4. 5.

C) wait for someone D) search for a friendly smile

At the sight of the two homeless men, the speaker ______________. A) turned away from them to join her family B) ordered for them two cups of hot coffee C) bought them two breakfast meals D) asked them what they wanted to eat

After the speaker turned in her ―project‖, the speaker‘s professor and her classmates _______________.

A) had a heated discussion about smile B) exchanged their unusual experiences C) were deeply touched by her smile D) were greatly moved by her story

▇ Key:

1. B 2. D 3. A 4. C 5. D

Section C Task Two: Zooming In on the Details

Listen to the recording again and fill in each of the blanks according to what you have heard.

1.

The speaker is a mother of _______ and has recently completed her ______________. The last project the professor assigned to her to do was to go out and ____________________ and then write down their _______________. 2.

Soon after she was assigned the project, she went with her family to the _________________ on a cold__________________. Just when they were standing in line, waiting to _________________, she smelled ___________________________. Two poor homeless men were also standing in line. They just wanted to _____________________ and ________, so they only asked for ___________. Obviously, it was all they could afford. 3.

Then she was suddenly filled with ___________. All eyes in the restaurant were set on her, judging her ____________. She smiled and bought the two homeless men ____________ ____________. 4.

She returned to college，with this _________ in hand. She turned in her ―_________‖. Her professor read it to the whole class. The whole class was ____________. She graduated with one of the biggest lessons she would ever learn — ________________________.

▇ Answers for reference:

1.

The speaker is a mother of three and has recently completed her college degree. The last project the professor assigned to her to do was to go out and smile at three people and then write down their reaction. 2.

Soon after she was assigned the project, she went with her family to the local McDonalds on a cold March morning. Just when they were standing in line, waiting to be served, she smelled a horrible “dirty body” smell. Two poor homeless men were also standing in line. They just

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wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, so they only asked for coffee. Obviously, it was all they could afford. 3. 4.

Then she was suddenly filled with sympathy. All eyes in the restaurant were set on her, judging her every action. She smiled and bought the two homeless men two breakfast meals. She returned to college，with this story in hand. She turned in her ―project‖. Her professor read it to the whole class. The whole class was touched. She graduated with one of the biggest lessons she would ever learn —UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE.

Script: Smile

I am a mother of three and have recently completed my college degree. The last project the professor assigned us to do was called ―Smile.‖ The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and then write down their reaction. I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone I meet and say ―hello‖. So I thought that it would be a piece of cake for me.

Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, the youngest son and I went out to the local McDonalds on a cold March morning. Just when we were standing in line, waiting to be served, I smelled a horrible ―dirty body‖ smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men. As I looked down at the shorter gentleman close to me, he was smiling. His beautiful sky blue eyes were searching for acceptance. He said, ―Good day‖ as he counted the few coins he had. The second man was mentally retarded. The young lady at the counter asked the shorter man what they wanted. He said, ―Just coffee for the two of us.‖ Obviously, it was all they could afford. To sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something — they just wanted to be warm.

Then I was suddenly filled with sympathy. All eyes in the restaurant were set on me, judging my every action. I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray. I then walked to the table where the two men were sitting. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman‘s cold hand. He looked up at me and said, ―Thank you.‖ I leaned over and said, ―Just help yourselves.‖ I started to cry when I walked away to join my husband and son. As I sat down, my husband smiled at me and held my hand for a moment.

I returned to college, with this story in hand. I turned in ―my project‖ and the professor was touched and read it to the whole class. The whole class was touched. I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn — UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE.

Part III Read and Explore

Text A

Section A Discovering the Main Ideas

Exercise 1: Answer the following questions with the information contained in Text A.

1) Why didn‘t the author stop for the hitchhiker? 2) Did he feel guilty for not helping the young man?

3) Why did the author decide to start his journey across America pennilessly?

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4) What did he discover as he travelled?

5) What had happened to the trucker the author met on a rainy day?

6) What conclusion did the author draw from his experiences mentioned in Paragraphs 15-18? 7) Why did Carol invite the author to talk to her class about his trip?

8) What conclusion did the author make about his trip when he talked to the students?

▇ Answers for reference:

1) He thought that someone else would stop for him. And he was afraid of a possible robbery. 2) No. He didn‘t. But he was bothered by his easy and quick decision of leaving the young man

stranded in the desert.

3) He wanted to test if a person could still rely solely on the kindness of strangers or the good

will of his fellow Americans these days.

4) He found out that others shared his fear. Yet they still stubbornly helped strangers like him. 5) He was once robbed at knife-point by a hitchhiker.

6) He found that people were generally compassionate. And those who had the least to give

often gave the most.

7) She thought the children should be exposed to what else was out there — the good and the

bad.

8) He concluded that his faith in America had been renewed and that people could still depend

on the kindness of strangers.

Exercise 2: Text A can be divided into three parts. Now write down the paragraph number(s) of each part and then give the main idea of each in one or two sentences.

Part Paragraph(s) Main Idea

One

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Because of a past experience of neglecting a hitchhiker in need of help, the author decided to travel across America without any money to find out if one could still rely on the kindness of strangers these days. During his trip, he found out that people were generally compassionate and willing to help although they might have fears. He talked to school children and concluded in a patriotic manner that in America people could still depend on the kindness of strangers. Two Three

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Section B In-depth Study

There was a time in America when you would be considered selfish and looked down upon if you refused to help someone in need, but “I don’t want to get involved” has now become a national motto. Are people still willing to treat others with the same kindness their forefathers displayed? The author makes a cashless journey through the land of the almighty dollar to test his faith in America. And the answer he finds is: you can still depend on the kindness of strangers.

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The Kindness of Strangers

Mike Mclntyre

1. One summer I was driving from my hometown of Tahoe City, California, to New Orleans. In the middle of the desert, I came upon a young man standing by the roadside. He had his thumb out and held a gas can in his other hand. I drove right by him. Someone else will stop for him, I reasoned. Besides, that gas can is just a ploy to flag down a car and rob the driver. There was a time in this country when you‘d be considered a jerk if you passed by somebody in need. Now you‘re a fool for helping. With gangs, drug addicts, murderers, rapists, thieves and carjackers lurking everywhere, why risk it? ―I don‘t want to get involved‖ has become a national motto.

2. Several states later I was still thinking about the hitchhiker. Leaving him stranded in the desert didn‘t bother me as much. What bothered me was how easily I had reached the decision. I never even lifted my foot off the accelerator. Does anyone stop anymore? I wondered.

3. I thought of my destination — New Orleans, the setting for Tennessee Williams‘s play A Streetcar Named Desire. I recalled Blanche DuBois‘s famous line: ―I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.‖

4. The kindness of strangers. It sounds so quaint. Could anyone rely on the kindness of strangers these days?

5. One way to test this would be for a person to journey from coast to coast without any money, relying solely on the good will of his fellow Americans. What kind of America would he find? Who would feed him, shelter him, carry him down the road?

6. The idea intrigued me. But who‘d be crazy enough to try such a trip? Well, I figured, why not me.

7. The week I turned 37, I realized I‘d never taken a gamble in my life. So I decided to make a leap of faith a continent wide — to go from the Pacific to the Atlantic without a penny. If I was offered money, I‘d refuse it. I‘d accept only rides, food and a place to rest my head. It would be a cashless journey through the land of the almighty dollar. My final destination would be Cape Fear in North Carolina, a symbol of all the fears I‘d have to conquer during the trip.

8. I rose early on September 6, 1994, hoisted a 50-pound pack onto my back and headed for the Golden Gate Bridge. Then I took a sign from my backpack, displaying my destination to passing vehicles: ―America.‖

9. Drivers mouthed the word through windshields, then, smiled. Two women rode by on bicycles. ―It‘s a bit vague,‖ said one. A young man with a German accent wandered up and asked, ―Where is this ?America‘?‖

10. Indeed, for six weeks I tried to find out. I hitched 82 rides and covered 4,223 miles across 14 states. As I traveled, I discovered that others shared my fear. Folks were always warning me about someplace else. In Montana they told me to watch out for the cowboys in Wyoming. In Nebraska I was warned that people would not be as nice in Iowa.

11. Yet I was treated with kindness in every state I traveled. I was amazed by the stubborn capacity of Americans to help a stranger, even when it seemed to run contrary to their own best interests. One day in Nebraska a four-door sedan pulled to the road shoulder. When I reached the window, I saw two little old ladies dressed in their Sunday finest.

12. ―I know you‘re not supposed to pick up hitchhikers, but it‘s so far between towns out here,

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