高三英语培优·名著阅读之心灵鸡汤精选 Christmas in July
班级:____________学号:____________姓名:____________
心灵鸡汤精选Christmas in July
话题归类 阅读难度 词数
温暖医护 五星 1386
【文章梗概】夏日炎炎,病房的孩子们欢度“七月圣诞”。我一直照料的女孩史黛丝问我“最喜欢圣诞节什么”,我告诉她是“会让我想起我爱的人的装饰”。当晚我和往常一样给她讲睡前故事,她送了我一份礼物,让我到真正的圣诞再打开。史黛丝在十月的一天离开了,我非常想念她。等到平安夜我打开礼物,发现是个雪人挂饰—史黛丝记住了我那天的回答。每年圣诞,这个挂饰都会让我想起我爱的那个小女孩。
Children are God’s apostles, sent forth, day by day, to preach of love, and hope and peace.
~J. R. Lowell
A drop of sweat trickled down the side of my face. As I walked through the door into the building, a blast of cool air enveloped me.
“Thank goodness for air-conditioning!” I said loudly to the receptionist in the lobby. She nodded in agreement as she answered a call and I got onto the elevator.
“What number ” asked a little boy in a red wagon being pulled by his mom.
I looked at him and smiled. “Number five.”
He pushed the button as he smiled back at me with blue eyes that sparkled. He had no hair, and his mouth was covered with a paper mask. He wasn’t from my floor . . . the masks on my floor were oxygen masks, and they still had their own hair. As a pediatric nurse in a pediatric hospital these sights were a common and accepted part of my job.
It was July 24, a sweltering summer day. But when the elevator doors opened to the fifth floor, it was like a scene from a winter wonderland. There was a lighted Christmas tree in the corner and paper snowflakes hanging from every ceiling tile. Red ribbons adorned all the doorknobs of the patient rooms, and snowmen were pasted on every other available open space. The Christmas carol “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” played in the background, harmonized by Alvin and the Chipmunks. The playroom was filled with children with oxygen tanks and IV poles in tow. There was much laughter and giggling going on as the “play lady” turned to me and said, “Merry Christmas! We are celebrating Christmas in July . . . so that makes today Christmas Eve! Hope you’ve got your shopping done!”
I smiled at her inventiveness and said, “What a great idea, Betsy! Two Christmases in one year. These kids must have been really good!”
As my afternoon shift began and I started my assignment, I saw each of Santa’s “July elves” I was assigned to, all gathered in the playroom, still giggling and listening to the Chipmunks. I did a quick check to make sure everyone was okay, and let them get back to the fun.
After playtime was finished and IV poles and oxygen tanks with kids attached were returned to their rooms, I began my rounds.
I saved Stacey for last so I could spend more time with her as needed. She was waiting for me, with that slightly lopsided grin and those huge brown eyes. I had been caring for her for many months.
Her voice sounded far away with the oxygen mask pulled tightly over her cheeks. “Kathy, what do you like best about Christmas ”
I didn’t really think about my answer, I just said, “I love decorating the tree. I have some special ornaments that remind me of people I love.”
While doing her treatments we talked about Christmas, and I told her part of a story I remembered from when I was her age, about a mouse that ate Santa’s cake. I couldn’t remember the end and what happened to the mouse, but I said I would try to find out.
I could see she was really tired when her treatment to clear her lungs was finished. She fell asleep during dinner while watching TV; she didn’t have the energy of most other eight-year-olds. I was conscious of the subtle changes, and I knew her treatment options were limited. I understood that she was slipping away. No matter how much I loved her, I could not change that.
Stacey slept much of the evening. As usual, she awakened when I came to say goodnight. It was a ritual we had started when I first started caring for her. Whenever my shift was almost over, I would come to tell her a story, she would brush her teeth and say her prayers, and I would hug and kiss her and tuck her in her bed for the night.
Since it was Christmas Eve in July, I recited “The Night Before Christmas” for her. Just as I was about to leave, she handed me a small package wrapped in white tissue paper and tied with a red ribbon. I was touched and surprised. “Can I open it now since it is after midnight and it is Christmas . . . in July ”
“No, I want you to wait for the real Christmas, with snow, and trees, and Santa . . . in December.”
I gave her another gentle squeeze, and said, “You are so special to me. I love you. I can’t wait till Christmas to see what it is!”
She smiled from beneath her oxygen mask and said, “You have to promise you will wait.”
I assured her I would wait, just as she asked.
The dog days of summer turned into the cool, crisp days of fall. Stacey and I watched from her hospital room as the children played in the park across the street. Soon the brilliant crimson and yellow of the leaves heralded the arrival of October. Stacey’s breathing was becoming increasingly difficult and she required more oxygen to keep her comfortable. Her usually sallow complexion was now a bluish hue, and she chose her words carefully whenever she spoke. It required most of her energy to talk, and when she said, “I’m tired,” it wasn’t just tired. She was tired of fighting for every breath.
Stacey wrote a note to me that afternoon to ask if I would “Pleeeese find out what happened to that mouse that ate Santa’s cake. I want to know how the story ends.”
I had forgotten about telling her that tale until she reminded me about our Christmas in July party. The next morning before work, I called the family friend who had told me the story when I was young. I told him the circumstances and all about Stacey, and that she was waiting for the end of the story. He gladly told the story again, and this time, I wrote it down.
During Stacey’s treatment the next afternoon, I recited the rest of the tale about the mouse that ate Santa’s cake. She smiled when I finished, and with great effort said, “Thank you. Now I know what happens at the end.”
When her grandmother arrived that evening, as the sunset glowed pink and purple in the sky, Stacey closed her eyes and died peacefully in her grandma’s arms.
Now her story was completed too.
I was with her when she died, as I had been on many afternoons and evenings of her young life. I missed her terribly. I missed her big brown eyes and her lopsided smile that drew me eagerly back to work every day. I missed the faraway sound of her voice behind her oxygen mask, and the hugs and kisses she gave me at the beginning and end of my workdays on my first job as a pediatric nurse. I felt her absence every day from that day on.
But time passed, as it does. We celebrated Thanksgiving with a feast together at work, and the holiday rush began. Soon it was the real Christmas Eve.
I returned home from work that evening and as the clock struck midnight, I took out the package Stacey had given me in July. On the tag in her childish scrawl, she’d written, “To Kathy. I love you. Do not open until December 25.” I slowly unwound the red ribbon and removed the crinkled tissue paper. Inside the package was a white snowman with big green polka dots. He wore a black felt hat, had blue button eyes, and a red, lopsided grin. A loop of green yarn wrapped as a scarf around his neck, and another loop was glued to his back so he was ready to hang on the tree. As my tears fell on the snowman, I recalled the words I said to her when she asked what I liked best about Christmas . . . decorating the tree with special ornaments that remind me of people I love.
Each Christmas as I unwrap the ornament, the tissue paper becomes more fragile and yellowed with age. I reread Stacey’s simple declaration of love and caress the polka-dot snowman. His lopsided grin is a legacy of the little girl that I loved.
Kathleen E. Jones
【词汇过关】
请写出下面文单词在文章中的中文意思。
1.trickle ['trikl] vi. ______________________________
2.blast [blɑ st] n.______________________________
3.sparkle ['spɑ kl] vi.______________________________
4.pediatric [ pi di' trik] n.______________________________
5.sweltering ['swelt ri ] adj.______________________________
6.adorn [ 'd :n] vt.______________________________
7.doorknob ['d :n b] n.______________________________
8.giggling ['gigl ] n.______________________________
9.inventiveness [in'ventivn s] n.______________________________
10.lopsided [ l p'saidid] adj.______________________________
11.grin [grin] n.______________________________
12.ornament [' n m nt] n.______________________________
13.conscious ['k n s] adj. ______________________________
14.subtle ['s tl] adj. ______________________________
15.ritual ['rit u l] n. ______________________________
16.tuck [t k] vt.______________________________
17.ribbon ['rib n] n.______________________________
18.assure [ ' (r)] vt.______________________________
19.crisp [krisp] adj.______________________________
20.crimson ['krimz n] n.______________________________
21.herald ['her ld] vt.______________________________
22.sallow ['s l ] adj.______________________________
plexion [k m'plek n] n.______________________________
24.hue [hju:] n.______________________________
25.glow [gl ] vi.______________________________
26.scrawl [skr :l] n.______________________________
27.unwind [ n'waind] vt.______________________________
28.crinkled ['kri kld] adj.______________________________
29.polka dots n.______________________________
30.felt [felt] n.毛______________________________
31.loop [lu:p] n.______________________________
32.yarn [jɑ:n] n.______________________________
33.caress [k 'res] vt.______________________________
34.legacy ['leg si] n. ______________________________
【句子学习】
请根据中文句子填空。
(一)动作描写
1. A drop of sweat ____________________ the side of my face.
汗滴顺着一侧脸流下来。
2. He pushed the button ___________________________________________________________.
他边微笑回应我,边按下按钮,蓝色的眼睛闪耀着。
3. …, she would ____________________ and ____________________, and I ____________________________________________________________ for the night.
她刷牙、祷告完,我会拥抱、亲吻她,然后帮她掖好被子让她睡觉。
(二)情绪描写
1. She was waiting for me, ____________________________________________________________.
她正等着我,一双圆圆的棕色眼睛,咧着嘴微笑。
2. ________________________________________ the snowman, I recalled the words I said to her when she asked what I liked best about Christmas…
眼泪落到雪人上,我想起了当时她问我最喜欢圣诞节什么时,我回答她的话。
(三)环境描写
1. As I walked through the door into the building, ________________________________________.
我穿过门进楼,一阵凉意笼住了我。
2. It was July 24, ________________________________________.
这是7月24日,一个酷热难耐的夏日。
3. The ________________________________________ turned into ________________________________________.
炎炎夏日变成凉爽秋日。
(四)外貌描写
1. Her usually ________________________________________ was now ____________________, and she chose her words carefully whenever she spoke.
她通常蜡黄的脸色,现在有些发绿。她每次说话,都小心翼翼。
2. He ________________________________________________________________________.
他头戴黑色毡帽,有一双蓝眼睛,咧着嘴笑。
拓展练习读后续写
阅读下面短文,根据所给情节进行续写,使之构成一个完整的故事。
A Special Appointment
Years ago I moved to Woodland Hills to take a job in a small hospital’s emergency department. No one wanted to work on Christmas Eve, so the shift(轮班)went to me. I kissed my family goodbye and went off to spend the night in the hospital. It was a thankless job.
At 9 pm, the ambulance brought in a man in his 60s who was having a heart attack. His face was pale, and he was frightened. The whole night I did my best to save his life. Before I left in the morning to spend Christmas with my family, I stopped by to see how he was doing. It was still tough, but he had survived the night and was sleeping.
The following year I got Christmas Eve duty again. At 9 pm sharp, the ward clerk told me there was a couple who wanted to speak with me. When I approached them, the man introduced himself as Mr. Lee and said, “You probably don’t remember me, but last Christmas Eve you saved my life. Thank you for the year you gave me.” He and his wife hugged me, handed me a small gift, and left.
The following year a new doctor had joined the group, but I wanted to see if Mr. And Mrs. Lee would return. This time, I volunteered for the shift. I kept an eye on the door. Once again, at exactly 9 pm, the Lees appeared, carrying a warmly wrapped bundle. It was their new grandchild.
Mr. Lee, his family and I spent 13 Christmas Eves together. In the later years the staff all knew about the story and would work to give me time with him in the break room, where we spent a half-hour each Christmas Eve.
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右;
2. 续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已为你写好;
Paragraph 1:
Last year I saw Mrs. Lee alone in the hospital with a gift for me.
Paragraph 2:
I carefully opened the package and found a crystal(水晶)bell inside with the word “Friendship” engraved(雕刻)on it.
心灵鸡汤精选答案
【词汇过关】
请写出下面文单词在文章中的中文意思。
1.trickle ['trikl] vi. (使) 滴,淌
2.blast [blɑ st] n.强劲气流
3.sparkle ['spɑ kl] vi.闪烁;闪耀
4.pediatric [ pi di' trik] n.儿科
5.sweltering ['swelt ri ] adj.热得难受的
6.adorn [ 'd :n] vt.装扮;装饰
7.doorknob ['d :n b] n.球形门拉手
8.giggling ['gigl ] n.吃吃的笑
9.inventiveness [in'ventivn s] n.创意
10.lopsided [ l p'saidid] adj.歪斜的
11.grin [grin] n.露齿笑;咧嘴笑
12.ornament [' n m nt] n.装饰物;饰品
13.conscious ['k n s] adj. 意识到
14.subtle ['s tl] adj. 不明显的
15.ritual ['rit u l] n. 仪规;礼节
16.tuck [t k] vt.将(孩子)在床上安顿好
17.ribbon ['rib n] n.丝带
18.assure [ ' (r)] vt.向…保证
19.crisp [krisp] adj.(天气)寒冷干燥的
20.crimson ['krimz n] n.深红色
21.herald ['her ld] vt.预示
22.sallow ['s l ] adj.蜡黄的
plexion [k m'plek n] n.面色;肤色;气色
24.hue [hju:] n.颜色;色度
25.glow [gl ] vi.发出柔和稳定的光
26.scrawl [skr :l] n.不工整的字迹
27.unwind [ n'waind] vt.松开(卷绕之物)
28.crinkled ['kri kld] adj.皱的
29.polka dots n.(布料上的)圆点花纹
30.felt [felt] n.毛毡
31.loop [lu:p] n.圆圈;环形
32.yarn [jɑ:n] n.纱线
33.caress [k 'res] vt.爱抚;抚摸
34.legacy ['leg si] n. 遗赠
【句子学习】
请根据中文句子填空。
(一)动作描写
1. A drop of sweat trickled down the side of my face.
汗滴顺着一侧脸流下来。
2. He pushed the button as he smiled back at me with blue eyes that sparkled.
他边微笑回应我,边按下按钮,蓝色的眼睛闪耀着。
3. …, she would brush her teeth and say her prayers, and I would hug and kiss her and tuck her in her bed for the night.
她刷牙、祷告完,我会拥抱、亲吻她,然后帮她掖好被子让她睡觉。
(二)情绪描写
1. She was waiting for me, with that slightly lopsided grin and those huge brown eyes.
她正等着我,一双圆圆的棕色眼睛,咧着嘴微笑。
2. As my tears fell on the snowman, I recalled the words I said to her when she asked what I liked best about Christmas…
眼泪落到雪人上,我想起了当时她问我最喜欢圣诞节什么时,我回答她的话。
(三)环境描写
1. As I walked through the door into the building, a blast of cool air enveloped me.
我穿过门进楼,一阵凉意笼住了我。
2. It was July 24, a sweltering summer day.
这是7月24日,一个酷热难耐的夏日。
3. The dog days of summer turned into the cool, crisp days of fall.
炎炎夏日变成凉爽秋日。
(四)外貌描写
1. Her usually sallow complexion was now a bluish hue, and she chose her words carefully whenever she spoke.
她通常蜡黄的脸色,现在有些发绿。她每次说话,都小心翼翼。
2. He wore a black felt hat, had blue button eyes, and a red, lopsided grin.
他头戴黑色毡帽,有一双蓝眼睛,咧着嘴笑。
拓展练习读后续写参考范文
Paragraph 1:
Last year I saw Mrs. Lee alone in the hospital with a gift for me. Mrs. Lee looked pale. She told me Mr. Lee died from another heart attack two days ago. But he had never forgot our appointment. He prepared the last gift days ago. They lived with a grateful heart and had a meaningful life for as long as 13 years. The appointment is a reminder of the fortune they got from me and the God.
Paragraph 2:
I carefully opened the package and found a crystal bell inside with the word “Friendship” engraved on it. Now, my family, my friends and I ring that bell on every Christmas Eve at exactly 9 pm and offer our best wishes to the man who we won’t forget. The bell always reminds us of being helpful to others and thankful to people who have helped me.