Lesson 2 A Good Old Man

There once lived an old man in a snug^① , little cottage^② . It had two rooms and only two windows. A small garden lay just behind it.

Old as the poor man was, he used to work in the fields. Often he would come home very tired and weak, with his hoe^③ or spade^④ on his shoulder.

And who do you think see him at the door? Mary and Jane, his two little grandchildren.

They were too young to work, except to weed^⑤ in the garden, or bring water from the spring.

In winter, as they were too poor to buy much wood or coal, they had little fire so they used to sit close together to keep warm. Mary would sit on one of the old man’s knees, and Jane on the other.

Sometimes their grandfather would tell them a droll^⑥ story. Sometimes he would teach them a hymn^⑦ .

He would often talk to them of their father, who had gone to sea, or of their good, kind mother, who was in her grave^⑧ . Every night he prayed God to bless^⑨ them, and to bring back their father in safety.

The old man grew weaker every year; but the little girls were glad work for him, who had been so good to them.

One cold, windy night, they heard a knock at the door. The little girls ran and opened it. Oh, joy to them! There stood their father.

He had been at sea a long time. He had saved some money, and had now come home to stay.

After this the old man did not have to work. His son worked for him, and his grandchildren took care of him. Many happy days they spent together.

(298 words)

Notes

① snug [sn?ɡ] n. 舒適溫暖的地方；雅室

② cottage ['k?t?d?] n. 小屋；村舍；鄉(xiāng)下房子；小房子

③ hoe [h??] n. 鋤頭；除草器

④ spade [spe?d] n. 鐵鍬；鏟子

⑤ weed [wi?d] vt. 給…除雜草；除（草）vi. 除草

⑥ droll [dr??l] adj. 離奇古怪的；滑稽的

⑦ hymn [h?m] n. 贊美詩(shī)；圣歌

⑧ grave [ɡre?v] n. 墳?zāi)梗荒寡?/p>

⑨ bless [bles] vt. 祝福；保佑

Exercises

Ⅰ. How well did you read?

1. [Grasp the main idea] What is the story about?

A. An old man.

B. An old man’s two grandchildren.

C. An old man’s son.

2. [See the result] What was the old man’s life like after his son came back?

A. He had to work for his family.

B. He didn’t need to work for his family.

C. He had many sad days.

3. [Note the reason] Why did the old man take care of his grandchildren?

A. Because their mother and father both died.

B. Because their mother and father had gone to sea.

C. Because their father had gone to sea and their mother was dead.

Ⅱ. Read for words.

Choose the best paraphrase or Chinese meaning for the underlined words or expressions.

1. In winter, as they were too poor to buy much wood or coal, they had little fire so they used to sit close together to keep warm. (Para. 5, Line 1)

A. 木頭          B. 樹枝           C. 煤

2. Every night he prayed God to bless them, and to bring back their father in safety. (Para. 7, Line 2)

A. 祈禱               B.哀求               C. 對(duì)神訴說(shuō)

3. The little girls ran and opened it. Oh, joy to them! (Para. 9, Line 2)

A. good luck              B. happiness                   C. success

Ⅲ. Writing practice.

Answer these questions in note form to get your points.

1. What was the old man’s life like?

2. Who did he live with?

3. What happened on a cold night?

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