The Best Nourishment of Life
生命中最好的养料
A little boy almost thought of himself as the most unfortunate child in the world because poliomyelitis made his leg lame and his teeth uneven and protruding（龅牙）. He seldom played with his classmates; and when his teacher asked him to answer questions, he always lowered his head without a word.
One spring, the boy’s father asked for some saplings（树苗） from the neighbor. He wanted to plant them in front of the house. He told his children to plant one sapling each person. The father said to the children, “Whose seedling grows best, I’ll buy him or her a favorite gift.” The boy also wanted to get his father’s gift. But seeing his brothers and sisters carry water to water the trees bouncily, 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.
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 vital. His father kept his promise, bought the little boy one of his favorite gifts and said from the tree he planted, he would surely become an outstandingbotanist when he grew up.
Since then, the little boy slowly became optimistic. One night, the little boy lay on the bed but couldn’t sleep. Looking at the bright moonlight outside the window, he suddenly recalled what the biology teacher once said, plants generally grows at night. Why not go to see his tree? When he came to the courtyard on tiptoe（踮着脚）, 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 without restraint（任凭泪水流下）…
Decades passed. The little boy didn’t become a botanist, but he was elected President of the United States. His name was Franklin Roosevelt.
Love is the best nourishment of life; even if it is just one ladleful of clear water, it can make the tree of life thrive.
译文
一个小男孩几乎认为自己是世界上最不幸的孩子，因为患脊髓灰质炎而留下了瘸腿和参差凸出的牙齿。他很少跟同学们玩；老师叫他回答问题时，他总是低着头一言不发。
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。他叫他的孩子们每人载一颗。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，但看到兄妹那蹦蹦跳跳提水浇树的身影，不知怎的，他萌生出一种想法：希望自己栽的那棵树早日死去。因此，浇过一两次水后，他再也没有去管它。
几天后，小男孩再去看他种的那棵树时，惊奇地发现它不仅没有枯萎，而且还长出了几片新叶子，与兄妹们种的树相比，显得更嫩绿、更有生气。父亲兑现了他的诺言，为小男孩买了一件他最喜爱的礼物，并对他说，从他栽的树来看，他长大后一定能成为一个出色的植物学家。
从那以后，小男孩慢慢地乐观起来。一天晚上，小男孩躺在床上睡不着，看着窗外皎洁的月光，突然想起生物老师曾说过的话：植物一般都在晚上生长。何不去看看自己种下的那棵小树？当他轻手轻脚地来到院子里时，却看见父亲用勺子在向自己栽种的那棵树下泼洒着什么。顿时，一切他都明白了，原来父亲一直在偷偷地位自己栽种的那棵小树施肥！他返回房间，任凭泪水肆意流淌……
几十年过去了。尽管那个瘸腿小男孩没有成为植物学家，他却成了美国总统，他叫富兰克林•罗斯福。
爱是生命中最好的养料，哪怕只是一勺清水，它都能使生命之树茁壮成长。
拓展训练
A little boy almost thought of himself as the most unfortunate child in the world because a disease made his leg lame(跛的). He ___1____played with his classmates. When the teacher asked him to answer questions, he always___2____ his head without a word.
One ___3____ the boy’s father asked for some saplings(树苗)from the neighbor. He wanted the ___4___ to plant a sapling(树苗) each person in front of the house. The father said, “Whose sapling grows best, I will buy him or her a favorite__5____.” Seeing his brothers and sisters watering the trees, however, the boy had an idea .He hoped that the tree he planted would__6____ soon. So, after watering it once or twice, he never ___7____ it.
A few days later, when the little boy went to see his tree again, he was __8____ to find that it didn’t fade but grew some fresh leaves. ___9_____ the trees of his brothers and sisters, his tree was even greener. His father kept his ___10____ , bought the little boy his favorite gift and said that from the tree he planted, he would become an outstanding___11____ when he grew up.
Since then, the little boy slowly became__12_____. One night, he lay on the bed but could not sleep. Then he got up and came to the ___13_____. To his surprise, his ___ 14___ was splashing(喷洒)something onto his tree.__15_____, he understood---his father had been__16____ fertilizing(施肥)his small tree!
He returned to h is room, ___17____ running down.___18_____ passed. The little boy didn’t become a botanist(植物学家) ，but he was elected President of the United States. His name was Franklin Roosevelt. Love is the __19_____nourishment(营养)of life.___20_____ it is just a drop of clear water, it can still help the tree of life thrive(茁壮成长).
【小题1】A.bravely B.seldom C.freely D.always[来源:学科网ZXXK]
【小题2】A.raised B.nodded C.lowered D.knocked
【小题3】A.spring B.moment C.winter D.week
【小题4】A.neighbors B.friends C.children D.boys
【小题5】A.sapling B.tree C.gift D.toy
【小题6】A.die B.grow C.break D.survive
【小题7】A.led to B.attended to C.belonged to D.objected to
【小题8】A.pleased B.upset C.worried D.surprised
【小题9】A.Compared with B.Similar to C.Connected to D.Popular with
【小题10】A.request B.schedule C.promise D.secret
【小题11】A.president B.botanist C.artist D.researcher
【小题12】A.smart B.desperate C.optimistic D.practical
【小题13】A.field B.courtyard C.park D.farm
【小题14】A.brother B.sister C.father D.neighbor
【小题15】A.All of a sudden B.For a moment C.In time D.From then on
【小题16】A.busily B.quietly C.cautiously D.secretly
【小题17】A.water B.tears C.sweat D. rain
【小题18】A.Hours B.Months C.Decades D.Centuries
【小题19】A.last B.only C.least D.best
【小题20】A.Even if B.Now that C.If only D.What if
答案：BCACC ABDAC BCBCA DBCDA