十六个人呆板地做着工作，而第十七个，几乎处于同样的情况，却找到另外一种生活方式。那个人在举办的舞会，你我恐怕连三天都坚持不了。无聊！他和我后来确实一起吃过午饭，他说：“我不理解为何每个人都认为我的工作很枯燥。我有一个街角办公室，四周都是玻璃，我可以看见金门海峡、旧金山和伯克利山，半个西方世界都在这儿度假，每天我只是漫步到这里，练习跳舞。”
轻英语
潮流英语
campus belle 校花
campus beau 校草
new-new generation 新新人类
flash marriage 闪婚
trendsetter 潮人
guru 专家
3S lady （single，seventies，stuck）剩女
couples dress 情侣装
big gun 大人物
rookie 菜鸟
offbeat 另类
fancier 发烧友
relax/calm down 淡定
flesh search 人肉搜索
BRIC countries 金砖四国
farewell dinner 散伙饭
flat-share 合租
homebody/shut-in 宅男宅女
go ballistic 暴走
A Mistake
美丽的错误
Since I have been in my newneighborhood，I have had thepleasure of meeting a few of myneighbors who seem to be extremelynice people. For Christmas，Ithought I would do somethingnice for each of the neighbors thatI know. I sat down and counted.
There were nine neighbors whomI knew by name or spoke with oftenwhen I was out in my yard. I also knewwhich houses they lived in.
I decided to add one more person to my list for a total of ten. I decided to add the ladyI met every morning walking to work as I drive down the street. She always managed acontagious smile and a hearty wave. I had no idea what her name was and not even surewhich house she lived in.
My gift idea was to make small fruit baskets and leave them on each of my neighbor’sfront porches or door steps the night of Christmas Eve. I signed the cards： “Happy Holidays！
From 5104 Northumberland Road.”
I saved the friendly lady for last，since I was still not exactly sure where she lived. Ifinally decided upon a house down aboutwhere I met her each morning and feltrelatively sure that it was hers.
My neighbors really appreciated thebaskets and would tell me as they saw mein the yard or they would call，and a coupleeven came by to thank me.
This morning on my way to work，Iplaced my mail in the mailbox and noticed asmall note inside. It was addressed simply-Resident，5104 Northumberland Road.
I opened the envelope and took out aThank You card. I opened the card and readthe message which really caught me bysurprise.
The card said. “Thank you for the lovelyfruit basket you left on the porch of RichardKelly. It was very thoughtful. Richard Kellypassed away on January 19. He neverstopped talking about how nice it was thatsomeone remembered him in his time ofillness. He really appreciated it.”
I was sincerely stunned. I had no ideawho Richard Kelly was or that he had beengravely ill. I had left that nice lady’s basketon Mr. Kelly’s porch by accident. I wantedto say by mistake，but that would be wrong.
I believe that Richard Kelly was meant tohave that basket and the Lord knew that heonly had less than a month to live. I hate thatthe nice lady did not get to receive a fruitbasket from me this Christmas，but I believethat if she knew what happened，she wouldhave had outcome no other way.
I feel blessed to have helped RichardKelly’s last days be more cheerful. This justfurther reinforces my belief that there arenever any mistakes in life-just detours，shortcuts along the way.
一个错放的水果篮，一份意外的祝福，偶然成就了一个陌生人弥留之际的幸福。
殷明 译
自从搬进新居以来，我有幸结识了一些非常友好的新邻居。圣诞临近，我想我得做些什么对那些我认识的所有邻居以示友好。我坐下来，算起了人数。我喊得出名或经常在院里攀谈的，一共9个人，并且我知道他们的住址。
我打算再在我的清单上加上一个人，凑成10个整数。我决定加上一位女士，我每天开车驶下街道时都会看见她步行去上班。她总是投来极富感染力的微笑和由衷064 不畏将来，不念过往的招手问候。我不知道她的名字，对她的住址也一无所知。
我送礼的主意是这样的：做些小水果篮，并在圣诞前夜将它们放到各邻居家门前的走廊或台阶上。果篮上附张卡片，写上：“祝圣诞快乐！诺森伯兰路5104号户主敬上。”
那个友好的女士被留在了最后，因为我仍然不太确定她住在哪。最终我决定在每天早上遇到她的街下的一间房前放下礼物-我有一点儿确定那是她的房子。
邻居们都十分喜欢我送出的果篮，在院中逢我便说；有的电话致谢，有一对夫妇甚至登门表达谢意。
这天早晨，在上班途中我往邮箱投递信件时，发现信箱里有一张小便笺，上面的地址写得很简洁：致诺森伯兰路5104号户主。
我拆开信封，掏出一张感谢卡。打开卡片，读着上面的内容，我着实惊讶万分。
卡片上写道： “ 感谢你放在理查德·凯利门廊上的可爱的水果篮。礼物非常贴心。理查德·凯利已于1月19日去世，他生前不停地说，在他大病期间仍有人记得他多么温暖人心，他万分感激。”
我真心被震慑了。我从来不认识那个叫理查德·凯利的人，更未曾知晓他病入膏肓。我意识到自己将打算送给那位友好女士的水果篮错放到了理查德先生门前。
我相信是冥冥中注定要让理查德·凯利收到那个果篮，因为上帝深知他的生命仅剩不到一个月的日子。那位友好女士没能在这个圣诞节收到我的果篮，我感到很遗憾，但我相信如果她了解到发生的一切，她也会深感于这样的结果。
能够帮助理查德·凯利让他在生命最后的时光里感到振奋，我觉得十分荣幸。
这更加加强了我的信念：生命中从来没有什么错误的道路，路途中有的只是曲折与捷径的差别。
轻英语
十个影响你一生的小改变
1. Walk daily 每天散步
2. Wake early 早起
3. Eat less 少吃
4. Stop watching，start doing 不做旁观者
5. Go slowly 放慢脚步
6. Declutter 整理
7. Drink water 喝水
8. Meditate 冥想
9. Let go of expectations 不预期
10. Live in the moment 活在当下
Dusk-the Magic Hour
黄昏-神奇的时刻
By E.S. Hill
I remember a day when I wasvery small，and my mother tookme to a fair，and I got lost. Aftersearching without finding her，I set out for home by myself. Iwalked up one road，down another，expecting to stumble on somethingrecognizable. But everywhere theunfamiliar houses seemed unfriendlyand forbidding. Afraid to knock on anydoor，I crept close to a tree in an empty cornerlot and fell into the sleep of exhaustion.
At dusk I awakened. The first of night was seeping into the neighborhood，shadow byshadow. A pale wash of sunset pinked chimneys and rooftops. As I watched，the sky darkenedto the deep，translucent blue of almost-evening，and a brilliant first star appeared-my ownreliable wishing star，right where it belonged.
Suddenly my world was righted. This was the magic time when wishes were madeand faces washed，when daddies appeared and babies had baths-a friendly time. Withouthesitation，I ran to the nearest door and banged on it. Within an hour I was safely home.
My parents asked why I had waitedso long to seek help. I could not explain.
I cannot now，except to say that theenchantment of dusk is still upon me，stillsmoothes away my fears and lifts myspirit. I dare more at dusk.
The lights come on，for onething-the companionable lights.
Have you ever walked home on a late winterafternoon，under a leaden sky in a steady snowfall，and been surprisedby the silent coming-on of street lights？ All in a moment，they line the road like transformingangels，their frosty halos sparkling，and you go the rest of the way guarded and at peace.
Dusk is for homecoming，a wonderfully hollow-and-hungry-for-dinner hour. Telling ofhis boyhood in a small English village，Laurie Lee writes exuberantly，“The day was over andwe had used it，running errands or prowling the fields. We returned to the kitchen，back to itssmoky comfort. Every stone in the path as I ran down home shook my bones with arrivingjoy.”
