高中渐进读本IIB Lesson 01

Lesson 1
My Sixth Christmas
By Floyd Dell 
Words and Expressions
distribute vt.分发, 分配, 散布
joker n.爱开玩笑的人
nourish vt.滋养, 使健壮
temper n. 性情, 脾气, 情绪
　ill-tempered adj.脾气暴躁的
contribution n.捐献, 贡献, 投稿
dime n.<美> 一角硬币
insole n.鞋内底, 鞋垫
cardboard n.纸板
companion n.同伴, 共事者 
Santa Clauses n.圣诞老人
holly n.冬青树
wreath n.花圈, 花冠, 圈状物
calendar n.日历, 历法
detail n.细节, 详情 
anxiety n.忧虑, 渴望
pretend vt.假装, 装扮
downtown adv.在市区, 往市区 adj.市区的
undress vt.使脱衣服 vi.脱衣服
numb adj.麻木的 v.失去知觉 
stun vt.使晕倒, 使惊吓, 打晕 
boast n.自夸, 值得夸耀的事物 v.自夸, 以有...而自豪
horrible adj.可怕的, 恐怖的, 讨厌的
　horribly adv.可怕地, 非常
shameful 不体面的
lawyer n.律师
fist n.拳头, 手
clench v.紧握, (拳头)牢牢地抓住 vi.握紧, 钉牢
popcorn n.爆米花


Everyone enjoys many Christmases, but what was so special about his sixth Christmas?　Read the text and find out.


That fall, before it was discovered that the bottoms of both my shoes were worn clear through, I still went to Sunday-school.1 And one time the head of the Sunday-school made a speech to all the classes. He said that these were hard times, and that many poor children weren’t getting enough to eat. It was the first time that l had heard about it. He asked everybody to bring some food for the poor children next Sunday. I felt very sorry for the poor children.
Also, little envelopes were distributed to all the classes. Each little boy and girl was to bring money for the poor, next Sunday. The pretty Sunday-school teacher explained that we were to write our names, or have our parents write them, up in the left-hand corner of the little envelopes…2 I told my mother all about it when I came home. And my mother gave me, the next Sunday, a small bag of potatoes to carry to Sunday-school. I supposed the poor children’s mothers would make potato soup out of them…. Potato soup was good. My father, who was quite a joker, would always say, as if he were surprised, “Ah I see we have some nourishing potato soup today!” It was so good that we had it every day. 
My father was at home all day long and every day, now; and I liked that, even if he was ill-tempered as he sat reading a book. I had my parents all to myself, too; the others were away.3 My oldest brother was in Quincy, and I can’t remember where the others were: perhaps with relatives in the country.
Taking my small bag of potatoes to Sunday-school, I looked around for the poor children; I was disappointed not to see them. I had heard about poor children in stories. But I was told just to put my contribution with the others on the big table in the side room.
I had brought with me the little yellow envelope, with some money in it for the poor children. My mother had put the money in it and sealed it up. She wouldn’t tell me how much money she had put in it, but it felt like several dimes.4 Only she wouldn’t let me write my name on the envelope. I had learned to write my name, and I was proud of being able to do it. But mother said firmly, no, I must not write my name on the envelope; she didn’t tell me why. On the way to Sunday- school I had pressed the envelope against the coins until I could tell what they were;5 they weren’t dimes but pennies.
When I handed in my envelope, my Sunday-school teacher noticed that my name wasn’t on it, and she gave me a pencil; I could write my own name, she said. So I did. But I was confused because my mother had said not to,6 and when l came home, I told my mother what I had done. She looked troubled.
“I told you not to!” she said. But she didn’t explain why….
I didn’t go back to school that fall. My mother said it was because I was sick. I did have a cold the week that school opened; I had been playing in the drains and had got my feet wet, because there were holes in my shoes. My father cut insoles out of cardboard, and I wore those in my shoes. As long as I had to stay in the house anyway, they were all right.7
I stayed in the house, without any companion. We didn’t take a Sunday paper any more, but advertisements came every week in the mails; and I could see the Santa Clauses and holly wreaths in the advertisements8.
There was a calendar in the kitchen. The red days were Sundays and holidays; and that red 25 was Christmas. (It was on a Monday, and the two red figures would come right together that year.9) I knew when Sunday was, because I could look out of the window and see the neighbor’s children, all dressed up, going to Sunday-school. I knew just when Christmas was going to be.
But there was something strange! My father and mother didn’t say a word about Christmas. And once, when I spoke of it, there was a strange, embarrassed silence10; so I didn’t say anything more about it. But I wondered, and was troubled. Why didn’t they say anything about it? Was what I had said I wanted (memory refuses to supply that detail11) too expensive?
I wasn’t proud and did not talk much now. I was silent and frightened. What was the matter? Why didn’t my father and mother say anything about Christmas? As the day approached, my chest grew tighter with anxiety.
Now it was the day before Christmas. I couldn’t be mistaken. But not a word about it came from my father and mother. I waited in painful confusion all day. I had supper with them, and was allowed to sit up for an hour.12 I was waiting for them to say something. “It’s time for you to go to bed,” my mother said gently. I had to say something.
“This is Christmas Eve, isn’t it?” I asked, as if I didn’t know.
My father and mother looked at one another. Then my mother looked away. Her face was pale and without expression. My father cleared his throat, and his face took on a joking look.13 He pretended he hadn’t known it was Christmas Eve, because he hadn’t been reading the papers. He said he would go downtown and find out.
My mother got up and waited out of the room. I didn’t want my father to have to keep on being funny about it, so I got up and went to bed. I went by myself without having a light. I undressed in the dark and crawled into bed.
I was numb. As if I had been hit by something. It was hard to breathe. I ached all through. I was stunned---with finding out the truth.
My body knew before my mind quite did.14 In a minute, when I could think, my mind would know. And as the pain in my body became faint, the pain in my mind began. I knew. I couldn’t put it into words yet. But I knew why I had taken only a little bag of potatoes to Sunday-school that fall. I knew why there had been only pennies in my little yellow envelope. I knew why I hadn’t gone to school that fall---why I hadn’t any new shoes---why we had been living on potato soup all winter. All these things, and others, many others, fitted themselves together in my mind, and meant something.15 
Then the words came into my mind and I whispered them into the darkness:
“We’re poor!”
That was it. I was one of those poor children I had been sorry for, when I heard about them in Sunday-school. My mother hadn’t told me. My father was out of work, and we hadn’t any money. That was why there wasn’t going to be any Christmas at our house.
Then I remembered something that made me feel ashamed---a boast. (I can’t remember what it was. Had I said to some nice little boy, “I’m going to be President of the United States”? Or to a nice little girl: “I’ll marry you when I grow up”? It was some boast as horribly shameful to remember.)
“We’re poor.” There in bed in the dark, I whispered it over and over to myself. I was making myself get used to it.16
It wasn’t so bad, now that I knew. I just hadn’t known! I had thought all sorts of foolish things: that I was going to college---going to be a lawyer---going to make speeches in public, going to be President. Now I knew better.
I had wanted something for Christmas. I didn’t want it, now. I didn’t want anything. I lay there in the dark and my desire to have gifts, to own things, began to fade. 
It hurt. But nothing would ever hurt again. I would never let myself want anything again. I lay there stretched out straight and stiff in the dark, my fists clenched hard upon nothing….17
In the morning it had been like a horrible dream that is not clearly remembered --- that one wishes to forget. Though I hadn’t hung up any stocking, there was one hanging at the foot of my bed18. A bag of popcorn, and a lead pencil, for me. They had done the best they could, now that they realized that I knew about Christmas. But they needn’t have thought they had to. I didn’t want anything.


 Words:　1475　
Time:　______ M
Speed: ______WPM


Comprehension
Choose the best answer for each question:
1. The boy realized that they were poor ______. 
　A. when the head of the Sunday-school made a speech about helping the poor
　B. when he found that his mother had given him less money than he had expected
　C. when he handed the bag of potatoes to the teacher
　D. On Christmas Eve
2. The family had potato soup every day because ______.
　A. they were poor
　B. it was nourishing
　C. his father liked it
　D. his father was quite a joker
3. His mother didn’t allow him to write his name on the envelope because ______.
　A. the boy was not able to write it
　B. she didn’t want poor children to know who had contributed the money
　C. she felt ashamed of being poor
　D. she was afraid people would say that she had contributed too little 
4. The boy didn’t go to school that fall because ______.
　A. he was sick
　B. he had been playing in the drains and had got his feet wet
　C. his parents couldn’t afford to send him to school
　D. he had holes in his shoes
5. On what day did Christmas Eve fall that year?
　A. Monday.
　B. Sunday.
　C. Saturday.
　D. Tuesday.
6. His mother waited out of the room when his father went out of the house because ______.
　A. she was afraid that he would come home too late
　B. she wanted to find out whether it was Christmas Eve too
　C. she was afraid something would happen to him
　D. she didn’t want the boy to see how embarrassed she was herself
7. Lying in bed that night, they boy ______.
　A. tried to get used to the fact that they were poor
　B. felt angry because his parents did not love him
　C. made plans for the future
　D. was eager to get a Christmas gift
8. When the boy saw the presents the next morning, he ______.
　A. felt very excited
　B. was not satisfied with the presents
　C. knew it was really Christmas
　D. felt they were unnecessary
【Key】
Vocabulary Builder
A. Fill in the blanks with the proper forms of the words given in the brackets:
1. My father was quite a ________ and always looked pleasant. (joke)
2. When he was out of work and had to stay at home, he was ill-________. (temper)
3. As Christmas Day approached, the boy’s chest grew tighter with ________. (anxious)
4. Now it was the day before Christmas. I couldn’t be ________. (mistake)
5. When no word came from his father and mother about Christmas, the boy waited in painful ________ all day. (confuse)
6. Before his mother returned, he ________ and crawled into bed. (dress)
7. It was some boast as horribly ________ to remember. (shame)
8. Before he realized they were poor, he had thought all sorts of ________ things. (fool)
【Key】
B. Choose one of the following words for each blank in its proper form:
distribute　companion　numb　contribution　detail　downtown　pretend 
1. This kind of magazine is ________ all over the world.
2. He is remembered for his ________ to the course of science.
3. While the astronaut was outside the ship, he kept in touch by telephone with his ________ and with the earth.
4. He refused to give any ________ of the accident. 
5. Don’t ________ to know what you do not.
6. Every morning, he went ________ to buy food for the family. 
7. It was so cold that my arms and legs felt ________.
【Key】
C. Fill in the blanks with the proper forms of the verbs given in the brackets:
1. When he was sick, his mother cooked him some ________ (nourish) food.
2. When I told my mother what I had done, she looked ________ (trouble).
3. When the boy spoke of Christmas Day, there was a strange, ________ (embarrass) silence.
4. When his parents said nothing, the boy was silent and ________ (frighten).
5. He was ________ (stun) with finding out that they were poor.
6. That night, as he lay in bed, the boy was making himself get ________ (use) to the truth.
7. The next morning, there was a stocking ________ (hang) at the foot of his bed.
【Key】
Reproduction
A. Fill in each blank with one suitable word to make the passage complete:
The boy had never ________ that his family was poor until his ________ Christmas. That day, his ________ didn’t say anything about Christmas. After dinner, the boy was allowed to ________ up late. When his mother told him to go to ________, he asked her if it was Christmas ________.
Hearing this, they ________ troubled. His father ________ that he hadn’t known because he had not been reading the ________. He said he would go ________ to find out. His mother got up and ________ out of the room. ________ this, the boy got up and went to bed.
Lying in ________, the boy thought of all that had happened and ________ everything. He realized that they were poor and had no ________. That night was like a ________ dream.
Although he had not ________ any stocking when he went to bed, he found a bag of popcorn and a pencil for him when he ________ up the next morning. 
【Key】
B. Reproduce the text in your own words with the above passage as an example.


【Notes to the Text】
1. 那年秋天，在发现我两只鞋子的底都磨透之前，我仍然去参加主日学校。Sunday-school（星期天的）主日学校 [↑]
2. 我们要自己，或者让父母将我们的名字写在信封的左上角上。[↑]
3. 而且父母只陪伴我自己，其他的人不在家。[↑]
4. 妈妈不告诉我在信封里放了多少钱，但摸上去好像是几个角币似的。[↑]
5. 我透过信封去摸硬币，直到我能断定它们是什么样的硬币。[↑]
6. 但是我很迷惑，因为妈妈不让写。[↑]
7. 只要我呆在家里，鞋垫就没事儿。[↑]
8. 在广告中我能看到圣诞老人和冬青花环。从广告中孩子知道圣诞节要到来。[↑]
9. 那是个星期一，那年这两个红色的数字挨在一起。[↑]
10. 而且有一次，他们默不做声，显得很奇怪，很尴尬。[↑]
11. 我就是记不起当时的细节。[↑]
12. 我和他们吃了晚饭，他们允许我多玩一个小时再睡觉。这里sit up的意思是“熬夜”。[↑]
13. 我爸爸清了清嗓子，脸上带着一种开玩笑的表情。[↑]
14. 我头脑还没完全明白，而我的身体已经知道了。意思是意识没有完全清楚而身体上却发生了反应。[↑]
15. 所有这一切，还有其他的许多事情，都在头脑中连在了一起，并且有意义了。意思是一连串的事情放在一起，让他明白了是怎么回事。[↑]
16. 我在让自己习惯此事。[↑]
17. 我僵直地躺在床上，握紧拳头，什么也没有攥着……[↑]
18. 在我的床头上挂着一只袜子。这里foot指床的靠脚一端。[↑]
【Key to the Exercises】
Comprehension
1. D　2. A　3. C　4. C　5. B　6.D　7. A　8. D [↑]
Vocabulary
A: 1. joker　2. tempered　3. anxiety　4. mistaken　5. confusion　6. undressed　7. shameful　8. foolish [↑]
B: 1. distributed　2. contributions　3. companion　4. detail　5. pretend 6. downtown　7. numb [↑]
C: 1. nourishing　2. troubled　3. embarrassed　4. frightened　5. stunned　6. used　7. hanging [↑]
Reproduction
realized, sixth, parents, sit, bed, Eve, felt, pretended, newspapers, downtown, waited, Seeing, bed, understood, money, terrible, hung, woke [↑]