A True Gift of Love
"Can I see my baby?" the happy new mother asked.
When the bundle was nestled in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears.
Time proved that the baby's hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was marred. When he rushed home from school one day and flung himself into his mother's arms, she sighed, knowing that his life was to be a succession of heartbreaks.
He blurted out the tragedy. "A boy, a big boy...called me a freak."
He grew up, handsome for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music.
"But you might mingle with other young people," his mother reproved him, but felt a kindness in her heart.
The boy's father had a session with the family physician... "Could nothing be done?"
"I believe I could graft on a pair of outer ears, if they could be procured," the doctor decided. Whereupon the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man.
Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, "You're going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it's a secret."
The operation was a brilliant success, and a new person emerged. His talents blossomed into genius, and school and college became a series of triumphs.
Later he married and entered the diplomatic service. One day, he asked his father, "Who gave me the ears? Who gave me so much? I could never do enough for him or her."
"I do not believe you could," said the father, "but the agreement was that you are not to know...not yet."
The years kept their profound secret, but the day did come. One of the darkest days that ever pass through a son. He stood with his father over his mother's casket. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish brown hair to reveal the mother had no outer ears.
"Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut," his father whispered gently, "and nobody ever thought mother less beautiful, did they?"
中文：
“我可以看看我的宝宝吗？”初为人母的她开心地问道。
当裹着的婴儿放到她臂弯里，她掀开裹着婴儿的布，在看到他的小脸时，她不禁倒吸了一口气。医生快速地转过身，透过医院的高层窗户向外看去。婴儿生下来就没有耳朵。
时间证明婴儿的听力毫无问题，只是有损他的相貌。一天，当他匆匆从学校跑回家，扑向母亲的怀抱时，她叹了口气，意识到他的生活注定会受到一连串的打击。
他脱口诉说遭到的不幸：“一个男孩，一个大个子男孩……他喊我怪胎。”
他长大了，虽然不幸但还是长得挺帅。颇受同学的欢迎，要不是有缺陷，他很可能当了班长。他对文学和音乐很有天赋和潜质。
“但你可能会和其他年轻人一样。”母亲责备地说，但从心底里觉得很欣慰。
男孩的父亲与家庭医生商量……“难道真无法补救吗？”
“我认为可以移植一双外耳，如果能够找到的话。”医生做了决定，于是他们开始寻求一个愿意为这个年轻人做出牺牲的人。
两年过去了。一天，父亲对儿子说，“孩子，你要住院了。我和你妈找到愿意为你捐献耳朵的人了。但要求保密。”
手术获得了巨大成功，一个新人诞生了。他的潜力发展成一个天才，在中学和大学都取得了一连串的成功。
后来他结婚了，进入外交行业工作。一天，他问父亲：“是谁给我的耳朵？谁给了我那么多？我做多少都无法报答他/她。”
“我也这样认为，”父亲说，“但是协议上说你不能知道……还不到时候。”
他们的秘密遵守了很多年，但这天终于来了，这也是儿子度过的最黑暗的日子。他和父亲站在母亲的棺材前，慢慢地，轻柔地，父亲向前伸出一只手，掀开母亲浓密的、红褐色的头发：母亲竟然没有耳朵！
“你母亲说过她很高兴，她从不理发，”父亲轻柔地低声说，“但没人觉得母亲没以前美丽，是吧？”
相关单词：gasped
gasped解释：v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要
gasped例句：
She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
相关单词：marred
marred解释：adj. 被损毁, 污损的
marred例句：
The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。
Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。
相关单词：blurted
blurted解释：v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 )
blurted例句：
She blurted it out before I could stop her. 我还没来得及制止，她已脱口而出。
He blurted out the truth, that he committed the crime. 他不慎说出了真相，说是他犯了那个罪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
相关单词：mingle
mingle解释：vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往
mingle例句：
If we mingle with the crowd,we should not be noticed.如果我们混在人群中，就不会被注意到。
Oil will not mingle with water.油和水不相融。
相关单词：graft
graft解释：n.移植，嫁接，艰苦工作，贪污；v.移植，嫁接
graft例句：
I am having a skin graft on my arm soon.我马上就要接受手臂的皮肤移植手术。
The minister became rich through graft.这位部长透过贪污受贿致富。
相关单词：decided
decided解释：adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的
decided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。
相关单词：forth
forth解释：adv.向前；向外，往外
forth例句：
The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
