In the animal kingdom, weakness can bring about aggression in other animals. This sometimes happens with humans also. But I have found that my weakness brings out the kindness in people. I see it every day when people hold doors for me, pour cream into my coffee, or help me to put on my coat. And I have discovered that it makes them happy.
From my wheelchair experience, I see the best in people, but sometimes I feel sad because those who appear independent miss the kindness I see daily. They don’t get to see this soft side of others. Often, we try every way possible to avoid showing our weakness, which includes a lot of pretending. But only when we stop pretending we're brave or strong do we allow people to show the kindness that’s in them.
Last month, when I was driving home on a busy highway, I began to feel unwell and drove more slowly than usual. People behind me began to get impatient and angry, with some speeding up alongside me, horning (按喇叭)or even shouting at me. At the moment I decided to do something I had never done in twenty-four years of driving. I put on the car flashlights and drove on at a really low speed.
No more angry shouts and no more horns!
When I put on my flashlights, I was saying to other drivers, “I have a problem here. I am weak and doing the best I can. And everyone understood. Several times, I saw drivers who wanted to pass. They couldn’t get around me because of the stream of passing traffic. But instead of getting impatient and angry, they waited, knowing the driver in front of them was in some way weak.
Sometimes situations call for us to act strong and brave even when we don’t feel that way. But those are few and far between. More often, it would be better if we don’t, pretend we feel strong when we feel weak or pretend that we are brave when we are scared.
【小题1】People will feel happy, according to the author's findings, when __________.| A．they offer their help to others | B．they receive others’ help |
| C．they feel others’ kindness to them | D．they show their weakness to other people |
| A．Because he has a soft heart, showing sympathy to others. |
| B．Because he is disabled and relies much on others. |
| C．Because some people pretend to be kind, but in fact they are not. |
| D．Because some people fail to see the kindness in others. |
| A．They sped up to pass because they didn’t want to wait. |
| B．They stopped their cars to offer help. |
| C．丁hey put on their flashlights too. |
| D．They waited with patience. |
| A．be independent of others and handle problems by ourselves |
| B．accept help from others for everything |
| C．admit our weakness |
| D．show our bravery |
