佚名/Anonymous
John had been on the road visiting clients for more than three weeks.He couldn’t wait to get back to Ohio to see his wife and children.It was coming up on Mother’s Day, and he usually tried to make it“back home”, but this year he was just too tired.He was in a small town just outside of Little Rock when he drove by a flower shop.He said to himself,“I know what I will do, I’ll send Mom some roses.”
He went into the small shop and saw a young man talking to the clerk.“How many roses can I get for six dollars, ma’am?”the boy asked.The clerk was trying to explain that roses were expensive.Maybe the young man would be happy with carnations.
“No.I have to have roses,”he said,“My Mom was sick so much last year and I didn’t get to spend much time with her.I want to get something special.It has to be red roses, because that’s her favorite.”He was emphatic.
The clerk looked up at John and was just shaking her head.Something inside of John was touched by the boy’s voice.He wanted to get those roses so bad.John had been blessed in his business, and he looked at the clerk and silently mouthed that he would pay for the boy’s roses.
The clerk looked at the young man and said,“Okay, I will give you a dozen red roses for your six dollars.”The young man almost jumped into the air.He took the flowers and ran from the store.It was worth the extra thirty-five dollars just to see that kind of excitement.
John ordered his own flowers and had the clerk be sure that delivery would include a note telling his mother how much he loved her.As he drove away from the shop, he was feeling very good.He caught a light about two blocks from the shop.As he waited at the light, he saw the young boy walking down the sidewalk.He watched him cross the street and enter a park through two huge gates.Suddenly, he realized it wasn’t a park.It was a cemetery.He could see the young man turn there by gate and walk along the fence.
The light changed, and John slowly crossed the intersection.He pulled over and on an impulse got out and began to follow the boy down the fence line.John was on the sidewalk, thirty or forty steps behind the boy, who walked inside the cemetery fence.The young man stopped by a small monument and went on his knees.He carefully laid the roses on the grave and began to sob.John felt like an intruder but he couldn’t leave.He stared at the little boy’s heaving body and listened to his muted crying.
As he cried, he heard the young man speak,“Mommy, oh Mommy, why didn’t I tell you how much I love you.Why didn’t I tell you one more time? Jesus, please, find my Mommy.Tell my Mommy I love her.”
John turned, tears in his eyes, and walked back to his car.He drove quickly to the florist and told her he would take the flowers personally.He wanted to be sure and tell his Mother one more time just how much he loved her.
三個多星期以來，約翰一直忙得不可開交，不停地聯係客戶。他情不自禁地想回俄亥俄州去看看妻子和孩子們。母親節到了，以往的母親節他都會盡可能回家，但今年他太疲倦了。在小石城外的一個小鎮上，他途經一家花店。他對自己說：“我知道該怎麽做了，我會給媽媽寄些玫瑰花。”
他來到這家花店，看到一個男孩正在跟店員說話。“小姐，請問6美元可以買多少玫瑰花？”男孩問道。店員盡力說明玫瑰花很昂貴，或許康乃馨會符合他的意願。
“不，我必須要玫瑰花。”他說，“我媽媽去年生病時，十分虛弱，而我沒有花很多時間和她在一起。我想送她一些特別的東西。那一定是玫瑰花，因為媽媽最喜愛玫瑰。”他的態度很堅決。
店員抬頭看著約翰，隻是不住地搖頭。約翰內心深處被男孩的話語觸動了，他是多麽迫切地想要得到那些玫瑰花。約翰的生意一直不錯。於是他看了看店員，然後小聲對她說自己願意為男孩買玫瑰花。
店員看了看男孩，說道：“好吧，我收你6美元，給你一打玫瑰花。”男孩高興地差點兒要跳起來。他接過花，然後跑出了花店。看到小男孩如此興奮，這額外的35美元沒有白花。
約翰訂購了自己要的花，一再叮囑店員確認給母親的花中要附上一張便條，寫上他有多愛她。開車離開花店時，他的心情出奇的好。因為紅燈，他在離花店約兩個街區的地方停了下來。就在等紅燈的過程中，他看見那個男孩正走過人行道。約翰目送男孩穿過大街，經過兩扇巨大的門進入了一個公園。突然，他意識到那不是公園，而是一塊墓地。他還能看到男孩在大門那兒轉過身，沿著籬笆向前走去。
綠燈亮了，約翰慢慢地把車開過十字路口，停在路邊。他一衝動下了車，開始沿著籬笆跟著男孩。那個男孩來到了籬笆圍著的墓地，約翰與他保持著三四十步的距離，在人行道上跟著他。男孩在一塊小小的墓碑前止住腳步，然後跪了下來。他小心翼翼地將花放在墳上，然後開始哭泣。約翰覺得自己是一個入侵者，但他又不忍離開。他看著男孩因哭泣而上下起伏的身體，聽著他低低的哭聲。
男孩夾雜著哭泣的話語傳到約翰的耳朵裏：“媽媽，哦，媽媽，為什麽我沒告訴你我有多愛你？為什麽我沒有再一次告訴你？上帝，求你找到我媽媽，告訴她我愛她！”
約翰淚流滿麵地轉過身來，走回自己的車裏。他飛快地開著車回到那家花店，告訴店員他要親手把花交給媽媽。他想要親自把花送給媽媽，並再一次告訴她，他有多愛她。
(1) emphatica.crossroad
(2) intersectionb.tending to express oneself in forceful speech
(3) muted c.silent
Write
TRUEif the statement agrees with the information
FALSEif the statement contradicts the information
_______ (1) John doesn’t care his mother.
_______ (2) John followed the boy only out of curiosity.
_______ (3) John finally understood how to love his mother from the boy.
1.John_________his business, and he looked at the clerk and silently mouthed that he would pay for the boy’s roses.
約翰的生意一直不錯。於是他看了看店員，然後小聲對她說自己願意為男孩買玫瑰花。
2.He pulled over and_________got out and began to follow the boy down the fence line.
他一衝動下了車，開始沿著籬笆跟著男孩。