By Nicole/寧菊花(譯注)
◆語篇導讀
在生日那天,收到生日禮物本來是件讓人開心的事兒。不過一位叫Johnny Crow的美國少年,他16歲生日那天卻因收到一份意外的生日禮物而當場淚崩,這是怎么回事呢?
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.

supporter/s?'p??rt?(r)/n.支持者
pass away去世;消失
suffer/'s?f?(r)/v.遭受;患病
a heart attack心臟病發作
sign/sa?n/v.簽署;簽名
burst into tears放聲大哭
in advance提前;預先
drop to one’s knees 跪下
bond/b?nd/n.聯系;紐帶
1.His 49-year-old father was a huge supporter of Johnny’s music dream.49歲的父親非常支持Johnny的音樂夢想。
該句是一般過去時態的簡單句。49-year-old是復合形容詞,用來修飾名詞,意為“49歲的”;be a supporter of是固定詞組,意為“是……的支持者”,相當于動詞support。
【即時嘗試】作為一個八歲的男孩,他有了他自己的音樂夢。
2.In the music center,Johnny was given a birthday card that was signed by his father.在音樂中心,Johnny得到一個由他父親簽名的生日卡片。
這是含有定語從句的復合句,card作為先行詞,that是關系代詞,引導定語從句,并在從句中作主語,此時that不可以省略;主從句中的兩個句子(...was given和...was signed)均為一般過去時的被動語態形式。
【即時嘗試】我喜歡歌詞好的歌曲。
3.If anything,he and his father are now famous for their heartwarming bond—the guitar displayed in the video.總之,現在他和他父親因為這個暖心的紐帶——被展示在視頻里的吉他而家喻戶曉了。
if anything是常見的詞組形式,意為“更可能的是;總之”;displayed是display的過去分詞,在句中作定語,修飾前面的名詞guitar。
【即時嘗試】莫言寫的這本小說非常暢銷。
譯文助讀
每個人都有夢想,來自美國密歇根州的Johnny Crow也是如此。他很小的時候就喜歡上了吉他。他夢想未來成為一名音樂家,因此他經常去音樂中心上吉他課。49歲的父親非常支持Johnny的音樂夢想。然而,他父親在今年四月因心臟病發作而離開了人世,這使得Johnny非常難過。
失去親人后的第一個生日總是很艱難的。在他父親去世后兩個月,Johnny16歲了。在他生日那天,他姐姐Chandler Crow開車把他從學校接到音樂中心。在音樂中心,Johnny得到一張由他父親簽名的生日賀卡。當他看完賀卡后感動得聲音顫抖。然而讓他淚崩的是生日禮物——一把昂貴的電吉他。慈愛的父親知道Johnny一直想要吉他,因此他提前為他買好并要求音樂中心的老師將此事保密。
Chandler比Johnny早一個月知道這個秘密。她說:“當一位老師把父親送給Johnny的禮物拿給我時,我跪下了,我簡直不敢相信。但是我依然不得不把這個秘密保守到他生日那天。”Chandler拍下了Johnny打開吉他盒子的情景,并將視頻上傳到網絡上。1200多萬人觀看了視頻。Chandler說她父親曾經說過Johnny總有一天會因為他的音樂而出名的。
總之,現在他和父親因為這個暖心的紐帶——被展示在視頻里的吉他而家喻戶曉了。