母亲节时不能送的礼物

 　　本周日(5月13日)就是母亲节了，你选好礼物了吗?据美国零售业联合会预计，今年母亲节期间美国人的花费将高达190亿美元。那么如何才能在母亲节花对钱、买对礼物呢?如果你的礼物清单上有以下商品，趁早把它们删了吧，因为妈妈们不希望收到这样的礼物。首当其冲的是吸尘器，虽然如今的吸尘器外型和功能都改进了不少，但妈妈们还是将其列为最不受欢迎的母亲节礼物之一。除此之外，性玩具、两元店买的厨房清洁用具、古巴雪茄以及复活节没吃完的糖果，甚至电锯等让人大跌眼镜的礼物也都在不受欢迎之列。妈妈们普遍表示，她们更愿意收到家人亲手制作的礼物;如果是商场购买的礼物，她们也不希望家人买礼物时要求自己在场自己挑选。

　　母亲节哪些礼物不能送?

　　Mother's Day don'ts: dish gloves, Cougar¹ shirtsWhat were they thinking? Through plastic smiles or gritted² teeth, moms have to suck it up sometimes when Mother's Day means a gifted toilet, unsolicited wash tub or anti-aging cream.

　　It wouldn't be Mother's Day if some mom somewhere wasn't disappointed or downright piqued³ at gift time. Many aren't looking to break the bank, though the National Retail⁴ Federation⁵ expects Americans to spend $19 billion on the holiday this year. But unrequested sex toys? A chainsaw?

　　Dave Hochman learned the hard way last year when he presented his five-years-older wife with a "Cougar" T-shirt, a freebie from a client, no less.

　　"While she does have a great sense of humor, let's just say it wasn't the best idea I've ever had," said Hochman, in Monmouth, N.J.

　　Glenna Tooman's uh-oh moment was when her now-grown son, Bill, was 10 or 11. He disappeared on his bike in Boise, Idaho, only to return with a Mother's Day gift that kept on giving, a tiny bunny.

　　"I was very surprised. It's the last thing you'd expect for Mother's Day," she said. "He spent his allowance money on it. We named him Garfunkel. We had him for years."A rabbit might be better than what a good chunk⁶ of moms surveyed in March by the website Cafemom received last year — absolutely nothing. And, while vacuums have come a long way in design and efficiency, they still ranked among the worst Mother's Day gifts ever received.

　　So do unrequested sex toys, guys. Like the vibrator an exhausted⁷ Ashley Largent — home with a 7-month-old — got for her first Mother's Day in 2004, from her now ex-husband.

　　"That was the only present I ever received from him for Mother's Day," said Largent, in Gaffney, S.C. "After that I told him that I didn't want anything."

1 cougar   

n.美洲狮；美洲豹

参考例句：

• I saw a cougar slinking toward its prey.我看到一只美洲狮正在潜随猎物。
• I have never seen a cougar.我从未见过美洲豹。

2 gritted   

v.以沙砾覆盖（某物），撒沙砾于( grit的过去式和过去分词 )；咬紧牙关

参考例句：

• He gritted his teeth and plunged into the cold weather. 他咬咬牙，冲向寒冷的天气。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The young policeman gritted his teeth and walked slowly towards the armed criminal. 年轻警官强忍住怒火，朝武装歹徒慢慢走过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 piqued   

v.伤害…的自尊心( pique的过去式和过去分词 )；激起（好奇心）

参考例句：

• Their curiosity piqued, they stopped writing. 他们的好奇心被挑起，停下了手中的笔。 来自辞典例句
• This phenomenon piqued Dr Morris' interest. 这一现象激起了莫里斯医生的兴趣。 来自辞典例句

4 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

5 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

6 chunk   

n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量）

参考例句：

• They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
• The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。

7 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。