马丁．路瑟．金
一件微不足道的小事（也许你做这些事时并无意识），会改变一个人的命运……
Everybody can be great . . . because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed that the boy ahead of him had tripped and dropped all of the books he was carrying, along with two sweaters, a baseball bat, a glove and a small tape recorder. Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered articles. Since they were going the same way, he helped to carry part of the burden. As they walked Mark discovered that the boy's name was Bill, that he loved video games, baseball and history, that he was having a lot of trouble with his other subjects and that he had just broken up with his girlfriend
They arrived at Bill's home first and Mark was invited in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon passed pleasantly with a few laughs and some shared small talk, then Mark went home. They continued to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, then both gradated from junior high school. They ended up in the same high school where they had brief contacts over the years. Finally the long awaited senior year came, and three weeks before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.
Bill reminded him of the day years ago when they had first met. "Do you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?" asked Bill. "You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn't want to leave a mess for anyone else. I had stored away some of my mother's sleeping pills and I was going home to commit suicide. But after we spent some time together talking and laughing, I realized that if I had killed myself, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow. So you see, Mark, when you picked up my books that day, you did a lot more. You saved my life."
重点词汇：
* trip：我们都知道trip的意思是“旅行”，是名词。而在这里，trip用作动词，表示“绊倒”的意思。
* article：article有很多意思，我们常见的是“文章”、“论文”、“报道”等。本文里，article表示“物件”的意思。另外，article还表示“货色”的意思，当它用来指人时，就含有贬义了。
* break up：break是“打碎”的意思。break up在这里表示“终止”、“破裂”的意思。指男孩子与女朋友断绝了关系。另外，break up还有一个很有趣的含义，表示“大笑”，是那种忍俊不禁、突然爆发出来的笑声。
* await：表示“等待”，此时与wait for同义。另外它还表示“降临到……身上”的意思，如：death awaits all men的意思是“死亡将临到一切人”。
* locker ：“锁柜”、“可锁的衣物柜”的意思。
* mess：“凌乱状态”、“凌乱的一堆”等意思。在西方国家，如果有客到访，而房间正好比较凌乱时，要说一句excuse the mess，否则就是不礼貌的表现。
* store away：或store up，意思是“把……储存起来”、“储备”。
Bill准备自杀，所以偷偷攒了一些他妈妈的安眠药。看来，Bill早已下定了自杀的决心。但Mark 不经意的友善行为改变了Bill 的决定，他决定不自杀了。可见，生活中的一些事情对一些人来说无足轻重，另一方面却可以改变其他人的命运。让我们多做一些象这样我们称为 “举手之劳”的事吧！
相关单词：verb
verb解释：n.[语]动词
verb例句：
The sentence is formed from a verb and two nouns.这句子由一个动词和两个名词构成。
These are the finite forms of a verb.这些是一个动词的限定形式。
相关单词：grace
grace解释：n.优雅，雅致，魅力，恩惠，慈悲
grace例句：
She is a beautiful girl with the grace and poise.她是一位仪态优雅的佳丽。
I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
相关单词：generated
generated解释：a.生成的
generated例句：
It is generated by some specified means. 这是由某些未加说明的方法产生的。
It generated much excitement and frenetic activity. 这使人们非常激动并导致了狂热的行动。
相关单词：knelt
knelt解释：v.跪( kneel的过去式和过去分词 )；(kneel的过去式与过去分词)
knelt例句：
They knelt down and prayed. 他们跪下来祷告。
She knelt in supplication. 她跪地祷求。
相关单词：scattered
scattered解释：adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的
scattered例句：
Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。
相关单词：burden
burden解释：n.负担，重载，担子，责任；vt.装货于，麻烦，使负担
burden例句：
The burden fell on the eldest son.担子落在了长子身上。
Too much praise is a burden.太多的赞扬是一种负担。
相关单词：awaited
awaited解释：v.等候( await的过去式和过去分词 )；等待；期待；将发生在
awaited例句：
A stack of files awaited me on my desk. 我桌上有一堆文件正待我去处理。
her long-awaited new novel 她的令人期待已久的一部新小说
相关单词：senior
senior解释：adj.年长的；资格较老的，地位较高的；n.年长者，前辈；大学高年级学生
senior例句：
My brother is senior to me by two years.我哥哥比我年长两岁。
They are senior students.他们是高年级学生。
相关单词：locker
locker解释：n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人
locker例句：
At the swimming pool I put my clothes in a locker.在游泳池我把衣服锁在小柜里。
He moved into the locker room and began to slip out of his scrub suit.他走进更衣室把手术服脱下来。
相关单词：commit
commit解释：vt.把…交托给，提交；犯，干；使承担义务，使作出保证
commit例句：
He couldn't commit himself on any issue.他不愿在任何问题上表态。
A thinking person must commit himself to working for peace.一个有头脑的人必须致力于为和平而工作。
相关单词：suicide
suicide解释：n.自杀，自毁，自杀性行为
suicide例句：
The number of suicide has increased.自杀案件的数量增加了。
The death was adjudged a suicide by sleeping pills.该死亡事件被判定为服用安眠药自杀。
相关单词：awaits
awaits解释：v.等候( await的第三人称单数 )；等待；期待；将发生在
awaits例句：
A warm welcome awaits her. 热烈的欢迎等待着她。 来自《简明英汉词典》
A warm welcome awaits all our customers. 对我们所有的顾客准备好热烈的欢迎。 来自《简明英汉词典》
