英语美文：母爱A Mother’s Love

 A Mother’s Love

母亲的爱

A little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper, and handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his Mom dried her hands on an apron¹, she read it, and this is what it said:

For cutting the grass: $5.00

For cleaning up my room this week: $1.00

For going to the store for you: $ .50

Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping : $.25

Taking out the garbage: $1.00

For getting a good report card: $5.00

For cleaning up and raking² the yard: $2.00

Total owed³: $14.75

Well, his mother looked at him standing⁴ there, and the boy could see the memories flashing through her mind. She picked up the pen, turned over the paper he’d written on, and this is what she wrote:

For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me:

No Charge

For all the nights that I’ve sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you:

No charge

For all the trying times, and all the tears that you’ve caused through the years:

No charge

For all the nights that were filled with dread⁵, and for the worries I knew were ahead:

No charge

For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose:

No charge

Son, when you add it up, the cost of my love is:

No charge

When the boy finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes in and he looked straight at his mother and said, “Mom, I sure do you love you.” And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote: “PAID IN FULL”.

一天晚上我们的小儿子来到厨房，他妈妈正在那儿做晚饭。他递给妈妈一张已经写好字的纸。妈妈在围裙上擦干手后，看到上面写着：

割草                                       5美元

本周打扫自己的房间               1美元

当你购物时看小弟弟               50美分

倒垃圾                                    1美元

拿到优异的成绩单                 5美元

清理庭院、耙草叶                 2美元

总计                                     14.75美元

妈妈看着站在旁边的儿子。儿子似乎能看到她正在回忆什么。然后，她拿起笔，把那张纸翻过来，她写道：

在我肚子里怀你9个月，让你慢慢长大：

一分都不收。

为你熬的每个夜晚，照料呵护你：

一分都不收。

多年来由你引起的难熬时光以及为你流的泪：

一分都不收。

为了你而充满恐惧和担心的日日夜夜：

一分都不收。

给你提供玩具、事物、衣服，还有给你擦鼻子：

一分都不收。

当你把所有这些全部都加起时，我全部的真爱：

一分都不收。

当儿子读完他妈妈写的这些，他的眼睛中闪烁着晶莹的泪花，他抬头看着他妈妈说：“妈妈，我真的爱你”。然后，他拿起笔写了几个大大的字：“全部偿付”。

1 apron   

n.围裙；工作裙

参考例句：

• We were waited on by a pretty girl in a pink apron.招待我们的是一位穿粉红色围裙的漂亮姑娘。
• She stitched a pocket on the new apron.她在新围裙上缝上一只口袋。

2 raking   

粗筛

参考例句：

• He is raking around in the library for some reference books. 他正在图书馆里找参考书。
• How would you like to spend your Sundays raking up dead leaves? 你难道会愿意在园里耙枯叶子来消磨你的星期天？

3 owed   

v.感激( owe的过去式和过去分词 )；应把…归功于；欠…债；（对位高权重者）忠诚

参考例句：

• I'd completely forgotten about the money he owed me. 我完全记不得他欠我的钱了。
• He gave me a lot of help.I owed much to him. 他给我许多帮助，我非常感激他。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。