He concluded that his faith in America had been renewed and that people could still depend on the kindness of strangers.
2 Text A can be divided into three parts with the paragraph number(s) of each part provided as follows. Write down the main idea of each part.
Part: One; Paragraph(s): 1–7; Main Idea: Because of a past experience of neglecting a hitchhiker in need of help, the author decided to travel across America without any money to find out if one could still rely on the kindness of strangers these days.
Part: Two; Paragraph(s): 8–28; Main Idea: During his trip, he found out that people were generally compassionate and willing to help although they might have fears.
Part: Three; Paragraph(s):29-31; Main Idea: He talked to school children and concluded in a patriotic manner that in America people could still depend on the kindness of strangers.
Task Two Reading Between the Lines
Read the following sentences carefully and discuss in pairs what the author intends to say by the italicized parts.
1) In the middle of the desert, I came upon a young man standing by the roadside. He had his thumb out and held a gas can in his other hand. (Para. 1) By doing so, the young man was telling the passing drivers that he wanted to hitchhike as his car had run out of gas.
2) The week I turned 37, I realized I‘d never taken a gamble in my life. (Para. 7)
This week I would be 37 years old, yet I realized that I had always been very careful in my life and I had never taken a risk, for example, trusting on the kindness of others.
3) It would be a cashless journey through the land of the almighty dollar. (Para. 7)
The author is being a bit sarcastic here. He would take no money with him and travel across the US, where it is believed that money can do everything and anything. The phrase "almighty dollar" is a playful allusion to the familiar term "Almighty God"
4) Yet I was treated with kindness in every state I traveled. I was amazed by the stubborn capacity of Americans to help a stranger, even when it seemed to run contrary to their own best interests. (Para. 11)
I was amazed by the continual show of kindness of my fellow Americans, even though helping a stranger would mean taking a risk.
5) I didn‘t know whether to kiss them or scold them for stopping. (Para. 13)