Text B

A cabdriver on the night shift picks up a frail, old lady who is to spendher last daysin a hospice. She wants to recall her old days by takinga last look at the familiar spots downtown. Thecab driver follows her wish butcharges her no money for the run. For the old woman,the lastcab ride inher life has brought her “a little moment ofjoy”; for the cab driver, it proves to bea “greatmoment” in his life and makes him realize that he has been“placed on earth for the sole purpose of providing her with that last ride”.

              The Cab Ride I'll Never Forget

                                                                    Kent Nerburn

 1 There was a time in my life twenty years ago when I was driving a cab for a living. It was a cowboy's life, a gambler's (赌徒) life, a life for someone who wanted no boss, and who always felt the thrill of a dice (骰子) roll every time a new passenger got into the cab.

2 What I didn't count on(期望) when I took the job was that it was also a ministry (牧师职位). Because I drove the night shift, my cab became a rolling confessional (忏悔室). Passengers would climb in, sit behind me in total anonymity and tell me of their lives.

3 We were like strangers on a train, the passengers and I, rushing through the night, revealing intimacies we would never have dreamed of sharing during the brighter light of day. I encountered people whose lives amazed me, ennobled(使尊贵) me, made me laugh and made me weep (流泪). And none of those lives touched me more than that of a woman I picked up late on a warm August night.

4 I was responding to a call from a small brick building in a quiet part of town. I assumed I was being sent to pick up some party-goers(社交聚会常客), or someone who had just had a fight with a lover, or someone going off to an early shift at some factory in the industrial part of town.

5 When I arrived at the address, the building was dark except for a single light in a ground-floor window. Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a short minute, then drive away. Too many bad possibilities awaited a driver who went up to a darkened building at 2:30 in the morning.

6 But I had seen too many people trapped in a life of poverty who depended on the cab as their only means of transportation(交通). Unless I had smelt danger coming, I always went to the door to find the passenger. It might, I reasoned, be someone who needs my assistance. Would I not want a driver to do the same if my mother or father had called for a cab?

7 So I walked to the door and knocked.

8 "Just a minute," answered a frail(虚弱的) and elderly voice. I could hear the sound of something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman somewhere in her 80s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress (印花连衣裙) and a pillbox hat (筒状女帽) with a veil (面纱) pinned(固定) on it, like someone out of a 1940s movie. By her side was a small nylon(尼龙) suitcase. The sound had been her dragging it across the floor.

9 The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks (小摆设) or utensils(器皿) on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box (纸板箱) filled with photos and glassware (玻璃器皿). 

10 "Would you carry my bag out to the car?" she said. "I'd like a few moments alone. Then, if you could come back and help me? I'm not very strong."

11 I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm, and we walked slowly toward the curb (路缘). She kept thanking me for my kindness.

12 "It's nothing," I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated."

13 "Oh, you're such a good boy," she said. Her praise and appreciation were almost embarrassing.

14 When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, then asked, "Could you drive through downtown(城镇商业中心区)?"

15 "It's not the shortest way," I answered.

16 "Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice (安养院)."

17 I looked in the rearview(后视镜) mirror. Her eyes were glistening (闪耀). "I don't have any family left," she continued. "The doctor says I should go there. He says I don't have very long."

18 I quietly reached over and shut off the meter (计价器). "What route would you like me to go?" I asked.

19 For the next two hours we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator(电梯) operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they had first been married. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse (仓库) that had once been a ballroom (舞厅) where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she would have me slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

20 As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now." 

21 We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home (疗养院). Two orderlies(护理员) came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. Without waiting for me, they opened the door and began assisting the woman. They were considerate(体贴的) and intent(专注的), watching her every move. They must have been expecting her; perhaps she had phoned them right before we left.

22 I opened the trunk (行李箱) and took the small suitcase up to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair(轮椅).

23 "How much do I owe you?" she asked, reaching into her purse.

24 "Nothing," I said.

25 "You have to make a living," she answered.

26 "There are other passengers," I responded.

27 Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. "You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said. "Thank you." 

28 There was nothing more to say. I squeezed (紧握) her hand once, then walked out into the dim(昏暗的) morning light. Behind me, I could hear the door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

29 I did not pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly(无目的地), lost in thought(陷入沉思). For the remainder(剩余) of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, thendriven away? What if I had been in a foul (糟糕透了的) mood and had refused to engage(加入) the woman in conversation? How many other moments like that had I missed or failed to grasp?

30 We are so conditioned(习惯于) to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unawares —beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one. When that woman hugged me and said that I had brought her a moment of joy, it was possible to believe that I had been placed on earth for the sole(唯一的) purpose of providing her with that last ride. 

31 On a quick review, I do not think that I have ever done anything in my life that was any more important.

课文 B 参考译文

                                            无法忘怀的车程

                                                              肯特﹒纳尔本

1    二十年前，我曾经开出租车谋生。那是牛仔的生活，赌徒的生活，适合不想被老板管束的人，乘客一上车你就会有掷骰子时的兴奋感。

2    起初选择这份工作时，我不曾料到这还是一个牧师的岗位。我开的是夜班车，所以我的车就变成了一个流动的忏悔室。乘客一钻进我的车，坐在后排座位，不用通报姓名就向我诉说自己的人生。

3    我与乘客就像是火车上邂逅的陌生人。我们在夜色中驰骋，袒露我们光天白日下压根不可能分享的隐私。遇见的人里，有的故事让我惊讶不已，有的让我备受熏陶，有的让我开怀大笑，也有的让我潸然泪下。最令我感动的是在八月的某一个暖和的深夜我接送的一位女乘客。

4    那晚我接到一个电话，要我把车开到城里一个僻静的区域，找一幢砖砌的小楼去接人。我当时想大概要去接聚会后的客人，或者是一个刚和爱人吵架失和的人，或者是某个赶着去城里工业区的工厂上早班的工人。

5    我赶到那儿时，整栋楼漆黑一片，唯独一楼的一扇窗户透出一丝灯光。在这种情况下，很多司机只会按一两下喇叭，等一小会儿，然后驱车而去。凌晨2：30让个司机走近一栋黑漆漆的大楼，太多可怕的事情都有可能发生。

6    可我知道，太多的人因贫穷所困，只能以出租车作为他们唯一的交通工具。除非我觉察到有什么危险，通常我都会去敲门。我在心里推测，也许这位乘客正需要我的帮助。如果我妈或我爸预约出租车，难道我不希望司机这样做吗？

7    于是，我走到那扇门前，敲了敲。

8   “稍等。”一个羸弱而苍老的声音答应道。我还听到有东西在地上被拖动的声音。等了一阵子之后，门开了。一位八十岁左右的瘦小妇人站在我的面前。她穿着一身印花裙子，戴着一顶平顶无边女帽，上面还别着面纱，看上去就像从20世纪40年代电影中走出来的人。在她身边，放着一个尼龙的小旅行箱。先前听见的声音就是她在地上拖动这个箱子发出来的。

9    这个房子好像很多年没人住过了。所有的家具都蒙着布单。墙上没有挂钟，厨房的长台面上也没有任何小摆设或器皿。在角落里，有一个装满了照片和玻璃器皿的纸箱。

10   “把我的行李提到车上，好吗？”她说。“我想一个人待会儿。然后，你可否回来扶我一把？我力气不够。”

11   我把箱子拿到车上，然后回来帮她。她挽着我的胳膊，和我一起缓缓走向路边。她不停地向我道谢，说我真是个好人。

12   “这没什么”，我告诉她。“我希望别人怎样对待我母亲，我就尽力用同样的态度对待乘客。”

13   “噢，你真是一个好孩子”，她说。她的夸奖和感谢让我有些难为情了。

14   我们上车后，她给了我一个地址，然后问，“你能从市区走吗？”

15   “那可不是最近的路。”我答道。

16   “哦，没关系，”她说。“我不着急。我这是去安养院。”

17   我从后视镜里看见她满眼泪光。“我已经没有家人了，”她继续说。“医生说我该去那儿了，我的时间不多了。”

18   我默默地伸出手，把里程计价器关掉。“您希望我走哪条路线？”我问。

19   在接下来的两个小时里，我们开车穿过城市。她让我看一栋大楼，说她曾在那里当过电梯工。我们开车路过了一个居民区，新婚时候她和丈夫就是住在那里。她要我在一个家具仓库前停下来，那地方曾经是一个舞厅，少女时代的她还在那里跳过舞。有时候，在某个建筑物前，或者某个街角她会让我开慢些，然后就这么坐着，凝视着那片漆黑，一言不发。

20   当第一缕阳光穿透地平线的时候，她忽然说，“我累了，我们走吧。”

21   我们一路无话，直接开到了她给我的地址。那是一幢低矮的建筑，像一个小型的疗养院，车一停，两个护理人员就走了过来。没等我动手，他们就打开了门，扶着老太太下车。他们殷勤又热心，对她每一个动作都很小心看护。他们肯定一直在等她；也许就在动身前她就电话通知了他们。

22   我打开后备箱，取出小旅行箱，把它提到门口。老太太这时候已然坐在轮椅上了。

23   “我该付你多少钱？”她边问，边将手伸进钱包里。

24   “不用了，”我说。

25   “你得赚钱生活啊，”她回答说。

26    “还有别的乘客呢！”我回答说。

27   没想太多，我弯下腰，给了她一个拥抱。她也紧紧地抱住我。“你给了我这个老太婆一些愉快的时光，”她说。“谢谢你。”

28   没有再说什么，我紧紧地握了握她的手，然后走进了朦胧的晨光里。我听到，身后一扇门关上了。那是一个生命即将结束的声音。

29   在那一趟班里，我没再拉别的乘客。我漫无目的地开着车，陷入沉思之中。那天接下来的时间，我几乎无法言语。如果那位老太太遇上一个坏脾气的司机，或者一个急着交班的司机会怎样？如果我拒绝开车带她兜风，或者仅仅按一下喇叭就把车开走会怎样？如果我心情很糟，不肯和她交谈，又会怎样？我会错过或没有抓住多少个那样的时刻啊？

30   我们总是习惯性地认为，生活的中心是伟大的时刻。而伟大的时刻常常在我们不经意间降临——巧妙地包裹在别人或许视为微不足道的瞬间里。老人拥抱着我，说我带给她片刻的开心，那时我甚至相信，我来到这世上的唯一目的就是送她这最后一程。

31   匆匆回首，我想，我这一生中从没做过比这更重要的事情。