Students often gather together in small, closed groups.
学生们通常结成亲密的团体。
If you are not part of a group,
如果你不是团体中的成员,
it can be difficult for you to be accepted.
那么你很难被接纳。
This is especially true if you can't speak to the members of the group in their language.
尤其是当你不用他们的语言和他们交谈时。
This was the situation Sam faced each day as he went to class.
山姆在班级上每天都会面对这样的情形。
Sam and his family moved to France last month.
山姆他们一家上个月搬来法国。
Before he arrived, he knew there would be many difficulties.
来之前,他知道可能会有很多难题。
But they were even worse than he imagined.
但是情况比他们想象得更难。
Every lunch hour, after arriving at his new school, Sam sat alone in the dining hall.
来了新学校之后,每次午餐时间,山姆独自坐在餐厅里。
He looked at all the different groups of students around him.
他看见周围很多有不同的学生群体。
But he had no way to let them know that he was a good person.
但是他没有办法让对方知道自己是个好人。
He simply couldn't find the right words to reach them.
他只是找不到合适的话语跟大家去说。
Sam knew he had to find a way to change the situation.
山姆觉得自己必须找出方法改变这样的状况。
Somehow, he had to adapt to this new environment.
无论如何,他必须适应这个新环境。
He did a little research on the Internet and discovered that smiling is a universal language -
他通过互联网上做了一番小小的研究,并发现微笑是宇宙通用语言--
it is understood everywhere.
它能被所有人理解。
One morning, as Sam was walking by a group of students, he smiled at them.
一天早晨,当山姆从一群学生旁经过时, 他冲大家笑了笑。
A boy in the group smiled back at him.
这群学生中的一个男生回了个笑脸。
For Sam, that was a good beginning.
对于山姆来说,这是一个好的开始。
Later, he noticed the boy coming towards him in the hall with a warm smile on his face.
之后,在大厅里时,他留意到那男孩径直朝他走来,面带温暖的微笑。
Sam returned the smile.
山姆回了个笑脸。
Soon the boy asked Sam to join him and his group of friends for lunch.
不久,男孩邀请山姆和他以及他的朋友们一起吃午饭。
Although Sam wasn't able to say much in French, everyone smiled and laughed.
尽管,山姆不会说太多法语,但是大家都微笑待他。
Before he knew it, Sam had a group of friends, and they all wanted to help him learn French.
在这之前,山姆有一帮朋友,大家都想帮助他学习法语。
That day he experienced the power of a smile.
那一天他见识了微笑的魔力。