Charles "Chuck" Plumb was a U.S. Navy jet pilot in Vietnam.After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by asurface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemyhands. He was captured and spent six years in a communistVietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures onthe lessons he learned from that experience.

　　查爾斯．恰克．帕朗柏是越戰中美國海軍的一位噴射機駕駛員。在完成了七十五次戰役任務后，他的飛機被一枚地對空飛彈擊毀，帕朗柏跳傘逃命，卻降落在敵方陣營里，他被越共俘虜并被關在監獄里六個月，之后，他從這場苦難中成功逃生。現在，他為人們演講有關他從經歷中所學到的功課。

　　One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at anothertable came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters inVietnam from the Aircraft Carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shotdown!"

　　有一天，當帕朗柏和妻子在一家餐廳用餐時，隔壁桌一位先生走過來說道：「你是帕朗柏！在越戰中，你駕駛從小鷹號航空母艦上起飛的噴射戰機，當時你的戰機被飛彈打下來了！」

　　"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb. "Ipacked your parachute," the man replied. Plumb gasped insurprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "Iguess it worked!" Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chutehadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today."

　　帕朗柏問：「你怎么知道這件事的？」這位先生回答：「你的降落傘是我負責打包整理的。」帕朗柏驚訝地倒抽了一口氣，立即向他表示謝意。這位先生使勁地握著帕朗柏的手說：「我想那個降落傘確實發揮了功效！」帕朗柏向他確認道：「它的確發揮了功效，否則我今天就不會在這里了。」

　　Plumb couldn't sleepthat night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, "I keptwondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: awhite hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. I wonderhow many times I might have seen him and not even said, "Goodmorning, how are you?" or anything because, you see, I was afighter pilot and he was "just" a sailor." Plumb thought of themany hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in thebowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and foldingthe silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fateof someone he didn't know.

　　那一晚帕朗柏無法入睡，心中一直想著那位先生。帕朗柏說：「我一直在想，當他穿著海軍制服──戴著白帽、穿著工作背心和喇叭褲時，會是什么模樣呢？有多 少次當我看到他時，

　　可能連一句「早安，你好嗎？」之類打招呼的話都沒有說，因為我是戰機駕駛，而他「只是」一位水手而已。」帕朗柏想到那位水手在船內的長木桌上，花了無數個小時，小心翼翼

　　地整理著吊傘索，并一一迭好每個降落傘，每一次他的手里都掌握著某個他不認識的人的命運。

　　Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who'spacking your parachute?" Everyone has someone who provides whatthey need to make it through the day. Plumb also points out thathe needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot downover enemy territory ―― he needed his physical parachute, hismental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritualparachute. He called on all these supports before reachingsafety.

　　現在，帕朗柏總會問著聽眾：「是誰幫你們打包「降落傘」呢？」我們每個人的「降落傘」都是由別人供應，而為了打包這些「降落傘」，他們可能必需工作一整天。帕朗柏也指出當他的飛機在敵人領空被打下來時，他需要各種不同的降落傘：物質的降落傘、精神的降落傘、情感的降落傘和心靈的降落傘，在安全抵達地面之 前，他需要這些降落傘的支持。

　　Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, wemiss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please,or thank you, to congratulate people on something wonderful thathas happened to them, to give a compliment, or just to dosomething nice for no reason. As you go through this week, thismonth, and this year, recognize people who pack your parachutesand send them your gratitude.

　　我們每天面臨生活中的挑戰，有時候會遺漏了一些真正重要的事情。對于周遭的人，我們可能會忘了向他們打聲招呼、說個「請」字或表達謝意，或是當某個人遇到好事時，忘了祝賀他、講些贊美的話，

　　或是單純地做一些表達善意的行動。每當你過了一段時 間后，也許是這個星期、這個月或今年時，請試著找出那些幫你打包「降落傘」的人，并向他們致上謝意。

更多 英文美文、英語美文、英文短文、英語短文，請繼續關注 英語作文大全