我的母亲，公民外交官

山西 要莺萍

不管我们愿不愿意，我们都是公民外交官。 一开始，“我”并不理解妈妈的行为，但是随着年龄的增长，“我”发现“我”的母亲只是走在了时代的前面。

题材体裁社会记叙文368★★★文章词数难度建议用时7分钟

When we moved to California in 1972 for my father's two-year engineering assignment, my mother came ready with a suitcase full of presents.She gifted every American who crossed our path some tchotchkes （小玩意） from Iran.

No American was safe from my mother's determined gift giving. Our elderly neighbor received a Persian miniature. The mailman got a key chain. My friends' parents received either miniatures, small boxes with inlay （镶嵌装饰）or devices that looked as if they were for smoking. My mother's gift suitcase was like Mary Poppins' travel case; it never ran out of gifts and no American was thought unworthy of this cultural bridge building.

Among this endless supply, my mother had also brought a large selection of Persian clothing.Whenever my mother, with the best of intentions, gifted one of these items of clothing, usually a vest,I was with her,unwillingly translating.Even though my mother left the talking to me,she always added three words at the end, in her heavily accented English, “From my country.”But I did not want to be a citizen diplomat. For a second-grader trying to blend in, the routine had gotten embarrassing.

I didn't understand at the time that my mother's actions had a noble purpose: She wanted Americans to like us. All I knew was that nobody in my neighborhood had ever heard of Iran and I certainly did not think my mother's efforts were giving us a good name.

Now that I am older than my mother was when she came to America, I look back at her efforts with much kinder eyes. She may have misjudged what Americans would wear or eat,but she simply wanted our tchotchkes and vests to start conversations. I get it. It's 2021 and I continue to try to do, though now willingly, what my mother started in 1972.

We are all citizen diplomats whether we want to be or not, either uniting or dividing with our words. Let's find excuses to begin conversations, real ones in person, and keep talking until we see that our commonalities far outweigh our differences, because they do. My mother was simply ahead of her time.

Reading Check

1. What does the second paragraph mainly tell us?

A. Living in America was dangerous for the author's family.

B. The author's mother had a suitcase similar to Mary Poppins'.

C. The author thought some Americans didn't deserve gifts.

D. The author's mother gave gifts to every American she knew.

2. Why was the author's mother so determined to give presents?

A. To get rid of the contents of the suitcase.

B. To promote their motherland:hope Americans like them.

C. To blend in American life as soon as possible.

D. To further advance foreign trade business.

3. What did the author think of mother's action at that time?

A. Supportive.B. Disapproving.

C. Unprejudiced.D. Objective.

4. What can be inferred according to the text?

A. Mom's gifts are popular with Americans in the community.

B. A diplomat believes in seeking sameness but keeping difference.

C. The author would strengthen communication as a diplomat.

D. Ordinary people matter in promoting intercultural communication.

Language Study

Ⅰ. Difficult sentences in the text

1. My friends' parents received either miniatures, small boxes with inlay or devices that looked as if they were for smoking. 我朋友的父母收到的要么是微缩画，要么是带有镶嵌物的小盒子，要么是看起来像是用来吸烟的装置。

【点石成金】本句为含有定语从句和表语从句的主从复合句。that引导的是定语从句，先行词为devices，as if引导的从句为表语从句。主句部分的either...or...连接并列的宾语。

2. It's 2021 and I continue to try to do,though now willingly, what my mother started in 1972. 现在是2021年了，我继续努力做着我母亲1972年就已经开始做的事情，只不过我现在是自愿去做的。

【点石成金】本句既包含并列句，也包含主从复合句。 and连接两个并列句，though now willingly 为插入语，what my mother started in 1972作的是do的宾语，what可用来引导名词性从句，此时what=the thing(s) which/that。

3. Let's find excuses to begin conversations,real ones in person, and keep talking until we see that our commonalities far outweigh our differences, because they do. 让我们找理由开始对话，面对面地谈，一直谈下去，直到我们发现我们的共同点远远超过我们的不同点，因为它们确实存在。

【点石成金】本句为主从复合句。 其中，that our commonalities far outweigh our differences为that引导的宾语从句，because引导原因状语从句。

Ⅱ. Theme-centered chunks

be safe from 不会遭到……的危险；免受……的

伤害；幸免于……

either...or... 要么……要么……

run out of 用完；用光

be unworthy of 不配

blend in 融入；与……融为一体

look back at 回顾过去

in person 当面；亲自

ahead of (时间、空间)在……前面；早于；领先