的确一直没有出事。如今我就像妈妈当年一样使用着这只盘子，小心翼翼地从碗柜的隔板上拿下来，在家庭晚宴上和其他特别的节日里盛上黑色而肥美的火鸡肉汁。当有客人问起这只奇特而古老的盘子时，我偶尔也会讲讲这个故事，告诉他们我是如何从淹入我家的河水里捞出来的。
但是除了那场洪水的经历之外，这只船形肉卤盘还是一件将我同我过去的亲人和住处紧密相连的珍奇之物。妈妈曾努力解释过这一点，如今我真正感悟到了。我珍惜的与其说是这件器皿本身，还不如说是通过它而建立起来的那种联系。这只小小的船形瓷器，年深日久，伤痕累累，却将我同妈妈的人生、妈妈的欢乐和妈妈的慈爱永远相连——正如她曾经说过的那样。
April Showers Bring May Flowers
From the goldentipped fields of midwest America to the ancient kingdoms of verdant Palestine，there is a happy truth to be shared with all who would take heed. In more recent times，this truth has been expressed as： April showers bring May flowers. This is a truth that promises light bursting from darkness，strength born from weakness and，if one dares to believe，life emerging from death.
Farmers all over the world know the importance and immutability of the seasons. They know that there is a season to plant and a season to harvest； everything must be done in its own time. Although the rain pours down with the utmostutmost n.极限，最大可能，极力 adj.极度的，最远的 relentlessnessrelentless adj.无情的，ceasing all outdoor activities，the man of the field lifts his face to the heavens and smiles. Despite the inconvenience，he knows that the rain provides the nourishmentnourishment n.食物，营养品 his crops need to grow and flourish. The torrentialtorrential adj.奔流的 rains in the month of April，give rise to the glorious flowers in the month of May.
But this ancient truth applies to more than the crops of the fields； it is an invaluable message of hope to all who experience tragedy in life. A dashed relationship with one can open up the door to a brand new friendship with another. A lost job here can provide the opportunity for a better job there. A broken dream can become the foundation of a wonderful future. Everything has its place.
Remember this： overwhelming darkness may endure for a night，but it will never overcome the radiant light of the morning. When you are in a season of sorrow，hang in there，because a season of joy may be just around the corner.
四月雨带来五月花
从美国中西部金色的田野到巴勒斯坦嫩绿色的古老疆土，那些留心观察的人共享着同一个快乐真理。近来这一真理被阐述为：四月的雨带来五月的花。这一真理预示光明会从黑暗中迸发，刚强生自软弱，如果你敢确信，生命会从死亡中萌发！
全世界的农民们都明白季节的重要性和永恒性。他们知道在哪个季节播种、哪个季节收获，每件事都必须应时而做！虽然暴雨无情地倾盆而下，迫使所有的户外劳作停止，但土地的主人会仰天微笑。尽管有诸多不便，但是他知道，雨会为他的庄稼带来繁茂生长所需的营养。四月里的豪雨，会带来五月里的繁花似锦。
但是这一古老真理并不只适用于田里的庄稼，它还是那些正经历着人生磨难的人的无限希冀：一段友谊的受挫会开启另一段崭新友谊的大门；此处失去的工作会提供彼处更好的工作机会；一个梦想的破灭会成为美好未来的基石。万物皆有道！
请谨记：势不可挡的黑暗或有一晚，但它永远无法阻挡清晨的万丈光芒！当你正处于悲伤之季，请坚持住，因为欢乐的季节也许马上就会到来。
We Do Trust Each Other
Whom can you trust these days？ It is a question posed by David Halpern of Cambridge University，and the researchers at the Downing Street Strategy Unit who take an interest in “social capital”. At intervalsinterval n.间隔，距离，幕间休息 n.时间间隔 they go around asking people in assorted nations the question： “Generally speaking，would you say that most people can be trusted？”
The results are fascinating. The conclusion that leaps from the figures and into sensational headlines is that social dislocationdislocation n.混乱，断层，脱臼，religious decline，publicscandals，family fragmentation and the fear of crime have made us less trusting. Comparative surveys over 40 years suggest that British trustfulness has halved： in the 1950s 60 percent of us answered “yes，most people can be trusted”，in the 1980s 44 per cent，today only 29 percent. Trust levels also continue to fall in Ireland and the U.S.-meanwhile，the Norwegians，Swedes，Danes and Dutch express tremendous confidence in one anothers probity： levels are actually rising.
In Mexico and Japan the level of trust is also increasing，which is interesting if mildly baffling. And the PalmedOrr for paranoidparanoid n.(=paranoiac)患妄想狂者 adj.类似妄想狂的mutual suspicion goes to the Brazilians-with less than 3 percent replying “yes”-and the Turks with 6.5 percent. The French，apparently，never trusted one another and still dont. So we become less Scandinavian and more French (or Turkish) every year.
Regarding Britain，the obvious conclusions are being drawn. Mr. Halpern and others cite reasons why we appear less trustful： the demisedemise n.死亡，君权的转移或授予，让位，禅让 vt.让渡，遗赠，转让 of the jobforlife culture，rising divorce，physical mobility，higher immigration，an aggressiveaggressive adj.好斗的，敢作敢为的，有闯劲的，侵略性的 commercial ethic and the new isolation of mass media. “You use your wealth to free your self of the inconvenience of other people，” says Halpern. “You ensure you have your own house，and you dont even have to watch TV with your family because you have five TVs.”
All of that makes sense； so does the observation about damage to social cohesion caused by the minersstrike，the food scandalsscandal n.丑行，丑闻，诽谤，耻辱，流言蜚语 and the pensions and endowmentendowment n.捐赠，赋予 collapses which made us view the finance industry with a sour eye. Also，we have a large gap between rich and poor and a racially mixed society： some say that superior welfare and homogeneous populations in Scandinavia produce a higher “happiness index”，hence trust.
This is useful research，but there are a few caveats. The trouble is that you may not get a very thoughtful answer if you merely ask-as they did last year-whether “generally speaking，most people can be trusted”. For the British like to think of themselves as canny，savvy，nobodys fools. We have a powerful culture of satire and a hypercriticalhypercritical adj.苛评的，吹毛求疵的 media which gleefully splash news of every private and public betrayal，however trivial. In our fantasy life we court paranoia，lapping up crime thrillers and spy novels. We are fascinated by rogues，from Chaucers Pardoner to Del Boy. We are bad at riskassessment，and repeated surveys show that we fear crime far more than is justified.
