Lesson Twelve-Text.docVIP

Lesson Twelve 1. One summer I was driving from my home town of Tahoe City, Calif. （加利福尼亚州的塔霍湖市） to New Orleans.（新奥尔良） In the middle of the desert, I came upon（met with遇到） a young man standing by the roadside. He had his thumb out（竖起拇指请求搭车） and held a gas can （汽油罐）in his other hand. I drove right by him. There was a time in the country （国家）when youd be considered a jerk（愚蠢） if you passed by somebody in need.（需要帮助的人） Now you are a fool for helping. With gangs, （歹徒）drug addicts,（吸毒成瘾者） murderers, rapists, （强奸犯）thieves lurking （隐藏）everywhere, I dont want to get involved（我不想惹麻烦） has become a national motto.（民族格言, 座右铭） 2. Several states later （始过了几个州）I was still thinking about the hitchhiker.（搭便车的旅行者） Leaving him stranded in the desert （把他束手无策的留在沙漠）did not bother me so much. What bothered me was how easily I had reached(arrived at) the decision. I never even lifted(raised) my foot off the accelerator.（油门） 3. Does anyone stop any more? I wondered. I recalled Blanche DuBoiss famous line:（布兰奇.杜包尔斯那句著名的台词）I have always depended on the kindness of strangers. Could anyone rely on the kindness of strangers these days? One way to test this would be for a person to journey(travel) from coast to coast without any money, relying solely（only） on the good will(heart) （好心）of his fellow Americans. (美国同胞)What kind of Americans would he find? Who would feed(give food to) him, shelter (give house)him, carry him down the road?(载他一程) 4. The idea intrigued (interested)me.(这个想法激起了我的好奇心) 5. The week I turned 37, (我步入37岁那周)I realized that I had never taken a gamble (risk冒险)in my life. So I decided to travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic without a penny. It would be a cashless journey through the land（country国家） of the almighty dollar(金钱万能的国家). I would only accept offers of rides,(别人提供的便车) food and a place to rest my head(sleeping place). My final destination would be Cape Fear in North Carolina, (北卡罗来纳州的恐怖角)a symbol of all the fears(恐惧) Id have to conquer during the tr