Text Organization
Parts | Para(s) | Main Ideas |
1 | 1~9 | On Thanksgiving Day 1943, as a young coastguardsman at sea, the writer came up with the idea of expressing his gratitude to people who had helped him before. |
2 | 10~16 | The writer wrote three thank-you letters to his father, the Rev. Nelson and his grandmother respectively. |
3 | 17~23 | The writer received three letters in reply. |
4 | 24~26 | The writer wishes everyone to find the good and praise it. |
Fill in the table with the main contents of the letters.
| Correspondents | Letters Sent | Letters Received |
| Father |
|
|
The Rev. Nelso |
|
|
| Grandmother |
|
|
Useful Expressions
| 认真思考 | give serious thought to |
| 真挚的文字 | give serious thought to |
| 由衷的感激 | heartfelt appreciation |
| 渐渐变成一种…的习惯 | graduate into a habit of … |
| 电子媒体 | electronic media |
| 很少了解 | have little awareness of |
| 给…撒下美妙的遐想 | sprinkle … with stardust |
| 按常规 | in the routine |
| 个人经历 | personal experience |
| 最重要的事 | topmost priority |
| 冲上甲板 | pound up on deck |
| 围聚在…周围 | cluster about … |
| 一把把 | fistfuls of |
| 发生迅猛的变化 | undergo swift changes |
| 自我怀疑地 | in self-doubt |
| 一个字母一个字母地 | character by character |
| 向…表达充满慈爱的谢意 | express one’s loving gratefulness to … |
| 靠当…为生 | make a living as a |
| 使某人意识到 | give sb. an insight into |
| 有着相似的需求 | with similar needs |
| 简单的常识 | simple common sense |
| 实现世界和平 | achieve world peace |
| 对…至关重要 | be paramount for … |
Sentences to Appreciate
1. Yet my mind seemed to be in quest of something else — some way that I could personally apply to the close of Thanksgiving. It must have taken me a half hour to sense that maybe some key to an answer could result from reversing the word “Thanksgiving” — at least that suggested a verbal direction, “Giving thanks.”
(=可我脑子里似乎还在搜索着别的什么——某种我能够赋予整个节日以个人意义的方式。大概过了半个小时左右我才意识到，问题的关键也许在于把 Thanksgiving 这个词前后颠倒一下——那样一来至少字面意义好懂了：Giving thanks。)
2. Yet my mind continued turning the idea over. After a while, like a dawn's brightening, a further answer did come — that there were people to thank, people who had done so much for me that I could never possibly repay them.
(=可我脑子里仍一直翻腾着这事。过了片刻，如同晨曦初现，一个更清晰的念头终于涌现脑际——要感谢他人，那些赐我以诸多恩惠，我根本无以回报的人们。)
3. At least seven people had been particularly and lastingly helpful to me. I realized, swallowing hard, that about half of them had since died — so they were forever beyond any possible expression of gratitude from me.
(=至少有七个人对我有过不同寻常、影响深远的帮助。令人万分难受的是，我意识到，他们中有一半已经谢世了——因此他们永远也无法接受我的谢意了。)
4. A glance at Grandma’s familiar handwriting brought back in a flash memories of standing alongside her white rocking chair, watching her “settin’ down” some letter to relatives.
(=一看到外祖母那熟悉的笔迹，我顿时回想起往日站在她的白色摇椅旁看她给亲戚写信的情景。)
5. 那些注意力集中于感恩的人明显感觉更加幸福。他们积极乐观地看待生活。他们鲜有诉说有头疼感冒之类的身体不适症状，他们还积极参加健康有益的活动。
(=The people who focused on gratitude were just flat-out happier. They saw their lives in favorable terms. They reported fewer negative physical symptoms such as headaches or colds, and they were active in ways that were good for them.)
6. 每天花上片刻——一般最好是临睡之前——扼要记下三件当日发生的让你心存感激的事情。任何使你精神振奋的事，使你绽露笑容、心情愉悦的事，或为你的将来带来幸福感的事，都行。
(=Take a moment during the day — right before bedtime is usually best — to jot down three things that happened that day for which you are grateful. Anything that made you feel uplifted, that brought a smile to your face or your heart, or will contribute toward your future happiness, works.)
7. 过一段时间，你会发现在令你感激的条目列表中有着某种一致性。许多条目显示他人在你生活中所起的重要作用。其它条目突出一些有意义的经历。还有一些则涉及由你引发的事情，你能满怀豪情地指着说，“我促成了此事。”
(=Over time, you'll notice a consistency within the list of items you're grateful for. Many entries will underscore the importance of people in your life. Others will highlight meaningful experiences. Still other items will be things that began with you, things you created that you can point to with pride and say, I made that happen.)
8. 感激之情，在向别人表示之后，几乎总能辗转返回。被感激的人更加愿意为那些使他们觉得自己有价值的人作出回报。
(=Gratitude, when expressed to others, almost always comes back around. People who feel appreciated are more willing to make an effort for those who make them feel valued.)
Theme-related Cloze Exercise
