英语听力文摘 English Digest 40、如何帮助陷入麻烦的好朋友

　　Dear Annie:
I have known "Celia" for five years and love her like a sister. A few months ago, I found out that Celia's husband is having an affair with a former employee. I know he meets this woman at variousout-of-the-way places and that he leaves work in the middle of the day to see her on her lunch hour. We live in a small town, and I'm not the only one who sees what's going on. I imagine Celia suspects more than she is saying and is trying to keep it quiet out of concern for her children.
Celia used to be so energetic and have such a spark¹ for life, but now she seems burned out all the time. I want her to know that I am here for her, but don't want to embarrass² her or lose her friendship. What should I do? － U.S.A.
Dear U.S.A.:
Celia is probably aware that her husband is cheating, but for whatever reason, she has chosen not to address it. Please don't force her to deal with this before she is ready. If you want to be a good friend, tell Celia she seems tired and depressed³ and if she needs someone to listen, you are available. You also might suggest that she seek professional help. The rest is up to her.
affair  (n.)   婚外情；恋情
various  (adj.)   各式各样的；种种的
out-of-the-way   隐密的；偏僻的
to imagine  (v.)   想像；推测
to keep something quiet   对…保持沉默；三缄其口
energetic  (adj.)   精力充沛的；活力十足的
spark  (n.)   生气；活力
to be burned out   耗尽（热情、精力等）
to be aware   留意；注意

1 spark   

n.火花，朝气，情人，俗丽的年轻人；vi.闪烁，冒火花，热情回应；vt.激发，引起，追求

参考例句：

• A single spark can start a prairie fire.星星之火，可以燎原。
• What made the electric wire spark?电线冒火花是什么原因？

2 embarrass   

vt.使困窘，使局促不安，阻碍

参考例句：

• He didn't mean to embarrass you.他不是成心让你难堪。
• He is a shy person.Don't embarrass him any more.他是个腼腆的人，你就不要再羞躁他了。

3 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。