|
伊迪丝在一个大商场里来回转悠，心里想着给父亲买份合适的圣诞礼物太难了。她很希望父亲像母亲一样很容易满足，一瓶香水就能让母亲很开心。 而且，每年这个时间购物都让人不快:人们会踩你的脚趾,推推搡搡，争抢便宜货差不多能把你推倒。 伊迪丝在卖漂亮领带的柜台前休息了一下。“这些都是真丝领带。"售货员向她保证，希望她能感兴趣，“绝对便宜一半。”但凭伊迪丝以往的经验来看，父亲不太喜欢领带。 她慢慢向前走着,不经意间停在了一个柜台前，只有不多的男士聚在周围。柜台上有烟斗出售，质量不错，价格优惠。伊迪丝没有太多犹豫就决定买了：虽然父亲只是偶尔抽烟斗，但他肯定会喜欢这个礼物。 到家时，父母已经在餐桌旁吃晚饭了，而她精心挑选的礼物则藏在手提包中。母亲看上去心情非常愉快，告诉了女儿一个好消息：“你父亲终于下决心戒烟了。” Stop Smoking As she walked round the huge department store, Edith reflected how difficult it was to choose a suitable Christmas present for her father. She wished that he was as easy to please as her mother, who was always delighted with perfume. Besides, shopping at this time of the year was a most disagreeable experience： people trod on your toes, poked you with their elbows and almost knocked you over in their haste to get to a bargain ahead of you. Partly to have a rest, Edith paused in front of a counter where some attractive ties were on display. "They are real silk," the assistant assured her, trying to tempt her. “Worth double the price. "But Edith knew from past experience that her choice of ties hardly ever pleased her father. She moved on reluctantly and then, quite by chance, stopped where a small crowd of men had gathered round a counter. She found some good quality pipes on sale — and the prices were very reasonable. Edith did not hesitate for long ： although her father only smoked a pipe occasionally, she knew that this was a present which was bound to please him. When she got home, with her small but well-chosen present concealed in her handbag, her parents were already at table having supper. Her mother was in an especially cheerful mood. "Your father has at last decided to stop smoking," she informed her daughter. |
