英语小达人 420 A Good Heart to Lean On(2)

 When snow or ice was on the ground, it was impossible for him to walk, even with help.  每当冰封大地，雪花飘飘的时候，若是没有帮助，他简直举步维艰。

At such times my sisters or I would pull him through the streets of Brooklyn, NY, on a child's sleigh to the subway entrance.  每当此时，我或我的姐妹们就用儿童雪橇把他拉过纽约布鲁克林区的街道，一直送他到地铁的入口处。

Once there, he would cling¹ to the handrail until he reached the lower steps that the warmer tunnel air kept ice-free.  一到那儿，他便手抓扶手一直走到底下的台阶时才放开手，因为那里通道的空气暖和些，地面上没有结冰。

In Manhattan the subway station was the basement of his office building,  到了曼哈顿，地铁站就在他办公楼的地下一层，

and he would not have to go outside again until we met him in Brooklyn' on his way home. 在我们在布鲁克林接他回家之前他无须再走出楼来。

When I think of it now,  如今每当我想起这些，

I marvel² at how much courage it must have taken for a grown man to subject himself to such indignity³ and stress.  我惊叹一个成年男子要经受信这种侮辱和压力得需要多么大的勇气啊！

And at how he did it --without bitterness or complaint. 叹服他竟然能够做到这一点，不带任何痛苦，没有丝毫抱怨。  

He never talked about himself as an object of pity,  他从不说自己可怜，

nor did he show any envy of the more fortunate or able.  也从不嫉妒别人的幸运和能力。

What he looked for in others was a "good heart",  他所期望的是人家"善良的心"，

and if he found one, the owner was good enough for him. 当他得到时，人家真的对他很好。

1 cling   

vi.缠住，粘住，依恋，依靠，坚信，坚持

参考例句：

• Wet clothes cling to the body.湿衣服贴身。
• Members of a family should cling together in times of trouble.一家人应该患难与共。

2 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

3 indignity   

n.侮辱，伤害尊严，轻蔑

参考例句：

• For more than a year we have suffered the indignity.在一年多的时间里,我们丢尽了丑。
• She was subjected to indignity and humiliation.她受到侮辱和羞辱。