我的母親，公民外交官

山西 要鶯萍

不管我們?cè)覆辉敢?，我們都是公民外交官?一開(kāi)始，“我”并不理解媽媽的行為，但是隨著年齡的增長(zhǎng)，“我”發(fā)現(xiàn)“我”的母親只是走在了時(shí)代的前面。

題材體裁社會(huì)記敘文368★★★文章詞數(shù)難度建議用時(shí)7分鐘

When we moved to California in 1972 for my father's two-year engineering assignment, my mother came ready with a suitcase full of presents.She gifted every American who crossed our path some tchotchkes （小玩意） from Iran.

No American was safe from my mother's determined gift giving. Our elderly neighbor received a Persian miniature. The mailman got a key chain. My friends' parents received either miniatures, small boxes with inlay （鑲嵌裝飾）or devices that looked as if they were for smoking. My mother's gift suitcase was like Mary Poppins' travel case; it never ran out of gifts and no American was thought unworthy of this cultural bridge building.

Among this endless supply, my mother had also brought a large selection of Persian clothing.Whenever my mother, with the best of intentions, gifted one of these items of clothing, usually a vest,I was with her,unwillingly translating.Even though my mother left the talking to me,she always added three words at the end, in her heavily accented English, “From my country.”But I did not want to be a citizen diplomat. For a second-grader trying to blend in, the routine had gotten embarrassing.

I didn't understand at the time that my mother's actions had a noble purpose: She wanted Americans to like us. All I knew was that nobody in my neighborhood had ever heard of Iran and I certainly did not think my mother's efforts were giving us a good name.

Now that I am older than my mother was when she came to America, I look back at her efforts with much kinder eyes. She may have misjudged what Americans would wear or eat,but she simply wanted our tchotchkes and vests to start conversations. I get it. It's 2021 and I continue to try to do, though now willingly, what my mother started in 1972.

We are all citizen diplomats whether we want to be or not, either uniting or dividing with our words. Let's find excuses to begin conversations, real ones in person, and keep talking until we see that our commonalities far outweigh our differences, because they do. My mother was simply ahead of her time.

Reading Check

1. What does the second paragraph mainly tell us?

A. Living in America was dangerous for the author's family.

B. The author's mother had a suitcase similar to Mary Poppins'.

C. The author thought some Americans didn't deserve gifts.

D. The author's mother gave gifts to every American she knew.

2. Why was the author's mother so determined to give presents?

A. To get rid of the contents of the suitcase.

B. To promote their motherland:hope Americans like them.

C. To blend in American life as soon as possible.

D. To further advance foreign trade business.

3. What did the author think of mother's action at that time?

A. Supportive.B. Disapproving.

C. Unprejudiced.D. Objective.

4. What can be inferred according to the text?

A. Mom's gifts are popular with Americans in the community.

B. A diplomat believes in seeking sameness but keeping difference.

C. The author would strengthen communication as a diplomat.

D. Ordinary people matter in promoting intercultural communication.

Language Study

Ⅰ. Difficult sentences in the text

1. My friends' parents received either miniatures, small boxes with inlay or devices that looked as if they were for smoking. 我朋友的父母收到的要么是微縮畫(huà)，要么是帶有鑲嵌物的小盒子，要么是看起來(lái)像是用來(lái)吸煙的裝置。

【點(diǎn)石成金】本句為含有定語(yǔ)從句和表語(yǔ)從句的主從復(fù)合句。that引導(dǎo)的是定語(yǔ)從句，先行詞為devices，as if引導(dǎo)的從句為表語(yǔ)從句。主句部分的either...or...連接并列的賓語(yǔ)。

2. It's 2021 and I continue to try to do,though now willingly, what my mother started in 1972. 現(xiàn)在是2021年了，我繼續(xù)努力做著我母親1972年就已經(jīng)開(kāi)始做的事情，只不過(guò)我現(xiàn)在是自愿去做的。

【點(diǎn)石成金】本句既包含并列句，也包含主從復(fù)合句。 and連接兩個(gè)并列句，though now willingly 為插入語(yǔ)，what my mother started in 1972作的是do的賓語(yǔ)，what可用來(lái)引導(dǎo)名詞性從句，此時(shí)what=the thing(s) which/that。

3. Let's find excuses to begin conversations,real ones in person, and keep talking until we see that our commonalities far outweigh our differences, because they do. 讓我們找理由開(kāi)始對(duì)話，面對(duì)面地談，一直談下去，直到我們發(fā)現(xiàn)我們的共同點(diǎn)遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超過(guò)我們的不同點(diǎn)，因?yàn)樗鼈兇_實(shí)存在。

【點(diǎn)石成金】本句為主從復(fù)合句。 其中，that our commonalities far outweigh our differences為that引導(dǎo)的賓語(yǔ)從句，because引導(dǎo)原因狀語(yǔ)從句。

Ⅱ. Theme-centered chunks

be safe from 不會(huì)遭到……的危險(xiǎn)；免受……的

傷害；幸免于……

either...or... 要么……要么……

run out of 用完；用光

be unworthy of 不配

blend in 融入；與……融為一體

look back at 回顧過(guò)去

in person 當(dāng)面；親自

ahead of (時(shí)間、空間)在……前面；早于；領(lǐng)先