“Can I see my baby?”the happy new mother asked. The baby was placed into her arms and when she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped 1. The doctor turned quickly and looked out the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears. Time proved that the baby's hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was marred 2.
When he rushed home from school one day and flung 3 himself into his mother's arms, she sighed, knowing that his life was to be full of heartbreaks. He blurted 4 out the tragedy. “A boy, a big boy...called me a freak 5.”
He grew up, handsome for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for 6 that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music.
“You might mingle with 7 other young people,”his mother reproved 8 him, but felt a tenderness in her heart.
The boy's father went to see the doctor and asked if anything could be done. The doctor said, “I believe I could graft9 on a pair of outer ears, if they could be found. ”Whereupon， the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man.
Two years went by. Then, “You are going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will give you their ears. But it's a secret, ”said the father.
The operation was a great success, and a new person appeared. His talents turned into genius, and school and college became a series of triumphs. Later he married and entered the diplomatic10 service. “But I must know!”he urged his father. “Who gave so much for me? I could never do enough for him.”
“I do not believe you could,”said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know...not yet.”
The years kept their secret, but the day did come... one of the darkest days that ever pass through a son. He stood with his father over his mother's coffin. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish-brown hair to reveal... that the mother had no outer ears.
“Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut,”he whispered gently, “and nobody ever thought mother less beautiful, did they?”
Real beauty lies not in the physical appearance, but in the heart. Real treasure lies not in what can be seen, but what cannot be seen. Real love lies not in what is done and known, but in what is done but not known.
“能看看我的宝宝吗？”初为人母的她快乐地问。襁褓中的婴儿被放进了她的怀抱，她揭开襁褓去看孩子的小脸蛋时，却倒吸了一口冷气。医生很快转过身向医院高大的窗户外面望去。这孩子天生就没有双耳。后来他们发现孩子的听觉完好无损，有缺陷的只是他的外表。
一天，孩子放学匆匆回了家，一头扑进母亲的怀里。她叹了叹气，知道孩子的生活将充满无数的伤心。不幸从孩子嘴里脱口而出：“一个男孩，一个大男孩……叫我怪物。”
他长大了，就一个残疾人来说，算得上英俊。他是同学们最喜欢的人，如果不是因为残疾，他本可以成为班长的。不过他却渐渐显示了文学和音乐方面的天赋和才华。
“你可以多和其他年轻人在一起。”母亲责备他，而内心却怀着一丝柔情。
孩子的父亲和医生有过一次谈话，难道就无能为力了吗？医生说：“只要能找到一对耳朵，我相信可以把它们移植上去。”于是，他们开始寻找一个乐于为一个年轻人作出牺牲的人。
两年过去了。然后有一天，父亲这么说，“儿子，你要去医院了。妈妈和我找到愿意为你捐献耳朵的人了，不过这是个秘密。”
手术极其成功，一个全新的人诞生了。他的才华发展成了天才，从中学到大学一直一帆风顺。后来他成了家，又进入了外交部门。“可我必须知道，是谁给予了我这么多？我无论怎么做也不足以报答他。”他追问父亲。
“我想你是无法回报的。”父亲回答：“但是说好不让你知道的，还没到时候。”
岁月深藏着这个秘密，但这一天还是来了——一个儿子所能经历的最黑暗的一天。他和父亲一起站在母亲的棺木旁，缓缓地、轻轻地，父亲伸出一只手，撩开母亲那浓密的棕红头发。真相终于大白——母亲没有了耳朵。
“妈妈说她很高兴从来不让别人给她理发。”他轻声低语：“从没有人认为妈妈的美有丝毫的减损，是不是？”
真正的美不在外表，而在内心；真正的财富不寓于所见，而寓于所不见；真正的爱也不在于已知的功劳，而在于默默的奉献。
1. gasp v． 喘息，气喘
2． mar v． 毁坏，损害
3． fling v． 直冲，急行
4． blurt v． (不加思索地)脱口而出
5． freak n． 畸形人
6． but for 要不是
7． mingle with 和…混合
8． reprove v． 责备
9． graft v． 移植
10． diplomatic adj． 外交的