Xiao Ming is about to learn that persistence (and maybe some puppy-dog eyes) might just be the secret weapon to getting what you want.
One interesting thing to point out in this dialogue is the use of the character “那”. 那 nà is one of the first characters many learners pick up. It usually means “that”, as in, “give me that one.” But in this case, it has a different meaning. It means “Well…” or “Well then…”, as in “Well… if that’s the case, now what?” or “Well then… I’m out of ideas.” This is specifically used when the speaker has offered a series of suggestions, all have failed, and they are now at a loss. In this story, you’ll see that our main character has made many suggestions to his mother, all of which have been refused or turned down, and now he is trying to think of something else to suggest. So, he starts his next suggestion with “那……”.
Key vocab
摇头 – yáotóu – to shake one’s head
放弃 – fàngqì – to give up
鱼缸 – yúgāng – fish tank
叹气 – tànqì – to sigh
乌龟 – wūguī – turtle
安静 – ānjìng – quiet
容易 – róngyì – easy
照顾 – zhàogù – to take care of
眼神 – yǎnshén – expression in one’s eyes; look
我想要一只宠物
“妈妈，我可以养一只狗吗？”小明问。”我非常非常想要一只狗！”
妈妈摇摇头。”不行。狗太大了，我们家太小了。”
小明想了想。”那，猫呢？猫很小。”
“猫会抓沙发，”妈妈说。”不行。”
小明有点不开心，但是他没有放弃。”那鱼呢？鱼不会抓沙发。”
妈妈想了想，然后说：”鱼缸很难打扫。不行。”
小明叹了口气。他看了看妈妈，说：”那……乌龟呢？乌龟很安静，很小，也很容易养。”
妈妈看着小明。小明用最可爱的眼神看着妈妈。
妈妈笑了。”好吧。但是你要自己照顾它。”
“没问题！”小明高兴地说。”谢谢妈妈！你是最好的妈妈！”
妈妈笑着摇摇头。”去写作业吧。”
I Want a Pet
“Mom, can I have a dog?” Xiao Ming asked. “I really, really want a dog!”
Mom shook her head. “No. Dogs are too big, and our home is too small.”
Xiao Ming thought for a moment. “Then, what about a cat? Cats are small.”
“Cats scratch the sofa,” Mom said. “No.”
Xiao Ming was a little unhappy, but he didn’t give up. “What about a fish then? Fish won’t scratch the sofa.”
Mom thought about it, then said: “Fish tanks are hard to clean. No.”
Xiao Ming sighed. He looked at Mom and said: “Well then… what about a turtle? Turtles are very quiet, very small, and also very easy to take care of.”
Mom looked at Xiao Ming. Xiao Ming looked at Mom with his cutest eyes.
Mom laughed. “Alright. But you have to take care of it yourself.”
“No problem!” Xiao Ming said happily. “Thank you, Mom! You’re the best mom!”
Mom laughed and shook her head. “Go do your homework.”
