Reggie couldn't hear a thing. He was a normal boy, but he had been born deaf. He was well known to everyone in town, and they were all very fond of him. Unfortunately, though, he always seemed to end up being treated differently from everyone else. Children worried that they would hurt him, that maybe he wouldn't hear the ball being hit in his direction. Adults acted like he was incapable of understanding them, as though he was some kind of baby.
Reggie didn't like this very much. But the person who disliked it the most was his friend Michael, who decided one day that things had to change. Michael's father was the town's Mayor, and Michael managed to convince him that this year, in honor of Reggie, they should dedicate one day of the festival to deaf people. During that whole day everyone in town would have to wear earplugs .
People liked the idea, because everyone loved Reggie. The day became known as the Day of Silence, and when it arrived everyone stuck plugs in their ears, in a spirit of great fun. That morning was filled with practical jokes, mischief and laughter. But, as the hours passed, people became more and more aware of how difficult life was when you couldn't hear anything. However, learning about how life was more difficult for the deaf was nothing compared to the greatest discovery of the day: Reggie was amazing!
On that day no one was thinking of Reggie as just a deaf person. This meant he could be treated just like any other little boy, and people saw a whole new side of him. Not only that, but Reggie had a bright and sharp mind. On that day, using his usual gestures, Reggie was the one who could communicate best with everyone. This meant that people paid more attention to what he was saying, and they were surprised by his intelligence, his creativity, and his ability to find solutions to almost any problem. They realized that he had always been like that, and that in normal life all Reggie needed was a little more time than others to communicate. That was the only difference.
So the Day of Silence was the day Reggie's true nature became known. And it was the day everyone realized you have to give people a chance to show how valuable they are. People in town wanted to make sure that others would learn this lesson. So, from that day on, whenever a visitor came to town, they were welcomed joyfully and a helmet was plunked on their head, a helmet with great thick ear flaps , a helmet which meant you couldn't hear the slightest thing.
雷吉的耳朵听不见。这个小男孩身心健全，就是生来耳聋。镇上的每个人都认识他，也都非常喜欢他。不过，遗憾的是，大家好像对他就是和对别人不太一样。孩子们担心会伤着他，也怕把球踢向他的时候他听不见。成人们觉得他听不懂他们说话，好像他就是个小屁孩儿。
雷吉不太喜欢这样的状况，但最看不下去的还要数他的朋友迈克尔，他觉得总有一天这局面得改改。迈克尔的父亲是本镇的镇长，他成功地说服父亲，为了向雷吉表示敬意，他们应该在今年拿出节日的一天专门献给聋人朋友们。而且在这一整天里，镇上的每个人都得戴上耳塞。
人们都觉得这个点子不错，因为大家都爱雷吉。那一天就叫作“安静日”。当天，人们都抱着一种好玩儿的心情，在耳朵里塞上了耳塞。一早上，人们就又是恶作剧又是淘气捣蛋，又是放声大笑的。几个小时过去了，人们越来越意识到如果一个人听不见的话，他的生活有多么艰难。可是，比认识到聋人的生活不易这一发现更让他们惊讶的是当天的一大重要发现：雷吉简直太棒了！
就在那天，没人觉得雷吉只是个聋人，就是说人们对他就像对其他小男孩一样，反而看到了他崭新的一面。不仅如此，雷吉还是个开朗、脑子转得很快的孩子。只见他就是用自己常用的手势，和大家交流得最好。也就是说人们把更多的注意力放在了他讲话的内容上，大家惊讶地发现他很聪明、有创造力，而且几乎能解决任何问题。人们意识到他其实一直以来就是这样的，在正常的生活里雷吉需要的就只是在交流上比别人多一点点时间。就这么一点区别。
通过“安静日”活动，人们认识到了雷吉的本质。就是在那天，大家意识到需要给别人一个机会展示自己的价值。镇上的人想让别人也学到这个道理，所以，从那天起，每当有人来镇上做客，人们都会兴高采烈地欢迎，并且给来人戴上头盔。头盔上垂下来大大厚厚的两片盖在耳朵的位置，就是最小的声音也别想听见。
-dedicate [ˈdedɪkeɪt] v. 奉献
-earplug [ˈɪəplʌɡ] n. 耳塞
-plunk [plʌŋk] v. 随意地放下
-flap [flæp] n. 片状垂悬物
换个立场就会感同身受。