Two men，both seriously ill，occupied the same hospital room．Oneman was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to helpdrain the fluid from his lungs．His bed was next to the room’S only win—dow．The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back．
The men talked for hours on end．They spoke of their wives andfamilies，their homes，their jobs，their involvement in the military service，where they had been on vacation．And every afternoon when the man inthe bed by the window could sit up，he would pass the time by describingto his roommate all the things he could see outside the window．The manin the other bed began to live for those one——hour periods where hisworld would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color ofthe world outside．
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake．Ducks and SWanSplayed on the water while children sailed their model boats．Young loverswalked arnl in arn"l amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of thecity skyline could be seen in the distance．As the man by the window de—scribed all this in exquisite detail，the man on the other side of the roomwould close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene．
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a paradepassing by．Although the other man couldn’t hear the band，he could seeit．In his mind’S eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it withdescriptive words．Days and weeks passed．One moming，the day nursearrived tO bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of theman by the window，who had died peacefully in his sleep．She was sad—dened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away．
As soon as it seemed appropriate，the other man asked if he could bemoved next to the window．The nurse was happy to make the switch，andafter making sure he was comfortable，she left him alone．Slowly，painful—ly，he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the realworld outside．He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besidethe bed．It faced a blank wall．
The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceasedroommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window．The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall．She said，“Perhaps he just wanted tO encourage you．”
seriously adv．严肃地；当真地；认真地；严重地
involvement n．连累；包含
skyline n．地平线，天际；架空索；空中轮廓线
descriptive adj．描述的；叙述的
strained adj．紧张的，矫饰的，装作的
deceased adj．已故的能看风景的房间
在一间病房里住着两位病入膏盲的男人，其中有一个人被允许每天下午在床上坐1个小时，这样有利于排出他肺里的积液，他的床紧挨着病房里仅有的一扇窗户。另一个人却只能整天平躺着。
两个人连续谈了好几小时，他们说起了各自的家庭和妻子，还有他们的工作，他们在军队里服役的事，他们都曾在哪儿度过假。每天下午，只要靠窗的男人坐起来，他总会把窗外发生的事向病友描述，以此消磨时间。在这1个小时里，另一个床上的男人因听着窗外丰富多彩的生活多了好些生气，他的视野也逐渐开阔起来。
病房的窗户正对着一个公园，有一个美丽的湖泊在公园里。成群的鸭子和天鹅闲适地在水里游来游去，湖面上孩子们玩着他们的模型船，年轻的恋人手拉手在彩虹的映照下漫步鲜花丛中，风景因参天的大树而更显美丽，整个城市幽雅的轮廓可以一览无余。当窗边的男人陶醉地讲述这些美景的时候，另一边的男人总是闭上眼睛，想象着那些如画的风景。
在一个暖洋洋的下午，靠窗的男人又向同伴描述正经过的游行队伍，尽管听不到鼓乐声，但是借助靠窗男人的描绘，他不停在自己的脑海里回味着。一天又一天，一个星期又一星期，就这样过去了。有一天早上，护士来给他们送洗澡水，发现靠窗那个男人已经在睡梦中悄然离开了人世，只留下冷冰冰的尸体。她觉得很悲伤，接着叫来医院里的护理员推走了尸体。
在一个恰当的时间，房间的另一个男人问他能否搬到靠窗的位置，护士很干脆地给他换了。护士在把他安排妥当后，离开了病房。他开始慢慢地忍住疼痛试图用一个胳膊肘撑起身体，朝窗外看了第一眼，他终于可以亲眼看风景了。他紧张地慢慢望向床边那个窗外，看到的只是一堵空白的墙。
男人问护士，他那已故的病友为什么能描述出窗外那么多美好的事情呢？护士告诉他那个男人是个盲人，甚至连那堵墙也看不见。她说：“或许，他只是想鼓励你。”
名人名言
A friend is easier。lost than found．得朋友难，失朋友易。
