以小见大:我做对了吗？-DidIDotheRightThing?

　　我做对了吗？

　　【内容提示】

　　一天，你和同学在买东西的时候碰见了你们的美国老师Mrs Brandenburg。她让你们帮她买一些水果。你们路过一个水果摊时，女摊主一边指着她的苹果一边用英语喊“这苹果很好”。可能是受了这位女孩纯正英语的影响，Mrs Brandenburg要买这里的苹果。问价钱时这位女孩说是6角8分一斤，但当这位女孩称苹果时在电子秤上显示的却是8角6分一斤。你受着良心的驱使和这位女孩理论起来，女孩嫌你站在外国人一边，说了一些侮辱你的话。你们离开水果摊后，外教知道了事情的真象，很感谢你，并说她由于不懂汉语，经常让人索高价。当晚，你问自己，为了帮外国人而使这个女孩丢了脸，不知道这件事做得是否对。

　　【作文示范】

　　Did I Do the Right Thing?

　　The other day I was shopping with a classmate mine when we ran into our American teacher. Mrs Brandenburg asked if we might help her buy some fruits. We agreed.

　　As we passed a fruit stand, the girl owner suddenly shouted aloud in English, “They are very good.” Probably impressed by her pure English, Mrs Brandenburg decided to buy the apples which cost six jiao and eight fen a jin. She chose some and put them onto to electronic weight①. To my great surprise, the weight unexpectedly showed the unit price as eight jiao and six fen a jin.

　　I debated② with myself. Was I to be on Mrs Brandenburg＇s side to point this out, or should I be on the side of the girl and remain silent? Several seconds passed when conscience③ forced me to ask the girl to reweight④ the apples according to its actual price.

　　The girl looked unhappy.“Are you a Chinese?” she asked me angrily. “She is not your mother, is she?”

　　“I am a Chinese,”I replied, “and she is not your enemy, either, is she?”

　　After we left the girl, Mrs Brandenburg thanked us again and again, fully understanding what had happened. Then, with a little displeasure⑤, she told us she had always been overcharged⑥ just because she didn＇t know Chinese.

　　That night I couldn＇t go to sleep. It is true that foreign teachers in China earn much more than ordinary Chinese, but should they therefore be overcharged? But on the other hand was it right for me to disgrace⑦ a Chinese in front of a foreigner?

　　If you had been in my position, my dear friend, what would you have done?

　　（选自1987年2月3日《上海学生英文报》）

　　【词语解释】

　　①electronic [ilek＇tr&nik] weight 电子秤

　　②debate [di＇beit] v. 争论；辩论；讨论

　　③conscience [＇k&nM+ns] n. 良心

　　④reweight[＇ri:＇weit]v. 再称；重新称

　　⑤displeasure [dis＇pleN+] n. 不愉快；不满

　　⑥overcharge [＇+uv+＇tMa:dN] v. 要价太高

　　|⑦disgrace [dis＇greis] v. 使丢脸

　　【写法指要】

　　本文作者记述了自己经历的一件小事。叙述中有议论，议论中有叙述。记叙时参和着对话，叙述真实生动；议论时结合着实际，论说颇为有力。这样，记叙和议论有机地结合在一起，有利于文脉的贯通和题旨的阐发。虽然作者在文章中流露的是不知所措的思想，但是从作者的所为我们不难看出他是维护社会道德的卫士，从小事中我们可以看到有关国格人格的大事。

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