83年高中英语课文
Lao Li,our senior hospital driver,died yesterday.Today at the back of the hospital in the open air, we held a memorial meeting,at which the hospital director,a young driver and Lao Li's second son made speeches. They told of his past of his devotion to duty,of his revolutionary optimism in the face of fatal illness.They spoke of his fine qualities as a worker of New China.     
Lao Li came from a poor peasant family.He had hardly any schooling. Before liberation he was a cart-driver who could barely keep body and soul together let alone support his family. So he came to Beijing to try to find work.He became an apprentice truck driver, living a life of grinding poverty. It was liberation that brought about a complete change in his life, and his gratitude and devotion to the Party was boundless.
Lao Li had been a good friend of mine.He had driven me to and from work for many years and we always had much to say to each other.His attitude to me was that of a comrade.He had five children and never tired of telling me about them.All were at school and he was pro
ud of them and loved them dearly.Ionce asked him if he had any difficulty in keeping five children in school. He said he had no difficulty at alland he had never been so well off in his life.
A few years ago, while Lao Li was out with the hospital truck collecting supplies from a town several hundred miles away, North China was hit by an unexpected heavy rain, which caused severe flooding. We were not surprised that he returned three days later than expected.He just said that the roads were flooded and some bridges had been washed away.We would have thought nothing more about it if we had not received a letter from a people’s commune asking for the name ofour driver
As Lao Li was driving through the rain,the roof of a roadside granary fell in.the harvest had just been gathered and the food for hundreds of families was in danger.Without hesitation Lao Li stopped his truck and helped to carry the sacks of grain to safety.When all the grain had been removed. he set about helping homeless women and children to places of safety.For twenty-four hours he worked without food or rest and then, without saying a word to anyone, went on with his
journey back to Beijing. A villager had noted the number of the truck.The commune found out that it belonged to our hospital and now wished to write a letter of thanks to the driver.
That’s the sort ofman Lao Li dest alwavs putting the interests of the people before his own.
Lao Li died of cancer. For months it had been difficult for him to move aboutbut he insisted that he felt well enough for light work. He said he was fed up with resting at home and wanted to do something useful.So he was given a job in the inquiry officewhere he set a good example to all by his deep concern for patients.