温馨夜读II PART4 15.The Most Beautiful Flower

 

[00:00.31]15.The Most Beautiful Flower

[00:04.34]The park bench was deserted¹ as I sat down to read beneath the long, straggly branches of an old willow² tree. 

[00:13.05]Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown, for the world was intent on dragging me down.

[00:20.24]And if that weren’t enough to ruin my day, a young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play. 

[00:28.09]He stood right before me with his head tilted³ down and said with great excitement, “Look what I found!”

[00:36.14]In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight, with its petals⁴ all worn - not enough rain, or too little light. 

[00:47.96]Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play, I faked a small smile and then shifted away.

[00:56.23]But instead of retreating he sat down next to my side and placed the flower to his nose and declared with surprise, 

[01:05.48]“It sure smells pretty and it’s beautiful, too. 

[01:08.64]That’s why I picked it; here, it’s for you.”

[01:12.78]The weed before me was dying or dead，not vibrant⁵ of colors, orange, yellow or red. 

[01:19.32]But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave. 

[01:23.01]So I reached for the flower, and replied, “Just what I need.”

[01:29.11]But instead of him placing the flower in my hand, he held it mid-air without reason or plan. 

[01:37.61]It was then that I noticed for the very first time, that the boy could not see: he was blind.

[01:46.64]I heard my voice quiver, tears shone like the sun. 

[01:51.87]As I thanked him for picking the very best one, 

[01:55.46]“You’re welcome,” he smiled, and then ran off to play, unaware⁶ of the impact he’d had on my day.

[02:02.98]I sat there and wondered how he managed to see a self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree. 

[02:11.36]How did he know of my self-indulged plight⁷? Perhaps from his heart, he’d been blessed with true sight.

[02:20.40]Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see, the problem was not with the world; the problem was with me. 

[02:30.11]And for all of those times I myself had been blind, I vowed⁸ to see beauty. 

[02:35.80]Then I held that wilted⁹ flower up to my nose, breathed in the fragrance¹⁰ of a beautiful rose and smiled as that young boy. 

[02:45.86]Another weed in his hand was about to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.

1 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

2 willow   

n.柳树

参考例句：

• The river was sparsely lined with willow trees.河边疏疏落落有几棵柳树。
• The willow's shadow falls on the lake.垂柳的影子倒映在湖面上。

3 tilted   

v. 倾斜的

参考例句：

• Suddenly the boat tilted to one side. 小船突然倾向一侧。
• She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。

4 petals   

n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• white petals tinged with blue 略带蓝色的白花瓣
• The petals of many flowers expand in the sunshine. 许多花瓣在阳光下开放。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

6 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

7 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

8 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

9 wilted   

（使）凋谢，枯萎( wilt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The flowers wilted in the hot sun. 花在烈日下枯萎了。
• The romance blossomed for six or seven months, and then wilted. 那罗曼史持续六七个月之后就告吹了。

10 fragrance   

n.芬芳，香味，香气

参考例句：

• The apple blossoms filled the air with their fragrance.苹果花使空气充满香味。
• The fragrance of lavender filled the room.房间里充满了薰衣草的香味。