原版英文小故事 30. A Thoughtful Gift

Catherine invited Nelson to dinner. Last semester she had been a student in Nelson’s grammar class, but she had to drop the class because her son Kendall was having a problem in school. The problem was that he wasn’t studying. Catherine decided¹ that Kendall needed more motivation. She would provide that motivation by watching him like a hawk². She would also restrict his use of his Game Boy. He was allowed to play the computer game only on weekends.

Nelson was getting to be an old man. He had been teaching various subjects for almost 40 years. He could have retired³ 10 years ago, but he loved teaching. He said his students gave him something to look forward to every day. He planned to teach until he dropped dead in the classroom.

Nelson needed to take a little gift to Catherine to show his gratitude⁴ for the invitation. He couldn’t think of what would be appropriate. Opening his kitchen cabinet, he found the perfect gift—an unopened box of tea. In a kitchen drawer, he found some fresh-looking wrapping paper. He wrapped the box of tea up expertly. Feeling proud of himself, he drove over to Catherine’s and rang the doorbell.

He presented his gift. Catherine made a funny face. She said she loved the wrapping paper. Then she unwrapped the tea and made another funny face. “Nelson, I gave this tea to you at the end of last semester, and I wrapped it in this paper!”

Nelson gulped⁵. His face turned red. He told himself he had to be more careful with gifts in the future. Stammering⁶, he apologized to Catherine. She smiled and said, “It’s okay. It’s the thought that counts, yes?”
 

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

3 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

4 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

5 gulped   

v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住

参考例句：

• He gulped down the rest of his tea and went out. 他把剩下的茶一饮而尽便出去了。
• She gulped nervously, as if the question bothered her. 她紧张地咽了一下，似乎那问题把她难住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 stammering   

v.结巴地说出( stammer的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He betrayed nervousness by stammering. 他说话结结巴巴说明他胆子小。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"Why,\" he said, actually stammering, \"how do you do?\" “哎呀，\"他说，真的有些结结巴巴，\"你好啊？” 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹