good+will(goodwill readily是什么意思)

The Goodwill Gift

“善意”的礼物

I scanned the shelf of games at Goodwill, trying to make up my mind. Monopoly? No. Scrabble? Theres bound to be a piece or two missing . Maybe games are a bad idea....

我在古德威尔慈善店里浏览摆放着益智游戏的货架，试图下定决心。《大富翁》？不好。《拼字游戏》？那肯定会缺一两块。也许选择游戏作为礼物的主意不好……

That Christmas I was tight on cash, so I decided to make a trip to Goodwill to look for gifts for some of my not-so-close friends. Id already gotten gifts for my best friends, and I figured with what little money I had left, I could buy a few nice things at a secondhand store.

那个圣诞节我手头比较紧，所以决定前往古德威尔慈善店去挑选礼物，打算送给一些不太亲密的朋友。我已经为最要好的朋友们准备好了礼物，我的钱也所剩无几了。考虑到这一点，我只能在一家二手商店挑几件好东西了。

I flipped through the racks of T-shirts and belts. Nothing. Maybe I could have Mom pick up some Gap or American Eagle gift cards and I could pay her back.... Finally, I glanced over at the jewelry rack, and saw it out of the corner of my eye: a bracelet. The perfect bracelet for Rachel!

我翻看了货架上的T恤衫和腰带。没有合适的。或许我该让妈妈挑选一些Gap或者American Eagle的礼品卡，之后我再付给她钱……最后，我朝摆放珠宝的货架瞥了一眼，从眼角的余光中看到了我想买的东西：一只手镯。这手镯送给雷切尔真是再合适不过了！

Rachel was my "study buddy ". We were always doing social studies projects together, such as PowerPoints. She and I used to be the best friends, but then she started drifting toward the popular crowd, and she ended up staying there. I figured if I bought her a cool gift for Christmas, she could be my ticket to popularity. Lets just say I really wanted to impress her.

雷切尔是我的“学习伙伴”。我们总是一起做社会研究项目，如制作幻灯片。她和我曾经是最好的朋友，但是后来她慢慢走向了受欢迎的人士之列，并且一直和他们在一起了。我想如果给她买一个很酷的圣诞礼物，她或许会是我通向受欢迎之列的门票。这么说吧，我真的很想让她感动一下。

When I saw the bracelet, I knew right away that Rachel would love it. None of her so-called friends would be getting her anything this nice. It looked really expensive. And it was only five dollars! I bought it right away.

当我看到那只手镯，我马上就知道雷切尔会喜欢的。她那些所谓的朋友们没有谁会送她这么好的礼物。这镯子看起来真的很上档次， 却只需要5美元！我立即买了下来。

The day before Winter Break, everyone passed out holiday gifts. My two closest friends loved what Id given them. On our way to lunch, they were still thanking me. "Lindsey, thank you so much for the makeup bag! You always give the best presents!" Emma said.

寒假的前一天，所有人都开始互赠节日礼物。我最要好的两个朋友很喜欢我送给她们的礼物。在我们去吃午饭的路上，她们仍然在感谢我。“林赛，非常感谢你送我的化妆包！你送的礼物总是最棒的！”艾玛说道。

Lindsey, you really do have good taste. The earrings you gave me are so nice! said Amber.

“林赛，你真的很有品位。你送给我的耳环真漂亮！”安伯说。

I so hope theyre right, I thought, as we walked outside to our usual lunch spot by a big rock. When we got there, I told Emma and Amber to save me a seat. "Ill be right back! I have one more gift to give out."

我们出门往平时吃午饭的地方走去，那儿就在一块大岩石旁，我边走边想，我真希望她们说的没错。等我们到了那里，我便让艾玛和安伯先给我留一个位置。“我很快就会回来！我还有一份礼物要送出去。”

As I crossed the courtyard toward Rachel, I was so nervous. I didnt want her to like her bracelet. I wanted her to love it.

我穿过院子去找雷切尔，我觉得特别紧张。我希望她不仅仅是喜欢手镯，而且要特别喜欢。

Hey Rachel, Happy Holidays! I hope you like this.

“嗨，雷切尔，假期快乐！我希望你能喜欢这个。”

Thanks, Lindsey. She smiled, and then headed toward her friends as she opened the box. I started walking back to the rock, and then ever-so- casually turned around to see Rachels reaction. She stopped mid-step and stared at the bracelet, looking shocked. Then she hurried over to her friends.

“谢谢，林赛。”她笑了，而后她一边打开礼物的盒子一边朝着她的朋友们走去。我开始向岩石的方向往回走，接着很不经意地扭过头看了看雷切尔的反应。她走到一半停下了脚步，盯着那只镯子，看起来很吃惊。然后她匆匆跑去找她的朋友。

I decided to see what was up, so I hid behind some of the teachers cars. From there, I could hear what she was saying.

我决定去看个究竟，于是藏在老师们的汽车后面。我从那里可以听到她在说什么。

Michelle! Oh my god! Ha ha! Remember this bracelet? Rachel was laughing so hard she could hardly contain herself.

“米歇尔！哦，我的天哪！哈哈！还记得这只镯子吗？”雷切尔笑得太猛，几乎快控制不住自己了。

I thought you donated that old thing to Goodwill!

“我以为你把这件旧东西捐赠给古德威尔慈善店了！”

I did! But Lindsey just gave it to me again.

“是啊！但是林赛又把它送给我了。”

What a loser. Didnt she see you wearing it last year? Michelle said.

“真是失败。难道她去年没看见你戴着这手镯吗？”米歇尔说道。

Obviously not!

“显然没有！”

The groups giggles echoed in my ears as I ran from behind the cars, back to Emma and Amber. I was beyond shamed. I could have cried on the spot, but I held it in, trying not to let anyone know how awkward I was. What was I thinking? Why didnt I notice her wearing it last year? So much for a great gift ... and so much for being popular.

当我从汽车后面跑开回到艾玛和安伯那里时，这些人的笑声在我的耳边回荡。我简直无地自容。我差点当场就哭出来了，但我还是忍住了，尽量不让任何人看到我的窘态。我当时在想什么？为什么我去年没有注意到她戴着那只镯子呢？这件重要的礼物就白送了……再也不用为自己能受人欢迎而大费周章了。

Lindsey, whats wrong? You look like someone just died! Christmas is right around the corner! Cheer up, girl! Amber said.

“林赛，你怎么了？你看上去好像谁死了一样！圣诞节就要到了！打起精神来，姑娘！”安伯说道。

Yeah, Lindsey, are you all right? Emma asked.

“是啊，林赛。你没事吧？”埃玛问道。

I looked at their faces and I knew I couldnt keep it from them. So I told them the whole story. "Guys, Im so embarrassed! Could I be any more of a complete loser?"

我看着她们的脸，心里知道瞒不住她们。于是我道出了整件事的经过。“你们瞧，我太难堪了！我还能比这更彻底地失败吗？”

Emma sat there for a minute, thinking. "You know what, Lindsey? You are so much better than her! Only a loser would discuss you and your gift like that."

艾玛坐了一分钟，想了想。“你知道吗，林赛？你比她强太多了！只有失败者才会像她那样谈论你和你送的礼物。”

Amber sat down next to me and gave me a hug. "Lindsey, forget Rachel and her friends. We love you!"

安伯在我旁边坐下，给了我一个拥抱。“林赛，忘掉雷切尔和她那群朋友。我们爱你！”

I hugged Amber back - and Emma, too. By the end of lunch I felt a lot better.

我也拥抱了安伯，还有埃玛。吃完午饭后，我心情好多了。

I went on to have a great Christmas in spite of the bracelet incident. Amber, Emma, and I had a great time window-shopping at the mall and just hanging out. In fact, I think my shame over Rachels gift somehow brought us closer together than ever.

尽管发生了手镯事件，我还是度过了一个快乐的圣诞节。安伯、艾玛和我在购物中心只看不买，一起闲逛，度过了一段快乐的时光。事实上，我觉得“雷切尔礼物”事件带给我的羞辱，在某种程度上使我们的关系更亲密了。

As for Rachel, I think she thought I was a loser for a while. But near the end of the year I started to be her friend once more. Were still study buddies, but I dont think well ever be best friends again. I laugh about the whole bracelet incident now, because it was such a great learning experience. It taught me that real friends are the ones you dont have to impress.

至于雷切尔，我认为她曾把我当作一个失败者。但快到年末时，我再次成了她的朋友。我们仍然是学习伙伴，但我认为我们再也不会成为最好的朋友了。我现在笑谈关于手镯事件的整个经历，因为这是一个非常宝贵的学习经验。它教会了我真正的朋友并不一定非要你去感动。