Twelve Sincere Smiles

A passenger needed a cup of water to take medicine when the plane just took off. An air hostess promised to bring him the water in a minute, but she was so busy that she forgot it. 1

Thirty minutes later, when the passenger’s bell for service rang, she hurried to him with a cup of water, but he refused it.

In the following hours of the flight, each time the air hostess passed by the passenger, she would ask him with a smile whether he needed help or not,2 but the passenger paid no attention to her.

Before getting off the plane, the passenger asked the air hostess to hand him the passengers’ booklet. She was very sad. She knew that he would write down sharp words, but with a smile she handed it to him.

Off the plane, she opened the booklet and cracked a smile. The passenger put it, “On the flight, you asked me whether I needed help or not for twelve times. How can I refuse your twelve sincere smiles?”3

注解 Note

1. An air hostess promised to bring him the water in a minute, but she was so busy that she forgot it. 一位空姐答应一会儿就拿水给他，但她太忙，忘记了这件事。 

so... that...: 如此……以至（于）……，that在句中表示结果。 

e.g. 

He was so weak that he could not stand up.

他很虚弱，以至于站都站不起来。

2. In the following hours of flight, each time the air hostess passed by the passenger, she would ask him with a smile whether he needed help or not... 在接下来几个小时的飞行中，空姐每次经过这位乘客时都会微笑着问他是否有什么需要……

“would+动词原形”表示过去经常会做的事情，或习惯性的动作。 

e.g. 

When we worked in the same off ice, we would often have coffee together.

我们在同一间办公室工作的时候，经常一起喝咖啡。

3. The passenger put it, “On the flight, you asked me whether I needed help or not for twelve times. How can I refuse your twelve sincere smiles?” 这位乘客写道：“在航程中，你问过我12次是否有什么需要。我怎能拒绝你12次真诚的微笑呢？” 

put：（用说或写的方式）表达，相当于express。 

e.g. 

It is hard to put into words how I feel now.

我现在的感受难以用语言表达。