365个英语简短小故事- 63. The Wedding Gift (2)

Aaron asked Ray if he had looked everywhere for Walt’s gift. Had he called up the wedding site to see if anything had been left behind? Ray said that he had looked everywhere and made a lot of calls that were fruitless.

Ray didn’t know what to do. If he sent Walt and Mary a thank you note for a gift they hadn’t given, they would be insulted¹. If he didn’t send them a thank you note for a gift they HAD given, they would be insulted.

“What would you do?” Ray asked. Aaron said he would call Walt up and tell him the problem.

“You can’t go wrong with simply being honest,” Aaron said.

“Oh, yes, you can,” Ray countered². “Sometimes it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie.” But he thought about it, and finally decided³ that honesty⁴ might be the best policy⁵. He called Walt and told him the problem. Walt said that yes, he had given an envelope. In fact, the envelope contained $500 cash.

“$500?!” Ray asked. “That’s a lot of cash, Walt!” Walt admitted that it was, but he had gotten a fat raise early that year and Ray’s was the only wedding he’d been to in quite a while. Ray thanked him very much, and apologized sincerely for someone stealing Walt’s generous⁶ gift. Walt told him that it was “only money.”

When Ray told Aaron about Walt’s gift, Aaron laughed. “The only thief at the wedding was Walt! I quit playing cards with him last year because I caught him cheating. And it was only a $10 pot! I’m sure I told you about that.”

“Yes, you did tell me,” Ray said. But, of course, he had to send Walt a thank you note anyway.

 

1 insulted   

侮辱，冒犯( insult的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I have never been so insulted in my life! 我一生中从未被如此侮辱过！
• These boys insulted a girl by spitting at her. 这几个男孩向一个女孩吐口水侮辱她。

2 countered   

vt.反击，还击（counter的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• She countered that her advice had not been heeded. 她反驳说她的建议未被重视。
• He countered my proposal with one of his own. 他以自己的一个建议来反对我的。

3 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。

4 honesty   

n.诚实，公正，正直

参考例句：

• I would never question his honesty.我绝不会怀疑他的诚实。
• All respect him for his honesty.他为人诚实，大家都尊敬他。

5 policy   

n.政策，方针，保险单

参考例句：

• This policy is very tough.这个政策是很强硬的。
• The country has always pursued a policy of peace.该国一直奉行和平政策。

6 generous   

adj.慷慨的，大方的，慷慨给予的

参考例句：

• She was kind and generous.她心地善良，宽容大量。
• She was generous with her money.她很乐于仗义疏财。