大学英语四unit2 第四次课

Unit 4 Fresh StartFresh Start[1] I first began to wonder what I was doing on a college campus when my parents drove off, leaving me standing pitifully in a parking lot. I decided I wanted nothing more than to find my way safely to my dorm room. It seemed that everyone on campus was watching me. My plan was to keep my ears open and my mouth shut and I hoped no one would notice I was a freshman.[2] The next morning I found my first class and marched in. Once I was in the room, however, another problem awaited me. Where to sit? After much hesitation I chose a seat in the first row and to the side.[3] "Welcome to Biology 101," the professor began. Oh, God, I had thought it was a literature class. A cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck. I groped for my schedule and checked the room number. I was in the right room but the wrong building.[4] So now what? Get up and leave in the middle of the lecture? Wouldn't the professor be angry? I knew everyone would stare. Forget it. I settled into my chair and tried to look as serious as a biology major might be.[5] After class I felt a little hungry, and I hurried to the cafeteria. I piled my tray with sandwiches and was heading for the seat when I accidentally stepped in a large puddle of ketchup. My food tray tipped and I lost my balance. As my rear end met the floor, I saw my entire life pass before my eyes; it ended with my first day of college classes.[6] In the seconds after my fall I thought how nice it would be if no one had noticed. But as all the students in the cafeteria came to their feet, cheering and clapping, I knew they had not only noticed, they were determined that I would never forget it.[7] For the next three days I dined alone on nothing more than shame, and some junk food from a machine placed outside my room. On the fourth day I thought I needed some real food badly. Perhaps three days was long enough for the campus population [N] to have forgotten me. So off to the cafeteria I went.[8] I made my way through the food line and tiptoed to a table. Suddenly I heard a crash that sounded familiar. I looked up to find that another poor soul had met the same fate as I had. My heart went out to him as people began to cheer and clap as they had for me. He got up, hands held high above his head in a victory clasp, grinning from ear to ear.I expected him to slip out of the cafeteria as I had, but instead he turned around and began preparing another tray. And that's when I realized I had been taking myself far too seriously.[9] Who cared whether I dropped a tray, where I sat in class, or even whether Ishowed up in the wrong lecture? Nobody. This wasn't like high school. In college, it didn't matter. This was my big chance to do my own thing.[10] Once I realized that I had no one's expectations to live up to but my own, I relaxed. I began to view college as a wonderful experiment. I dressed a little differently, I discovered a taste for jazz, and I decided I liked going barefoot.[11] I gave up trying to act my way through college and began not acting at all. College, I decided, was probably the only time I would be completely forgiven for any mistakes (including stepping in puddles of ketchup and dropping food trays). So I used the opportunity to make all the ones I thought I'd ever make.[12] Three years after graduation, I'm still making mistakes. And I'm even being forgiven for a few.新的开端1 当我父母开车离去，留下我可怜巴巴站在停车场上时，我开始寻思我在校园里该做什么。

四年级下英语Unit2第4课《What time is it》教案Part B Let’s talk & Let’s play教学内容与目标教学重点能够在情景中运用句型“It’s time to…”描述“到该做某事的时候了”。

教学难点能够听懂对话大意，并能够用正确的语音、语调及意群朗读对话。

教学准备PPT课件、课文录音、视频、时钟教具等。

教学过程Step 1: Warm-up & Revision &Lead-in1. Greetings.2. Revision.①(1) Look and say.Show a timetable step by step on the PPT. (课件出示：作息表及句型结构)Ask and answer with students like this:T：What time is it?Ss：It’s…o’clock. It’s time for…（2）Let’s chant.Students make and read the chant according to the timetable.Make an example:Tick tock, tick tock. It’s 8 o’clock. It’s time for breakfast. (出示课件)3. Lead-in.T:Today we’re going to learn how to introduce our school’s timetable. Mike is the “Super School Guide” today. Let’s go to see what he does.Write down the topic “What time is it？”on the blackboard. Step 2: Presentation1.Look and predict.②Teaching purpose①通过时间表，利用Look and say和Let’s chant两个活动复习句型“—What time is it? —It’s…o’clock.It’s time for…”，并让学生理解timetable的含义，为新课的学习做铺垫。

新视野大学英语4：Unit2TextA课文+译文新视野大学英语4：Unit2 TextA（课文+译文）新视野大学英语4：Unit2 TextA的课文题目是对美丽的追求。

下面是店铺为大家带来的新视野大学英语4：Unit2 TextA(课文+译文)，欢迎阅读。

新视野大学英语4：Unit2 TextA课文+译文1.If you're a man, at some point a woman will ask you how she looks.2.You must be careful how you answer this question. The best technique is to from an honest yet sensitive response, then promptly excuse yourself for some kind of emergency. Trust me, this is the easiest way out. No amount of rehearsal will help you come up with the right answer.1.如果你是一位男士，肯定在某个时候会有女士问你她看起来怎么样。

2.对于如何应对这个问题，你一定得小心。

最好的对策是给你个诚实但又谨慎的回答。

然后借口有急事马上脱身。

相信我，这是最简单的方法，对于她的这一问题，无论你事先练习多少次，都不会找到正确答案。

3.He problem is that men do not think of themselves in seventh grade and stick to it for the rest of themselves in seventh grade and stick to it for the rest of their lives. Some men think they're irresistibly desirable, and they refuse to change this opinion even when they grow bald and their faces visibly wrinkle as they age.3.其原因是，男性和女性对外表的看法截然不同，大多数男性对自己的外表在七年级的时候就形成了，而且终生不变，有些男性认为自己有不可抗拒的魅力，即使随着年龄的增长，他们的头发掉光了，脸上布满皱纹，他们仍然拒绝改变这种看法。

UNIT2历史学家们为什么意见不一大多数学生通常是通过一本厚厚的课本接触历史的，他们很快就被淹没在姓名、日期、时间和数据中。

然后学生的技能通过考试来检验，考试考的是他们记住了多少材料。

记得越多，分数就越高。

我们可以从中得出几条明显的结论：学习历史就是学习“史实”；作为历史专业的学生，知道的“史实”越多，你学得就越好。

专业的历史学家只不过是把大量的“事实”搜集在一起的人。

因此，当学生们发现历史学家们即使在研究同一事件时意见也有很大分歧的时候，他们常常感到困惑不解。

对于这种情况，学生们根据自己的常识作出的反应是，断定一位历史学家是正确的，而另一位是错误的。

而且，据此推测，错误的历史学家给出的“事实”是错误的。

然而，实际情况很少如此。

历史学家的论证通常很有道理，并且有说服力。

而且，“事实”——姓名、日期、事件和数据——常常是被证明是正确的。

此外，学生们还经常发现争论不休的历史学家对事实大致持相同意见；也就是说，他们使用大体相同的材料。

他们作出的结论不同，是因为他们看待过去的角度不同。

历史，本来已定就是记忆“史实”，现在变成了从众多解释中挑选一个令人满意的解释的事情。

历史的真相成为了个人偏好问题。

这种看法很难使人满意。

学生们肯定会想，对同一事件的两种完全不同的观点不可能同时是正确的；然而，他们没有能力在两者之间作出选择。

要了解历史学家们为什么意见不一致，学生们必须考虑一个他们或多或少认为是理所当然的问题。

他们必须问问自己，历史到底是什么。

从最广泛的意义上来说，历史指的是人类过去的总和。

比较狭义的概念是，历史是有记录的过去，即留下了某种记录的人类生活的一部分，比如民间故事、手工艺品或者有文字记载的文献。

最后，历史可以被定义为历史学家们书写的过去。

当然，这三种定义互相联系。

历史学家们的记述以过去人们的遗留物为根据；显然，他们不可能对所有的事情都了解，原因很简单，并不是每一件大小事件都被完整地记录下来了。

因此，历史学家充其量也只能接近历史。

课程教案Unit 2 Smart CarsI. Warming-upProverbs and Quotations1. Activity is the only road to knowledge.行动是通往知识的唯一道路。

2.Love is ever the beginning of knowledge as fire is of light.知识总是从爱好开始，犹如光总是从火开始一样。

3.Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it.知识是一座宝库，而实践是开启宝库的钥匙。

4.The foundation of knowledge must be laid by reading. General principles must come from books, which, however, must be brought to the test of real life.—Samuel Johnson, British writer读书是积累知识的基础。

基本原理来源于书本，但须经实际生活的检验。

—英国作家S. 约翰逊5. Imagination is more important than knowledge.—Albert Einstein, American Scientist想象力比知识更为重要。

—美国科学家 A. 爱因斯坦II.ReviewUseful Expressions计算机革命the computer revolution制造业manufacturing industry长途司机long-distance driver被严重低估be grossly underestimated威胁生命的重大隐患life-threatening hazard解决问题cure the problem积极的影响 a positive impact与无线电信号调谐be tuned to radio signals在任何一个特定时间at any given time量子理论法则the laws of the quantum theory精确的频率precise frequency发出无线电信号send out a radio signal换算出be converted into导航能力navigational capability几乎无限virtually limitless手杖walking sticks遥控remote control潜在的应用potential use / application要求call for完全控制take complete control of被编成组be bunched into groups一齐行驶travel in union对环保有利environmental boonIII. Exercises1. V ocabulary1)Before Anglo-American westward expansion, North America had been shaped by many other cultures.2)We are confident that the introduction of a(n) automated assembly line will eliminate most of today’s human errors.3)Warmer air is able to hold more water vapor than cold air and so has a higher humidity.4)In most communities in the United States, the local American Red Cross chapter has been authorized to take control of certain local public buildings in times of emergency.5)Traffic control establishes a set of rules and instructions that drivers, pilots, train engineers, and ship captains rely on to avoid collisions(碰撞) and other hazards.6)Since the launching of the first artificial satellite in 1957, thousands of "man-made moons" have been rocketed into the Earth's orbit, each designed to serve a specific purpose or mission.7)The thunder crashed so near the house that the glass vibrated in the windows, and some books, which had sat on the windowsill fell to the floor.8) Radio telescopes have provided valuable information about other stars and about the magnetic fields of other planets in our solar system, especially Jupiter's.9)At the beginning of the race, the runners were bunched together on the track, but later some of them got ahead and left the others behind.10)From the control tower, air traffic controllers coordinate aircraft movement both in the air and on the ground.11) Further troubles developed in October 1995 when the tape recorder in the orbiter Galileo got/was stuck in the "rewind" position for 15 hours, wearing out a section of the tape.12) In 1978, at the beginning of the reform period, approximately11,000 Chinese students went abroad to pursue further studies.2. 1) send out 2) stand up for 3) pass for 4) were closing in on 5) starting up 6) went through 7) fill out 8 ) fall into3.1) … incorporates all the latest safety features 2) …two trees ten feet apart3) … awarding lucrative contracts to his construction firm4) … the prototype of a new model before they set up a factory to make the cars. 5) … are co rrelated in all racial groups 4.1) the application, remote, has turned into a reality, are poised to 2) that vibrate, can detect, fr equency 3) lanes, are mounted in, alert a, hazard山东协和学院讲稿II. Word FormationClipped Words:kilo kilogram ； memo memorandum； gym gymnasium ； lib liberation ；doc doctor ； vet veterinarian； prep preparatory ； auto automobile； flu influ enza Blends:Medicare medical care ； email electronic mail； comsat communications satellite ；newscast news broadcast； skyjack sky hijack ； Eurodollar European dollar； brun ch breakfast and lunch ； telecast television broadcast ；Oxbridge Oxford and Cambridge III. Usage1. swimming pool2. drawing board3. enriched Middle English4. disturbing change5. full y developed prototype6. Canned foods7. working population8. puzzling differences TranslationSentences translation：1 空气中有一种不同寻常的寂静，只有远处响着大炮的声音。

课程教案理论课□实验（训）课□习题课□其他山东协和学院讲稿Unit 2 Smart CarsI. Warming-upProverbs and Quotations1. Activity is the only road to knowledge.行动是通往知识的唯一道路。

2.Love is ever the beginning of knowledge as fire is of light.知识总是从爱好开始，犹如光总是从火开始一样。

3.Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it.知识是一座宝库，而实践是开启宝库的钥匙。

4.The foundation of knowledge must be laid by reading. General principles must come from books, which, however, must be brought to the test of real life.—Samuel Johnson, British writer读书是积累知识的基础。

基本原理来源于书本，但须经实际生活的检验。

—英国作家 S. 约翰逊5. Imagination is more important than knowledge.—Albert Einstein, American Scientist想象力比知识更为重要。

—美国科学家 A. 爱因斯坦II.ReviewUseful Expressions计算机革命the computer revolution制造业manufacturing industry长途司机 long-distance driver被严重低估be grossly underestimated威胁生命的重大隐患life-threatening hazard解决问题cure the problem积极的影响 a positive impact与无线电信号调谐be tuned to radio signals在任何一个特定时间at any given time量子理论法则the laws of the quantum theory精确的频率precise frequency发出无线电信号send out a radio signal换算出be converted into导航能力navigational capability几乎无限virtually limitless手杖walking sticks遥控remote control潜在的应用potential use / application要求call for山东协和学院讲稿完全控制take complete control of被编成组be bunched into groups一齐行驶travel in union对环保有利environmental boonIII. Exercises1. Vocabulary1)Before Anglo-American westward expansion, North America had been shaped by many other cultures.2)We are confident that the introduction of a(n) automated assembly line will eliminate most of today’s human errors.3)Warmer air is able to hold more water vapor than cold air and so has a higher humidity.4)In most communities in the United States, the local American Red Cross chapter has been authorized to take control of certain local public buildings in timesof emergency.5)Traffic control establishes a set of rules and instructions that drivers, pilots, train engineers, and ship captains rely on to avoid collisions(碰撞) and other hazards.6)Since the launching of the first artificial satellite in 1957, thousands of "man-made moons" have been rocketed into the Earth's orbit, each designed to serve a specific purpose or mission.7)The thunder crashed so near the house that the glass vibrated in the windows,and some books, which had sat on the windowsill fell to the floor.8) Radio telescopes have provided valuable information about other stars and about themagnetic fields of other planets in our solar system, especially Jupiter's. 9)At the beginning of the race, the runners were bunched together on the track,but later some of them got ahead and left the others behind.10)From the control tower, air traffic controllers coordinate aircraft movement both in the air and on the ground.11) Further troubles developed in October 1995 when the tape recorder in the orbiter Galileogot/was stuck in the "rewind" position for 15 hours, wearing out a section ofthe tape.12) In 1978, at the beginning of the reform period, approximately11,000 Chinese students went abroad to pursue further studies.2. 1) send out 2) stand up for 3) pass for 4) were closing in on 5) starting up 6) went through 7) fill out 8 ) fall into3.1) …incorporates all the latest safety features 2) …two trees ten feet apart3) …awarding lucrative contracts to his construction firm4) …the prototype of a new model before they set up a factory to make the cars. 5) …are correlated in all racial groups4.1) the application, remote, has turned into a reality, are poisedto 2) that vibrate, can detect, frequency 3) lanes, are mounted in, alert a, hazard山东协和学院讲稿II. Word FormationClipped Words:kilo kilogram ；memo memorandum；gym gymnasium ；lib liberation ；doc doctor ；vet veterinarian；prep preparatory ；auto automobile；flu influenza Blends:Medicare medical care ；email electronic mail；c omsat communications satellite ；newscast news broadcast；skyjack sky hijack ；Eurodollar European dollar；brunch breakfast and lunch ；telecast television br oadcast ；Oxbridge Oxford and CambridgeIII. Usage1. swimming pool2. drawing board3. enriched Middle English4. disturbing change5. fully developed prototype6. Canned foods7. working population8. puzzling differencesTranslationSentences translation：1 空气中有一种不同寻常的寂静，只有远处响着大炮的声音。

课内阅读参考译文及课后习题答案(Book 4)Unit 1享受幽默—什么东西令人开怀？1 听了一个有趣的故事会发笑、很开心，古今中外都一样。

这一现象或许同语言本身一样悠久。

那么，到底是什么东西会使一个故事或笑话让人感到滑稽可笑的呢？2 我是第一次辨识出幽默便喜欢上它的人，因此我曾试图跟学生议论和探讨幽默。

这些学生文化差异很大，有来自拉丁美洲的，也有来自中国的。

我还认真地思考过一些滑稽有趣的故事。

这么做完全是出于自己的喜好。

3 为什么听我讲完一个笑话后，班上有些学生会笑得前仰后合，而其他学生看上去就像刚听我读了天气预报一样呢？显然，有些人对幽默比别人更敏感。

而且，我们也发现有的人很善于讲笑话，而有的人要想说一点有趣的事却要费好大的劲。

我们都听人说过这样的话：“我喜欢笑话，但我讲不好，也总是记不住。

”有些人比别人更有幽默感，就像有些人更具有音乐、数学之类的才能一样。

一个真正风趣的人在任何场合都有笑话可讲，而且讲了一个笑话，就会从他记忆里引出一连串的笑话。

一个缺乏幽默感的人不可能成为一群人中最受欢迎的人。

一个真正有幽默感的人不仅受人喜爱，而且在任何聚会上也往往是人们注意的焦点。

这么说是有道理的。

4 甚至有些动物也具有幽默感。

我岳母从前经常来我们家，并能住上很长一段时间。

通常她不喜欢狗，但却很喜欢布利茨恩—我们养过的一条拉布拉多母猎犬。

而且，她们的这种喜欢是相互的。

布利茨恩在很小的时候就常常戏弄外祖母，当外祖母坐在起居室里她最喜欢的那张舒适的椅子上时，布利茨恩就故意把她卧室里的一只拖鞋叼到起居室，并在外祖母刚好够不到的地方蹦来跳去，一直逗到外祖母忍不住站起来去拿那只拖鞋。

外祖母从椅子上一起来，布利茨恩就迅速跳上那椅子，从它那闪亮的棕色眼睛里掠过一丝拉布拉多式的微笑，无疑是在说：“啊哈，你又上了我的当。

”5 典型的笑话或幽默故事由明显的三部分构成。

第一部分是铺垫（即背景），接下来是主干部分（即故事情节），随后便是妙语（即一个出人意料或令人惊讶的结尾）。

We Need GratitudeA.J.CroninOn a fine afternoon in New York, I got into a taxi. From the driver's expression and the way he slammed in his gears, I could tell that he was upset. I asked him what was the trouble. "I've got good reason to be sore," he growled. "One of my fares left a wallet in my cab this morning. Nearly three hundred bucks in it. I spent more than an hour trying to trace the guy. Finally I found him at his hotel. He took the wallet without a word and glared at me as though I'd meant to steal it.""Not a cent. But it wasn't the dough I wanted..." he fumbled, then exploded, "If the guy had only said something..."Because his helpful, honest act had not been appreciated, that cabdriver's day was poisoned, and I knew he would think twice before rendering a similar service. The need for gratitude is something we all feel, and denial of it can do much to harm the spirit of kindness and cooperation.During World War II a mother in Cincinnati received a letter from her son in the army in which he spoke of a woman in a village in Normandy who had taken him into her home when he was wounded and hungry, and hidden him from the Germans. Later on, unhappily, the boy was killed in the Ardennes offensive. Yet the mother was moved by an irresistible intention. She saved up for two years, crossed the Atlantic and located the village referred to by her son. After many inquiries, she found the woman who had sheltered her son—the wife of an impoverished farmer—and pressed a package into her hand. It was the gold wristwatch her son had received on his graduation, the only object of real value the boy had ever possessed. The mother's act of gratitude so touched people's hearts that it has become something of a legend in and around the village. It has done more than fine speeches to foster good feeling toward Americans.Gratitude is the art of receiving gracefully, of showing appreciation for every kindness, great and small. Most of us do not fail to show our pleasure when we receive hospitality, gifts and obvious benefits, but even here we can perfect our manner of showing gratitude by making it as personal and sincere as possible. Recently, when touring in southern Italy with my wife, I sent to a friend in Connecticut several bottles of a local wine which had taken our fancy. It was a trifling gift, yet to our surprise, instead of the conventional letter of thanks, we receive a phonograph record. When we played it, we heard our friend's voice speaking after dinner, describing how he and his guests had enjoyed the wine and thanking us for our thoughtfulness. It was pleasant to have this unusual proof that our gift had been appreciated.Gratitude is sometimes more than a personal affair. My son, studyingmedicine at McGill University, told me of a patient brought into hospital in Montreal whose life was saved by a blood transfusion. When he was well again he asked: "Isn't there any way I can discover the name of the donor and thank him?" He was told that names of donors are never revealed. A few weeks after his discharge he came back to give a pint of his own blood. Since then he has returned again and again for the same purpose. When a surgeon commented on this splendid record of anonymous service, he answered simply: "Someone I never knew did it for me. I'm just saying 'thanks'".It is a comforting thought that gratitude can be not merely a passing sentiment but a renewal which can, in some instances, persist for a lifetime. A husband who recalls appreciatively some generous or unselfish act on his wife's part, or a wife who never forgets the gifts her husband has given her, does much to keep the domestic wheels spinning smoothly. W.H. Hudson, British author and naturalist, has written: "One evening I brought home a friend to share our usual evening meal. Afterward he said to me:‘you are fortunate to have a wife who, despite ill health and children to look after, cooks such excellent meals.' That tribute opened my eyes and taught me to show gratitude for my wife's day-to-day heroism, which I had hitherto taken for granted."It is, above all, in the little things that the grace of gratitude should be most employed. The boy who delivers our paper, the milkman, the mailman, the barber, the waitress at a restaurant, the elevator operator —all oblige us in one way or another. By showing our gratitude we make routine relationships human and render monotonous tasks more agreeable.A patient of mine in London who worked as a bus conductor once confided to me, "I get fed up with my job sometimes. People grumble, bother you, haven't got the right change for their tickets. But there's one lady on my bus morning and evening, and she always thanks me in a particularly friendly way when I take her ticket. I like to think she's speaking for all the passengers. It helps me to keep smiling."Arnold Bennett had a publisher who boasted about the extraordinary efficiency of his secretary. One day Bennett said to her, "Your employer claims that you are extremely efficient. What is your secret?" "It's not my secret," the secretary replied. "It's his." Each time she performed a service, no matter how small, he never failed to acknowledge it. Because of that she took infinite pains with her work.Some persons refrain from expressing their gratitude because they feel it will not be welcome. A patient of mine, a few weeks after his discharge from the hospital, came back to thank his nurse. "I didn't come back sooner," he explained, "because I imagined you must be bored to death with people thanking you.""On the contrary," she replied, "I am delighted you came. Few realize how much we need encouragement and how much we are helped by those whogive it."Gratitude is something of which none of us can give too much. For on the smiles, the thanks we give, our little gestures of appreciation, our neighbors build up their philosophy of life.一个晴朗的下午，我在纽约上了一辆出租车。

We Need GratitudeA.J.CroninOn a fine afternoon in New York, I got into a taxi. From the driver's expression and the way he slammed in his gears, I could tell that he was upset. I asked him what was the trouble. "I've got good reason to be sore," he growled. "One of my fares left a wallet in my cab this morning. Nearly three hundred bucks in it. I spent more than an hour trying to trace the guy. Finally I found him at his hotel. He took the wallet without a word and glared at me as though I'd meant to steal it.""Not a cent. But it wasn't the dough I wanted..." he fumbled, then exploded, "If the guy had only said something..."Because his helpful, honest act had not been appreciated, that cabdriver's day was poisoned, and I knew he would think twice before rendering a similar service. The need for gratitude is something we all feel, and denial of it can do much to harm the spirit of kindness and cooperation.During World War II a mother in Cincinnati received a letter from her son in the army in which he spoke of a woman in a village in Normandy who had taken him into her home when he was wounded and hungry, and hidden him from the Germans. Later on, unhappily, the boy was killed in the Ardennes offensive. Yet the mother was moved by an irresistible intention. She saved up for two years, crossed the Atlantic and located the village referred to by her son. After many inquiries, she found the woman who had sheltered her son—the wife of an impoverished farmer—and pressed a package into her hand. It was the gold wristwatch her son had received on his graduation, the only object of real value the boy had ever possessed. The mother's act of gratitude so touched people's hearts that it has become something of a legend in and around the village. It has done more than fine speeches to foster good feeling toward Americans.Gratitude is the art of receiving gracefully, of showing appreciation for every kindness, great and small. Most of us do not fail to show our pleasure when we receive hospitality, gifts and obvious benefits, but even here we can perfect our manner of showing gratitude by making it as personal and sincere as possible. Recently, when touring in southern Italy with my wife, I sent to a friend in Connecticut several bottles of a local wine which had taken our fancy. It was a trifling gift, yet to our surprise, instead of the conventional letter of thanks, we receive a phonograph record. When we played it, we heard our friend's voice speaking after dinner, describing how he and his guests had enjoyed the wine and thanking us for our thoughtfulness. It was pleasant to have this unusual proof that our gift had been appreciated.Gratitude is sometimes more than a personal affair. My son, studyingmedicine at McGill University, told me of a patient brought into hospital in Montreal whose life was saved by a blood transfusion. When he was well again he asked: "Isn't there any way I can discover the name of the donor and thank him?" He was told that names of donors are never revealed. A few weeks after his discharge he came back to give a pint of his own blood. Since then he has returned again and again for the same purpose. When a surgeon commented on this splendid record of anonymous service, he answered simply: "Someone I never knew did it for me. I'm just saying 'thanks'".It is a comforting thought that gratitude can be not merely a passing sentiment but a renewal which can, in some instances, persist for a lifetime. A husband who recalls appreciatively some generous or unselfish act on his wife's part, or a wife who never forgets the gifts her husband has given her, does much to keep the domestic wheels spinning smoothly. W.H. Hudson, British author and naturalist, has written: "One evening I brought home a friend to share our usual evening meal. Afterward he said to me:‘you are fortunate to have a wife who, despite ill health and children to look after, cooks such excellent meals.' That tribute opened my eyes and taught me to show gratitude for my wife's day-to-day heroism, which I had hitherto taken for granted."It is, above all, in the little things that the grace of gratitude should be most employed. The boy who delivers our paper, the milkman, the mailman, the barber, the waitress at a restaurant, the elevator operator —all oblige us in one way or another. By showing our gratitude we make routine relationships human and render monotonous tasks more agreeable.A patient of mine in London who worked as a bus conductor once confided to me, "I get fed up with my job sometimes. People grumble, bother you, haven't got the right change for their tickets. But there's one lady on my bus morning and evening, and she always thanks me in a particularly friendly way when I take her ticket. I like to think she's speaking for all the passengers. It helps me to keep smiling."Arnold Bennett had a publisher who boasted about the extraordinary efficiency of his secretary. One day Bennett said to her, "Your employer claims that you are extremely efficient. What is your secret?" "It's not my secret," the secretary replied. "It's his." Each time she performed a service, no matter how small, he never failed to acknowledge it. Because of that she took infinite pains with her work.Some persons refrain from expressing their gratitude because they feel it will not be welcome. A patient of mine, a few weeks after his discharge from the hospital, came back to thank his nurse. "I didn't come back sooner," he explained, "because I imagined you must be bored to death with people thanking you.""On the contrary," she replied, "I am delighted you came. Few realize how much we need encouragement and how much we are helped by those whogive it."Gratitude is something of which none of us can give too much. For on the smiles, the thanks we give, our little gestures of appreciation, our neighbors build up their philosophy of life.一个晴朗的下午，我在纽约上了一辆出租车。