Gifts to Mom

    Three sons left home, went out on their own and prospered¹.
    Getting back together, they discussed the gifts they were able to give their elderly mother.
    The first said, "I built a big house for our mother."The second said, "I sent her a Mercedes with a driver."The third smiled and said, "I've got you both beat. Youremember how mom enjoyed reading the Bible²? And you knowshe can't see very well.  So I sent her a remarkableparrot that recites the entire Bible.  It took elders inthe church 12 years to teach him.  He's one of a kind.
    Mama just has to name the chapter and verse³, and theparrot recites it."Soon thereafter⁴, mom sent out her letters of thanks:
    "Milton," she wrote one son, "The house you built is sohuge.  I live in only one room, but I have to clean thewhole house.""Gerald," she wrote to another, "I am too old to travel.
    I stay most of the time at home, so I rarely use theMercedes.  And the driver is so rude!""Dearest Donald," she wrote to her third son, "You havethe good sense to know what your mother likes.  Thechicken was delicious."

1 prospered   

成功，兴旺( prosper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The organization certainly prospered under his stewardship. 不可否认，这个组织在他的管理下兴旺了起来。
• Mr. Black prospered from his wise investments. 布莱克先生由于巧妙的投资赚了不少钱。

2 bible   

n.《圣经》；得到权威支持的典籍

参考例句：

• According to the Bible we are all the seed of Adam.根据《圣经》所说的，我们都是亚当的后裔。
• This dictionary should be your Bible when studying English.学习英语时，这本字典应是你的主要参考书。

3 verse   

n.诗，韵文，诗行

参考例句：

• He is good at verse.他善于作诗。
• His book was in parts written in verse.他的书有许多地方是用韵文写的。

4 thereafter   

adv.此后，以后

参考例句：

• Thereafter they did not speak.此后他们就不再讲话了。
• On the opening day all tickets are a dollar, thereafter,they'll be two dollars.开张那天票价一元，以后两元。