I was a single parent of four small children, working at a low-paid job. Money was always tight, but we had a roof overheads, food on the table, clothes on our backs, and if not a lot, always enough. My kids did not know we were poor. I have always been glad about it.
It was Christmastime, and although there wasn't money for a lot of gifts, we planned to celebrate with a family party. But the big excitement for the kids was the fun of Christmas shopping.
They planned weeks ahead of time, asking each other what they wanted for Christmas. Fortunately, I had saved $ 120 for presents to share by all five of us.
The big day arrived. I gave each kid a twenty dollar bill and reminded them to look for gifts of about four dollars each. Then everyone scattered（散开）. We had two hours to shop; then we would meet back at the gate.
On the way home, everyone was in high Christmas spirits, except my younger daughter, Alisa, who was unusually quiet. She had only one small, flat bag with a few candies — fifty-cent candies. I was so angry, but I controlled myself and didn't say anything until we got home. I called her into my bedroom and closed the door, ready to be angry again. This was what she told me:
"I was looking around thinking of what to buy, and I stopped to read the little cards on the ‘Giving Trees'. One was for a little girl, four years old, and all she wanted for Christmas was a doll. So I took the card off the tree and bought the doll for her. We have so much but she doesn't have anything." I felt so proud of my younger daughter.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；2.请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
I gathered the other kids and shared with them what Alisa had done. …… We walked excitedly to the nearby children's hospital. |
