I could sense that he was in a new world, that this whole experience was foreign to him. But I somehow knew it wouldn’t be right to push him, either. He didn’t need a pep talk; he needed a friend. After several silent moments, my first interaction with the boy under the tree was over.
At lunch the next day, I found myself leading camp songs at the top of my lungs for 200 of my new friends. The campers eagerly participated. My gaze wandered over the mass of noise and movement and was caught by the image of the boy from under the tree, sitting alone, staring out the window. I nearly forgot the words to the song I was supposed to be leading. At my first opportunity, I tried again, with the same questions as before: “How are you doing? Are you okay?” To which he again replied, “Yeah, I’m all right. I just don’t really get into this stuff.” As I left the cafeteria, I realized this was going to take more time and effort than I had thought—if it was even possible to get through to him at all.
That evening at our nightly staff meeting, I made my concerns about him known. I explained to my fellow staff members my impression of him and asked them to pay special attention and spend time with him when they could.
The days I spend at camp each year fly by faster than any others I have known. Thus, before I knew it, mid-week had dissolved into the final night of camp, and I was chaperoning the “last dance.” The students were doing all they could to savor every last moment with their new “best friends”—friends they would probably never see again.
As I watched the campers share their parting moments, I suddenly saw what would be one of the most vivid memories of my life. The boy from under the tree, who had stared blankly out the kitchen window, was now a shirtless dancing wonder. He owned the dance floor as he and two girls proceeded to cut a rug. I watched as he shared meaningful, intimate time with people at whom he couldn’t even look just days earlier. I couldn’t believe it was the same person.
In October of my sophomore year, a late-night phone call pulled me away from my chemistry book. A soft-spoken, unfamiliar voice asked politely, “Is Kevin there?”
“You’re talking to him, who’s this?”
“This is Tom Johnson’s mom. Do you remember Tommy from leadership camp?”
The boy under the tree. How could I not remember?
“Yes, I do,” I said. “He’s a very nice young man. How is he?”
An abnormally long pause followed, then Mrs. Johnson said, “My Tommy was walking home from school this week when he was hit by a car and killed.” Shocked, I offered my condolences.
“I just wanted to call you,” she said, “because Tommy mentioned you so many times. I wanted you to know that he went back to school this autumn with confidence. He made new friends. His grades went up. And he even went out on a few dates. I just wanted to thank you for making a difference for Tom. The last few months were the best few months of his life.”
In that instant, I realized how easy it is to give a bit of yourself every day. You may never know how much each gesture may mean to someone else. I tell this story as often as I can, and when I do, I urge others to look out for their own “boy under the tree”.
在大一生活结束的那个短暂的暑假里，我受邀到密歇根州一所大学主办的高中领导才能夏令营担任辅导员一职。我曾参加过很多大学教育活动，因此便欣然接受了这次机会。
在第一天的营地生活中，我利用一个小时的时间来尽力使气氛缓和，强迫大家互动起来。就在这个时候，我第一次注意到那个树下的男孩。他很弱小，别人一眼就能看出他的局促和羞怯，这令他看起来更为虚弱无力。距离他只有50英尺远的地方，两百个热衷于露营的孩子蹦跳着、打闹着、开着玩笑、不断交谈着；然而树下的那个男孩，看起来去哪里都可以，只要别待在这里。他表现出来的孤独让人绝望，像是要拒我于千里之外。我想起资深辅导员的指点：要给那些感觉受到忽略的队员以特别关注。
我向那个男孩走过去，打招呼说：“你好，我叫凯文，是营里的辅导员。很高兴认识你。你好吗？”他发出了颤抖的、局促不安的声音，很不情愿地回答我：“是的，我还好。”我平静地问他是不是想参加活动，结识一些新朋友。他静静地答道：“不，这真的不是我想做的事情。”
我可以感觉到，他身处一个全新的世界，这里的一切都与他无关。然而，不知道什么原因，我却知道鼓励他也不是什么好方法。他需要的不是激励的谈话，而是一位朋友。一段沉默过后，我和树下男孩的第一次互动也宣告结束。
第二天的午饭时间，我为200个新朋友高声领唱夏令营之歌。队员们满怀热情地唱了起来。穿过嘈杂、活跃的人群，我的目光定格在那个坐在树下的孤独的男孩，他正向窗外凝望着。我差点忘了正在领唱的歌词。只要抓住机会，我就会试着再次接近他，我像上一次那样问道：“你现在怎么样，还好吗？”他又一次答道：“是的，我还好。我只是真的不想做这些事情。”从餐厅走出来的时候，我明白，要想打开他的心扉，需要付出比我之前预料的更多的时间和努力。
那天夜里，在每天晚上例行的辅导员会议上，我把自己对他的忧虑说了出来，并向同事们介绍了他给我留下的印象，请他们对他多加留意，尽量多花一点时间来陪陪他。
在夏令营的日子比我所知道的其他任何时候过得都要快，年年如此。不知不觉，星期三已渐渐成为夏令营的最后一夜，而我陪伴他们直到曲终人散。学生们与新结识的“挚友”纵情享受这最后的时刻，他们今后或许再也不会相遇。
正当我看着队员们分享临别时光的时候，我突然看到了生命中最动人的一幕。那位曾一脸茫然地对着餐厅窗外凝望的树下男孩，此时脱去了衬衫，正在热情狂舞。当他与两个女孩开始跳舞时，他吸引了整个舞场的目光。我看着他与人们亲密地度过这意义非同寻常的时光，而就在几天之前，他却连看他们一眼也不愿意，我简直不敢相信这是同一个人。_
大二的时候，在一个十月的午夜，我放下手中的化学书，接了一个电话，听筒里传出一个陌生、轻柔、很有礼貌的声音：“您是凯文吗？”
“我就是凯文，请问您是谁？”
“我是汤姆?约翰逊的妈妈。您是否对领导才能夏令营的汤米还有印象？”
那个树下男孩，我怎么会不记得呢？
“哦，当然记得，”我回答，“他可是一个很可爱的年轻人。他还好吗？”
在长时间的停顿过后，约翰逊夫人说：“这个星期，当我的汤米放学回家时，被一辆汽车撞了，就这样走了。”我感到十分震惊，对汤米的辞世表示哀悼。
“我只是想打电话告诉您，”她说，“因为汤米曾多次地提到您。我想让您知道，这个秋天，他信心十足地回到学校，结交了新朋友，成绩也提高了，甚至还出去和女孩子约会过几次。我想谢谢您，您对他的改变起了很大作用。近来几个月是他生命中最美好的时光。”
刹那间，我才明白，每天奉献一点是一件多么容易的事情。你或许从不知道，每一点善意的举动会给别人带来多大的影响。我尽可能多地讲述这个故事，并试着说服其他人留心他们的“树下男孩”。
记忆填空
1. I could____that he was in a new world, that this whole experience was____ to him. But I somehow knew it wouldn’t be____ to push him, either. He didn’t need a pep talk; he needed a_____.
2. As I watched the campers share their parting____, I suddenly saw what would be one of the most vivid____ of my life. The boy from under the tree,____ had stared blankly out the kitchen window, was_____a shirtless dancing wonder.
佳句翻译
1. 在第一天的营地生活中，我利用一个小时的时间来尽力使气氛缓和，强迫大家互动起来。
译________________________________
2. 我想起资深辅导员的指点：要给那些感觉受到忽略的队员以特别关注。
译________________________________
3. 你或许从不知道，每一点善意的举动会给别人带来多大的影响。
译________________________________
短语应用
1. The desperate loneliness he radiated almost stopped me from approaching him...
stop from：阻止
造_______________________________
2. My gaze wandered over the mass of noise and movement and was caught by the image of the boy from under the tree...
mass of：团、堆、块（表量词组）
造_______________________________
