簡單的耐心之舉

A SIMPLE ACT OF PATIENCE

Recently a popular department store opened in our area. People have been talking about it for months! On the third day after its grand opening, I thought I’d stop by to visit.

When I arrived there I noticed right away that the parking area was extremely busy. As I had parked my car and was about to go into the store, a lady had just gotten into her car and was about to leave. She had parked across from me and there was a four-waystop sign behind our parking area. As the lady tried to back out, some of the other drivers were extremely rude! They shouted and beeped at the lady and she had a look of terror on her face. She looked at me hopelessly as if she didn’t know what to do.

I gestured for the lady to pull down her window and I told her that she was doing just fine. She smiled and seemed to relax. I then became her rearview mirror as it was hard for her to see behind her while backing out of the parking space. As I watched for her safety, she was able to back out far enough to drive forward.

At this point, she was even happier! She thanked me many times. I thought that many of the other drivers weren’t sympathetic enough toward this clearly nervous woman and I was happy to help the lady out. Besides, who knows, I may have prevented a potential accident thanks to what I had done.

【日積月累】

◇department store 百貨公司

◇rearview mirror n.（車輛上的）后視鏡

◇four-waystop 四向停車(在一個不大的十字路口，放上紅綠燈不經濟，就在四個方向放上STOP的牌子，每輛車到路口時都要先停一下，然后按照先來后到通行)

◇beep v. (使汽車喇叭等) 發出嘟嘟聲

◇sympathetic adj. 有同情心的

◇potential adj. 可能的，潛在的

【參考譯文】

簡單的耐心之舉

我們那最近開了家很受歡迎的百貨公司。人們好幾個月前就開始討論它。隆重的開張儀式后的第三天，我覺得該去看一看。

我一到那馬上就發現停車場擁堵不堪。當我停好車正要走進商店的時候，一位女士剛剛上了車要離開。她的車停在我對面，在我們車位后面有一個四向停車的車牌。當她嘗試把車倒出了來的時候，其他司機表現得很不禮貌。他們叫嚷著，還朝她按喇叭，她臉上露出恐懼的神色。她無助地看著我，不知道該怎么辦。

我做手勢讓她把車窗搖下來，我告訴她她做得不錯。她笑了，看上去放松不少。接著我成了她的后視鏡，因為要從車位倒出來她很難看到她后面的情況。有我為她的安全照應著，她最終倒出了足夠寬的距離，可以上路了。

這時她更高興了。她不停地謝我。我認為其他司機一點都不同情這位明顯十分緊張的女士，我很高興我幫上了忙。而且，說不定我這樣做也許還避免了一場交通意外呢。

【人生啟迪】

在這個像機器一樣轟隆隆快速運轉的世界里，人們像陀螺一樣轉個不停，內心也漸漸變得更鋼鐵一樣冰冷堅硬。自己沒有喘息的機會，也不給別人喘息的機會。其實我們該設身處地為別人想想，多點耐心，多點微笑，這個世界才不會能為一個沒有人情的機器。