When I was in school, I participated in an internship (实习期) with a hospital chaplain (牧师). This largely included me visiting certain hospital patients and then discussing the communication with the chaplain.
I had no special training in this, and introducing myself to strangers was not my natural talent. On one visit, I cautiously entered a darkened room to find an elderly man lying lonely in the bed. He was awake, but very weak, confused and anxious. He badly wanted to communicate something, but I couldn’t understand what he was saying. He obviously didn’t want me to leave, but I felt so lost and uncomfortable that I had to leave the room after only several minutes.
The next time I was at the hospital, I was arranged to make follow-up visits with the same list of patients. I expected my time with the old man to be just as short as the last time. As I arrived at the room, the first thing I noticed was that the lights were on. His daughter was there visiting him. He was sitting in the bed and looked much better. I was certain the man didn’t remember me at all, but he recognized me immediately, saying, "I remember you. You were the angel that gave me hope in my darkest hour!" I was so amazed that I didn’t know how to respond.
I may never be able to explain it, but somehow he found in me something he needed at an important point in his life, just because I was there. I have thought about this encounter (相遇) often over the past 25 years. It has shaped the way I see life, the way I see myself, and the way I see others. Obviously, we can’t know the effect our actions, or even just our presence, will have on life.
【小题1】Why did the writer leave the elderly man soon on the first visit?| A．They had a short and boring conversation. |
| B．The elderly man wanted to stay by himself. |
| C．The writer was frightened by the elderly man. |
| D．The writer didn’t know what he could do to help. |
| A．The elderly man’s condition turned much better. |
| B．The elderly man could hardly remember the writer. |
| C．The writer planned to communicate more deeply with the elderly man. |
| D．The writer wasn’t surprised at being called an angel by the elderly man. |
| A．he was encouraged by the writer’s words |
| B．the writer’s second visit moved him deeply |
| C．he was impressed by the writer’s friendliness |
| D．the writer’s first visit gave him much strength |
| A．Getting a New Talent. | B．An Angel by Accident. |
| C．Saving a Lonely Old Man. | D．Communication Makes Life Better. |
