Helping Others Can Help Us Too

王秀鳳

How would you feel if your best friend got better grades than you？ Would you ask him or her to help you improve your own grades？

Once upon a time， there was a farmer who grew very good corn. ① Each year， he would take part in the state farmers’ fair（展覽會） and win a top award （獎）for his corn.

The story of the farmer’s success reached the ears of a reporter who wanted to interview the farmer. While he was learning about the farmer’s growing skills， he found that the farmer shared his best quality seeds （優(yōu)質種子）with his neighbors.

“How can you afford to share your best corn seeds with your neighbors when some of them might go to the fair as well？” the reporter asked.

“Why wouldn’t I ？” the farmer replied. “ The wind picks up pollen（花粉） from the corn and moves from field to field. If my neighbors grow poor quality corn， cross pollination （交叉授粉）will finally degrade（降低） the quality of my corn too. ② If I am to grow high quality corn， I must help my neighbors grow good corn too.”

The farmer’s answer made the reporter understand how aware（明白的） the farmer was about connections in life.

It is the same with our lives. Those who choose to live in peace must help others around them to live in peace too. Those who wish to be loved must first learn to love others too. ③Those who wish to live well must help others live well too， as the value （價值）of our lives has something to do with the lives we touch.

精彩譯文

幫助別人也可以幫助我們自己

如果你最好的朋友成績比你好，你會怎么想？你會讓他或她幫助你提高自己的成績嗎？

從前，有個農民種了高質量的玉米。每年，他都會參加國家農產品展覽會，并獲得最高獎。

這位農民成功的故事傳到了一位記者的耳朵里，他想采訪這位農民。當他了解農民的種植技術時，他發(fā)現農民與鄰居分享他最優(yōu)質種子。

“你怎么能承受得起和鄰居分享你最好的玉米種子，而他們中的一些人可能也會去參加農產品展覽會？”記者問。

“我為什么不呢？”農民答道?！帮L從玉米上吹起花粉，從一塊地傳到另一塊地。如果我的鄰居種的是劣質玉米，那么交叉授粉最終也會降低我的玉米質量。如果我要種高質量的玉米，我必須幫助我的鄰居種上高質量的玉米?！?/p>

農民的回答讓記者明白了這位農民對生活中的關系理解的是多么透徹。

我們的生活也是如此。那些選擇和平生活的人也必須幫助他們周圍的人和平地生活。那些希望被愛的人必須先學會愛別人。那些希望自己活得好的人也必須幫助別人活得好，因為我們生命的價值與我們所接觸的一切都有關。

難句解析：

1. Each year， he would take part in the state farmers’ fair and win a top award for his corn.

本句中take part in意為“參加”。辨析join， join in， take part in， attend。

這幾個詞（組）意思相近，但它們在用法上有何區(qū)別呢？

★join 指“加入黨派組織或團體，并且成為其中的一員”，后面可跟團體等作賓語;也可跟人作賓語，表示參與某種活動。如：

He is good at swimming， so he wants to join a swimming club.

他擅長游泳，所以他想加入一個游泳俱樂部。

Will you join us for dinner？ 你愿意和我們一起吃晚飯嗎？

★join in通常指“參加某種活動，尤其指和其他人一起參加某項活動”。注意：如果說“與某人一起做某事”“和……在一起”則用join sb. in sth./doing sth.。如：

Would you join me in a walk？ 和我一起去散步好嗎？

I hope you can all join in the discussion. 我希望你們都能參加討論。

★take part in指“參加群眾性活動、會議、勞動、游行等”，往往指“參加者持有積極的態(tài)度，起一份作用”，有時與join in可互換。如：

Can you take part in the English evening？ 你能參加英語晚會嗎？

★attend 主要指“以觀眾或聽眾的身份參加，一般指參加會議、典禮、婚禮、葬禮及去聽課、聽報告等”。如：

Our teacher attended the meeting yesterday. 我們的老師昨天參加了會議。

2. If I am to grow high quality corn， I must help my neighbors grow good corn too.

句中to grow high quality corn是動詞不定式作表語，表示對未來的安排。如：

The boy’s dream is to be basketball player in the future.

這個男孩的理想是將來成為一名籃球運動員。

3. Those who wish to live well must help others live well too， as the value of our lives has something to do with the lives we touch.

句中who wish to live well是定語從句，修飾those。as 在句中表示原因， have something to do with…意為“與……有關”。如：

Those who want to go to the Great Wall sign up here. 想去長城的人在這里報名。

Which holiday has something to do with autumn？ 哪個節(jié)日和秋天有關？

跟蹤訓練：

1. From the passage above， we know that the farmer .

A. was good at growing corn? ? ? ? ? ? ? B. didn’t have special growing skills

C. sold best corn to his neighbors? ? ? ? ? D. started the state farmers’ fair

2.What did the reporter think about the farmer sharing his seeds？

A. It was clever of him to do this.

B. It was a nice thing to do.

C. It might make him lose the award.

D. It would make him poor.

3. The farmer’s corn grew well partly because .

A. his neighbors also grew good corn

B. his neighbors gave him the best seeds

C. he was good at doing cross-pollination

D. he stopped others from growing good corn

4. What does the story tell us？

A. Hard work leads to success.

B. We should try to improve our lives.

C. Helping others is good for us.

D. Loving others makes life more valuable.

Keys： 1. A 2. B 3.A 4. C