Brother

河南固始縣慈濟高中 李德修

Having stopped now I thought Imight as wellsit and wait for him to reach the car.He'd probably turn down my offer of a lift,or smell really bad or...any number of things went through my head while I waited.

Five minutes went by and I sat on.He reached the car.My windows were down,and I asked him if he wanted a lift.He indicated that he was going to the next town,just out of my way,but not far enough to put me to trouble.So in he got.

“Sorry,I'm really quite drunk.I've been at a funeral,my family are all really out of it,so I decided to walk home.I'm Ryan,”and he offered me his hand.

I drove and we talked.He told me he'd buried his uncle,and that he was a traveller.He called me brother and offered me his cool shades as payment.I declined and said the joy was in the giving.

Three times along the way he told me that“Whatever we put out there comes back to us.Something good will come to you forpickingmeup.”

“The joy is in the giving,”I said again.

We told each other where we came from,the places we've lived,and how we both ended up here.He apologized again for being so drunk.

“Anywhere around here is fine for me，”he said.So I dropped him at the next crossing.We shook hands and spoke each other's names again.

Reading Check

1.What does the underlined word“swerved”in paragraph 2 most probably mean?

A.Slow down. B.Speed up.

C.Come over. D.Change directions.

2.What can we know about the drunk man according to the text?

A.He received a lift for a half mile.

B.He had been at a funeral with his whole family.

C.He refused the offer by the author at the beginning.

D.His destination was not the same way as the author's.

Language Study

Difficult sentences

1.I slowed down wondering whether to stop and give him a lift,at least down to a safer part of the road,a half mile further on.

翻譯：____________________________

【點石成金】本句的主干成分是主謂結構。I是主語，slowed down是謂語，wondering是現在分詞作伴隨狀語，whether to stop and give...是to do不定式的復合結構作wonder的賓語。

2.Then the car behind me overtook me and I lost the nerve to stop there as the road was so busy.

翻譯：____________________________

【點石成金】本句由and連接并列句。第二個并列句中as引導原因狀語從句。

3.We told each other where we came from,the places we've lived,and how we both ended up here.

翻譯：____________________________

【點石成金】本句中where和how均引導賓語從句，與the places共同作told的賓語。we've lived是前面省略了which/that的定語從句。

Using Language

Ⅰ.Important phrases in the text

1.give sb a lift讓某人搭便車

2.lose the/one's nerve失去勇氣

3.might as well do sth做……倒也無妨

4.pick up（開車）接人；撿起；接受（信號）；無意中學會；廉價買到；改善；好轉

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

1.It's surprising that your brother__________Russian so quickly—he hasn't lived there very long.

2.I was going to have a go at parachuting（跳傘）but__________at the last minute.

3.If no one else wants it,we __________give it to him.

4.If you're driving to the airport,can you_____me __________?