初中英语阅读理解：讲儿子给妈妈准备生日礼物的故事。

John sent his mother expensive presents on his mother ' s birthday every year . he liked to show her how rich he was。

约翰每年在他母亲生日时给他母亲送昂贵的礼物。

[重点词汇]present:礼物，礼品；目前的，当前的；at present:目前，现在；show:<vt>展示，show sth to sb = show sb sth: 向某人展示某物；<n>表演，节目；

"I must find something wonderful for her, and it must be the only one in the whole world. "John thought. He advertised in the newspapers. " Wanted—the best present for the woman who has everything. "

“我一定要为她找到一些美妙的东西，它一定是全世界唯一的。”约翰想。他在报纸上登广告。“想要给拥有一切的女人最好的礼物。”

[重点词汇]：wonderful: 精彩的，绝妙的；advertise<vi>登广告；

For many days his telephone did not stop ringing. People phoned him from all over the world. They wanted to sell him "the best present". But they did not have anything that was the only one in the whole world.

好几天来，他的电话一直响个不停。全世界的人都给他打电话。他们想卖给他“最好的礼物”。但是他们没有任何东西是全世界唯一的。

[重点词汇]：stop doing sth: 停止做某事；stop to do sth: 停下来去做另一件事；phone:<v/n>打电话，phone sb:给某人打电话；

Want to do sth: 想要做某事；

Then less than a week before his mother's birthday, a man came to his office. He was carrying a cage, and in the cage there was a large bird.

在他母亲生日前不到一周，一个男人来到他的办公室。他提着一个笼子，笼子里有一只大鸟。

[重点词汇]：less than: 少于；cage:笼子；

"This bird, "the man said, "can speak ten languages and sing any pop song. There is no other bird like it in the world. ""I will listen to it, "John said. "If what you said is true, I will buy the bird from you. "

“这只鸟，”那人说，“能说十种语言，能唱任何流行歌曲。世界上没有其他鸟像它一样。”“我会听它的，”约翰说。“如果你说的是真的，我就向你买这只鸟。”

The man spoke to the bird. "Talk to me in French, " he said. The bird spoke to him in French. "Tell me a joke in Japanese, " he said. The bird told him a joke in Japanese. "Sing a famous pop song, "he said. The bird sang a famous pop song.

那人对那只鸟说话。“用法语跟我说话，”他说。那只鸟用法语和他说话。“用日语给我讲个笑话，”他说。小鸟用日语给他讲了个笑话。“唱一首著名的流行歌曲，”他说。这只鸟唱了一首著名的流行歌曲。

[重点词汇]:speak to sb: 和某人说话；tell sb sth = tell sth to sb: 把某事告诉某人；tell a joke: 讲笑话；

"I'll buy it, "John said. "How much do you want?""One hundred thousand dollars, "the man said. This was a lot of money but John paid him. Then he sent the bird to his mother with a birthday card.

“我会买的，”约翰说。“你想要多少？”“十万美元，”那人说。这是一大笔钱，但约翰付给了他。然后，他把这只鸟连同一张生日卡片送给了他的母亲。

The day after his mother's birthday he phoned her. "Well, mother, "he said, "Is the bird wonderful?""Oh, it was delicious, dear, "she said.

他母亲生日的第二天，他打电话给她。“哦，妈妈，”他说，“这只鸟很棒吗？”“哦，很好吃，亲爱的，”她说。