10-4 砖块（在线收听）

The Brick

About ten years ago, a young and very successful executive named Josh was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going a bit too fast in his sleek¹, black, 12 cylinder² Jaguar XKE, which was only two months old.

He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no child darted out, but a brick sailed out and --WHUMP! -- it smashed into the Jag's shiny black side door! SCREECH³...!!!! Brakes slammed⁴! Gears⁵ ground into reverse, and tires madly spun the Jaguar back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown. Josh jumped out of the car, grabbed the kid and pushed him up against a parked car. He shouted at the kid, “What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck⁶ are you doing?!” Building up a head of steam, he went on. “That's my new Jag, that brick you threw is gonna cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it?”

“Please, mister, please... I'm sorry! I didn't know what else to do! ”Pleaded the youngster. “ I threw the brick because no one else would stop!” Tears were dripping down the boy's chin as he pointed around the parked car. “It's my brother, mister,” he said. “He rolled off the curb⁷ and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up.” Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me.”

Moved beyond words, the young executive tried desperately to swallow the rapidly swelling⁸ lump in his throat. Straining, he lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes⁹ and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK. He then watched the younger brother push him down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long walk back to the sleek, black, shining, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE -- a long and slow walk. Josh never did fix the side door of his Jaguar. He kept the dent¹⁰ to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention. Feel for the bricks of life coming at to you.

注释：

1. sleek [sli:k] a. 线条明快的，造型优美的，豪华的

2. cylinder [5silindE] n. [机]（发动机）汽缸

3. screech [skri:tF] n. 尖锐刺耳的声音

4. slam [slAm] vt. 使劲关，使劲推，猛击

5. gear [^iE] n. 齿轮，转动装置，（排）档

6. heck [hek] n. [口] 用以加强语气或咒骂，hell的委婉语

7. curb [kE:b] n. [美]（由路缘石砌成的街道或人行道的）路缘

8. swell [swel] vi.（泉水、眼泪等）上涌；（情绪等）升涨，高涨

9. scrape [skreIp] n. 擦伤（处），擦痕

10. dent [dent] n. 凹痕，凹坑，凹部

砖块

大约10年前，一位名叫乔希的年轻而又非常成功的经理驾车行驶在芝加哥一个居民区的街道上。他飞快地开着他那辆豪华的黑色12缸豹牌XKE汽车，车才买了两个月。

他注意看着有没有孩子从停着的车辆间飞奔出来，当他觉得看到了什么东西时，便把车速减了下来。在他的车子开过去时，没有孩子奔跑出来，但有一个砖块飞了出来——嘭！它正砸在豹牌汽车那锃亮的黑色车门上！刺耳的急刹车声！乔希猛地刹车，挂上倒档，气汹汹地把车倒回砖块飞出来的地方。他跳下车，一把抓住那个孩子，把他按在一辆停放着的车上。他冲孩子嚷道：“到底是怎么回事，你是谁？你捣什么鬼呢？！”乔希火冒三丈，继续嚷道：“这是我的新车，你扔的那块砖头会让你赔好多钱的。你为什么要扔？”

 “求您了，先生，请您别……对不起！我没有别的办法！”那位少年哀求道。“我扔石块是因为别人都不肯停下来！”眼泪流到孩子的下巴处，他指向车子的另一边。“那是我的哥哥，先生，”他说。“他滑出了人行道，从他的轮椅上摔下来了，我无法扶起他。”孩子抽泣着，请求经理：“您能帮我把他扶回轮椅上吗？他受伤了，他太重了，我弄不动他。”

年轻的经理感动得不知说什么好，使劲咽下涌上喉咙的哽咽。他努力将年轻人扶到轮椅上，拿出自己的手帕给他轻擦蹭痕和伤口，并确信一切都没问题了，然后目送弟弟推着哥哥在人行道上朝家而去。

走回那辆漆黑锃亮的12缸豹牌XKE豪华汽车有段距离——是漫长而缓慢的一段路。乔希后来从没有去修他的车门。他保留着那处凹痕以提醒自己生活不应如此行色匆匆，等别人扔来砖块才引起自己注意。要注意察觉种种朝你飞来的生活的砖块。