有好吃的冰激凌（来一份普通冰激凌）

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?”“Fifty cents,” replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it. “How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient. “Thirty-five cents,” she said brusquely. The little boy again counted the 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 and departed. When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies — her tip.

plain

英 [pleɪn] 美 [pleɪn]

adj. 无装饰的，朴素的；单色的，无花纹的；单纯的，不掺杂的；显而易见的；（书面或口头用法）表达清楚的；直截了当的，坦率的；相貌平平的；普通的；直呼其名的；完全的；（编织）平针的

adv. 完全地，简直；明白地，不含糊地

n. （大）平原；（编织的）平针；朴实无华的东西形容词

Something that is plain is very simple in style. 朴素的

It was a plain, grey stone house.

这是一座简朴的灰色石头房子。

A plain necklace was her only adornment.

她身上的饰物就只有一串简单的项链。

sundae

英 [ˈsʌndeɪ; ˈsʌndi] 美 [ˈsʌndeɪ; ˈsʌndi]

n. 圣代冰淇淋

A sundae is a tall glass of ice cream with whipped cream and nuts or fruit on top. 圣代冰激凌

Sharing a sundae with your significant other.

与你珍视的人分享一份圣代。

☞

at table 吃饭

at table 不止是坐在桌子旁，而且是坐在桌子旁吃饭，所以它的意思是“在吃饭、在用餐”，吃饭这个动作正在进行。

The whole room is at table.

一屋子的人都在吃饭。

☞

at the table 在桌旁

这里的the table 不一定是餐桌，可以是任何一张桌子，at the table 就是“在桌旁”的意思。

They sat at the table by the window.

他们坐在靠窗的桌子旁。

inquire

英 [ɪnˈkwaɪə(r)] 美 [ɪnˈkwaɪər]

v. 调查，查究；询问，打听

If you inquire about something, you ask for information about it. 查询; 打听

"What are you doing there?" she inquired.

“你在那里做什么？”她问道。

impatient

英 [ɪmˈpeɪʃnt] 美 [ɪmˈpeɪʃnt]

adj. 不耐烦的，没有耐心的；迫不及待的，急切的；（对不愉快的事）不能容忍，不愿接受 If you are impatient, you are annoyed because you have to wait too long for something. 不耐烦的

Investors are growing impatient with promises of improved earnings.

投资者们对提高收益的承诺越来越不耐烦了。

brusquely

英 [ˈbruːskli; ˈbrʊskli] 美 [ˈbrʌskli]

adv. 唐突地；直率地

'What's your name?' he asked brusquely.

“你叫什么名字？”他唐突地问道。

swallow

英 [ˈswɒləʊ] 美 [ˈswɑːloʊ]

v. 吞下，咽下；（由于紧张等）做吞咽动作，咽口水；吞没，淹没；耗尽（金钱，资源）；完全相信，信以为真；抑制（感情、言语）；默默忍受（侮辱、批评等）

n. 吞，一口；燕子

If someone swallows a story or a statement, they believe it completely. 完全相信

They cast doubt on his words when it suited their case, but swallowed them whole when it did not.

他的话与他们的情况吻合时他们就怀疑，但不吻合时他们却完全相信。

neatly

英 [ˈniːtli] 美 [ˈniːtli]

adv. 整齐地；简单而聪明地

Her hair was neatly combed back.

她的头发整齐地梳到后面。

He folded his paper neatly and sipped his coffee.

他把报纸叠整齐，抿着他的咖啡。

If you give a tip to someone such as a waiter in a restaurant, you give them some money to thank them for their services. 小费

I gave the barber a tip.

我给了理发师小费。

过去有一阵儿，冰激凌圣代比现在便宜得多。有个十岁大的小男孩走进一家宾馆咖啡店，在桌旁坐下。女服务员端了一杯水给他。“冰激凌圣代卖多少钱？”“五十美分。”服务员告诉他。小男孩从口袋里抓出一把硬币数了起来。“一盘普通的冰激凌卖多少钱？”他问。此时，有人正在等座位，服务员也有点不耐烦了。“三十五美分。”服务员很粗暴。小男孩又数了一遍硬币说：“那我要一份普通冰激凌。”服务员端来冰激凌，把账单放在桌上就走开了。小男孩吃完冰激凌，在收银员那儿付了钱离开了。服务员回来擦桌子的时候，没法相信自己的眼睛。只见桌上空盘子旁边整齐地摆着两个五分硬币和五个一分硬币——是给她的小费。

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