A more cheerful bus driver

安徽宿州褚蘭中學 劉德剛

這是作者所見過的最快樂的巴士司機：熱情地與乘客打著招呼，臉上始終掛著微笑。他的一舉一動讓車內充滿著溫情。臨下車時，作者向司機表達了他的贊美：“你的行為讓我受到鼓舞，感受到快樂。”司機則說這也讓他擁有了美好的一天。

“Nice to see you again! ”“How are you doing today?” “Haven't seen you for some time!”“You're at a new stop， today!” “Great to see you，have a nice day，now!”

I put my book down and craned（伸長）my neck around in my seat，watching the driver greeting passengers.I'd never heard a more cheerful bus driver.

At each stop，the bus driver flashed a wide smile，nodding his head at familiar faces and greeting people onto his lowly transportation abode（住所）.

I was just watching the flow of the bus，and the bus driver's air of pleasant calm，like nothing could go wrong.It confused me a bit.Most bus drivers I'd met are not so cheery.They're usually swimming up against a longlist of complaints，interfacing with（打交道）nameless busy riders，and constantly racing the clock so as not to run late，though it's never so easy to control.This bus driver completely flipped （ 翻 轉 ）my sense of what it means to drive a bus.It almost brought me back to my pre-school days， when we'd sing，“The wheels on the bus go round and round，”to images of smiling bus drivers greeting their passengers and serving society with each shining spin of their wheel or honk（喇叭聲）of their horn.

Folks filtered （過濾）out.New faces stepped on.

I completely put my book away，sitting there in awe.A thought burst into my head that I should tell the driver how much I appre-ciated seeing all the small， bold， courageous moments of his kindness I'drun intoin this community.

As the bus approached my stop，I walked to the front of the bus.

“Thank you so much for your kindness to passengers.It is really nice to see，” I offered.

“Aw， that's really glad to hear.Thank you so much!It's nice to know that someone noticed.My brother is deaf，and he's always happy when we talk to him,”The bus driver said.

“Well， I really appreciate seeing it.It is inspiring andmakes my day，” I told him with a smile.

“Thank you， that really makes my day，”he replied with an ever-shining bright smile.

We conversed a little more，and any wave of doubt completely faded.

Stepping off the bus a little lighter，I wasreminded of a quote（引語）I oncecame across:“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

Reading Check

1.The underlined phrase “this community”refers to_____.

A.the author's neighborhood

B.the bus

C.the driver's company

D.the city

2.Why did the author put his book down?

3.What was the author doubtful about before he talked with the driver?

Language Study

Difficult sentences

1.I'd never heard a more cheerful bus driver.

翻譯：________________________________

【點石成金】“否定詞+比較級”可以表示最高級。本句相當于This is the most cheerful bus driver I'd heard.

2.They're usually swimming up against a long list of complaints，interfacing with nameless busy riders，and constantly racing the clock so as not to run late，though it's never so easy to control.

翻譯：_______________________________

【點石成金】這是一個復合句，interfacing和racing與 swimming構成并列的謂語動詞；though引導讓步狀語從句。

Using Language

Ⅰ.Important phrases in the text

1.race the clock爭分奪秒

2.run into遇到；匯入

3.make one's day使某人感到高興

4.remind sb of sth提醒某人某事

5.come across偶然遇見;被理解

Ⅱ.Complete the following sentences in correct forms with the phrases given above.

1.A simple thank you and a smile is all he wants，and it'l_____l__.

2.The deadline will be due tomorrow.We have to _______.

3.He spoke for a long time but his meaning did not really_______.

4.Ifeelitis absolutely necessary forhim to _______the meeting today.He suffers from forgetfulness.

5.The stream winds its way through the valley and then _______the Zhujiang River.