Yes, the smile is the unaffected, unplanned, natural connection between people. I tell this story in my work because I’d like people to consider that underneath all the layers we construct to protect ourselves, our dignity, our titles, our degrees, our status and our need to be seen in certain ways and underneath all that, remains the authentic, essential self. I’m not afraid to call it the soul. I really believe that if that part of you and that part of me could recognize each other, we wouldn’t be enemies. We couldn’t have hate or envy or fear. I sadly conclude that all those other layers, which we so carefully construct through our lives, distance and insulate us from truly contacting others. Saint-Exupery’s story speaks of that magic moment when two souls recognize each other.
I’ve had just a few moments like that. Falling in love is one example. And looking at a baby. Why do we smile when we see a baby? Perhaps it’s because we see someone without all the defensive layers, someone whose smile for us we know to be fully genuine and without guile. And that baby-soul inside us smiles wistfully in recognition.
在美国，安东尼?圣?埃克苏佩里的《小王子》几乎家喻户晓。小孩子觉得那是个神奇的童话，成年人则认为那是个哲理故事，发人深省。至于圣?埃克苏佩里的其他作品和故事，很少有人知道。
圣?埃克苏佩里是名空军士兵，参加过反纳粹战争，在执行任务时不幸身亡。“二战”前，他参加了西班牙内战，抗击法西斯，以此为素材，他写了篇感人至深的《微笑》。现在，我们就来回味这个故事。故事是否真实无从考证，我宁愿相信那是作者的亲身所历。
作者说，他被敌人俘虏并关进了监狱，看到看守那轻蔑的眼神、粗暴的态度，他肯定自己明天就会命丧九泉。下面，我根据我的回忆，用我的语言把这个故事讲给你们听。
“明天便是我的末日，一想到这儿，我就恐惧慌乱、狂躁不安起来。我翻遍所有的口袋，终于找到了一支烟。我的手颤抖着，好不容易才把它放到嘴里，但没有火柴，全被他们搜走了。
“透过铁栏，我看见外面的警卫。他并不看我，毕竟，我只是他们眼里的一件‘物品’、一具‘尸体’。我冲他喊道：‘能借个火吗？’他看着我，耸了耸肩，走过来点燃我的香烟。
“他靠近我，给我点火，无意间，他扫了我一眼，不知怎地，我笑了起来。也许是紧张，也许是人与人近距离接触时，很难不笑出来，不管出于何种原因，那一瞬，我笑了。这笑，犹如一朵跳跃的火花，打破了心灵的隔膜，拉近了两个人的灵魂。我知道他本来并没打算微笑，但我的微笑好像越过了铁栏，启动了他的双唇，他竟然也笑了。他帮我点燃了香烟，并未立刻离开，而是注视着我，依旧笑着。
“我也笑着，仿佛他是我的朋友，而非看守。他的表情似乎柔和了许多，‘你有小孩吗？’他问道。
“‘有，有，你看。’说着，我摸出皮夹，哆哆嗦嗦地掏出了家人的照片。他也拿出家人的照片，并开始讲述他的计划和梦想。我的眼里噙满了泪水，我说，我恐怕以后再也见不到家人，无法看着孩子长大成人了。听到这些，他也流下了泪水。
“突然，没有说一句话，他打开牢门，带我出去，悄悄地从后面的小路将我带出了城。在城市的边缘，他放了我，什么也没说，便转身回去了。
“是微笑拯救了我。”
是的，微笑是联结人与人之间自然、真挚、难以预料的纽带。在这里，我之所以讲述这个故事，是希望人们能认识到：为了维护尊严、头衔、身份、地位和形象，我们建立了层层保护屏障，来掩饰自己。在这些掩饰之下，人人都有一个真实的本我，姑且就叫它灵魂吧。我坚信，如果我们能以诚相待，世间将会成为友爱之邦，仇恨、嫉妒、恐惧会消失殆尽。遗憾的是，我们生活中精心建立起来的保护膜使我们彼此疏远了，失去了真正的交流沟通。圣?埃克苏佩里的故事，讲述了那个神奇的瞬间——那个人与人之间心际相通的时刻。
那个神奇的瞬间，我也曾历经过，比如，坠入情网，还有，看着婴儿的笑脸。为何我们看到婴儿就会绽放笑容？或许就是那不设防的心、那纯真的笑，顷刻间打破了我们的心理防线。
1. At that moment, I_________. I don’t know_________ I did that. Perhaps it was nervousness, perhaps it was because, when you get very close, one to another, it is very_________ not to smile. In any case, I smiled. In that instant, it was as though a spark jumped across the gap between our two hearts, our two human_________.
2. I took out my wallet and nervously fumbled for the pictures of my_________. He,_________, took out the pictures of his family and began to talk about his plans and hopes for them. My eyes filled with_________. I said that I feared that I’d_________ see my family again, never have the chance to see them grow up. Tears came to his_________, too.
1. 小孩子觉得那是个神奇的童话，成年人则认为那是个哲理故事，发人深省。
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2. 这笑，犹如一朵跳跃的火花，打破了心灵的隔膜，拉近了两个人的灵魂。
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3. 是的，微笑是联结人与人之间自然、真挚、难以预料的纽带。
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1. Far fewer are aware of Saint-Exupery’s other writings, novels and short stories.
aware of：意识到；明白；察觉；小心
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2. Saint-Exupery was a fighter pilot who fought against the Nazis and was killed in action.
fight against：与……做斗争；反对……
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两枚硬币的价值
A Trick
佚名 / Anonymous
A young man, a student in one of our universities, was one day taking a walk with a professor, who was commonly called the students’ friend, from his kindness to those who waited on his instructions.
As they went along, they saw lying in the path a pair of old shoes, which they supposed to belong to a poor man who was employed in a field close by, and who had nearly finished his day’s work.
The student turned to the professor, saying, “Let us play the man a trick: we will hide his shoes, and conceal ourselves behind those bushes, and wait to see his perplexity when he cannot find them.”
“My young friend,” answered the professor, “we should never amuse ourselves at the expense of the poor. But you are rich, and may give yourself a much greater pleasure by means of the poor man. Put a coin into each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch how the discovery affects him.”
The student did so, and they both placed themselves behind the bushes close by.
The poor man soon finished his work, and came across the field to the path where he had left his coat and shoes. While putting on his coat he slipped his foot into one of his shoes; but feeling something hard, he stooped down to feel what it was, and found the coin.
Astonishment and wonder were seen upon his countenance. He gazed upon the coin, turned it round, and looked at it again and again. He then looked around him on all sides, but no person was to be seen. He now put the money into his pocket, and proceeded to put on the other shoe; but his surprise was doubled on finding the other coin.