美国国家公共电台 NPR The Call-In: Paying It Forward

 

LAUREN FRAYER, HOST:

Time now for The Call-In.

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FRAYER: Last week, we asked you for your stories about paying it forward - an act of kindness that spreads from one person to another. Here are three that warmed our hearts. A warm meal is at the center of our first story.

NEILGUN KURDI: My name is Neilgun Kurdi, and I'm originally from Turkey.

FRAYER: Kurdi left Istanbul 20 years ago and moved to California. It was there that she gave birth to her first child.

KURDI: Back in Turkey, when you have a baby, it's time for celebration. People come, and they bring food and gifts, and you're never alone.

FRAYER: But in a new country with a new baby, she found herself isolated¹, lonely and exhausted².

KURDI: I think it was the third day of our arrival with our new firstborn from the hospital that our dear friend whom we just met at the time - Nikki (ph) arrived. And - I still get to choke up sometimes when I go back to that moment because she showed up with a pot of that nutritious³, hearty⁴ stew⁵ that was going to feed us for the next two days.

FRAYER: Kurdi has paid Nikki's meal forward by cooking dozens more for new parents over the years, even ones she barely⁶ knows.

KURDI: If I see that mother in a street and if I chat more than a sentence, then I would cook for her. I mean, it's just - I don't have to be super good friends anymore because Nikki didn't know me (laughter) when she brought that pot of stew.

FRAYER: But for Neilgun Kurdi of California, kindness comes in a pot of stew. For others, it's warm clothes and blankets.

EMILY BORGHARD: The folks in the subway, when they would see me coming, started saying, oh, the blanket fairy's here. Quick, everyone, the blanket fairy.

FRAYER: That's Emily Borghard of New York City. On the clock, she's a social worker, a profession she pursued after people offered her a helping⁷ hand.

BORGHARD: I was having some medical difficulties, and people were helping me. People were going out of their way to get me back on my feet.

FRAYER: On the subway, she's a blanket fairy who began by buying hats and gloves and handing them out to homeless people on the train.

BORGHARD: I realized people were watching what I was doing, and little by little, people started handing me money and saying, go buy some more stuff. This is really wonderful. Thank you. And I realized that there was a much greater need, that I couldn't keep up with the demand.

FRAYER: So she started an online fundraiser, and donations poured in. This winter, Borghard's already distributed dozens of hats, gloves and fleece blankets.

BORGHARD: I think sometimes people think that paying it forward has to be something huge, but it can be a small act of kindness. And that little extra, hello, I'm paying attention to you might change their day.

FRAYER: Sometimes that small act can cost as little as 25 cents. For our final paying-it-forward story, let's hear from Jacqueline White, whose generosity⁸ takes place in the parking lot of Aldi's (ph), the discount grocery store.

JACQUELINE WHITE: And at Aldi's, you have to pay a quarter to get a cart.

FRAYER: A shopping cart. And when you return that cart, you get your quarter back.

WHITE: And I never take my cart back and get my quarter. I always leave it for the next person.

FRAYER: It might not seem like a huge act of kindness, but for White...

WHITE: Twenty years ago or so, I was on food stamps, and I didn't have a quarter for a cart. So now that I've been a nurse 30 years, I've never, ever taken my car back and got the quarter. I always pay it forward. It may be little, but at that time, if somebody would have left a cart, I would have been so appreciative⁹.

FRAYER: That was Jacqueline White of South Bend, Ind.

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FRAYER: Next week on The Call-In, when you're married or in a long-term relationship, sometimes sharing everything can get you into trouble, especially in the digital world. Do you share passwords and devices with your partner? How far should digital privacy¹⁰ extend in your marriage? What are the digital rules you live by in your personal relationships? Call 202-216-9217. Be sure to include your full name and your phone number but not your password, and we may use it on the air. That's 202-216-9217.

1 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

2 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

3 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。

4 hearty   

adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的

参考例句：

• After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
• We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。

5 stew   

n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑

参考例句：

• The stew must be boiled up before serving.炖肉必须煮熟才能上桌。
• There's no need to get in a stew.没有必要烦恼。

6 barely   

adv.仅仅，几乎没有，几乎不

参考例句：

• The male bird is barely distinguishable from the female.雄鸟和雌鸟几乎无法辨别。
• He took barely enough money to keep the children in bread.他赚很少的钱仅够孩子们勉强糊口。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 generosity   

n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为

参考例句：

• We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
• We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。

9 appreciative   

adj.有鉴赏力的，有眼力的；感激的

参考例句：

• She was deeply appreciative of your help.她对你的帮助深表感激。
• We are very appreciative of their support in this respect.我们十分感谢他们在这方面的支持。

10 privacy   

n.私人权利，个人自由，隐私权

参考例句：

• In such matters,privacy is impossible.在这类事情中，保密是不可能的。
• She wept in the privacy of her own room.她在自己房内暗暗落泪。