03 A Gift of Love 爱的礼物
“Can I see my baby?” The happy new mother asked.
“我可以看看我的宝宝吗？”初为人母的她开心地问道。
When the bundle was nestled in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears.
当裹着的婴儿放到她臂弯里，她掀开裹着婴儿的布，在看到他的小脸时，她不禁倒吸了一口气。医生快速地转过身，透过医院的高层窗户向外看去。婴儿生下来就没有耳朵。
Time proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was marred. When he rushed home from school one day and flung himself into his mother’s arms, she sighed, knowing that his life was to be a succession of heartbreaks.
时间证明婴儿的听力毫无问题，只是有损他的相貌。一天，当他匆匆从学校跑回家，扑向母亲的怀抱时，她叹了口气，意识到他的生活注定会受到一连串的打击。
He blurted out the tragedy.“A boy, a big boy ... called me a freak.”
He grew up, handsome except for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music.
他脱口诉说遭到的不幸：“一个男孩，一个大个子男孩……他喊我怪胎。”
他长大了，虽然不幸但还是长得挺帅。颇受同学的欢迎，要不是有缺陷，他很可能当了班长。他对文学和音乐很有天赋和潜质。
“But you might mingle with other young people.” His mother reproved him, but felt a kindness in her heart.
“但你可能会和其他年轻人一样。”母亲责备地说，但从心底里觉得很欣慰。
The boy’s father had a session with the family physician ... “Could nothing be done?”
男孩的父亲与家庭医生商量……“难道真无法补救吗？”
“I believe I could graft on a pair of outer ears, if they could be procured.” The doctor decided. So the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man.
“我认为可以移植一双外耳，如果能够找到的话。”医生做了决定，于是他们开始寻求一个愿意为这个年轻人做出牺牲的人。
Two years went by. Then, “You’re going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it’s a secret.”said the father.
两年过去了。父亲对儿子说：“孩子，你要住院了。我和你妈找到愿意为你捐献耳朵的人了。但要求保密。”
The operation was a brilliant success, and a new person emerged. His talents blossomed into genius, and school and college became a series of triumphs.
手术获得了巨大成功，一个新人诞生了。他的潜力发展成一个天才，在中学和大学都取得了一连串的成功。
Later he married and entered the diplomatic service.“But I must know,” he asked his father, “Who gave me the ears? Who gave me so much? I could never do enough for him.”
后来他结婚了，进入外交行业工作。一天，他问父亲：“是谁给我的耳朵？谁给了我那么多？我做多少都无法报答他。”
“I do not believe you could,” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know ... not yet.”
“我也这样认为，”父亲说，“但是协议上说你不能知道……还不到时候。”
The years kept their profound secret, but the day did come. One of the darkest days that ever pass through a son. He stood with his father over his mother’s casket. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish brown hair to reveal that the mother had no outer ears.
他们的秘密遵守了很多年，但这天终于来了，这也是儿子度过的最黑暗的日子。他和父亲站在母亲的棺材前，慢慢地，轻柔地，父亲向前伸出一只手，掀开母亲浓密的、红褐色的头发：母亲竟然没有耳朵！
“Mother said she was glad she
“你母亲说过她很高兴，她从不理发，”父亲轻柔地低
never let her hair be cut,” he whispered gently, “and nobody ever thought mother less beautiful, did they?”
声说，“但没人觉得母亲没以前美丽，是吧？”
单词解析 Word Analysis
bundle[ˈbʌndl]n.婴儿；捆，束，包
例 You can refer to a tiny baby as a bundle.
可以把小婴儿称作“bundle”。
She produced a bundle of notes and proceeded to count out 195 pounds.
她拿出一捆钞票，接着数出了195英镑。
mar[ˈmɑː]v.毁坏，损坏，玷污
例 A number of problems marred the smooth running of this event.
许多问题影响了这件事的顺利进行。
fling[fliŋ]v.扔，猛扔
例 He once seized my knitting，flinging it across the room.
有一次他抓过我织的东西，把它扔到了屋子的另一头。
tragedy[ˈtrædʒədi]n.不幸；灾难；惨剧
例 They have suffered an enormous personal tragedy.
他们遭逢了巨大的个人不幸。
misfortune[ˌmɪsˈfɔːtʃuːn]n.不幸，灾祸
例 She seemed to enjoy the misfortunes of others.
她似乎喜欢幸灾乐祸。
sacrifice[ˈsækrɪfaɪs]n.牺牲，舍弃，献出
例 Her husband’s pride was a small thing to sacrifice for their children’s security.
为了孩子们的安全，舍弃她丈夫的尊严不算什么。
triumphs[ˈtraiəmfs]n.非凡的成功，杰出的成就
例 The championships proved to be a personal triumph for the coach.
事实证明，在这次锦标赛中教练取得了非凡的个人成就。
profound[prəˈfaʊnd]adj.深刻的，强烈的，巨大的
例 This is a book full of profound, original and challenging insights.
这本书充满了深刻、新颖、令人深思的见解。
casket[ˈkɑːskɪt]n.棺材；首饰盒
例 The pretty casket is given to her by her former boyfriend.
这个漂亮的首饰盒是她以前的男朋友送给她的。
The casket is in rosewood, brass and ivory marquetry.
棺材是紫檀木，黄铜和象牙镶嵌。
语法知识点 Grammar Points
a succession of一连串的
例 A succession of bad harvest had reduced the small farmer to penury.
连续歉收使得这个小农场主陷入了贫困境地。
Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.
人生是一连串的教训，经历了才会理解。
was to be表示命运，将来必定要发生的事情，翻译成“注定……”
例 He came to power, but he was to play dearly for it: soon he was assassinated.
他掌权了，却注定付出了代价：很快他被暗杀了。
They were never to meet again.
他们注定以后永远不会再见面了。
did是do的过去式，这里的do表示强调，这种情况下句子中不能有其他助动词。
例 Do be careful with that vase!
务必小心那个花瓶！
用于表示强调的do可以有时态变化，但其后的动词要用原形。
例 He did come but soon went back.
他的确来过，但很快就回去了。
He does speak well.
他的确讲得很精彩。
用于强调的do通常只用于现在时和过去时，即只有do, does, did这样的形式，不能用于进行时、完成时等形式。
该句是反义疑问句，即附加疑问句，表示提问人的看法，没有把握，需要对方赞同。反义疑问句由两部分组成：前一部分是一个陈述句，后一部分是一个简短的疑问句，两部分的人称时态应保持一致。
主要形式：陈述部分肯定式+疑问部分否定式；陈述部分否定式+疑问部分肯定式。
当陈述部分有never, seldom, hardly, few, little, barely, scarcely, nothing, none, rarely, no, not, no one, nobody, neither等否定意义的词时，后面的反义疑问句则为肯定形式。
例 He can hardly swim, can he?
他几乎不会游泳，对吗？
经典名句 Famous Classics
1. Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall. A mother’s secret hope outlives them all.
青春会逝去，爱情会枯萎，友谊的绿叶也会凋零，而一个母亲内心的希望比它们都要长久。
2. The children-they are falling into the hands of the elves; the smile can make people forget the troubles.
孩子——他们是落入凡间的精灵，他们的笑是可以让人忘记烦恼的。
3. The family you came from isn’t as important as the family you are going to have.
你将拥有的家庭比你出身的那个家庭重要。
4. The biggest difference between animals and human beings is that human beings hold the possession of complex emotions.
人类与动物之间最大的区别在于人类拥有复杂的情感。