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1、北京信息科技大学英语作业 姓 名: 学 号: 专 业: Dear all, Here attached is the 1st reading assignment for you to finish next week. You need to send your answers back to me before next Saturday Nov. 22. Note: a) Just give your answers, do no copy the essay. b) Do not copy each others answers. If two or more of you give
2、me the same answers, all of the same answers will not be scored. Enjoy it. Best Zhang Christmas That fall, before it was discovered that the soles of both my shoes were worn clear through, I still went to Sunday school. And one time the Sunday-school superintendent made a speech to all the classes.
3、He said that these were hard times, and that many poor children werent getting enough to eat. It was the first time that I 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
4、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. . I told my mother all about it when I came home. An
5、d my mother gave me, the next Sunday, a small bag of potatoes to carry to Sunday school. I supposed the poor childrens 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 po
6、tato 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. I had my parents all to myself, too; the others were away. My oldest brother was in Quincy, and memory does not reveal where the others were: perhaps with relatives in t
7、he 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
8、 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 wouldnt tell me how much money she had put in it, but it felt like several dimes. Only she wouldnt let me write my name on the envelope. I had learned to write my name, and I
9、 was proud of being able to do it. But my mother said firmly, no, I must not write my name on the envelope; she didnt tell me why. On the way to Sunday school I had pressed the envelope against the coins until I could tell what they were; they werent dimes but pennies. When I handed in my envelope,
10、my Sunday school teacher noticed that my name wasnt 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; and when I came home, I confessed what I had done. She looked distressed. I told you not to! she said. But she did
11、nt explain why. . I didnt 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 gutters 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
12、 my shoes. As long as I had to stay in the house anyway, they were all right. I stayed cooped up in the house, without any companionship. We didnt take a Sunday paper any more, and though I did not read small print, I could see the Santa Clauses and holly wreaths in the advertisements. There was a c
13、alendar in the kitchen. The red days were Sundays and holidays; and that red was Christmas. I knew just when Christmas was going to be. But there was something queer! My father and mother didnt say a word about Christmas. And once when I spoke of it, there was a strange, embarrassed silence; so I di
14、dnt say anything more about it. But I wondered, and was troubled. Why didnt they say anything about it? Was what I had said I wanted too expensive? I wasnt arrogant and talkative now. I was silent and frightened. What was the matter? Why didnt my father and mother say anything about Christmas? As th
15、e day approached, my chest grew tighter with anxiety. Now it was the day before Christmas. I couldnt be mistaken. But not a word about it from my father and mother. I waited in painful bewilderment all day. I had supper with them, and was allowed to sit up for an hour. I was waiting for them to say
16、something. Its time for you to go to bed, my mother said gently. I had to say something. This is Christmas Eve, isnt it? I asked, as if I didnt know. My father and mother looked at one another. Then my mother looked away. Her face was pale and stony. My father cleared his throat, and his face took o
17、n a joking look. He pretended he hadnt known it was Christmas Eve, because he hadnt been reading the papers. He said he would go downtown and find out. My mother got up and walked out of the room. I didnt want my father to have to keep on being funny about it, so I got up and went to bed. I went by
18、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. In a minute, when I could think, my mind would kno
19、w. And as the pain in my body ebbed, the pain in my mind began. I knew. I couldnt 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 hadnt gone to school that fa
20、ll why I hadnt 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. Then the words came into my mind and I whispered them into the darkness. Were poor! That was it. I was one of those poo
21、r children I had been sorry for, when I heard about them in Sunday school. My mother hadnt told me. My father was out of work, and we hadnt any money. That was why there wasnt going to be any Christmas at our house. Were poor. There in bed in the dark, I whispered it over and over to myself. I was m
22、aking myself get used to it. It wasnt so bad, now that I knew, I just hadnt known! I had thought all sorts of foolish things: that I was going to Ann Arbor going to be a lawyer going to make speeches in the Square, going to be President. Now I know better. I had wanted (something) for Christmas, I d
23、idnt want it, now. I didnt want anything. I lay there in the dark, feeling the cold emotion of renunciation. (The tendrils of desire unfold their clasp on the outer world of objects, withdraw, shrivel up. Wishes shrivel up, turn black, die. It is like that.) It hurt. But nothing would ever hurt agai
24、n. 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. In the morning it had been like a nightmare that is not clearly remembered that one wishes to forget. Though I hadnt hung up any stocking there was one hang
25、ing at the foot of my bed. A bag of popcorn, and a lead pencil, for me. They had done the best they could, now they realized that I knew about Christmas. But they neednt have thought they had to. I didnt want anything. From Homecoming An Autobiography by Floyd Dell Exercises: A. Make a list of all t
26、he new words you meet in the text and write down their Chinese meaning. B. Answer the following questions in English. 1. How did the child react to what the Sunday School superintendent said? 2. Why wouldnt the childs mother let him write his name on the envelope as he was told to do so? 3. Why didn
27、t the childs parents say anything about Christmas as the day approached? 4. What are your impressions of the child? A Fall 秋天 Superintendent 学校校长 Nourishing 有营养的 Reveal出现 Seal up 密封住 Confused 困惑的 Confess坦白 Distressed 忧虑的 Gutters水沟 Queer奇怪的 Bewilderment困惑 Numb麻木的 B 1. He felt sorry for the poor child
28、ren and decided to do something for them. 2. There were only pennies in his envelope and his mother did not want to tell him that they were poor. 3. Because they were too poor to celebrate the Christmas . 4. He was a compassionate child for he felt sorry for the poor children; Meanwhile, he was a se
29、nsible child for he known that their parents had done the best they could. 晚上十点多，街道上下着雨刮着风，一个警察在这里巡逻。一个男人依靠在昏暗的门口。这个人见到警察开始给他讲述他在这里等他的老朋友。交谈中，男人描述着他和他的朋友一起长大，像兄弟一样。二十年前他离开纽约去打拼事业。他等待着老朋友，而且相信他一定会信守约定。男人抽着雪茄并且带着钻石胸针和镶着钻的手表。男人对警察说他坚信老朋友如果还活着的话就一定会出现，因为他是十分讲信用的朋友。警察祝福男人能等到朋友，然后走开了。 男人在这里等了二十分钟，这时，一个高个子
30、的人从马路对面跑过来。并和男人相认。两个人肩并肩走在大路上，各自讲述着这些年的变化。走到明亮的地方，男人忽然发现高个的人并不是自己要等的老朋友吉姆。高个子的人承认自己不是他要等的人，而是来抓捕他的。高个的人给男人一封简短的信。原来刚刚那个警察就是吉姆。 1. It was merely 10 oclock at night and Bob leaned against the doorway of a darkened hardware store. 2. They were raised here in New York, just like two brothers together. Jim could not do it himself. 3. He could not understand the policeman chatted with him before was Jim. 4. I think Jim is a real friend of Bob. For one thing, he was at appointed place on time. For another, when he recognized that Bob was the man wanted in Chicago, he did not arrest him by himself.
