下载掌阅APP，畅读海量书库
立即打开
Ding Rui checked out of the airport and hugged both Anna Green and Jennifer Green. She opened her bag and took two parcels out of it.She gave parcels to Anna and Jennifer.Anna and Jennifer opened parcels before Ding Rui straight away.A Jade necklace for Anna and a bracelet cloisonné for Jennifer.The two American girls are both excited and surprised at the beauty of the gifts.
Anna and Jennifer were both blonde girls with very good figures.They were both very slim and tall.Anna was three years older than Jennifer and Jennifer 3 years elder than Ding Rui.Anna was a medical major in Harvard University.Jennifer was a junior major in social science in Columbia University.
The three girls and their parents had traveled around China fifteen years before.Ding Rui had been a baby during the traveling.The two American girls’mother Kathy and Ding Rui’s father Bob or Ding Cong had been very good friends.It was rare in both cultures.
Kathy and Bob had first met in Hangzhou in the summer of 1986. When Bob was checking out of the railway station, he saw a beautiful American Lady who tried to explain something to a clerk at No.6 ticket barrier.It seemed that it was hard for the clerk to understand her.At that time, there were not many who could speak English.Bob walked up and helped her going through the ticket barrier with his excellent English.That was Kathy who was a medical student in the Harvard University at that time.Bob changed his plan and accompanied Kathy to enjoy her time in visiting the West Lake and other attractions.In the end, Bob saw her off at the station and arranged for her to wait in the luxury waiting room.Kathy asked if she could be Bob’s elder sister.Bob had been very happy to agree with it.Bob stayed there till Kathy got on the train and left.Then two years later, Bob had visited Kathy at her home near Harvard University in the USA as a visiting scholar in Columbia University.Since that time, they had visited each other many times and kept friendship for several decades.
The long friendship should not have come true without God's blessing. Friendships among Americans tend to be shorter and less intense than those among people from many other cultures.Because Americans are taught to be self-reliant, because they live in a very mobile society and for many other reasons as well, they tend to avoid deep involvement with other people.In America, it has been said that if people can say they have one true friend, then those people are ex tremely blessed.
Ding Rui was very lucky as she had been born in such a family with such a Blessed friendship. After passing the ACT in Shanghai, China, Kathy had arranged for her to go to the USA to have an interview with an officer of Columbia College in charge of admittance.At that time Ding Rui had had no time to fly to Long beach.Kathy had arranged her daughters to pick Ding Rui at the airport to enjoy the time with the family before she went to her university.
Anna drove them to Long Beach. Ding Rui and Jennifer sat in the back seat.
“It seems that everybody here obeys the traffic laws nicely. I do not see that drivers race or drive in all kinds of illegal and dangerous ways in many American movies，”Ding Rui said.
“It's not that they do not like to do it but it would be very expensive if they did.”said Jennifer.
“I am happy that we are alumna. Please take care of me, my elder sister，”said Ding Rui.
“I'd like to help you if I can. Yet I am afraid everybody should be independent and try to solve her problems by herself，”said Jennifer.
Ding Rui was a little disappointed. She was more an alumna than a friend from a family which had kept a nice friendship with hers for decades.
“Sweet heart. Send a message of SOS to me by your mobile and I will fly to save you when you are in trouble，”said Anna and then she laughed loudly.
Ding Rui was more shy than angry.
The car was driven along a road through forests. The car stopped at a mail box.Jennifer got out the car to collect the letters, newspapers, magazines and advertisements.
“Here we are. That is our house.Follow us, please，”said Anna.
办完手续出关，丁瑞和安娜·格林和詹尼弗·格林拥抱在一起。她打开手提包，拿出两个礼包，送给安娜和詹尼弗。她俩在丁瑞面前打开礼包。送给安娜的是一条翡翠项链，送给詹尼弗的是一只景泰蓝手镯。漂亮的礼物让两个美国女孩既兴奋又惊奇。
安娜和詹尼弗都生得金发碧眼，身材也非常好。她们都很苗条，个子也高。安娜比詹尼弗大三岁，詹尼弗比丁瑞大三岁。安娜在哈佛大学读医学，詹尼弗是哥伦比亚大学基础科学专业的大三学生。
十五年前三个女孩和他们的父母曾经一起游遍中国。那时丁瑞还很小。两个美国女孩的母亲凯西和丁瑞的父亲鲍勃-丁聪一直是好朋友。这在两种文化中都不多见。
凯西和鲍勃的第一次见面是在杭州。那是1986年夏，检票出站时，鲍勃看到一位漂亮的美国女士试图对六号检票口的工作人员解释什么。那个工作人员似乎很难弄懂她的意思。那个时候，没有多少人会说英语。鲍勃走上前去，用流利的英语帮助她通过检票口。那个女士就是凯西，那时还是哈佛大学医学系的一名学生。鲍勃改变了自己的计划，陪伴凯西游览西湖和其它名胜。最后鲍勃送她到火车站，安排她在贵宾候车室候车，凯西问鲍勃；她能做鲍勃的姐姐吗？鲍勃很高兴做弟弟。鲍勃一直陪着凯西，直到她的火车离开。两年后，看望了家住哈佛大学附近的凯西，那时鲍勃在美国哥伦比亚大学做访问学者。自那时起，他们相互探望多次，友谊保持了几十年。
没有上天保佑，长期友谊的梦就不能成真。与许多其他文化中的友谊相比，美国人之间的友谊趋向于短暂，进行得也没有那么热烈。美国人受的教育是要自力更生，美国社会的流动性很强，还有许多原因使得他们往往避免和人深交。在美国，人们常说，如果有人夸口他有一个真朋友，那么他一定受到神的赐福，是个极端幸运的人。
出生在这样一个家庭，有那种天赐友谊，丁瑞非常幸运。在上海通过美国大学考试（ACT-American College Test）后，凯西就安排她到美国，接受了哥伦比亚大学主管招生人员的面试。那次，她没有时间飞往长滩。这次凯西安排女儿们到机场接丁瑞，入学前，她要在她们家玩一段时间。
她们去长滩，安娜开车。丁瑞和詹尼弗坐在后坐上。
丁瑞说：“似乎每个人都严格遵守交通规则，看不到司机竞速，也看不到那些多种多样的非法、危险驾驶的场面，那些场面在美国电影中很常见。”
詹尼弗说：“不是不想，是代价太高。”
丁瑞说：“能做校友，太幸福了。可要照顾照顾我，姐姐！”
詹尼弗说：“没说的。不过，每个人最好独立，自己的问题，自己努力。”
丁瑞有点失望。詹尼弗就是个校友，并不像是从一个与她家有几十年交情的朋友。
安娜说：“亲爱的，有麻烦发个SOS短信给我，我会飞过去救你的！”接着，就大声笑起来。
丁瑞的感觉，与其说是气恼，不如说是羞愧。
汽车沿着林间道路行驶，在一个邮箱旁停下，詹尼弗下车取信、报纸、杂志和广告。
安娜说：“到了，这就是我们家。跟我们来。”
1.check out 检票出站
2.parcel n. 包
3.necklace n. 项链
4.jade n. 翡翠
5.cloisonné n. 景泰蓝
6.blonde adj. 金发碧眼的
7.slim adj. 苗条的
8.clerk n. 职员、办事员
9.ticket barrier 检票口
10.intense adj. 热烈的、激烈的
11.self-reliant adj. 信赖的，靠自己的
12.admittance n. 入学
13.alumna n. 女校友
读书笔记__________________________________________________________