追求女孩子除了有诚意外,鲜花攻势和银弹政策对某些人来说也蛮奏效的。如果某男士向你送很多很多礼物,你可骄傲地对别人说:He showered me with gifts. (他送我很多很多礼物) 。或者简单地说: He gave me lots of presents. (他送我很多礼物),或I was inundated with gifts. (礼物多得把我挤满了)。
对话
Judy: Is that a new ring? That's a new dress isn't it? Have you been on a spending spree?
Rita: Not at all. These are from Brian.
Judy: He bought you all these?
Rita: That's right, last night he showered me with gifts.
Judy: Last night a truck carrying luxury goods overturned on the highway, what a coincidence.
Rita: Brian, where did you get these gifts?
Brian: Don't worry. It's fallen from the back of truck.
朱迪: 是新的戒指吗? 那是新裙子喔?你近来很挥霍无度?
莉达: 没有,全都是布莱恩送的。
朱迪: 他买给你这里所有东西?
莉达: 对,他昨晚送我很多很多礼物。
朱迪: 昨晚有一辆满盛贵重物品的货车在公路上翻倒,真凑巧!
莉达: 布莱恩,你在那里买这些礼物?
布莱恩: 别担心,是在货车尾掉下来的。
莉达对朋友说:Last night Brian showered me with gifts.(昨夜布莱恩送了很多礼物给我)。留意shower这个字。 Shower是‘骤雨’,作动词,当然是指‘雨点般落下’,比喻事物之多,常用来说‘赠以大量礼物’,请比较以下例句的介系词(preposition)用法:(1) The public showered honors / curses on the soldiers. / The public showered the soldiers with honors / curses.(民众纷纷赞扬 / 咒骂那些士兵)。(2) He showered presents on his girlfriend / He showered his girlfriend with presents.(他送了很多礼物给女朋友)。例句中的on可改为upon。这两个介系词一般通用,但on的语气比upon随便,也比upon常用得多。
Gift和present都是‘礼物’,二字有什么分别?一般而言,gift、present也可以通用,例如:The bicycle is a gift / present from my uncle.(这辆脚踏车是叔父送的)。不过,贵重的礼物,多称gift;天赋的才能,更只可称为gift,例如:(1) He made a gift $1 million to the university in memory of his father.(为了纪念父亲,他捐赠给大学一百万元)。(2) He has a gift for music.(他有音乐天才)。
布莱恩送给莉达的礼物,其实是从翻倒的卡车中捡来的,而这个‘捡来’可以说是偷。偷了东西匆匆离去,英文叫做to make off with something,例如:Brian made off with a number of valuable things form the overturned truck(布莱恩从翻倒的货车那里偷走了一些贵重东西)。

