetration (penetrate) of the international market hasbeen slow.

4. We hadn’t seen her for many years and werevery shocked by her frailty (frail).

5. He does not consider his deafness an affliction(afflict).

6. We were all very impressed by the excellence(excellent) of the design.

7. Her fever is getting progressively (progress)worse. I think we should call a doctor.

8. The honeymoon period was soon followed bythe usual disillusionment (disillusion) with day-to-day reality.

 

1. incline v.使有……倾向，易于；爱好

 inclination n. 倾向，意愿

 inclined a. 有……倾向的；倾斜的

e.g.我在夏天易于疲劳。

I’m inclined to tiredness in summer.

我可不愿意一晚上都听你说话。

I have little inclination to listen to you all evening.

 

2. indifference n. 不重视，无兴趣，漠不关心

 indifferent a. 漠不关心的，冷淡的

 indifferently ad. 不在乎地，冷淡地，淡然地

e.g. 他对她的伤心无动于衷。

He is indifferent to her sadness.

 

3. penetrate v.穿透，渗透；看穿

 penetrating a. 敏锐的，尖锐的；穿透的，透彻的

 penetration n. 渗透，侵入，突破

e.g.幸运的是，子弹没有穿过他的大脑。

   Luckily, the bullet did not penetrate his brain.

这种特殊材料具有良好的渗透性。

This special material has a good penetration.

 

4. frail a.脆弱的，虚弱的

 frailty n. 脆弱，意志薄弱；弱点

e.g. 人性的弱点之一是懒惰。

One of the frailties of human nature is laziness.

 

5. afflict v.使苦恼，折磨

 affliction n. 痛苦，苦恼，苦难

e.g.她得了痛风病。

She was afflicted with gout.

 

6. excellent a. 极好的，杰出的

  excellence n. 优秀，卓越，优点

  excellently ad. 优秀地，超群地

e.g.这个男孩下定决心要成为一名优秀教师。

The boy made up his mind to become anexcellent teacher.

   这家商号是优质的保证。

The firm is abyword for excellence.

 

7. progress n.进步，发展，前进

 progression n. 前进

 progressive a. 前进的，渐进的

e.g.老师说这个学生学习进步很快。

The teacher says that this student is showing rapid progress in hisstudies.

她是那个时代最进步的作家。

She is the most progressive writer of those times.

 

8. disillusion n. 觉醒，幻灭

 disillusionment n. 幻灭感

 disillusioned a.大失所望的，幻想破灭的

e.g. 她仍然相信有圣诞老人，要是让她这一幻想破灭有些残忍。

She still believes in Santa Claus and it would be cruel todisillusion her.