She used to sleep in the Fifth Post Office. I could smell her before I rounded the entrance to where she slept, standing up, by the public phones. I smelled the urine that seeped through the layers of her dirty clothing and the decay from her nearly toothless mouth. If she was not asleep, she mumbled incoherently.
Now they close the post office at six to keep the homeless out, so she curls up on the sidewalk, talking to herself, her mouth flapping open as though unhinged, her smells diminished by the soft breeze.
One Thanksgiving we had so much food left over, I packed it up, excused myself from the others and drove to Fifth Street.
It was a frigid night. Leaves were swirling around the streets and hardly anyone was out, all but a few of the luckless in some warm home or shelter. But I knew I would find her.
She was dressed as she always was, even in summer: The warm woolly layers concealing her old, bent body. Her bony hands clutched the precious shopping cart. She was squatting against a wire fence in front of the playground next to the post office. "Why didn't she choose some place more protected from the wind?" I thought, and assumed she was so crazy she did not have the sense to huddle in a doorway.
I pulled my shiny car to the curb, rolled down the window and said, "Mother … would you …" and was shocked at the word "Mother". But she was … is … in some way I cannot grasp.
I said, again, "Mother, l've brought you some food. Would you like some turkey and stuffing and apple pie?"
At this the old woman looked at me and said quite clearly and distinctly, her two loose lower teeth wobbling as she spoke, "Oh, thank you very much, but I'm quite full now. why don't you take it to someone who really needs it ?" her words were clear, her manners gracious. Then I was dismissed: Her head sank into her rags again.
Bobbie Probstein
Questions:
1.What kind of person is the woman?
2.What do you think
相关单词：standing
standing解释：n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的
standing例句：
After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
相关单词：seeped
seeped解释：v.（液体）渗( seep的过去式和过去分词 )；渗透；渗出；漏出
seeped例句：
The rain seeped through the roof. 雨水透过房顶渗透。 来自《简明英汉词典》
Icy air seeped in through the paper and the room became cold. 寒气透过了糊窗纸。屋里骤然冷起来。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
相关单词：mumbled
mumbled解释：含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 )
mumbled例句：
He mumbled something to me which I did not quite catch. 他对我叽咕了几句话，可我没太听清楚。
George mumbled incoherently to himself. 乔治语无伦次地喃喃自语。
相关单词：frigid
frigid解释：adj.寒冷的，凛冽的；冷淡的；拘禁的
frigid例句：
The water was too frigid to allow him to remain submerged for long.水冰冷彻骨，他在下面呆不了太长时间。
She returned his smile with a frigid glance.对他的微笑她报以冷冷的一瞥。
相关单词：swirling
swirling解释：v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )
swirling例句：
Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句
相关单词：concealing
concealing解释：v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 )
concealing例句：
Despite his outward display of friendliness, I sensed he was concealing something. 尽管他表现得友善，我还是感觉到他有所隐瞒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
SHE WAS BREAKING THE COMPACT, AND CONCEALING IT FROM HIM. 她违反了他们之间的约定，还把他蒙在鼓里。 来自英汉文学 - 三万元遗产
相关单词：bent
bent解释：n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的
bent例句：
He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
相关单词：squatting
squatting解释：v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。
squatting例句：
They ended up squatting in the empty houses on Oxford Road. 他们落得在牛津路偷住空房的境地。
They've been squatting in an apartment for the past two years. 他们过去两年来一直擅自占用一套公寓。 来自《简明英汉词典》
相关单词：huddle
huddle解释：vi.挤作一团；蜷缩；vt.聚集；n.挤在一起的人
huddle例句：
They like living in a huddle.他们喜欢杂居在一起。
The cold wind made the boy huddle inside his coat.寒风使这个男孩卷缩在他的外衣里。
相关单词：doorway
doorway解释：n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径
doorway例句：
They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。
相关单词：curb
curb解释：n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制
curb例句：
I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。
相关单词：spoke
spoke解释：n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说
spoke例句：
They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
