The best nourishment of life

福建三明市宁化县第一中学 王荣英

精彩导读

生命是一棵树，水分是最好的养料。爱如水分，有水分在，不管多么卑微，生命之树终会枝繁叶茂，甚至长成参天大树。

A little boy almost thought of himself as the most unfortunate child in the world because poliomyelitis（脊髓灰质炎）made his leg lame and his teeth uneven（凹凸不平的）and stick out.He seldom played with his classmates， and when the teacher asked him to answer questions，he always lowered his head without a word.

一个小男孩几乎认为自己是世界上最不幸的孩子，因为小儿麻痹症使他腿脚行动不便，牙齿参差不齐。他很少跟同学们玩耍，老师叫他回答问题时，他也总是低着头一言不发。

One spring，the boy's father asked for some young trees from the neighbor.He wanted to plant them in front of the house.He told his children to plant one each person.The father said to the children， “I will buy him or her a favorite gift for the one whose tree grows best， .” The boy also wanted to get his father's gift.But seeing his brothers and sisters carrying water to water the trees bouncily（跳跃地），anyhow，he hit upon an idea—he hoped the tree he planted would die soon.So after watering it once or twice，he never attended to it.

一年春天，小男孩的父亲从邻居家讨了些树苗，他想把它们栽在房前。他叫孩子们每人种一棵。父亲对孩子们说:“谁栽的树苗长得最好，我就给谁买一件最喜欢的礼物。”小男孩也想得到父亲的礼物，但是看到兄弟姐妹们快活地提着水去浇树，不知怎么回事，他萌生了一个想法：他希望自己栽的树苗早日死去。因此他浇水一两次后，就再也没去照管小树苗了。

A few days later， when the little boy went to see his tree again， he was surprised to find it not only didn't wilt（枯萎），but also grew some fresh leaves，and compared with the trees of his brothers and sisters，his appeared greener and more vibrant （充满生机的）.His father kept his promise， bought the little boy his favorite gift and said to him—from the tree he planted，he would become an outstanding botanist（植物学家）when he grew up.

几天后，小男孩再去看他种的树苗时，他惊奇地发现它不仅没有枯萎，而且还长出了一些新叶，并且和他哥哥姐姐种的树相比，他的树显得更加翠绿、更有生气。父亲兑现了他的诺言，为小男孩买一了件他最喜欢的礼物，并告诉他，从他栽的树来看，他长大后一定能成为一名出色的植物学家。

巧笔妙记

think of...as把……当作……

stick out伸出

hit upon碰巧发现；忽然想出

attend to照料；注意；处理

compare...with...把……与……比较。

keep one's promise信守承诺

Since then， the little boy slowly became hopeful.One night， the little boy lay on the bed but couldn't fall asleep.Looking at the bright moonlight outside the window，he suddenly recalled what the biology teacher once said—plants generally grow at night.Why not go to see the tree?When he came to the courtyard on tiptoe， he found his father was splashing （泼洒）something under his tree with a ladle.All of a sudden，he understood his father had been secretly fertilizing his small tree!He returned to his room，tears running down his face like a river.

从那以后，小男孩慢慢变得充满希望起来。一天晚上，小男孩躺在床上睡不着，望着窗外明亮的月光，突然想起生物老师说过植物一般都在晚上生长。