新视野大学英语听说教程2 03b添加文本

　　Rich Meeting His Future Mother-in-low
After much thought,I came up with a brilliant pian for Rich to meet my mother and win her over.In fact,I arranged it so my mother would want to cook a meal especially for him.
One day,my mother called me,to invite me to a birthday dinner for my father.My brother Vincentwas bringing his girlfriend,Lisa Lum.I could bring a friend,too.
I knew she would do this,because cooking was how my mother expressed her love,her pride,her power,and her proof that she knew more than anyone else."Just be sure to tell her later that her cooking was the best you ever tasted,"I told Rich."Blieve me."
The eve of the dinner,I sat in the kichen watching her cook,waiting for the right moment to teel her about our marriage plans,that we had decided¹ to get married next July,about seven months away.She was cubing darlic and slicing cabbage into small pieces and chatting at the same time about Auntie Suyuan:"She can only cook looking at directions.My instructions are in my fingers.I know what secret ingredients to put in just by using my nose!"And she was slicing so quickly,seemingly not paying attention to her sharp chopping knife,that I was afraid the tips of her fingers would become one of the ingredients of the purple vegetable and pork dish.
I was hoping she would saying something first concerning Rich.I had seen her expression when she opened the door,her forced smile as she surveyed him from head to toe,checking her judgment² of him against that already given to her by Autie Suyuan.I tried to anticipate what criticisms she would have.
Rich was not only not Chinese,he was also my j unior,a few years younger than I was.And unfortunately,he looked much younger with his curly red hair,smooyh pale skin,and the splash of orange freckles³ across his nose.He was a bit on the short side,compactly built.In his dark business suits,he looked nice but easily forgettable,like somebody's nephew at a funeral.This was why I didn't notice him the first year we worked together at the firm.But,my mother noticed everything.
"So what do you think of Rich?"I finally asked,hoding my breath.
She tossed the garlic in the hot oil,which bubbled in a loud,angry sound."So many spots on his face,"she said.
I could feel the goose bumps rise on my back."They're freckles.Freckles are good luck,you know,"I felt compelled to defend on his behalf,a bit too heatedly as I raised my voice above the noise of the kitchen.
"Oh?"She said innocently.
"Yes,the more spots the better.Everybody knows that."
She considered this a moment and then smiled and spoke⁴ in a Chinese dialect:"Maybe this is true.When you were young,you got the chicken pox.So many spots,you had to stay home for ten days.So licky,you thought."
I couldn't save Rich in the kitchen.And I couldn't save him later at the dinner table either.
He had brought a bottle of French wine,something he did not know my parents could not appreciate.My parents did not even own appropriate glasses for wine.And then he also made the mistake of drinking not one but two frosted glasses full,while everybody else had a half-inch"just for taste."
But the worst happened when Rich criticized my mother's cooking,and he didn't even have a clue about what he had done.As is the Chinese cook's custom,my mother always made negative remarks about her own cooking.That night she chose to direct it toward her famous steamed pork and preserved vegetable dish,which she always served with special pride.
"Ai!This dish not salty enough,no flaver,"she complained,after tasting a small bite."It is too bad to eat."
This was our family's cue to eat some and proclaim it the best she had ever made.But before we could be so diplomatic,Rich said,"You know,all it needs is a little soy sauce."And he proceeded to pour a riverful of the salty black stuff on the china plant,right before my mother's eyes.
And even though I was hopeful throughout the dinner that my mother would somehow see Rich's kindness,his sense of humor and charm,I knew he had failed miserably⁵ in her eyes.
Rich obviously had had a different opinion on how the evening had gone.When we got home that night,after we put Shoshana to bed,he said modestly,"Well,I think we hit it off A-OK."

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

3 freckles   

n.雀斑，斑点( freckle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She had a wonderful clear skin with an attractive sprinkling of freckles. 她光滑的皮肤上有几处可爱的小雀斑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• When she lies in the sun, her face gets covered in freckles. 她躺在阳光下时，脸上布满了斑点。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 miserably   

adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地

参考例句：

• The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。
• It was drizzling, and miserably cold and damp. 外面下着毛毛细雨，天气又冷又湿，令人难受。 来自《简明英汉词典》