读者文摘:失而复得的国旗(2)

Soon enough, there were other flags. A 9/11 firefighter sent one to Marceau signed by dozens of his colleagues, many of whom had responded at the World Trade Center.

很快，又出现了其他的国旗。一位9/11的消防员给玛索寄了有他几十名同事签名的国旗，他们中的许多人都已在世贸中心做出回应。

A Special Forces sergeant¹ major sent a flag he'd taken with him on missions around the world, from Iwo Jima to Afghanistan.

一名特种兵少校给玛索寄了自己在世界各地执行任务时都随身携带的一面国旗。从硫磺岛到阿富汗，他都带着这面国旗。

Marceau, a retired² Marine³ himself and the son and grandson of veterans, cherished these gifts while continuing to pray for the return of Jackson's flag.

退役海军玛索的父亲和爷爷都是老兵，他珍视这些礼物，同时他也继续为找到杰克逊的国旗而祈祷。

Still waiting for those prayers to be answered, Marceau went about his routine as normal.

在等待这些祈祷获得应答的时候，玛索继续照常进行着他的日常生活。

On Tuesday, July 3, he visited his son's grave, just as he has every Tuesday since Jackson was buried.

7月3号，周二这天，像杰克逊下葬后的每个周二一样，他参观了儿子坟墓。

"It's religion," he says. "It's my time to meditate⁴ and pray and get ready for the week."

他说，“这是信仰，这是我冥想、祈祷和为这周做准备的时间。”

When he got to Jackson's grave that morning, there was something there: a flag. Marceau didn't let himself get too excited.

那天早上，他去到杰克逊的坟墓的时候，那有一个东西，一面国旗。玛索没有让自己太激动。

People had gifted him so many flags in the weeks prior that he figured this was just another keepsake that had belonged to someone else.

在那之前的几周里，人们给他送了很多国旗的礼物，他认为这面国旗是属于其他人的一个纪念品。

But when he got closer, he noticed the signatures—black ink on each of the white stripes.

但是当他靠近看的时候，他看到那些签名-黑墨水写在每个白条纹上。

This was his son's flag. "It was pretty amazing," he says. There was also some mystery.

这个是他儿子的国旗。他说，“我感到很惊讶。”还有一些神秘。

Whoever had returned the flag left no note, and as of yet, no one has stepped forward to say he or she returned it.

归还国旗的人没有留下字条，到目前为止，也没有人站出来说是他归还了国旗。

Did the thief bring it back? Did a Good Samaritan find it in a thrift⁵ shop?

是小偷把它送回来的吗？一个善良的撒玛利亚人在旧货店找到它了吗?

Marceau has decided⁶ not to speculate. "For me, it's just a miracle," he says. "It's God. That's who put it there."

玛索打算不再推测了。他说，“对我来说，这就是个奇迹。是上帝，是上帝把他放在这里的。”

1 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

2 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

3 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

4 meditate   

v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想

参考例句：

• It is important to meditate on the meaning of life.思考人生的意义很重要。
• I was meditating,and reached a higher state of consciousness.我在冥想，并进入了一个更高的意识境界。

5 thrift   

adj.节约，节俭；n.节俭，节约

参考例句：

• He has the virtues of thrift and hard work.他具备节俭和勤奋的美德。
• His thrift and industry speak well for his future.他的节俭和勤勉预示着他美好的未来。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。