我们一路感谢着、向对方道着别，一路退出来，刚一转身，大门便在身后关上了。没办法，尽管他们对我们热情备至，但英国人就是这样的礼节，不会像中国人一样，总是要热情地把客人送上电梯、送到大门外、送到客人的车门前、甚至送到客人要坐车的汽车站......
        我们刚刚访问的是一家中学。一大早，我们从伦敦城西北下榻的酒店，坐地铁、换城铁、倒火车，最后在火车站打了一辆出租车，紧赶慢赶，准时到了这所离伦敦80英里的学校，为了调研英国中学开设汉语课的需求。学校的老师们非常热情地接待了我们，而且周到地安排了我们的参观、听课、与老师和学生座谈等一系列活动，满足了我们所有事先提出来的要求。因此，我们出来的时候觉得说多少声谢都难以表达我们的感激。当我们充满感激地出了校门，才发现本来应该向他们咨询一下我们回去的路该如何走的。
        在伦敦，像在北京这样挥手打车并不容易，尤其到了皮特堡这个镇上，站在路边连汽车都不多，就不要说出租车，大概就像我们的的哥喜欢蹲机场一样，他们都守候在镇上唯一的火车站了。我们带的地图是伦敦地图，根本看不到这里。站在了公交车的站牌下也不知道车是从哪里到哪里，是否路过火车站。
        正在这时，马路对面一位英国老大妈（这样叫她丝毫没有贬意，是想起了小时候居委会里慈祥的老大妈们）朝我们微笑着走过来。显然她看出了我们的焦虑，要帮我们。（就是这点，也像居委会里慈祥的大妈）

 After we finished our visits, said goodbye and came out of school gate,  the door was closed immediately. British customs are like this, totally different from our Chinese ones. According to our custom, it is polite for the hosts to accompany guests to walk out of the door, to the elevator, and even to bus stop or to the car they drive after a visit.
The school we just visited was a middle school. We set off in the early morning from our hotel in northwest London，took the subway, the train, and then a taxi and arrived at the school 80 miles away from London. The purpose of the school visiting was to investigate their needs for opening Chinese lessons. The teachers there gave us a warm welcome and arranged us to have campus tour, to visit their classes, to talk with the faculty and the students as we asked for . We were so grateful to their warmness that we forgot to ask about the returning way when we came out of the school.
In a small town like Peterborough, it was not easy to get a taxi in the street. For most taxies gathered around was the only railway station of the town. And the map we took was one of London city, so the small town was not on it. Therefore when we came to the bus stop, we couldn't figure out where the bus came and stopped and whether it went to the railway station.
Right at this moment there came a British Granny across the road. Obviously she saw our troubles and would like to give us a hand.

        大妈耐心地听完我们的困惑之后，仔细地给我们介绍了三种方式到火车站：走路半个小时，坐公交车十来分钟再走七八分钟，打出租车几分钟便到。为我们省钱着想，她建议我们走过去。但是我们看着手中拿的摄像机、电脑、大本的资料、外套等等，怕走过去太辛苦，最主要的是我们不认识路，担心走丢。大妈为自己的提议没有考虑周到有些不好意思。为了省时间，我建议打车，幸运地过来一辆出租，可是不知为什么空车却没给我们停。大妈有些发窘。当一辆公交车过来时，她就毅然地和我们一起上了车。她解释要送我们到火车站。
       下了公交车确实要走好长一段路，过一个高速公路的天桥，穿一个很大的停车场，再走一段马路，转弯到了火车站。我们谢过大妈进了火车站。
        商量好买那趟车的票同事去买票的时候，大妈又出现在我身边，告诉我可以坐哪趟车，在哪个站台等车。我觉得很过意不去，已经耽误她那么多时间送我们来了火车站......，于是就又开始跟大妈告别。大妈道了再见、祝我们旅途愉快之后，走出了大门。
        转过身来的时候，我心里蓦地对大妈产生了一丝留恋。
        同事买完票过来直冲我背后微笑。我一回头，才发现大妈原来还没有走，隔着门玻璃在向我们张望！
        直到看着我们俩走进站台，大妈才放心地离去。同事也说鼻子酸酸的。我告诉她：以前看到过一篇文章，讲一个中国姑娘去面试，一位六十多岁的英国老太太领着4个4岁—7岁的孩子，带她狂奔穿胡同赶火车。没想到，我自己还真的遇到了同样的情景。
        想想儿时记忆中的居委会大妈们和现在的英国大妈和老奶奶们，不禁自问：如果我遇到这样的两个姑娘需要用这种方式来帮助她们的话，我自己会这样做吗？

She showed us three ways to get to the railway station: first, 30-minute walk; second, 10-minute bus ride with another 8-minute walk; third, a less than 5-minute taxi ride. Consider saving money, British Granny suggested us to walk there. But looking at the computers, cameras, coats we took and thinking of the fact that we didn't know the way, I suggested a time-saving way, taking taxi.
The British Granny suddenly realized that her suggestion just now was not a good choice. Right then, a taxi came, but it didn't stop. British Granny felt a little embarrassed for it. After a while, when the bus came, she got on the bus and accompany us to the railway station.

After we got off the bus, we had a rather long walk, passed an overpass，crossed a big parking lot and finally got to the railway station. We showed our thanks to British Granny, said goodbye to her and entered the station. But to our surprise, she appeared again in the station when my colleague went to buy the ticket. It seemed that she was still worried about us and wanted to tell us which train we should take and where we should stop. We were so grateful for her kindness and extended our thanks to her again. Granny didn't leave until she saw us enter the platform. We were so much moved by her. It reminded me of a story I read. It was about a Chinese young girl on her way for an interview. In order to show her the way, a 60 year old British Granny with four little children took her to run for the train. Now I came across similarly kind Granny who offered her help so generously.
I couldn't help asking myself, if I came across similar situation, would I offer my help like them?

      本文转载自Koala的个人空间，要阅读更多作者文章，请移步作者个人空间http://i.myechinese.com/index.php?s=/space/191。

• polite [pə´lait]   a.有礼貌的；温和的   (初中英语单词)
• opening [´əupəniŋ]   n.开放；开端 a.开始的   (初中英语单词)
• welcome [´welkəm]   a.受欢迎的；可喜的   (初中英语单词)
• campus [´kæmpəs]   n.大学校园；学校场地   (初中英语单词)
• faculty [´fækəlti]   n.才干；天赋；院，系   (初中英语单词)
• grateful [´greitful]   a.感谢的；令人愉快的   (初中英语单词)
• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:]   ad.&conj.因此；所以   (初中英语单词)
• obviously [´ɔbviəsli]   ad.明显地；显而易见地   (初中英语单词)
• suggestion [sə´dʒestʃən]   n.建议，提议；暗示   (初中英语单词)
• platform [´plætfɔ:m]   n.(平)台；讲台；站台   (初中英语单词)
• interview [´intəvju:]   n.&vt.接见；会见；交谈   (初中英语单词)
• elevator [´eliveitə]   n.电梯；升降机   (高中英语单词)
• northwest [,nɔ:θ´west]   n.&ad.西北(部)   (高中英语单词)
• investigate [in´vestigeit]   v.调查(研究)   (高中英语单词)
• granny [´græni]   n.奶奶；外婆   (高中英语单词)
• totally [´təutəli]   ad.统统，完全   (英语四级单词)
• subway [´sʌbwei]   n.地铁；地道   (英语四级单词)
• colleague [´kɔli:g]   n.同事，同僚   (英语四级单词)
• similarly [´similəli]   ad.类似地，同样地   (英语四级单词)
• generously [´dʒenərəsli]   ad.慷慨地   (英语四级单词)
• taking [´teikiŋ]   a.迷人的 n.捕获物   (英语六级单词)
• extended [iks´tendid]   a.伸长的；广大的   (英语六级单词)