韦达·博伊德·乔恩/Veda Boyd Jones

Many years ago, when I was fresh out of school working in Denver, I was driving to my parents’home in Missouri for Christmas.I stopped at a gas station about 50 miles from Oklahoma City, where I was planning to stop and visit a friend.I pumped the tank full, stood in line at the cash register, and said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas.

I took off, but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from my exhaust pipe.I pulled over and wondered what I should do.

A car pulled up behind me.It was the couple I had spoken to at the gas station.They said they would take me to my friend’s.We chatted on the way into the city, and when I got out of the car, the husband gave me his business card.

I wrote him and his wife a thank-you note for rescuing me.Soon afterward, I received a Christmas package from them.Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holidays meaningful.

Years later, I drove through a foggy morning to a conference in a nearby town.In late afternoon I returned to my car and found that I’d left the lights on all day, and the battery was dead.Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford dealership was right next door.I walked over and found two salesmen relaxing in a showroom devoid of customers.

“Just how friendly is Friendly Ford?”I asked and explained my trouble.

They quickly drove a pickup truck to my car, attached jumper cables, and started my car.They would accept no payment, so when I got home, I wrote them a note to say thanks.

I received a letter back from one of the salesmen.No one had ever taken the time to write him and say thank you, and it meant a lot, he said.

Another few years had passed when a friend’s husband died.Pat had been a well-respected doctor at a big hospital, and hundreds of cards were sent to the family.Among them was a sympathy card from a plumber who had once worked at their house.He wrote that when Pat had paid the bill, he wrote on the invoice,“Thank you for a good job.”

“Thank you”—the two powerful words.They’re easy to say and mean so much.

几年前，我从学校毕业，刚来丹佛工作时，一次开车去密苏里州的父母家过圣诞节。我在离俄克拉何马城约50公里的一个加油站停了下来，准备去看望一位朋友。我加满油，在收银台前排着队，并跟一对也在交款的老夫妇打了个招呼。

我驾车离开，走了不过几英里，汽车的排气管就冒出了浓浓黑烟。我把车停在路边，想着该怎么办。

一辆车在我身后停了下来。原来是刚才在加油站问候过的那对老夫妇。他们说可以把我送到我朋友家。我们在进城途中聊了一路，下车时，老先生把他的名片给了我。

后来，我写了一封感谢信感谢他们对我的帮助。很快，我就收到了他们寄来的圣诞包裹，并附有一张纸条，上面说，他们的假期因为帮助我而充满意义。

多年后，在一个雾蒙蒙的早晨，我驾车去附近的一个城镇参加会议。黄昏时，我回到车前，发现车灯一整天都亮着，蓄电池的电已经耗完了。就在那时，我看到旁边正好是“福特经销处”。走过去，发现两个销售员正在展厅里休息，店里并没有什么顾客。

“请问福特公司可以帮我一个忙吗？”我问道，并解释着自己遇到的麻烦。

很快，他们就开着一辆轻便小汽车来到我的车前，接上跳线的电缆，开动了我的车。他们没有接受任何报酬，因此当我回到家时，我就为他们写了一封感谢信。

后来我收到其中一位销售员的回信。他说，从来都没有人会花时间写信对他说谢谢，这封信对他来说意义深远。

几年后，朋友的丈夫帕特去世了。他曾在一家大医院工作，是一位受人尊敬的医生，因此家里收到了数百张卡片。其中一张极富同情的卡片，是曾为他们家工作过的水管工送的。他在卡片上写道，当帕特为他付工钱时曾在发票上写道：“谢谢您完美的工作。”

“谢谢”——多么有力的两个字。他们很容易说出口，但意义非凡。

accept, receive, admit, take

这些动词均有“接受、接纳”之意。

accept：强调主动地或自愿地接受，或者说，经过考虑后同意接受。

例：I accept your invitation.

我接受你的邀请。

receive：着重仅仅接到或收到事实，而不含采取主动或积极行动的意思。

例：Every single child will receive a gift.

每一个孩子都会收到一份礼物

admit：作“接受”讲时，强调准许或批准。

例：Yale may also admit more students.

耶鲁也会招收更多的学生。

take：与receive同义，是receive的日常用法，侧重不带主观意愿地收下或接受。

例：John takes the second place in the race.

约翰获得赛跑亚军。

1.A car pulled up__________me.It was the couple I had spoken to at the__________.They said they would take me to my friend’s.We chatted on the way into the city, and when I got out of the car,__________gave me his business card.

2.They quickly drove a pickup truck to my car, attached__________cables, and started my car.They would accept no payment, so when I got home, I wrote them a__________to say thanks.