美文欣赏:患难见人心，逆境见真情

 　　My community and state are still recovering from the catastrophe¹ that struck recently. A wall of storms with hurricane force winds struck late on a Friday evening knocking down trees, blocking roads, damaging homes, and destroying power lines.

　　最近的一次灾难给我们的州、我们的社区带来了很大的影响。暴风雨夹杂着飓风在周五的晚上登陆，树木被刮倒，道路被封锁，家园被摧毁，电路被中断。

　　Hundreds of thousands of people suddenly found themselves in the dark without water, electricity, air conditioning, telephones, internet, and television. They found themselves cut off from the modern world enduring sweltering 90 degree plus heat with no help and no idea when it would be over.

　　数以万计的人生活在黑暗缺水的环境中，因为电路的中断，无法使用空调、电话，也不能上网、看电视。受灾群众发现自己彻底和外界断了联系，忍受着华氏90度（32摄氏度）以上的高温，束手无策，而且不知道生活何时能恢复正常。

　　The most amazing thing happened, however, as the reality of the crisis² sank in: it brought out the best in us. While there were a few acts of selfishness and stealing they were overwhelmed³ by the wave of love and compassion⁴ that came from the hearts of so many.

　　但是不可思议的事情发生了，尽管危机降临，但是它让我们激发了我们最好的本质。尽管也偶尔有自私和偷盗的行为，我们绝大多数人都沐浴在爱和热情之中。

　　People shared their food, ice, and gasoline. People who still had power opened their homes to those who had none. People rushed out to clear roads and homes of fallen trees. Selfless power crews worked around the clock to repair the damage and restore electricity.

　　我们互相之间分享食物、冰块、汽油。家里还有电的人会向那些家里断电的人敞开家门。人们自发的跑到街上清理道路和家中倒下的树木。无私的电力维修工争分夺秒修理电路，恢复供电。

　　People gathered on front porches⁵ to talk, share hugs and offer words of hope and faith that God would see them through it all. Strangers came together as one family to help each other in this time of great need.

　　人们在前门廊交谈鼓劲、相互拥抱，说着神明如果看到他们的遭遇会给他们带来希望和信仰。

　　It was such a joy seeing all these people acting⁶ like true Children of God under the most trying of circumstances.

　　面对如此困境，这些人就像上帝之子散播的善良，不禁让人心生欣慰。

　　Life's disasters strike all of us from time to time. No one is spared.

　　生活中的灾难总会时不时给我们打击。无人能幸免。

　　We all get hurt. We all get challenged.

　　我们都会受伤，我们都会遇到挑战。

　　We all get squeezed by difficulties during our days here.

　　我们都会被生活的磨难压榨。

　　How we respond to them, though, is up to us.

　　不过，我们怎么样应对则它取决于我们自己。

　　We can let them bring out the worst is us or we can let them bring out the best in us. We can react to them like demons⁷ of selfishness or like angels of love.

　　他们可以让我们展现最丑陋的一面，也可以让我们展现最善良的一面，我们可以变成魔鬼般的自私也可以变成天使般的仁爱。

　　May you always bring the best from your heart and soul to whatever life may throw at you then. May you live all of your days here with so much love that Heaven sings and God smiles.

　　愿不管生活如何待你，你都能还以发自内心的善良。愿你此生浸润在爱中，就像天堂的笙歌和上帝的微笑。

1 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

2 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

3 overwhelmed   

[ overwhelm ]的过去式

参考例句：

• She was overwhelmed by feelings of guilt. 她感到愧疚难当。
• If (one was) overwhelmed by passion, it could lead to serious blunders. 当感情完全淹没理智时，就可能铸成大错。

4 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

5 porches   

n.门廊( porch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He courted the summer girls on boarding-house porches. 他在公寓凉台上跟夏天来度假的青年女客吊膀子。 来自辞典例句
• First floor depth of a house six, around are the porches. 底层进深六间，前后为廊。 来自互联网

6 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

7 demons   

n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念

参考例句：

• demons torturing the sinners in Hell 地狱里折磨罪人的魔鬼
• He is plagued by demons which go back to his traumatic childhood. 他为心魔所困扰，那可追溯至他饱受创伤的童年。 来自《简明英汉词典》