“One of these days,” Mrs. Coots was fond of saying, “you students will find that what you’re learning here will be useful.” Few of us believed her, but that didn’ t discourage Mrs. Coots from her relentless drilling in the basics of English composition. She was unwavering in her determination that we master the intricacies of the term paper with a proper bibliography. At the slightest protest, Mrs. Coots’s dark eyes flashed. “You will find that the real world is far more demanding than my term papers, but meanwhile they can help prepare you for it!”
I smiled at the memory. Nothing had been more difficult than one of her term papers, not even the prospect of one of Professor Dressel’s. He was a notoriously hard grader, seeming to take particular delight in giving Cs to A students. The next day I threw myself into the paper, working harder on it than any project I could remember.
When he handed back our papers, groans from the disappointed made Professor Dressel’s classroom sound like a hospital ward. He tossed my paper on my desk without comment. I shut my eyes tightly, steeling myself for the blow. When I cracked them open, an A+ leaped off the page. I disbelief I bent over for a closer look. Professor Dressel had written a terse note just below the grade: “See me after class.”
Nervously I approached his desk as the others grumbled out. “Young lady,” he said, “your term paper is among the finest I have ever seen produced by a junior accounting student. Do you know what this tells me?” I shook my head.
“It tells me that somewhere along the line you had a remarkable English teacher. If he or she is till alive, you should go to that teacher and express your gratitude. Good night.”_He snapped his textbook dosed, abruptly stood and strode out.
My mouth gaped. In my heart I knew Professor Dressel was right; I owed a good measure of my A+ to Mrs. Coots. I knew I should thank her, but the memory of her no-nonsense, crisp classroom demeanor still intimidated me.
On the evening I finally forced myself up to the front door of her modest house. I was trembling. But the woman who answered the door was far different from the Mrs. Coots I remembered in the classroom. She was in a bathrobe—pale and frowning. “May I come in?” I blurted.
She coughed and reluctantly beckoned me in. “I’ve been sick all fall,” she said in a reedy voice. “I’m just now getting over pneumonia.”
Mrs. Coots half collapsed in a chair and regarded me tiredly. I sat on the edge of the chair nearest her. I thrust my term paper into her hands. She glanced at it, then looked back me quizzically.
“My accounting professor knew someone like you was responsible for my paper—and—uh—” I stammered, “I just wanted to thank you. I really appreciate all you did for me.”
Mrs. Coots began to cry.“You’re the first person ever to thank me,” she sobbed. “This has been such a hard year, but your visit has done me more good than all the medicine I’ve taken. God bless you!” She got up, raised me gently out of my chair, threw her arms around me and hugged me hard. Then we both shed some tears. “I’m so glad you stopped by,” she said.
“So am I!” I replied.
Never again have I been reluctant to express gratitude.
当我们的教授佐治亚洲立大学的诺曼?德雷斯尔博士，在给我们讲学期论文的要求时，他论述得很清楚，声音听起来强硬而冰冷。他一边用严厉的眼神注视着我们，一边作总结性讲解:“内容当然重要，但是格式、参考书目和注释的准确同等重要。”这种畏惧蔓延开来，整个教室充斥着凝重的气氛。
下课铃响了，同学们咕咕哝哝，鱼贯走出教室，一个个面色沉重。这让我想起了另外一个可怖的人物——弗塞斯县高中的阿多?库茨夫人。她在我英文作业本空白处写下的批改，我仍然记得很清楚，她用天蓝色的钢笔，把我所有的语法错误都工整地列了出来。
库茨夫人常常跟大家说：“终有一天，你们这些学生会明白，你们在这里学的东西都是有用的。”尽管大家都不以为然，她一点也没有气馁，仍然没完没了地训练我们英语作文的基本写作技能。她打算一定要让我们学会正确地列书目，掌握学期论文的复杂之处。一旦有人提出异议，库茨夫人就会扑闪着黑色的眼睛说道：“你们以后就会知道，学期论文对你们的要求远比现实社会容易得多，然而与此同时，学期论文同时又能为你们进入社会做准备。”
这段回忆令我笑逐颜开，没有什么事情会比库茨夫人的学期论文更难了，德雷斯尔教授的论文也是比不过的。德雷斯尔教授似乎以给A等学生打C为乐趣，他严格的打分风格几乎人尽皆知。第二天，我就以前所未有的认真精神，开始埋头于学期论文的写作。
当德雷斯尔教授把作业发下来时，课堂好像变成了医院的病房，发出一阵阵失望的叹息声。他没有说什么，只是把作业丢在了我的桌子上。为了能够经受打击，我紧闭双眼酝酿着勇气。当使劲把眼睛睁开时，一个A+跃入眼帘，令人难以置信，于是我低下头靠近观看。在分数下方，德雷斯尔教授写了短短的一句话：“下课后来找我。”
当其他同学抱怨着走出教室时，我不安地走到了讲台前。他对我说：“女孩儿，在三年级会计专业的学生中，你的作文是我见过的写得最好的。你知道，我从中得到了什么信息吗？”我摇了摇头。
“这让我知道，你曾经遇到了一位非常优秀的英文老师。你应该去拜访这位老师，并致以谢意，如果他或她仍然活着的话。晚安。”他“啪”地一声把书合上，猛地站起身，迈着大步走出了教室。
我惊呆了，心里却知道德雷斯尔教授是正确的。在很大程度上，这个A+应该归功于库茨夫人。我明白我应该去向她表示感谢，不过，一想起她严肃、不容抗拒的课堂气氛，我就心有余悸。
当天晚上，我终于硬着头皮走到了她家门前，那是一所非常普通的房子。我感到浑身颤栗，然而，我记忆中的课堂上的库茨夫人与开门的女士简直有着天壤之别，她身穿浴袍，苍白的脸上眉头紧锁。我不假思索地说：“我可以进来吗？”
她边咳嗽着，边不耐烦地招手让我进去，并用衰弱的声音说道：“整个秋天，我都在生病，我的肺炎刚好。”
库茨夫人半卧在一把椅子上看着我，眼神里充满了疲倦。在离她最近的一张椅子上，我坐了下来，然后把学期论文放到她的手里。她朝论文看了一眼，然后又看向我，脸上露出了古怪的表情。
我结结巴巴着说：“我的会计学教授认为，我的学期论文应该归功于您这样的一位老师——还有——呃——我真的非常感激您为我做的所有事情。我就是想谢谢您。”
库茨夫人哭了。她呜咽着说：“你是唯一一个来向我说谢谢的人。今年对于我来说真的很难熬，你的拜访让我的病感觉好了许多，比吃过的所有药都有效。上帝保佑你!”她站了起来，把我从椅子上轻轻拉了起来，她伸出双臂将我紧紧地抱在怀里，我们两个人都流下了眼泪。她说：“我真高兴你能来看望我。”
我应道：“我也非常高兴！”
此后，我就再也不曾对表达谢意感到为难了。
心灵小语
说出感谢并不是什么难事，其实“谢谢”并没有太多附加意义，只是你自己心里想得太多而已。
记忆填空
1. After the bell, as my classmates____ out mumbling darkly, I recalled another classroom that of Mrs. Ado Coots, the____of Forsyth County High. I could still____ her neat script in the margins of my English papers, carefully enumerating each of my grammatical shortcomings in bright______ink.
2. Mrs. Coots half collapsed in a chair and regarded me____ . I sat on theof the___ chair nearest her. I thrust my term paper_____her hands. She glanced at it,_____ looked back me quizzically.
佳句翻译
1. 这种畏惧蔓延开来，整个教室充斥着凝重的气氛。
译________________________________
2. 第二天，我就以前所未有的认真精神，开始埋头于学期论文的写作。
译________________________________
3. 今年对于我来说真的很难熬，你的拜访让我的病感觉好了许多，比吃过的所有药都有效。
译________________________________
短语应用
1. ...Mrs. Coots was fond of saying, “you students will find that what you’re learning here will be useful.”
be fond of：喜欢，喜爱
造_______________________________
