365个英语简短小故事-110. Flower Power

Ted¹ Nugent was in love. Unfortunately, he wasn’t in love with his wife. He was in love with his girlfriend. He had met Lauren at a car show. She was one of the pretty models who gave sales pitches extolling² the wonders of the new cars. To impress her, Ted promised that he would buy a new Mercedes if she would go out with him. She said yes, and one thing led to another.

Ted’s wife, Stephanie, wondered why Ted bought the new car, since he had just bought a new Cadillac two years ago. Because Stephanie liked the Cadillac so much, Ted said, it was now hers. He had bought the Mercedes for himself. Ted started staying late “at the office.” He told Stephanie that he had to work extra hours to help pay for the Mercedes. She didn’t mind—she was enjoying her Cadillac.

When Lauren’s birthday rolled around, Ted called up 1-800-Blossom³ and sent her three dozen roses. To ensure that the transaction⁴ would be private, he put it on his business credit⁵ card. Even though Ted had to give his home phone and address, the Blossom representative promised that no paperwork would go to Ted's home.

A week later, Stephanie greeted the mailman at the mailbox. He handed her the mail, including an envelope marked “Thank You, 1-800-Blossom.” Stephanie was curious. It wasn’t her birthday, or Valentine’s Day, or their anniversary⁶. Why on earth had Ted ordered flowers? Opening the envelope, she hoped she wasn’t going to ruin a surprise from her husband. The enclosed⁷ letter thanked Ted for his order of three dozen roses. The letter even included the note that went with the flowers: “My darling Lauren: These roses aren’t half as pretty as you are.” The letter offered a 10-percent discount on Ted’s next order.

When Ted got home late that night, he found an angry note on the door explaining why all the locks had been changed. Four weeks later, Ted sued⁸ 1-800-Blossom for ruining his marriage.

 

1 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

2 extolling   

v.赞美( extoll的现在分词 )；赞颂，赞扬，赞美( extol的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He never stops extolling the virtues of the free market. 他不停地颂扬自由市场的种种好处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They kept extolling my managerial skills. 他们不停地赞美我的管理技能。 来自辞典例句

3 blossom   

n.花，开花；vi.开花，发展

参考例句：

• The blossom on the trees looks lovely in springtime.春天树上的花很漂亮。
• Let a hundred flowers blossom,let a hundred schools of thought contend.百花齐放，百家争鸣。

4 transaction   

n.处理，交易，相互作用

参考例句：

• He was twenty dollars in pocket by the transaction.他在这笔生意中赚了20美元。
• He left the transaction of the matter to his secretary.他把这件事交给秘书办理。

5 credit   

n.信用，荣誉，贷款，学分；v.归功于，赞颂，信任

参考例句：

• I credit him with a certain amount of sense.我认为他有一定的见识。
• He got the credit,and we did the dirty work.他得荣誉，我们做不讨好的工作。

6 anniversary   

n.周年(纪念日)

参考例句：

• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。
• Today is my parents'30th wedding anniversary.今天是我父母结婚30周年纪念日。

7 enclosed   

adj.被附上的；（用墙等）围住的；封闭的；与外界隔绝的v.（用墙、篱笆等）把…围起来( enclose的过去式和过去分词 )；把…装入信封；附入；（尤指墙、篱笆等 ）围住

参考例句：

• The yard had been enclosed with iron railings. 院子用铁栅栏围了起来。
• Do not use this substance in an enclosed space. 切勿在不透气的地方使用此物质。

8 sued   

v.（为要求赔偿损失而）起诉( sue的过去式和过去分词 )；控告；请求；要求（尤用于法庭）

参考例句：

• The company sued for defamation. 这个公司因受到诽谤而提起诉讼。
• He sued the newspaper for libel. 他起诉那家报社犯有诽谤罪。