《英语流行话题阅读:语境识词3500》Unit 3 告诉妈妈我爱她

　　Unit 03
Tell Mommy I Love Her
John had been on the road visiting clients for three weeks. He couldn't wait to get back to his wife and kids. It was coming up on Mother's day, and he usually tried to make it "back home", but this year he was too tired. When he drove by a flower shop, he said to himself, "I know what I'll do. I'll send Mom roses."
He went into the shop and saw a boy talking to the clerk. "How many roses can I get for six dollars, ma'am?" the clerk was trying to explain that roses were expensive. Maybe the boy would be happy with carnations¹.
"No, I have to have roses." He said. "Mom was sick so much last year and I didn't get to spend much time with her. It has to be roses, because that's her favorite."
Something inside of John was touched by the boy's voice. He silently mouthed to the clerk that he would pay for the boy's roses.
The clerk looked at the boy and said, "Okay, I will give you a dozen roses for your six dollars." The boy almost jumped into the air. He took the flowers and ran out. It was worth the extra thirty-five dollars just to see this kind of excitement.
John ordered his own flowers and had the clerk to be sure that delivery would include a note telling his mother how much he loved her. As he drove away from the shop, he was feeling good. He caught a light about two blocks from the shop. As he waited, he saw the boy with the roses entering a cemetery².
The light changed, and John slowly crossed the intersection³. He pulled over and on an impulse got out and began to follow the boy. The boy stopped by a small monument and went to his knees. He laid the roses on the grave and began to sob⁴. John stared at the little boy's trembling body and listened to his crying.
Then John heard the boy cry, "Oh, Mommy, why didn't I tell you how much I love you. Why didn't I tell you one more time? Jesus, please, find my Mommy. Tell my Mommy I love her."
John turned, tears in his eyes. He drove quickly to the florist⁵ and told her he would take the flowers personally. He wanted to tell his mother one more time just how much he loved her.

1 carnations   

n.麝香石竹，康乃馨( carnation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You should also include some carnations to emphasize your underlying meaning.\" 另外要配上石竹花来加重这涵意的力量。” 来自汉英文学 - 围城
• Five men per ha. were required for rose production, 6 or 7 men for carnations. 种植玫瑰每公顷需5个男劳力，香石竹需6、7个男劳力。 来自辞典例句

2 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

3 intersection   

n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集

参考例句：

• There is a stop sign at an intersection.在交叉路口处有停车标志。
• Bridges are used to avoid the intersection of a railway and a highway.桥用来避免铁路和公路直接交叉。

4 sob   

n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣

参考例句：

• The child started to sob when he couldn't find his mother.孩子因找不到他妈妈哭了起来。
• The girl didn't answer,but continued to sob with her head on the table.那个女孩不回答，也不抬起头来。她只顾低声哭着。

5 florist   

n.花商；种花者

参考例句：

• The florist bunched the flowers up.花匠把花捆成花束。
• Could you stop at that florist shop over there?劳驾在那边花店停一下好不好？