幸运小甜饼的预言

　　　The Fortune Cookie Prophecy--幸运小甜饼的预言
Puberty hit me late．I was still afraid of the opposite sex when I was fifteen，and yet I prayed every night for the girl I would marry．I asked God to help her do well in school and to be happy and full of energy－－wherever she was．
One day，my phone rang．"Don，"it was my mother．"You know I told you about the Addison，who moved in next door to us．Well，Clara Addison keeps asking me to in－vite you over for cards some night．"
"Sorry，Mom，I've got a date that night．""How could you？I haven't even told you what night it is？"my mother responded with exasper－ation．"It doesn't matter when．I'm sure the Addisons are nice people，but I'm not going to waste an evening socializing with people who don't have any eligible¹ daughters．"That's how stubborn² I was－－I was positive that there wasno reason for me to go to visit the Addison．
Years passed．I was twenty－six，and my friends were getting nervous about my prospects³．They kept lining⁴ up blind dates for me．Many of these dates were fiascoes ，and they were in ter－fering with my social life．So I made up a few rules about blind dates：
１．No dates recommended by my mother（moms don't understand the modern love）．
２．No dates recommended by a female（they are too easy on each other）．
３．No dates recommended by a single guy friend（if she's so awesome，how come he hasn't asked her out？）
In three simple steps，I eliminated９０per－cent of all my blind dates，including one recom－mended by my old friend Karen．She called one evening to tell me that she had become good friends with a beautiful girl who reminded her of me．She said she knew we would hit it off．"Sorry，"I said，"you are ruled out by rule num－ber two．"
"Don，"She said，"you're crazy，and your silly rules are eliminating the girl you've been waiting for．But have it your way．Just take her name and phone number，and when you change your mind，call her．"
To get Karen to stop bothering me about it，I said I would．The girl's name was Susan Maready．I never called her．
Just a couple of weeks later，I ran into my old buddy⁶ Ted⁵ in the university cafeteria．"Ted，"I said．"You look like you're walking on air ．"
"Can you see stars under my feet？"he said，laughing．"The fact is，I just got engagedlast night．"
"Hey，congratulations。"
"Yeah，"he said，"at thirty－two，I was begin－ning to wonder if any woman was going to have me．"He pulled his wallet out of his pocket．"Here，"he said，suddenly serious，"look at this．"
It was a thin strip of paper form a fortune cookie．"You will be married within a year，"it said．
"That's wild，"I said．"They usually say something that would fit anyone，like you have a magnetic personality．"
"No kidding，"he said．"And look at me now．"
A few weeks later，my roommate Charlie and I were eating dinner at a Chinese restau－rant．I shared this story about Ted's fortune cookie prediction，and his subsequent⁷ engage－ment．Just then，the waiter brought over our post－meal fortune cookies．Charlie laughed at the coincidence as we opened our cookies．Mine said，"You have a magnetic personality．"His said，"You or a close friend will be married within a year．"A chill⁸ ran up my spine⁹．This was really strange．Something told me to ask Charlie if I could keep his fortune，and hehanded it to me with a smile．
Not long afterward，my classmate Brian said he wanted to introduce me to a young woman named Susan Maready．I was sure I'd heard that name before，but couldn't remem ber how or where．Since Brian was married，and therefore I wouldn't be breaking my "rules"about being fixed¹⁰ up by single guys，I accepted his offer to meet Susan．Susan and I spoke¹¹ on the phone，and planned a bike ride and a cook－out．Then，the meeting－－and as soon as I saw her，my heart started beating hard and would not stop．Her large green eyes did something to me I couldn't explain．But somewhere in me，I knew that it was love at first sight．
After that wonderful evening，I remembered that this hadn't been the first time someone tried to fix me up with Susan．It all came backto me．Her name had been popping up all over the place for a long time．So the next time I had a chance to talk to Brian alone，I asked him about it．
He squirmed and tried to change the sub－ject．
"What is it，Brian？"I asked．
"You'll have to ask Susan，"was all he'd say．
So I did．
"I was going to tell you，"she said．"I was going to tell you．"
"Come on，Susan，"I said．"Tell me what？I can't stand the suspense¹²．"
"I've been in love with you for years，"she said，"since the first time I saw you from the Addisons'living room window．Yes－－it was me they wanted you to meet．But you wouldn't let anyone introduce us．You wouldn't let the Ad－disons set us up；you wouldn't take Karen's word for it that we would like each other．I thought I was never going to meet you．"
My heart swelled¹³ with love，and I laughed at my self．"Karen was right，"I said．"My rules were crazy．"
"You're not mad？"she asked．
"Are you kidding？"I said．"I'm im pressed．I've got only one rule for blind dating now．"
She gave me a strange look．"What's that？"
"Never again，"I said and kissed her．
We were married seven months later．
Susan and I are convinced that we are true soul mates．When I was fifteen and praying for my future wife，she was fourteen and praying for her future husband．After we had been married a couple of months，Susan said to me，"Do youwant to hear something really strange？"
"Sure，"I said．"I love to hear strange things．"
"Well，about ten months ago，before I'd met you，my friends and I were at this Chinese restaurant，and．．．"She pulled a slip of paper from a fortune cookie out of her wallet：You will be married within a year．．．

1 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

2 stubborn   

adj.难以移动，去除的，固执的，顽固的

参考例句：

• I can not cope with that boy;he is stubborn.我对付不了那个孩子，他很固执。
• When he's in his stubborn mood,he isn't easily talked round.他那股牛劲上来了，一时不容易说服。

3 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

4 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

5 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

6 buddy   

n.（美口）密友，伙伴

参考例句：

• Calm down,buddy.What's the trouble?压压气，老兄。有什么麻烦吗？
• Get out of my way,buddy!别挡道了，你这家伙！

7 subsequent   

adj.后来的，随后的，继起的

参考例句：

• The story will be continued in subsequent issues of the magazine.小说将继续在以后几期杂志上连载。
• Subsequent events vindicated the policy.后来的事实证明那政策是对的。

8 chill   

vt.使变冷，使冷却，使沮丧；n.寒冷，风寒

参考例句：

• With the chill factor,it's nearly minus forty here.加上风寒指数，气温接近零下40度。
• The bad news cast a chill over the whole family.这坏消息使全家人感到沮丧。

9 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

10 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

11 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。

12 suspense   

n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑

参考例句：

• The suspense was unbearable.这样提心吊胆的状况实在叫人受不了。
• The director used ingenious devices to keep the audience in suspense.导演用巧妙手法引起观众的悬念。

13 swelled   

增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情）

参考例句：

• The infection swelled his hand. 由于感染，他的手肿了起来。
• After the heavy rain the river swelled. 大雨过后，河水猛涨。