新闻中心

This is from an old story, back in the 1930s, in the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less. A 10 year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. “How much is an ice cream sundae?” the little boy asked. “Fifty cents,” replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins he had. “Well, how much is a plain[2] dish of ice cream?” he inquired[3]. By now, more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing very impatient[4]. “Thirty-five cents,” she brusquely[5] replied.

The little boy again counted his coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier[6] and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry. As she wiped down the table, there placed neatly beside the empty dish were two nickels and five pennies.[7] You see, he couldn’t have the sundae because he had to have enough money to leave her a tip[8].

Vocabulary

1. Ice Cream Sundae: 圣代冰激凌，一种加水果、果仁、糖浆、果酱、巧克力酱等的冰激凌。

2. plain: 普通的。

3. inquire: 询问。

4. impatient: 不耐烦的。

5. brusquely: 粗鲁地，无礼地。

6. cashier: 收银员。

7. wipe down: 把……上下擦干净；neatly: 整齐地；nickel: 五分钱；penny: 一分面额的硬币。

8. tip: 小费。

（来源：英语学习杂志编辑：丹妮）