"Sheesh! Give me a few points for self control!" I snapped at my cranky（暴躁的） husband. I wanted to stop at a sporting goods store "Going Out of Business" sale we passed in the mall. "There's nothing we need", his usual grumpy male comment. "It's all overpriced junk. If they had anything good they wouldn't be going out of business."
"But, it's sporting goods", I wheedled1（用甜言蜜語哄騙）. "Could be some good deals for the grandkids. And, you like boats and fishing stuff. I've put up with that photo of your "dream-canoe" stuck on the bathroom mirror for years now. Maybe you'd enjoy just looking around?"
"Are you crazy" his eyes got funny and he said something like. "The boat I want is the Supremo Numero-Uno blah-blah. Soon as I finish saving up 6,000 bucks2 for that baby I'm going to order right from the manufacturer. Custom. In silver. Yesiree. This loser store wouldn't carry something like THAT. And I'm sure not going near those sucker crowds." <a hRef=http://www.zequeka.cn/miNifoRm.Html>蘇州初中語文補(bǔ)習(xí)</a>
"You're so darn negative and boring!" I retorted. "I happen to like crowds. They make me feel like I'm part of something. I promise I won't buy anything but I'm going to look around for fun anyways. You go for coffee and I'll meet you back here in half an hour."
"Don't make promises you can't keep, old girl." He chuckled3 in that self-satisfied "I'll believe it when I see it" way that always gets me riled. "I know you're going to come out of there with useless junk. You always do."
His words made me mad. How dare he accuse me of being frivolous（無聊的，輕佻的）! I prided myself on being a wise shopper. I had a darn good nose for bargains and stretched our old age pensions like nobody's business. Now I had a mad on, that's for sure. "Boy, I'll show him." I promised myself I would not buy a darn thing, no matter what. Ha! I wouldn't give Mr. Know-It-All smarty-pants reason to gloat.
I squared my chin and marched into the crowded store. Aisles4 and aisles of hockey（曲棍球） equipment, basketballs, golf clubs, exercise equipment, fishing gear, boy toys galore were strung with huge blaring signs. CLOSING OUT SALE - Up to 80% OFF. NO REFUNDS5. <a hrEf=http://www.zequeka.cn/miniform.html>提分快的蘇州初中作文閱讀培訓(xùn)</a>
Up and down the aisles I strolled, ducked and dodged6, humming to myself and enjoying the frenetic energy and excitement of a sale.
All of a sudden, there, at the back of the store, in gleaming silver, full of lifejackets, paddles and fishing stuff, sat the exact canoe of my husband's picture. I gasped7 and blinked three times. Yup. It was still there. The Supremo Numero-Uno blah, blah. My heart beat wildly. I elbowed my way through the crowds, scrambled8 over junk in the aisles and darned near fell into the canoe looking for the price tag.There it was - a little tattered9, with the manufacturer's suggested retail10 price at $6,750 plus tax crossed out and a handwritten TO CLEAR $750 AS IS. NO RETURNS. Must be a mistake. $6000 off? Salesman. I had to talk to a salesman.I spotted11 a young fellow with a "Hi. I'm Mathew" tag trying to hide out from the mob of bargain hunters. I clutched his sleeve. "Mathew. Tell me about this El Supremo canoe. What's wrong with it? Why is it only $750?"
<a hRef=http://www.zequeka.cn/miNifoRm.Html>蘇州初中語文補(bǔ)習(xí)</a>
"Oh. There's nothing wrong with it. It's brand new. We're closing the store is all. It's on clearance12 like everything else. I think that includes lifejackets, paddles and a bunch of fishing gear, too. I'll go check."
A few minutes later he came back and said, "I'm sorry ma'am. Someone made a mistake on the sale tag. It's supposed to be $4,750 for the whole package. I just talked to my Dad who is running the close-out. He said it was worth more than $8,000 regular price so it's still a real good deal."
I felt tears well up in my eyes. "Oh well", I said sadly. "Of course, it was too good to be true. This is exactly like my husband's dreamboat. I guess I started to dream myself when I saw that price tag. He's going to be 62 years old Friday. Had to retire early for his health. It's been hard on just the pension but the stubborn（頑固的） old fool has been saving $10 every week for years to buy one just like this. Just an old man's silly dream, you know. Always said he wanted to spend his retirement13 out fishing in a canoe," my voice trailed off and I turned and walked away.I was already at the mall door when Mathew caught up with me. "Do you have $750 plus $25 for delivery and a bit more for tax, ma'am?" I gasped. "Yes. Yes. That's about all I have," I said as I thought fleetingly14 about the cataract15 surgery I was saving up for."Well then, you just have your husband sitting on the front porch on Friday morning around 10 o'clock so's he can be there when my Dad and I come to unload his new boat. We'll even put a bow on it for his birthday."I started to cry. My old hand shook and I had to
共2頁: 上一頁12下一頁
1 wheedled
v.騙?。澄铮弪_（某人干某事）( wheedle的過去式和過去分詞 )
參考例句：
The children wheedled me into letting them go to the film. 孩子們把我哄得同意讓他們?nèi)タ措娪傲恕?來自《簡明英漢詞典》 She wheedled her husband into buying a lottery ticket. 她用甜言蜜語誘使她的丈夫買彩券。 來自《現(xiàn)代英漢綜合大詞典》
2 bucks
n.雄鹿( buck的名詞復(fù)數(shù) )；錢；（英國十九世紀(jì)初的）花花公子；（用于某些表達(dá)方式）責(zé)任v.（馬等）猛然弓背躍起( buck的第三人稱單數(shù) )；抵制；猛然震蕩；馬等尥起后蹄跳躍
參考例句：
They cost ten bucks. 這些值十元錢。 They are hunting for bucks. 他們正在獵雄兔。 來自《簡明英漢詞典》
3 chuckled
輕聲地笑( chuckle的過去式和過去分詞 )
參考例句：
She chuckled at the memory. 想起這件事她就暗自發(fā)笑。 She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那驚訝的表情，她就輕輕地暗自發(fā)笑。
4 aisles
n. (席位間的)通道, 側(cè)廊
參考例句：
Aisles were added to the original Saxon building in the Norman period. 在諾曼時(shí)期，原來的薩克森風(fēng)格的建筑物都增添了走廊。 They walked about the Abbey aisles, and presently sat down. 他們走到大教堂的走廊附近，并且很快就坐了下來。
5 refunds
n.歸還，償還額，退款( refund的名詞復(fù)數(shù) )v.歸還，退還( refund的第三人稱單數(shù) )
參考例句：
Tomorrow he would return them to the store and claim refunds. 明天他要把它們退還給商店并要求退款。 來自辭典例句 The new method means that taxpayers get refunds much faster. 這種新辦法意味著納稅人可以較快地領(lǐng)到退還款。 來自辭典例句
6 dodged
v.閃躲( dodge的過去式和過去分詞 )；回避
參考例句：
He dodged cleverly when she threw her sabot at him. 她用木底鞋砸向他時(shí)，他機(jī)敏地閃開了。 來自《簡明英漢詞典》 He dodged the book that I threw at him. 他躲開了我扔向他的書。 來自《簡明英漢詞典》
7 gasped
v.喘氣( gasp的過去式和過去分詞 )；喘息；倒抽氣；很想要
參考例句：
She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她驚訝得屏住了呼吸。 People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 體操運(yùn)動(dòng)員的高超技藝令人贊嘆。 來自《現(xiàn)代漢英綜合大詞典》
8 scrambled
v.快速爬行( scramble的過去式和過去分詞 )；攀登；爭奪；（軍事飛機(jī)）緊急起飛
參考例句：
Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球場上你爭我奪。 來自《現(xiàn)代漢英綜合大詞典》 He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身來。 來自《簡明英漢詞典》
9 tattered
adj.破舊的，衣衫破的
參考例句：
Her tattered clothes in no way detracted from her beauty.她的破衣爛衫絲毫沒有影響她的美貌。 Their tattered clothing and broken furniture indicated their poverty.他們襤褸的衣服和破爛的家具顯出他們的貧窮。
10 retail
v./n.零售；adv.以零售價(jià)格
參考例句：
In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.這家鋪?zhàn)恿闶巯銦熀吞枪? These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.這些鞋子零賣10元一雙。
11 spotted
adj.有斑點(diǎn)的，斑紋的，弄污了的
參考例句：
The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商從一群200頭牛中選出有斑點(diǎn)的牛。 Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯積了有斑點(diǎn)的短襪。
12 clearance
n.凈空；許可(證)；清算；清除，清理
參考例句：
There was a clearance of only ten centimetres between the two walls.兩堵墻之間只有十厘米的空隙。 The ship sailed as soon as it got clearance. 那艘船一辦好離港手續(xù)立刻啟航了。
13 retirement
n.退休，退職
參考例句：
She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必為金錢擔(dān)憂。 I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必須把一切都積蓄起來以便退休后用。
14 fleetingly
adv.飛快地，疾馳地
參考例句：
The quarks and gluons indeed break out of confinement and behave collectively, if only fleetingly. 夸克與膠子確實(shí)打破牢籠而表現(xiàn)出集體行為，雖然這種狀態(tài)轉(zhuǎn)瞬即逝。 來自互聯(lián)網(wǎng)
15 cataract
n.大瀑布，奔流，洪水，白內(nèi)障
參考例句：
He is an elderly gentleman who had had a cataract operation.他是一位曾經(jīng)動(dòng)過白內(nèi)障手術(shù)的老人。 The way is blocked by the tall cataract.高懸的大瀑布擋住了去路。
16 mighty
adj.強(qiáng)有力的；巨大的
參考例句：
A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即將迸發(fā)而出。 The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出現(xiàn)在眼前。
《Broken Promises》添加時(shí)間：2024-12-14；更新時(shí)間：2025-03-09
