〔Ⅰ〕 次の英文を読み. 設問 1~21 に答えよ。
Sandy lives in an apartment so small that when she comes home from
shopping, she has to decide what to move out to make room for her purchases.
She struggles day-to-day to feed and clothe herself and her four-year-old
daughter on money from freelance writing jobs and helping neighbors.
(2)
Her ex-husband has long since disappeared down some unknown highway,
probably never to be heard from again. As often as not, her car decides it
needs a day off and refuses to start. That means bicycling (weather
permitting), walking or asking friends for a ride.
13
The things most Americans consider essential for survival- a television.
microwave, big freezer and high-priced sneakers are far down Sandy's list of
"maybe someday" items.
(5)
Nutritious food, warm clothing, an affordable apartment, student loan
payments, books for her daughter, absolutely necessary medical care and an
occasional movie eat up what little money there is to go around.
Sandy has knocked
) more doors than she can recall, trying to find
(7)
a decent job, but there is always something that doesn't quite fit-too little
experience or not the right kind, or hours that make child care impossible.
Sandy's story is not unusual. Many single parents and older people
struggle with our economic structure, falling into the gap between being truly
self-sufficient and being poor enough that the government will provide
assistance.
What makes Sandy unusual is her outlook.
"I don't have much in the way of stuff or the American dream," she told
me with a genuine smile.
"Does that bother you?" I asked.
"Sometimes. When I see another little girl around my daughter's age who
has nice clothes and toys, or who is riding around in a fancy car or living in a
fine house, then I feel bad. Everyone wants to do well for their children." she
replied.
"But you're not angry?"
"What's to be angry
(9)
and I have what is really important in life," she replied.
"And what is that?" I asked.
(10)
"As I see it, no matter how much stuff you buy, no matter how much
)? We aren't starving or freezing to death.
(11)
money you make. you really only get to keep three things in life." she said.
"What do you mean by 'keep?"
(12)
"I mean that nobody can take these things away from you."
"And what are these three things?" I asked.
"One, your experiences: two, your true friends; and three, what you grow
inside yourself." she told me without hesitation.
(13)
For Sandy, "experiences" don't come on a grand scale. They are so-called
ordinary moments with her daughter, walks in the woods, napping under a
shady tree, listening to music, taking a warm bath or baking bread.
Her definition of friends is more expansive. "True friends are the ones
(15)
who never leave your heart, even if they leave your life for a while. Even
after years apart. you pick up with them right where you left off, and even if
they die, they're never dead in your heart," she explained.
16
) to each of us.
(17
As for what we grow inside, Sandy said, "That's (
isn't it? I don't grow anger or sorrow. I could if I wanted to, but I'd rather not."
"So what do you grow?" I asked.
Sandy looked warmly at her daughter and then back to me. She pointed
toward her own eyes, which were shining with tenderness. gratitude and a
sparkling joy.
"I grow this."
From the book Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul by Jack Canfield. Mark Victor Hansen.
Jennifer Read Hawthorne, and Marci Shimoff. Copyright 2012 by Chicken Soup for the Soul
Publishing, LLC. Published by Backlist. LLC. a unit of Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing.
LLC. Chicken Soup for the Soul is a registered trademark of Chicken Soup for the Soul
Publishing, LLC. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
