The Anxious Leaf by Henry Ward Beecher

                                                    The Anxious Leaf (Audio)

 
Vocabulary:

1. anxious 焦慮的，不安的，擔心的

1. My mother always gets a bit anxious if we don't arrive when we say we will.

如果我們說好回家卻沒有回去，我母親總會有些擔心。

2. I saw my sister's anxious face at the window. 我看到了視窗姐姐那張憂心忡忡的臉。

3. The drought has made farmers anxious about the harvest. 這場旱災使農民因擔心收成而焦慮不安。

2. leaf/leaves葉，葉片，葉子，樹葉

a palm leaf 棕櫚樹葉

autumn leaves秋葉

1. He was sweeping up leaves in his garden. 他在自己的花園裡掃樹葉。

3. often時常，經常；多次

I often see him in the garden. 我常見他在花園裡。

How often do you wash your hair? 你多久洗一次頭髮？

I don't often drink spirits.我不常喝烈酒。

It's not often that you meet someone who you're instantly attracted to.

你不會經常遇到一見面就把你吸引住的人。

I don't see my parents as often as I'd like to. 我看父母的次數沒有我期望的那樣多。

Christmas is often mild in this country. 在這個國家，聖誕節期間的氣候往往很暖和。

4. wind風；氣流

There isn't enough wind to fly a kite. 風不夠大，風箏飛不起來。

The weather forecast warned of winds of up to 60-miles-an-hour today.

天氣預報警告說，今天有時速高達60英里的強風。

There was a light wind blowing. 微風輕拂。

Strong/High winds made the crossing very unpleasant.

強風使橫度變得非常不舒服。

The sails flapped in the wind. 風帆在風中啪啪地拍打著。

5. throw投；拋；擲；扔

1. My friend threw the ball back over the fence. 我朋友把球從圍欄上擲了回去。

2. The coat was thrown over the back of the chair. 大衣丟在椅背上。

3. She threw herself into a chair, exhausted. 她筋疲力盡地倒在椅子上。

4. The rider was thrown as the horse jumped the fence. 馬跳過柵欄時騎手被甩了下來。

5. He threw a punch at (= hit) his attacker. 他向攻擊他的人猛擊一拳。

6. ground地，地面

1. I sat down on the ground. 我坐在地上。

7. until到…時；直到…時

1.I was up until three o'clock trying to get it finished! 為了完成工作，我一直幹到三點！

2. Hadn't we better wait until Antony's here? 我們是不是最好等到安東尼來？

8.  around (在…）附近，在（…）近處；到處，四處；隨便

1. He always leaves his clothes lying around (on the floor). 他總是隨手把衣服（往地板上）一扔。

2. She went into town and spent two hours just walking around. 她進了城後，花了兩個小時四處閒逛。

3. Let's take the children to the park so they can run around for a bit. 我們帶孩子到公園去讓他們到處跑跑吧。

4 .I used to live around (= near) here. 過去我就住在這一帶。

5. She's never around (= near here) when you need her. 你需要她的時候，她就不見蹤影了。

6. Will you be around next week? 你下周到這附近來嗎？

7. There's a lot of flu around (= a lot of people have it) at the moment. 現在這個地方流感肆虐。

8. Mobile phones have been around (= existed) for quite a while. 手機問世已經有一段時間了。

9. striped有條紋的

1. green and white striped pyjamas 綠白相間的條紋睡衣

2. Do you prefer plain or striped shirts? 你喜歡素面襯衫還是條紋襯衫？

10. meant (past of “to mean”) 意思是；意味著

What does this word mean? 這個詞是甚麼意思？

[+ that] These figures mean that almost 7% of the working population is unemployed.

這些數字意味著近7%的勞動人口處於失業狀態。

What do you mean by that remark? 你那句話是甚麼意思？

She's quite odd though. Do you know what I mean?

可是她有點怪。你明白我指甚麼嗎？

11. holiday假期，假日

a camping/skiing holiday  露營／滑雪渡假

1. Have you decided where you're going for your holiday(s) this year? 你決定今年到哪裡渡假了嗎？

2. Patricia is on holiday next week. 派翠夏下星期休假。

3. How many days' holiday do you get with your new job? 你的新工作有幾天假期？

4. We thought we'd go to France for our summer holiday. 我們想去法國過暑假。

5. Surely the school holidays start soon.想必學校馬上就要放假了吧。

12. edge邊，邊緣

1. He'd piped fresh cream around the edge of the cake. 他用鮮奶油沿蛋糕邊擠花。

2. They built the church on the edge of the village. 他們把教堂建在村莊邊緣。

3. A man was standing at the water's edge with a small boy. 一名男子帶著一個小男孩站在水邊。

4. I caught (= hit) my leg on the edge of the table as I walked past. 我經過那張桌子的時候，腿撞到在桌邊了。

13. dream 夢，睡夢，夢境

a good/bad dream 好／噩夢

a recurring dream 反覆出現的夢境

I had a very odd dream about you last night. 昨晚我夢見了你，那個夢非常奇怪。

[+ that] Paul had a dream that he won the lottery. 保羅夢見自己彩票中了獎。

14. wake up（某人）醒來；叫醒（某人），弄醒（某人）

Come on, wake up - breakfast is ready. 快點，快醒醒——早飯都準備好了。

He woke himself up with his own snoring! 他打鼾都把自己打醒了！

The Anxious Leaf Once upon a time a little leaf was heard to sigh (歎氣) and cry, as leaves often do when a gentle (溫柔) wind is around. And the twig (細枝) said, "What is the matter, little leaf?" And the leaf said, "The wind just told me that one day it would pull me off and throw me down to die on the ground!" The twig told it to the branch (樹枝) on which it grew, and the branch told it to the tree. And when the tree heard it, it rustled (沙沙作響) all over, and sent back word to the leaf, "Do not be afraid. Hold on tightly (緊緊地) and you will not go until you want to." And so the leaf stopped sighing, but went on singing. Every time the tree shook (搖動) itself and stirred (微動) up all its leaves, the branches shook themselves, and the little twig shook itself, and the little leaf danced up and down merrily (快樂地), as if nothing could ever pull it off. And so it grew all summer long, till October.  And when the bright days of autumn came the little leaf saw all the leaves around becoming very beautiful. Some were yellow and some scarlet, and some striped with both colors. Then it asked the tree what it meant. And the tree said, "All these leaves are getting ready to fly away, and they have put on these beautiful colors because of joy." Then the little leaf began to want to go, too, and grew very beautiful in thinking of it, and when it was very gay in color it saw that the branches of the tree had no bright color in them, and so the leaf said, "O branches! why are you grey and we yellow?" "We must keep on our work-clothes, for our life is not done - but your clothes are for holiday, because your tasks are over," said the branches. Just then a little puff of wind came, and the leaf let go, without thinking of it, and the wind took it up and turned it over and over, and whirled it like a spark (火花) of fire in the air, and then it dropped gently down under the edge of the fence (柵欄), among hundreds of leaves, and fell into a dream, and it never woke up to tell what it dreamed about.   THE END

Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is this story about? (Who is the main character?)

2. Where does the story take place?

3. When did this story happen?

4. Where did these events happen?