Thoughtful Advice from a Stranger|陌生人的肺腑之言

Thoughtful Advice from a Stranger

by Brian Foden

A heartfelt, inspirational story about the importance of family

　　While I was driving one rainy night, I discovered I had a flat tire. Fortunately, another motorist drove by and stopped to help me. In gratitude, I offered him some money, but he refused and said that if I had the time, I could buy him a cup of coffee at a place up the street instead.

　　While we sat in the coffee shop, he told me his name was Dan and asked if I had any brothers or sisters. I told him I had a brother that I hadn't seen in a long time. "That sounded like me at one time," Dan said. "Then, something changed all that."

　　Dan told me that he and his brother hadn't been close until recently. "We used to get on each other's nerves, I guess," he said. The distance between the two brothers bothered their father immensely. Their dad urged them to find some way to get along. Finally, at their father's insistence, the two siblings and their father arranged to have dinner together.

　　During dinner, Dan could see the absolute joy in his father's face and eventually concluded that his brother wasn't that bad after all. Shortly afterwards, Dan's father died from cancer, a disease he had hidden from nearly everyone. Before long, Dan received an envelope that his father had mailed just before he died. In the envelope were vouchers for a dozen more dinners for two at that same restaurant where all three of them had dined.

　　"I suppose my father wanted to make sure my brother and I had dinner together regularly," Dan said with tears in his eyes. On that fateful night, I decided to heed Dan's advice and called my brother to make amends.

     1.     Where did most of this story take place?

(A) On the side of the road.

(B) At a hotel restaurant in Dan's hometown.

(C) At a coffee shop not far from where the author had car trouble.

(D) At Dan's brother's house.

     2.     Which of the following is true?

(A) Dan got a flat tire on a rainy night.

(B) The author has always been very close to his brother.

(C) Dan always thought his father liked his brother more.

(D) Dan's father wanted to make sure the brothers stayed in touch.

     3.     Why hadn't Dan seen his brother until recently?

(A) They used to be annoyed with each other.

(B) Dan was too busy taking care of his father to worry about his brother.

(C) Dan's brother had had an illness for many years.

(D) Dan's brother was too nervous to meet him in public.

     4.     What is the moral of the story?

(A) Apples never fall far from the tree.

(B) After a parent passes away, people experience empty nest syndrome.

(C) Brothers sometimes have a love-hate relationship with each other.

(D) Family is one of the most important things in people's lives.

陌生人的肺腑之言

一则关于家庭重要性，由衷且发人省思的故事

　　我在一个下雨的夜晚开着车时，发现我的轮胎爆胎了。很幸运地，另一位驾驶开车经过并停下来帮我。我给他一些钱以示感谢，但是他拒绝了，并且表示如果我有时间的话，可以在街上买杯咖啡请他喝来代替。

　　我们坐在咖啡厅时，他说他的名字叫做丹，并问我是否有兄弟姐妹。我对他说我有一个很久没见的弟弟。丹说：『那听起来像是某时期的我，但某件事改变了这一切。』

　　丹告诉我，他和他哥直到最近才比较亲近。他说：『我想我们俩以前是见了面就让彼此很心烦。』两兄弟间的疏远让他们的父亲很困扰。他们的父亲要他们找些让彼此相处更融洽的方法。最后，在父亲的坚持下，这俩兄弟安排和老爸一起吃顿晚餐。

　　在晚餐期间，丹可以在他父亲脸上见到无限欢乐，而最后得出毕竟他哥哥也没那么糟的结论。这顿饭不久后，丹的父亲就因癌症而过世，他几乎对所有人隐瞒他的病情。不久后，丹收到他父亲去世前寄给他的一个信封。在这个信封里装有十几张双人用的晚餐餐券，地点就是他们父子三人曾一起在那里用餐的那家餐厅。

　　丹眼眶泛泪地说：『我想我老爸一定是想要确定我会常和我哥一起去吃晚餐吧。』就在决定性的这一晚，我决定要听从丹的劝告，打个电话给我弟弥补一下之前的缺憾。

答案： 1.   C   2.   D   3.   A   4.   D

 

　　《扬子晚报》报导，2006 年大学毕业的靳冰到南京工作。同年底，她在电视上看到一位年迈的农民父亲痛哭流涕地寻找三十年前送走的女儿。靳冰说，老夫妇满怀期待，和自己亲生母亲当年痛失孙子时的情况很相似，令她很难忘。

　　但遭送领养的杜家女儿心结仍在，不愿与亲生父母相认。靳冰发现，自己和杜家女儿外貌相似，也同年出生，于是她决定冒充女儿和杜家联络。直到去年老妇病逝，靳冰共承欢膝下六年之久。

　　靳冰回忆，她 2007 年第一次要进杜家时，当地大批村民放鞭炮欢迎，尽管她已和杜妈妈以外的杜家人讲明，自己是假扮女儿，但杜家人连同村民都流下激动的眼泪。当时卧病多年的杜妈妈更特地到家门口迎接，两人一见面就抱头痛哭。杜家大姊表示，靳冰不仅为杜家换了又新又大的彩色电视，每年四季还帮杜妈妈买新衣及新鞋。『每件事她都做了，而且一做就是六年。』杜家大姐说，靳冰的孝心让杜家一度以为她真的是杜家的女儿。

　　靳冰回忆，其实早在 2009 年，杜妈妈就知道自己不是其亲生女儿，但怕她离开所以没说穿，直至去年杜妈妈去世，靳冰及先生甚至以孝女及孝女婿的身份，做完每道仪式。靳冰说，她很幸运多了一对父母，他们在彼此身上都得到满满的爱。（数据源：中国新闻网）