英语美文欣赏：奇迹 Miracle

 英语美文欣赏：奇迹 Miracle 【 www.beibeiyingyu.com 贝贝英语网与您分享！】
It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain in almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. The creeks and streams were long gone back into the earth. If we didn't see some rain soon, we would lose everything. It was on this day that I learned the true lesson of sharing and witnessed the only miracle I have ever seen in my life. 
   I was making lunch for the family when I saw my 6-year old son, Billy, walking toward the woods. I could only see his back. He wasn't walking with his usual carefree1) air2). He was obviously walking with great effort, trying to be as still as possible. Minutes after he disappeared into the woods, he came running out again toward the house. I went back to make sandwiches, thinking that whatever he had been doing was completed. Moments later, however, he was once again walking in that unusual way toward the woods. This activity went on for an hour. Finally I couldn't take it any longer. I crept3) out of the house and followed him. 
   He was cupping both hands in front of him as he walked, being very careful not to spill the water he carried. I sneaked4) close as he went into the woods. Branches and thorns slapped his little face but he did not try to avoid them. He might have a much higher purpose, I thought. As I came closer, I saw the most amazing sight. Several large deer stood in front of him. Billy walked right up to them, at the sight of which I almost screamed for him to get away. A huge buck5) was dangerously close. But the buck did not threaten him nor even move as Billy knelt down. And then I saw a tiny baby deer lying on the ground, obviously suffering from thirst and heat, lift its head with great effort to lap up6) the water in my boy's hands. 
   When the water was gone, Billy jumped up to run back to the house. I followed him back to a spigot7). Billy opened it and a small trickle8) began to creep out. He knelt there, letting the drip slowly fill up his "cup". 
   And now I knew what's going on. The week before, he had made the same trouble with our horses, which caused him a lecture from his father about the importance of not wasting water. That should be the reason he didn't ask me for help. It took almost 20 minutes for the drops to fill his hands. When he stood up and turned back, I was there in front of him. His eyes were filled with tears. "I'm not wasting," was all he said.  This time, I joined him, with a small pot of water from the kitchen. I let him tend to9) the baby deer alone for it was his job while I just stood on the edge of the woods watching. As the tears that rolled down my face began to hit the ground, they were suddenly joined by other drops...and more drops...and more. I looked up at the sky. It was as if God, himself, was weeping with pride. Some will probably say that this was all just a huge coincidence10). I can't argue with that, nor will I. All I can say is that the rain that came that day saved our farm, just like the actions of one little boy saved another. 
   那是旱季最热的一天。我们将近一个月未见滴雨。庄稼眼看就要旱死了。奶牛也挤不出奶。小溪小河早都干得底朝天。要是短时间内不下雨，我们就会失去一切。但正是在这样的一天，我上了一堂关于分享的课，目睹了一生中惟一的奇迹。 
   我正在给家人做午饭，无意中看到6岁的儿子比利正朝着树林走去。我只能看见他的背影。他走路不像往日那样轻快。很显然，他走得很吃力，尽可能保持平稳。他消失在树林里，但几分钟后，就又出现了，朝着房子跑来。我接着做三明治，心想不管他在干什么，反正都干完了。可是过了片刻，他又用那种不同于往常的姿态朝树林走去。这项活动持续了一个小时。最后我忍不住好奇，就悄悄走出屋子，跟着他。 
   他小心翼翼地走着，双手在身前窝成了杯状，尽量不把手里捧的水洒出去。我偷偷地跟着他进了树林。树枝和荆棘拍打在他的小脸上，但是他并不设法避开。我想他可能有个更重要的目的。待我走近一看，我看到了最令人惊讶的一幕。几只硕大的鹿站在比利的面前。他径直朝它们走了过去，看到这一幕，我几乎尖叫让他走开。一只大个儿的雄鹿就在附近，十分危险。但当比利跪下去的时候，雄鹿并未恐吓他，甚至都不动弹一下。然后，我看到地上躺着一只小鹿，一看就正饱受饥渴和酷热的折磨。它费劲地抬起头，舔我儿子手中的水喝。 水喝完后，比利跳起来朝我们的房子跑去。我跟着他回到水龙头前。比利拧开水龙头，一股极细的水流缓缓流了出来。他跪在那里，让一滴滴的水慢慢盛满他小手做的“杯子”。 
   我这才知道比利在干什么。一周前，他用同样的方法给我们的马喂水，结果被他父亲训了一顿，告诫他不要浪费水。正因如此，他才没有向我求助。足足用了20分钟，他的小手才接满水。他站起来转身时，我站在了他的面前。他的眼里满是泪水，只说了句：“我没有浪费水。” 
   这次我也加入了他的行动，从厨房拿了一小壶水。我让比利自己照顾小鹿，因为那是他的工作，而我只是站在树林边观望。当泪珠滑过我的脸颊，滴落到地上的时候，另一种水珠忽然也落了下来，并且越来越多。我抬头看看天。似乎上苍也为此自豪地落泪。有些人可能会说这不过是个极其偶然的巧合。我对此无话可说，我也不想为此辩解。我只能说那一天下的雨挽救了我们的农场，正如一个小男孩拯救另一条生命的行动一样。 
　1.carefree adj. 无忧无虑的，轻松愉快的 
   2.air n. 样子，行为方式 
   3.creep [kri:p] vi. 蹑手蹑脚地走，悄悄地行进；crept为其过去式 
   4.sneak [sni:k] v. 偷偷地走 
   5.buck  n. <美> 雄鹿 
   6.lap up: <口>舔食，贪婪地吃(或喝) 
   7.spigot n. 水龙头 
   8.trickle  n. 细流，涓滴 
   9.tend to sb.: 照料某人 
   10.coincidence  n. 巧合，同时发生或同时存在(尤指偶然)的事