1    For centuries, people have uprooted(摒弃) their familiar lives and ventured into the unknown. For example, people traveled to colonize(开拓殖民地) undiscovered places. When these new lands were found, even more people traveled there to start new lives. Today, people travel for a variety of reasons, but usually it is for pleasure. I travel to learn about people and hear their stories. I travel to be able to go home and retell these experiences, sharing the knowledge passed onto me.

2    Three months ago, I went on a quest for stories. While other girls my age were preparing for their junior years of high school, I was packing my duffle(行李) bag to fly across the world. I was about to embark(参加) on a study-abroad semester with the Traveling School. With fifteen other girls, I journeyed through South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.    I felt like an explorer, not knowing exactly what I was getting myself into.

3    I didn’t expect I would struggle with homesickness(想家) and have a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I didn’t know that I would question why I came to Africa. But, as the semester progressed, I found my place and started to find answers for my questions.

4    I realized I came to Africa to hear stories and learn about the people who tell them, and to share these experiences with friends and family upon return. As I traveled, I learned that people are willing to share their experiences and life lessons. Their stories are inspiring and valuable because they teach me about the world.

5    One day, when I was in the Langa Township in Cape Town, South Africa, a small girl pulled me by the hand into her cement kitchen. The walls were bleached(使脱光) white by the sun and a slight stench(臭味) of cabbage(卷心菜) hung in the air. Even though I was in her home, I didn’t know her name. She grabbed my hand and tugged(用力拉) me along to her mother. Her mother greeted each of us with a lavender-scented(带薰衣草香味的) hug. She said hello, but before I could start a conversation, my tiny friend pulled me away. This short interaction(互动) left me wanting more. Though I didn’t get a spoken story, I got the story of this girl’s home.   My experience in this house showed me that people are willing to be kind and trusting, even to strangers.

6    A month later, I found myself in another poverty-stricken(贫困的) area. I was visiting Joy’s AIDS orphanage(孤儿院) in Namibia. My knowledge of the disease was sparse(稀少的). As I looked around the truck on our way to the orphanage, I saw my expression reflected in my classmates’ faces. We were nervous and didn’t know what to expect. I was ready to see crying children, clothed in rags(破布), who had never felt love.   As horrible as this sounds, I was expecting this, solely(仅仅) because it is the stereotype(老套，陈规). The second I climbed off our blue overland(越野) truck, I knew it would be different. The younger children shouted and waved happily, though some of the older children stared at us with apprehension(忧虑，疑惧). My stereotype was shattered(粉碎).

7    I found myself with a passive, little girl. She wore clean, skintight jeans and a frilly(镶边的) tank top. I helped her with her social studies homework as we sat on green lawn chairs in the outdoor compound(院子). Even though this girl was fourteen, she was struggling with her sixth grade work. The children arrive at the orphanage uneducated, but through the financial support of foreign donors(捐赠者), they are able to attend school daily. Every day the children are required to sit down and complete their school work.

8    When we had finished, she told me about her eight brothers and took me on a tour of her dormitory. I learned through her stories. My perspective on global issues like AIDS shifted as I heard more about her life and her perseverance. I feel honored that she trusted me enough to share her experiences.

9    On hundreds of occasions, I have been amazed by the trust people have shown me. They willingly share their lessons. I travel for the experiences, which I can then share with others. People’s stories teach me everything I know and everything I have learned.

1. For centuries, people have uprooted their familiar lives and ventured into the unknown. 

几百年来，人们摒弃他们熟悉的生活，冒险去探索未知的世界。 

uproot 意为“根除，拔起”，这里相当于 abandon “放弃，离开”。the unknown 是“定冠词+过去分词/形容词”结构，指一类人或物，这儿指未知的世界。又如：

the wounded  伤员

to do the impossible  做不可能的事

2. I felt like an explorer, not knowing exactly what I was getting myself into.

我感到自己像个探险家，不知道究竟会遭遇到什么。 

句中 not knowing... 是现在分词短语作状语，表示一种伴随状态。what 引出的是分词短语的宾语从句。get oneself into 意为“使自己陷入，使自己遭遇到”。

3. I didn’t expect I would struggle with homesickness and have a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. 

我没想到自己还要与想家作斗争，还难以想象我的余生想要做些什么。 

I didn’t expect 意为“我没想到”；have a hard time doing something 意为“做某事有困难”；figure out 意为“想出，断定”。

4. My experience in this house showed me that people are willing to be kind and trusting, even to strangers.

我在这一家的经历让我知道，人们是愿意友好真诚待人的， 即使对陌生人也是如此。 

be kind and trusting to somebody 意为“友好真诚地待人”。

5. As horrible as this sounds, I was expecting this, solely because it is the stereotype.

听上去虽然可怕，但我只是凭老观念推测而已。 

句中 As horrible as this sounds = Although this sounds so horrible。之所以这样猜想，仅仅是因为这是固定不变的老看法而已。

6. My perspective on global issues like AIDS shifted as I heard more about her life and her perseverance.

随着我对她的生活和她坚持不懈的努力有了更多的了解，我对全球问题(如艾滋病)的看法也有了改变。

句中 as 引出的是时间状语从句。

7. People’s stories teach me everything I know and everything I have learned.

我所知道的一切和我所学到的一切都得益于别人的故事。

句中 I know 和 I have learned 分别为 everything 的定语从句。