特别的生日，惊喜的礼物

By Nicole/宁菊花（译注）

◆语篇导读

在生日那天，收到生日礼物本来是件让人开心的事儿。不过一位叫Johnny Crow的美国少年，他16岁生日那天却因收到一份意外的生日礼物而当场泪崩，这是怎么回事呢？

Everyone has a dream，and so does Johnny Crow from Michigan in the US.Johnny fell in love with the guitar at a young age.He dreams of being a musician in the future so he often takes guitar lessons at a music center.His 49-year-old father was a huge supporter of Johnny’s music dream.However，he passed away in April this year after suffering a heart attack，making Johnny very sad.

The first birthday after losing a loved one is always hard.Johnny turned 16 two months after his father’s death.On his birthday，Johnny’s sister Chandler Crow picked up her brother from school and drove him to the music center.In the music center，Johnny was given a birthday card that was signed by his father.Johnny was very moved and his voice was shaking by the time he fin-ished reading the card.However，what made him burst into tears was the birthday present—an expensive electric guitar.Johnny’s loving father knew he had always wanted the guitar，so he bought it in advance for him and asked the teachers at the center to keep it a secret.

Chandler knew the secret one month earlier than Johnny.“When one teacher showed me my dad’s preent for Johnny，I dropped to my knees and couldn’t believe it.But I had to keep it a secret until his birthday，”she said.Chandler filmed Johnny opening the guitar box and put the video on the Internet.Over 12 million watched it.Chandler said that her father said Johnny would be famous for his music one day.

If anything，he and his father are now famous for their heartwarming bond—the guitar displayed in the video.

◆词语积淀

supporter/sə'pɔːrtə（r）/n.支持者

pass away去世；消失

suffer/'sʌfə（r）/v.遭受；患病

a heart attack心脏病发作

sign/saɪn/v.签署；签名

burst into tears放声大哭

in advance提前；预先

drop to one’s knees 跪下

bond/bɒnd/n.联系；纽带

◆典句赏析

1.His 49-year-old father was a huge supporter of Johnny’s music dream.49岁的父亲非常支持Johnny的音乐梦想。

该句是一般过去时态的简单句。49-year-old是复合形容词，用来修饰名词，意为“49岁的”；be a supporter of是固定词组，意为“是……的支持者”，相当于动词support。

【即时尝试】作为一个八岁的男孩，他有了他自己的音乐梦。

2.In the music center，Johnny was given a birthday card that was signed by his father.在音乐中心，Johnny得到一个由他父亲签名的生日卡片。

这是含有定语从句的复合句，card作为先行词，that是关系代词，引导定语从句，并在从句中作主语，此时that不可以省略；主从句中的两个句子（...was given和...was signed）均为一般过去时的被动语态形式。

【即时尝试】我喜欢歌词好的歌曲。

3.If anything，he and his father are now famous for their heartwarming bond—the guitar displayed in the video.总之，现在他和他父亲因为这个暖心的纽带——被展示在视频里的吉他而家喻户晓了。

if anything是常见的词组形式，意为“更可能的是；总之”；displayed是display的过去分词，在句中作定语，修饰前面的名词guitar。

【即时尝试】莫言写的这本小说非常畅销。

译文助读

每个人都有梦想，来自美国密歇根州的Johnny Crow也是如此。他很小的时候就喜欢上了吉他。他梦想未来成为一名音乐家，因此他经常去音乐中心上吉他课。49岁的父亲非常支持Johnny的音乐梦想。然而，他父亲在今年四月因心脏病发作而离开了人世，这使得Johnny非常难过。

失去亲人后的第一个生日总是很艰难的。在他父亲去世后两个月，Johnny16岁了。在他生日那天，他姐姐Chandler Crow开车把他从学校接到音乐中心。在音乐中心，Johnny得到一张由他父亲签名的生日贺卡。当他看完贺卡后感动得声音颤抖。然而让他泪崩的是生日礼物——一把昂贵的电吉他。慈爱的父亲知道Johnny一直想要吉他，因此他提前为他买好并要求音乐中心的老师将此事保密。

Chandler比Johnny早一个月知道这个秘密。她说：“当一位老师把父亲送给Johnny的礼物拿给我时，我跪下了，我简直不敢相信。但是我依然不得不把这个秘密保守到他生日那天。”Chandler拍下了Johnny打开吉他盒子的情景，并将视频上传到网络上。1200多万人观看了视频。Chandler说她父亲曾经说过Johnny总有一天会因为他的音乐而出名的。

总之，现在他和父亲因为这个暖心的纽带——被展示在视频里的吉他而家喻户晓了。