温馨夜读II PART2 3.The Giving Trees

 

[00:00.40]3.The Giving Trees

[00:03.88]I was a single parent of four small children. 

[00:08.13]Money was always tight, but what we had, if not a lot, was always enough. 

[00:13.90]My kids told me that in those days they didn’t know we were poor.

[00:18.15]It was Christmas time, and although there wasn’t money for a lot of gifts, we had our plans to celebrate. 

[00:24.79]The big excitement for the kids was the fun of Christmas shopping at the mall. 

[00:28.71]They talked and planned for weeks ahead of time, asking each other and their grandparents what they wanted for Christmas. 

[00:35.24]I dreaded¹ it. I only saved $120 for all five of us.

[00:41.78]The big day arrived and we started out early. 

[00:44.93]I gave each of the four kids a twenty dollar bill and reminded them to look for gifts about four dollars each. 

[00:51.90]Then everyone scattered². 

[00:53.87]We had two hours to shop; and then we would meet back at the “Santa’s workshop” display.

[00:59.09]Back in the car driving home, everyone was in high Christmas spirits, 

[01:04.54]laughing and teasing³ each other with hints and clues about what they had bought. 

[01:09.55]My younger daughter, Ginger⁴, who was about eight years old, was unusually quiet. 

[01:15.54]I noticed she had only one small, flat bag with her after her shopping spree. 

[01:21.52]I could see enough through the plastic bag to tell that she had bought candy bars — fifty-cent candy bars! 

[01:29.26]I was so angry. 

[01:31.54]What did you do with that twenty dollar bill I gave you? 

[01:34.81]I wanted to yell⁵ at her, but I didn’t say anything until we got home. 

[01:39.17]I called her into my bedroom and closed the door, ready to be angry again when I asked her what she had done with the money. 

[01:46.46]This is what she told me:

[01:48.97]“I was looking around, thinking of what to buy, 

[01:53.54]and I stopped to read the little cards on one of the Salvation⁶ Army’s ‘Giving Trees.’ 

[01:58.33]One of the cards was for a little girl, four years old, 

[02:03.02]and all she wanted for Christmas was a doll with clothes and a hairbrush. 

[02:08.37]So I took the card off the tree and bought the doll and hairbrush for her and took it to the Salvation Army booth.

[02:16.25]“I only had enough money left to buy candy bars for us,” Ginger continued. 

[02:21.60]“But we have so much and she doesn’t have anything.”

[02:26.09]I never felt so rich as I did that day.

1 dreaded   

adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。
• He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》

2 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

3 teasing   

adj.戏弄的，逗趣的v.取笑，戏弄( tease的现在分词 )；梳理（羊毛等）

参考例句：

• Don't get upset—I was only teasing. 别不高兴，我只是在逗你玩。
• I didn't think you meant that seriously;I thought you were teasing. 我未想到你是当真的，我原以为你是开玩笑的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 ginger   

n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气

参考例句：

• There is no ginger in the young man.这个年轻人没有精神。
• Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.生姜吃到嘴里总是辣的。

5 yell   

vi./n.号叫，叫喊

参考例句：

• This gave them a chance to yell.这给了他们大声喊叫的机会。
• When his schoolmate made the last goal,the boy gave out with an untrammeled yell.那个男孩在他的同学踢进最后一球时不禁纵声欢呼。

6 salvation   

n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困

参考例句：

• Salvation lay in political reform.解救办法在于政治改革。
• Christians hope and pray for salvation.基督教徒希望并祈祷灵魂得救。