20-The Thing I Value Most 我最珍视的东西

The Thing I Value Most 我最珍视的东西

It has been somtimes since Jack¹ has seen the old man.College,girls ,career,and life itself got in the way.In fact,Jack moved clear crossed the country and persuit his dreams .There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future and nothing could stop him.

　　Over the phone his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral² is Wednesday."

　　Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel.

　　"Jack, did you hear me?"

　　"Oh sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him." Jack said.

　　"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent with him," Mom told him.

　　"He spent a lot of time teaching³ me things he thought were important… Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.

　　Jack kept his word and attended Mr. Belser's funeral.

　　The night before he returned home Jack and his Mom went to see Mr. Belser's old house one more time.

　 Standing⁴ in the doorway⁵ Jack paused⁶ for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension⁷, a leap⁸ through space and time. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture...Jack stopped suddenly.

　　"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.

　　"The box is gone," he said.

　　"What box?" Mom asked.

　　"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was, 'The thing I value most.' Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said.

　　It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. One day Jack discovered a parcel⁹ list in his mailbox.

　　Early the next day Jack retrieved¹⁰ the package. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention.

　　"Mr. Harold Belser," it read.

　　Jack tore it open. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.

　　"Upon my death please forward this box to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I value most in my life." His heart raced as tears filled his eyes. Jack carefully unlocked¹¹ the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.

　　He opened the cover. Inside he found these words engraved¹²: "Jack, Thanks for your time! — Harold Belser."

　　"The thing he valued most...was...my time."

　　Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days…he needed some time to spend with his wife and son.

1 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

2 funeral   

n.丧葬，葬礼；adj.丧葬的，出殡的

参考例句：

• Her bright clothes were not appropriate for a funeral.她那身鲜艳的衣服不适合参加葬礼。
• A funeral is a somber occasion.葬礼是个忧郁的场合。

3 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

6 paused   

v.停顿( pause的过去式和过去分词 )；暂停；（按暂停键）暂停放音；暂停放像

参考例句：

• We paused for the red light at State College Street. 我们在州立大学大街上因遇到红灯而停了一下。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The joggers paused to catch their breath. 慢跑者们暂停下来以便喘口气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 dimension   

n.尺寸，长(或宽、深、厚)度；大小，程度

参考例句：

• A third dimension has been recently added,that of service.最近又提出了第三方面的需求，即服务的需要。
• Length is one dimension,and breadth is another.长是一种度量，宽又是另一种度量。

8 leap   

n.跳跃，飞跃，跃进；vi.跳跃，跳过；猛然行动，迅速行动；vt.跃过，使跃过

参考例句：

• In the last few years,this art has made a big leap.近几年来，这一艺术有了新的跃进。
• Her marriage to John was a leap in the dark.她与约翰结婚是贸然行动。

9 parcel   

n.小包；包裹；vt.分配；打包；adj.部分的；adv.局部地

参考例句：

• Shall I tie up your things in a parcel?我把您的东西包起来，好吗？
• The parcel was sent express.这包裹是用快递方式寄出去的。

10 retrieved   

v.取回( retrieve的过去式和过去分词 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息）

参考例句：

• Yesterday I retrieved the bag I left in the train. 昨天我取回了遗留在火车上的包。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He reached over and retrieved his jacket from the back seat. 他伸手从后座上取回了自己的夹克。 来自辞典例句

11 unlocked   

v.开锁( unlock的过去式和过去分词 )；开启；揭开；开着，解开

参考例句：

• Don't leave your desk unlocked. 请不要忘记锁好办公桌。
• On no account should you leave the door unlocked. 你无论如何也不应该不锁门。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 engraved   

v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中）

参考例句：

• The silver cup was engraved with his name. 银杯上刻有他的名字。
• It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back. 此件雕刻精美，背面有花饰图案。 来自《简明英汉词典》